The table is set for family dinner; roast chicken, wine for them and juice for their darling boy, and a vase of fresh daisies from the garden for decoration. But the food is cold, and the flowers are wilting. You might think they were sleeping in the next room if it wasn’t for the blood dripping crimson onto the carpet…

FBI Agent Val Costa is drawn out of retirement once again when the Cramer family is found dead in their home in Red Rose County. She falls to her knees in despair at the sight of little Michael Jr., curled up on the couch. What monster would take the life of an innocent child? Val vows to find justice for the mother, Stephanie Cramer, who survived the attack but is fighting for her life in hospital.

Interviewing neighbors uncovers no leads, but Val knows there’s a message in the way Mike Cramer’s body was left, tied to a chair, with stab wounds all over his body. It seems that the mother and son were collaterals, and Mike was the real target. But why? Working in an auto shop between taking his boy to karate class, Michael was a perfect family man. There are no signs of a robbery, and all Val has to work with are small-town whispers about the age gap between him and his wife.

A break in the case comes when a secret phone is found hidden in Mike’s car and GPS reveals he’d been making late-night trips out of town for weeks before his family was attacked. Her team quickly suspects an affair, but Val’s instincts tell her it’s something far more sinister.

As more cracks in the perfect Cramer family picture begin to show—arguments, money troubles—Val must work around the clock to stop this twisted individual in their tracks. But does she know someone is watching her every move? And when a dark secret in Mike’s past surfaces, can Val stay ahead of her stalker long enough to catch the killer before another precious life is taken?

An absolutely pulse-pounding crime thriller with unputdownable suspense, perfect for fans of Mary Stone, Kate Gable, and L.T. Ryan.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

…he’s having a go at being a ruthless drug lord. Maybe he’s watched Scarface one too many times.

My Review:

My interest in this well-paced series hasn’t waned due to the wily author’s crafty writing style, one that keeps the little pea in my brain itchy, engaged, curious, and primed to gather the meager clues sprinkled throughout the several active and carefully constructed storylines. I am enjoying learning more about the primary and secondary characters as they become more comfortable with each other. I see trouble brewing in the next installment as the enigmatic serial killer appears to be prepping for another strike.