Iced Out

Police Chief Brenda Harrison thought she was signing up for a federal training program that would make Hobbs safer. Suddenly, members of the press are hounding her, and people are protesting outside the police station every day. The Girl Scouts used to bake cookies for her. Now she's "the stain on Maine." What Brenda didn't know was that ICE would become the most hated law enforcement agency in America, and context matters.

Dr. Liz Stolz, Brenda's best friend, tries to make her see why her association with ICE looks bad. Rev. Lucy Bartlett offers compassion and support to Brenda and her family as the controversy makes their lives increasingly miserable.

Liz and Lucy are keeping a powerful secret of their own. Their deepening involvement with the Harrison family could expose them and put Lucy's job at risk. Neither Liz nor Lucy agree with Brenda's decision to work with ICE, but they put their friendship with Brenda and her family above their political opinions and job security.

Elena Graf been scribbling stories since high school. Her first novel was published in 2012. She considers herself primarily a historical novelist, but she is probably best known for the contemporary Hobbs series, featuring a group of middle-aged women living in a small town in Maine. The Passing Rites series is set in Europe in the early 20th century. Two volumes in the series have won awards for historical fiction.