Medical examiner and pediatrician Sara Linton is dealing with a lot of stress defending herself in a medical malpractice suit that has the whole town of Heartsdale turning against her. Her husband, Police Chief Jeffery Tolliver, is her strongest advocate during this trying time. When he receives word that his detective, the troubled Lena Adams, is wanted for murder in her hometown of Reece, a hundred miles away, Jeffrey knows that he and Sara are the only ones who can help Lena.

Lena has gone into hiding, so the local sheriff is glad for Jeffrey's help in the matter. And also glad for Sara's help as a forensic medical examiner. When another murder occurs, the people of Reece are sure Lena is to blame, and they'll do whatever it takes to prove it.

Jeffrey and Sara find themselves caught in a web of betrayal, illegal drugs, vicious bigotry and violent behavior. They don't know who to believe, or who to trust, as they work diligently to uncover the truth and save Lena. Not only is Lena's freedom at stake, but her very life. Jeffrey and Sara soon discover their lives are also in danger. Some very influential people will do anything to keep their secrets hidden.

This impeccably written thriller kept me glued to the pages from the opening line, then slammed me with an ending so shocking, it's still in my mind. Slaughter realistically fleshes out her characters (good and bad) and writes a taut, believable plot line so fine, you feel you're living the story. This is crime fiction writing at its finest.

Note: There will be more Grant County books to come in the future (following a separate stand-alone hardcover novel next year), and it will be interesting to see how Slaughter handles these characters and their complicated lives.

Book Summary

Sara Linton—resident medical examiner/pediatrician in Grant County, Georgia,—has plenty of hardship to deal with, including defending herself in a heartbreaking malpractice suit. So when her husband, Police chief Jeffery Tolliver, learns that his friend and coworker detective Lena Adams has been arrested for murder and needs Sara’s help, she is not sure she can handle the pressure of it all. But soon Sara an Jeffery are sitting through evidence, peeling back the layers of a mystery that grows darker by the day—until an intricate web of betrayal and vengeance begins to unravel. And suddenly the lives of Sara, Lena, and Jeffery are hanging by the slenderest of threads.

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