First published 2016
Magnolia Steele swore she would never return to Franklin, Tennessee. A decade earlier, something terrible happened that left her memories fractured and her relationships in ruins. She fled to New York and built a life on Broadway. Now her acting career lies in shambles after a public disaster, and she stands on her mother's doorstep with nowhere else to go. Franklin feels like stepping back into a nightmare. Magnolia reluctantly helps her mother's catering business at a party for a country music star. The evening takes a deadly turn when she confronts a sleazy music agent from her past. Their argument becomes the talk of the party. Hours later, the agent turns up dead. The police focus their investigation on Magnolia. She must clear her name while the town she abandoned watches her every move. Worse, being back in Franklin awakens the buried memories she has spent years avoiding. The incident that drove her away begins to surface piece by piece. Magnolia realizes that forgetting her past might have been the only thing keeping her safe.
Genres: suspense, mystery, contemporary, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, second-chance
Setting: Franklin, Tennessee, New York
Period: present-day
396 pages · Paperback · DGS
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, mental-illness