A RENOWNED SURGEON FOUND DEAD IN HIS HOME—MURDER? OR SUICIDE?

Susan Hunter's not quite hard-boiled, not quite cozy sequel catches back up with savvy, independent sleuth Leah Nash along the icy twists and turns of small town mystery in Wisconsin, spiraling down a rabbit hole of fraud, layers upon layers of family secrets, and murder.

“All of us are dying,” states a cryptic Betty Meier to no-nonsense (and oft-accused smart-mouth) reporter Leah Nash one morning. Betty's a retired nurse suffering from Alzheimer's, so Leah’s not particularly surprised.

But hours later, Betty’s house ends up torched—and Leah’s covering it for the tiny Himmel Times Weekly, where she’s still stuck after an incident involving her penchant for mouthing off. She's casually dismissed as unable to mind her own business by first responders (no surprise there)... but she can’t help wondering—did the old lady absent-mindedly leave the stove on? Or is something more sinister at work? Because Leah's day's about to get a whole lot more perplexing.

She receives a midnight phone call from a mysterious young woman named Isabel, begging her to investigate the death of her wealthy father, Garrett Whiting, a renowned surgeon with possible ties to fraudulent activity. Boohoo, thinks our heroine. Except Isabel found him in his study with a bullet to the brain and a poisonous rum and coke in hand.

Leah soon uncovers Whiting's diagnosis of Parkinson's, meaning the end of his prestigious medical career, plus a few financial details doe-eyed Isabel conveniently omitted from her plea. Lies follow more lies... until small town snooping reveals twists Leah never saw coming.

Fearless Leah's never been a shrinking violet, and mystery fans will love her smartass pluck coupled with her quintessentially midwestern posse: her handsome cop best friend Coop, her overbearing but loving mother, and her delightful gay pal Miguel. She'll need all the support she can get as she navigates the airtight connections of small town America to get to the bottom of medical misconduct, family drama, a complex drug ring, and a likely murder—growing more likely by the minute.

Fans of MWA Grandmaster Carolyn Hart will adore this spunky female protagonist, as will those who love Joan Hess’s Maggody series, Sharyn McCrumb’s Ballad books, plus the more contemporary work of writers like Louise Penny (Three Pines, Canada) and Christine Kling (the Florida Keys). Fans of reporter sleuths like Hank Philippi Ryan’s Jane Ryland will find a new favorite detective in Leah Nash.