By Natalie Walters

Recently widowed, Lane Kent is trying to get a fresh start with her five-year-old son. Taking over a restaurant in the small town of Walton, Georgia seems the perfect place to get away from her controlling father’s political spotlight. But you can’t outrun the past and you can’t outrun depression. When Lane finds the body of a murdered teenage girl, any chance at normalcy is shattered. With secrets and suspicions darkening the idyllic southern town, and her own demons battling within, Lane must decide who she can trust with the truth. But the truth can be deadly as she well knows. If she opens her heart to Walton’s new deputy, will the cost be too steep for either of them to handle?

Pros: I cheated on another book for this one and it did not disappoint. Characters you love, fantastic southern setting (despite the fact that I read with a solid Wisconsin accent), and a sweet romance that kept me turning the pages. I usually shy away from romantic suspense novels because of eye-roll cliches and tropes, but this book was fresh enough to make me add more books by the author on my Goodreads list.

One of the reasons I picked this up was the author bio: military wife and from a long line of military and law enforcement veterans. I really appreciated the military/law enforcement angle of this book. While it’s rare to find a book that has 100% research accuracy, I felt that this book (thanks to the author) was more authentic than other books I’ve read in a similar vein.

Cons: I was reading fast, so that didn’t help, but some of the mystery stuff seemed jolted and confusing – especially towards the end. The book wasn’t extremely deep (not a lot of meat and potatoes) but it was a more healthy dessert (apple pie) than the average romantic suspense read (pixie stix). 

Bottom Line: An entertaining southern suspense book with a solid law enforcement/military angle.