Series:
Badge of Courage (Book 2)
This place had been her home
Now it was a crime scene
The sooner Special Agent Macy Stark can sell her
childhood home, the sooner she can escape her small town and shameful past --
until she discovers a body in the wall and her childhood nightmares return.
Handsome local Sheriff Stone Lawson joins the cold case to help Macy locate her
missing mother and uncover a dark web of secrets about both her parents. But
someone's willing to kill to keep the past hidden…for good.
Good book with intense suspense. Macy returned to her
hometown for a school reunion and to dispose of her childhood home, hoping to
put her past behind her once and for all. The book opens as Macy enters her
home for the first time in years, determined to clear it out. Her mom clearly
let the place go before entering a psychiatric facility for her mental issues.
Macy tears through the house like a whirlwind, bagging things for disposal
while fighting off the memories of her painful childhood. I ached for Macy as
she remembered Lynn's volatility and abusiveness.
When Macy was a child, she was forbidden to go into the
basement, but now it is one more place to clear out. I could feel her
trepidation as she unlocked the door and went down the steps. The author's
description was so vivid that I could almost smell the mildew and mustiness. And
despite the book title, I nearly jumped out of my skin when Macy saw that bony
hand sticking out of the wall. She quickly realizes that her departure will be
delayed with the house now a crime scene. Recalling her childhood nightmares, she
is also concerned that her mother may be a murderer.
As sheriff, Stone is first on the scene when she calls
him. He and Macy worked together to solve the mystery in the series' first book,
and he respects her abilities as an agent. He is also drawn to her as a person.
He is slightly concerned about how she'd handle an investigation that involves
her mother. When they arrive at the facility to question Macy's mom, they
discover that she has disappeared. Finding her and getting answers becomes a
high priority.
I was intrigued by the twists and turns of their
investigation into past events. From identifying the body to tracking Lynn's
activities all those years ago, each new revelation only created more
questions. The intensity ramped up when someone knocked Macy out and set fire
to the house with Macy in it. Stone's timely arrival saved her life but left
her wondering if her mother tried to kill her. As Macy and Stone delved deeper
into Lynn's past, an unexpected connection sent them on a new path. The final
confrontation had one last twist and a revelation that would alter Macy's
relationship with her mother.
I liked seeing the development of Macy and Stone's
relationship. The sparks were there early, but with Macy due to return to her
FBI post and Stone staying in Briar Ridge, neither planned to pursue the
attraction. I loved Stone's kindness and compassion as he learned more about
Macy's childhood and the protectiveness he couldn't help feeling. Macy is so
used to burying her memories and feelings of her childhood that she isn't sure
how to handle her reactions to his care. When everything was over, Macy had to
decide whether to return to her old life or take a chance that Stone cared
about her as much as she did him. I liked the scene with the rocks at the end.
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