Buried secrets threaten a lawman
And a woman with everything to lose.
A grisly discovery at the bottom of an abandoned well
leads cold-case detective Waco Johnson to Cardwell Ranch -- and a
thirty-year-old unsolved homicide. When evidence points to Ella Cardwell's
missing mother as the murderer, Waco knows he'll need the Montana rancher's
help to find the vanished woman. Ella's desperate search for answers uncovers
family secrets that could break the case wide open…and thrust Ella and Waco
into a killer's sights.
Good book. When Detective Waco Johnson gets a call about
some bones at the bottom of an old well, it starts him down the trail of a
thirty-year-old murder. The most logical suspect, the man's ex-wife Stacy,
vanishes before he can question her. Waco believes that watching the woman's
daughter Ella will lead him right to her.
Ella worries about her mother. Stacy always kept secrets
and often disappeared for days at a time with no explanation. Now Ella wonders
if her mother is capable of murder. With the detective on her heels, Ella
desperately searches for answers to where Stacy is hiding.
The story's suspense was very good, with plenty of twists
and turns to keep me guessing. The dead man, Marvin Hanover, had any number of
people with a motive to kill him. His ex-wife Stacy filed for an annulment
after his disappearance, happy to escape his plans for the child she carried.
His adult children from his first wife showed no grief when notified of his
death, only an obsessive interest in what happened to his money.
I enjoyed watching Ella try to evade Waco while she
attempted to find Stacy and discover how tenaciously he sticks to her. Her
determination pays off when a search through an old photo album turns up a
likely bolt-hole for her mother. In this case, Ella lucks out when Waco follows
her, as her destination turns out to be a bit sketchy. Ella realizes that they
both want to find Stacy and agrees to work together. They get some help from an
unexpected source and get quite a shock when they catch up to Stacy. The
revelation of a family secret stuns Ella creating hurt and confusion. That same
family secret complicates the investigation of Marvin's murder.
Ella, who lacks patience when dealing with the
investigation, takes matters into her own hands. Though furious at her for
risking herself, Waco has to admit that the plan was a good one. The intensity
ramps up as Ella carries out the plan to draw out the killer. The final
confrontation takes a couple of twists and a dangerous turn before it is all
over. I didn't see that ending coming and breathed a sigh of relief when it was
over.
The relationship between Waco and Ella progressed very
rapidly. It started with distrust and wariness and ended with professions of
love within a few days. Sparks of attraction bubbled under the initial
antagonism and popped to the surface after they started working together. Waco
finds himself unexpectedly protective of Ella. However, I honestly didn't feel
that there was much in the way of emotional connection between them in that
short of a time.
I enjoyed seeing more of the previous couple Ford and
Hitch (Trouble in Big Timber). Hitch is in a tough spot as the medical examiner
because of her connection to the Cardwell family. She's worked with Waco before
and knows him pretty well, and I liked their interactions. Dana Cardwell's
devotion to her family plays a significant role in the book, especially when it
comes to her sister Stacy. I also enjoyed the interactions between Dana and her
husband, Hud. I loved that she finally got her long-delayed wish at the end. 
And a woman with everything to lose.
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