The girl was beautiful, even in death. Her skin was translucent beneath the sliver of moonlight peeking through the bare branches of the surrounding pines, and her chestnut hair had tumbled around her pale shoulders. Around her, smoke twisted in the air, curling into the inky sky.
The remote town of Crooked Creek has barely recovered from its most recent tragedy when wildfires tear through the mountains. Detective Ellie Reeves is grappling with her own heartbreak––she has just discovered she was adopted and that her childhood was a lie.
Under the scorching summer sun, Ellie is called to a river where a body has been found. She spots a lone woman’s shoe caught in a nearby tangle of vines, and a pearl necklace scattered by the water’s edge. The remains are surrounded by a circle of stones, which Ellie is certain means something. Was the victim––whoever she was––caught in the fire or is something more sinister at play?
The Fourth of July usually means festivals and fireworks, but when another body turns up the town is left in tatters. A young girl with dark hair lies dead, surrounded by stones, smoke drifting in the air. Thanks to an engraved silver necklace, Ellie identifies the body as eighteen-year-old Katie Lee Curtis, and the diary she finds hidden under the teenager’s mattress could get her close to the killer.
With two victims in less than twenty-four hours, it’s clear Ellie’s up against a serial killer, and she vows that no more innocent girls will be sacrificed. For her, every day is a battle to come to terms with her past, but when this case becomes personal, will she win?
A totally gripping and utterly addictive page-turner that will have you racing through and reeling at the twists. Perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Lisa Regan and Kendra Elliot, it’s best read with the lights on!
Readers absolutely love Rita Herron:
“Wow!… I literally haven’t been able to put this book down! This has completely gripped me and been utterly impossible to put down.” Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Oh my word!… What a great storyteller Rita Herron is! From the fabulous plot which quite frankly had me on the edge of my seat throughout to the amazing character development, I am overwhelmed by this book! It was so good!… Oh my goodness! The twists! They kept coming! The final two though were shockers!… This book is an astoundingly well-written novel!” NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Loved this book! Action packed and with so many twists, had me hooked from start to the end!!The ending was amazing!! I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!!!!!!” Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Wow, what a brilliant book… Rollercoaster of emotions… I found it very jumpy in places as I was so engrossed. Don’t read when on your own!” NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This book was so damn good! I just couldn’t put it down until I finished it!… Had me hooked on right from the start… Amazing!!” Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Truly brilliant… Right from the first chapter I was hooked and I needed to keep turning the pages… There were times during the book that I felt I was on edge and my heart was bumping. You know a story is good when you start getting physical reactions.” Chells and Books, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
