New York TimesโBestselling Author: A police detective comes home to Mississippi to make a new startโbut soon finds herself pulled into an old mystery . . .
Every town has its secretsโand Stillwater, Mississippi, has more than most. Starting with the disappearance of the Reverend Lee Barker nineteen years ago. The locals are convinced he was murdered by his stepson, Clay Montgomery. But only Clayโand his mother and sistersโcan say for sure. They were the only ones there that fateful night, the only ones who know what really happened. And theyโre not talking.
Allie McCormick is a cold-case detective from Chicago. After a particularly difficult divorce, sheโs returned to Stillwater with her six-year-old daughter to find the peace she once knew in her hometown, and to work for the local police force while sheโs starting over. But when Clayโs powerful enemies join forces to put him behind bars, Allie feels duty bound to uncover the truth. Her instincts tell her he didnโt murder the Reverend Lee Barker.
Clay may be a dark and brooding man, but he was just sixteen at the time. And heโs not a cold-blooded killer. At least, thatโs what Allie believesโuntil she learns that behind the preacherโs pious demeanor lurked the heart of a monster. Then she has to ask herself whether justice has already been done . . .
Praise for the Stillwater Trilogy
โStrong characters bring the escalating suspense to life, and the mystery is skillfully played out. Novakโs smooth plotting makes for a great read.โ โPublishers Weekly
โA compelling new series . . . Novak expertly mixes her usual superior characterization with a chilling sense of evil.โ โBooklist
โA taut, spine-tingling story.โ โChristine Feehan