Wounded in a drug buy gone wrong, June March, a fledgling private detective, is forced to go home to her parents’ farm to recover. Her close-knit family is rocked when her ne’er-do-well brother-in-law, Roger, is murdered, after his part in a bank robbery. In the small community of Edison, North Carolina, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, secrets are hard to keep—even one as dangerous as murder. When June’s sister, April, is accused of killing her husband, June will do whatever she must to prove her sister’s innocence.County Sheriff Jason Striker, an old school mate of June’s, is dead serious about bringing the murderer to justice. But how can he find the killer and keep June safe when she insists on being part of the investigation? Nothing has changed since high school—June is still as determined as ever, and she still has a firm hold on Jason’s heart.
June tries to hold old feelings at bay, but somehow, the boy from yesterday has become the man of her dreams—and she’s not about to let him go. With the killer still on the loose, Jason knows that June’s expertise will be invaluable in helping him solve the case—and she’s not about to back away from doing just that. Identifying the killer can mean the death of them both, as a small-town’s secrets protect one of its own…one who committed this BLUE RIDGE MURDER…
EXCERPT
The well-built man in a
sheriff’s uniform looked more like he was dressed for dancing at a bridal
shower than he did as an official of the state and my former classmate. Though
I did think he filled out the uniform well, I’d always thought he was just
pretending in his job. Maybe it was because while we were in school, he’d
always looked more like a big, tall, baby-faced ten- year-old than he did a
rough, tough football player—and now, sheriff.
“I hear you folks have a little
problem.” He stepped to the middle of the room and glanced at my broken leg. He
didn’t mention it, but he did arch his left eyebrow.
“Yes,” May said. “You should go
pick up Roger. He was one of the bank robbers today.”
“What makes you think he robbed
the bank, May?” His voice was more surprised than questioning.
“Because he told me he did,”
April chimed in.
“She had to escape with the
children. He threatened them,” May explained.
“Let’s go talk on the porch so
the children won’t hear,” April suggested.
Jason glanced at the kids and
nodded. April, May and I followed him to the porch. Mom stayed with the
children. I took my place in the rocking chair again and everyone found seats,
including Jason.
“Now,” he said. “Let’s start at
the beginning, April. Tell me what happened.”
