Traces of Guilt: (A Contemporary Cold Case Mystery & Suspense Romance) (An Evie Blackwell Cold Case) - Softcover

Dee Henderson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0764218867 ISBN 13: 9780764218866

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers, 2016

Synopsis

A Riveting Cold-Case Mystery from Dee Henderson

Evie Blackwell loves her life as an Illinois State Police detective . . . mostly. She's very skilled at investigations and has steadily moved up through the ranks. She would like to find Mr. Right, but she has a hard time imagining how marriage could work, considering the demands of her job.

Gabriel Thane is a lifetime resident of Carin County and now its sheriff, a job he loves. Gabe is committed to upholding the law and cares deeply for the residents he's sworn to protect. He too would like to find a lifetime companion, a marriage like his parents have.

When Evie arrives in Carin, Illinois, it's to help launch a new task force dedicated to reexamining unsolved crimes across the state. Spearheading this trial run, Evie will work with the sheriff's department on a couple of its most troubling missing-persons cases. As she reexamines old evidence to pull out a few tenuous new leads, she unearths a surprising connection . . . possibly to a third cold case. Evie's determined to solve the cases before she leaves Carin County, and Sheriff Thane, along with his family, will be key to those answers.

About this title

From the Back Cover

She's turning up the heat on Carin County's cold cases . . .

Evie Blackwell loves her life as an Illinois State Police detective . . . mostly. She's very skilled at investigations and has steadily moved up through the ranks. She would like to find Mr. Right, but she has a hard time imagining how marriage could work, considering the demands of her job.

Gabriel Thane grew up in Carin County and is now its sheriff, a job he loves. Gabe is committed to upholding the law and cares deeply for the residents he's sworn to protect. He too would like to find a lifetime companion, a marriage like his parents have. . . .

When Evie arrives in Carin, Illinois, it's to help launch a new task force focused on unsolved crimes across the state. She will work with the sheriff's department on a couple of its most troubling missing-persons cases. As she studies old evidence to pull out a few tenuous new leads, she unearths surprising connections. One way or another, she knows Gabriel Thane and his family will be key to the answers she seeks.

"The mysteries explored in the story are nuanced and their resolutions surprising...The interplay of the characters is fascinating and sets up some intriguing scenarios for future installments."--RT Book Reviews

"Henderson's well-developed cast of supporting characters includes a few recognizable names from her previous novels...Leaving as many mysteries in limbo as solved, Henderson ends this story with plenty of fodder for future installments."--Publishers Weekly

"The combination of dogged detective work and clever deductions that leads Evie to solve both cases is bound to please mystery fans, and the hint of attraction between Evie and Gabriel will keep romance readers intrigued enough to see how this relationship develops over the course of the series."--Booklist

"Henderson's writing is crisp, and the gripping story line will keep readers on edge until the final page. A twisty plot in which nothing is as it seems. . . . Police procedural aficionados and the author's many readers will be lining up for this one."--Library Journal

From the Inside Flap

"How bad is it, Dad?" Cellphone tucked under his ear, Gabe left his mower, headed to the garage. He grabbed the medical backpack and another one of general emergency supplies.

"Big buck came through the windshield," his father said, "airbags deployed, put the car into a tree. Found her busted phone, along with a spilled purse. Driver's license reads 'Evie Blackwell,' 36, a Springfield address."

"Heading your way now. Call the Tanners, Delaines, see if she's knocked on a door."

Gabe tossed the gear into his sheriff-issue truck, reversed out of the drive, turned north. "Six miles of asphalt, not much traffic since the new bridge," he muttered, shook his head. Irritated at himself for being irritated, he liked to think he was as good a sheriff as his father had been. He gave it a beat, hit redial. "Anything, Dad?"

"No one's seen the victim. They're walking out to the road to check."

"Not good. She passes the Delaines' place, nothing else till town." He turned on his flashers, added speed to close the distance to the crash. "Describe the blood trail."

"I'm thinking she's got pressure on a pretty serious wound, multiple drops with every pace. She's walking reasonably straight, heading south."

"She could be at two miles or four." Gabe thought this Evie Blackwell was probably sitting down somewhere on the side of the road, hopefully still conscious.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0764218867
• ISBN 13: 9780764218866
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 400