by J. A. Jance
Part of Joanna Brady, book 5
First published 1998
Brianna O'Brien never came home from her secret rendezvous with boyfriend Ignacio Ybarra. Now the beautiful young woman is dead, and her family points fingers squarely at Ignacio. Sheriff Joanna Brady feels uneasy about their certainty. The evidence doesn't add up the way everyone wants it to. As Brady digs deeper into the case, she discovers layers of lies beneath the surface. Family members harbor secrets. Witnesses change their stories. The victim herself led a more complicated life than anyone admits. Brady must navigate through webs of deception that threaten to obscure the real killer's identity. Each revelation pulls her further into a community where betrayal runs deep and appearances deceive. The pressure mounts as Brady realizes that solving Brianna's murder means exposing truths that powerful people want buried.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-secrets, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Skeleton Canyon
387 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Avon