Part of Susan Wren, book 5
First published 2001
Police Chief Susan Wren faces the worst December in years. Record cold grips Hampstead, Kansas. Her officers call in sick. Then Caley James discovers a mutilated corpse in her basement. The dead man worked as a furnace repairman, but someone burned his face and hands beyond recognition. They wanted his identity hidden. Susan digs into the case and uncovers the victim's troubled history. He carried secrets from his past, dark enough that someone wanted him silenced permanently. The investigation pulls Susan deeper into a web of hidden motives and old grudges. She must determine whether the man's secrets justified murder. More troubling questions emerge about Caley James and her connection to the crime. Susan races against time and brutal winter weather to solve the case before the killer strikes again.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, small-town
Setting: Hampstead, Kansas
Period: December
272 pages · Hardcover · Minotaur Books
Content warnings: violence