by James Sallis
First published 2019
Sarah Jane Pullman never planned to wear a badge. She grew up on a chicken farm in a small town, ran away as a teenager, served in the Army by court order, married badly, and spent years cooking eggs in diners. Her past winds through memory like a road map of mistakes and small redemptions. Then circumstances thrust her into the role of sheriff in a rural community where she must solve her first real case. The previous sheriff disappeared without explanation, leaving behind questions that multiply with each answer Sarah Jane uncovers. She discovers the missing man hid secrets from everyone who thought they knew him, including his closest allies on the force. As she digs deeper into his concealed life, Sarah Jane confronts not only the mystery of his fate but also the shape of her own fractured history. Her investigation becomes a reckoning with the past and a search for meaning in the chaos of human choices.
Genres: fiction, mystery, crime, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, reckoning-with-the-past
207 pages · Hardcover · Soho Crime