First published 2015
A contentious legal case has torn apart the quiet Vermont town of Canaan. Neighbors who once trusted each other now eye one another with suspicion. Fear spreads through the community like winter frost. When a teenage babysitter is brutally killed at the home of the case's lead attorney, Detective Sonja Test arrives at the scene. She believes the murder connects directly to the legal dispute dividing the town. Test begins her first homicide investigation expecting to find a straightforward link between the controversial case and the girl's death. Instead, she uncovers secrets that residents have buried for decades. The picturesque New England town hides crimes that reach back through generations. Test discovers that some people will commit terrible acts to protect their reputations. As a mother herself, Test feels compelled to seek justice for the murdered teenager and shield other vulnerable young people from harm.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: secrets, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Canaan, Vermont
416 pages · Kindle Edition · Witness Impulse
Content warnings: violence