by Sandra Brown
First published 2021
Thatcher Hutton leaps from a moving freight train in 1920, seeking to avoid trouble but landing squarely in it. The war-weary soldier arrives in Foley, Texas on the same day a local woman vanishes. As the only outsider in town, Thatcher becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance. A corrupt mayor, crooked sheriff, and notorious madam all stand between him and clearing his name. Meanwhile, widow Laurel Plummer enters the moonshine business after tragedy leaves her penniless. Her quick success in the lucrative trade angers the established bootleggers who have long controlled the region. Cutthroat competitors target Laurel, following their own brutal code of revenge. When Thatcher becomes a deputy, he and Laurel find themselves on opposing sides as violence erupts across the Moonshine Capitol of Texas. Blood spills as freely as whiskey in this war where Prohibition may be federal law, but murder and greed rule the streets.
Genres: romance, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, mystery, crime, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, small-town
Setting: Foley, Texas
Period: 1920
512 pages · Hardcover · Grand Central Publishing
Content warnings: violence