by Andrew Gross
Part of Ty Hauck, book 4
First published 2015
Dani Whalen guides rafting tours through the rapids near Aspen when she discovers the corpse of her close friend Trey Watkins. Officials call it an accident, but Dani suspects murder. She brings her concerns to Wade Dunn, the local police chief and her former stepfather, but he refuses to investigate. When Rooster, a balloon pilot who claims to have witnessed something important from above, dies in a suspicious crash, Dani threatens to go public with her theory. Wade throws her in jail to silence her. Meanwhile, investigator Ty Hauck receives a call from an old friend whose daughter faces serious trouble. Hauck travels to Colorado to help. Together, Dani and Hauck uncover a conspiracy that runs through the small town, involving a massive energy corporation exploiting desperate farmers and ranchers. In this parched region, water proves more precious than oil, and powerful interests will commit murder to control it. The two must navigate dangerous opposition as they expose the truth behind the deaths and the corrupt bargain the community made to survive.
Genres: adventure, suspense, mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, investigative-hero
Setting: Aspen, Colorado
Period: 21st-century
480 pages · Kindle Edition · William Morrow
Content warnings: death, murder, violence