by J.R. Ward
First published 2016
Edward Bradford stares at another empty bottle while police investigators circle closer. His father's apparent suicide in Charlemont, Kentucky looks increasingly like murder, and Edward tops the suspect list. Everyone knew about the bitter feud between father and son. Everyone whispers about Edward's guilt. The Bradford family built their fortune on premium bourbon and maintained their status through carefully constructed lies. Now their secrets threaten to destroy everything. Edward drowns his troubles with his former horse trainer's daughter while a ruthless business rival positions herself to control the family's financial fate. She wants Edward and the Bradford empire for herself. The household staff watch the drama unfold, inevitably drawn into the wealthy family's dangerous games. Trust becomes a luxury no one can afford as the investigation intensifies. Each family member harbors damaging secrets. Each revelation brings them closer to ruin. Then Maxwell Bradford returns home after years of absence. His arrival changes everything, but his true motives remain unclear. He might save the family from complete destruction, or he could deliver the final blow that brings down the bourbon dynasty forever.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller, family-drama
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, family-drama, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Charlemont, Kentucky
Period: 21st-century
415 pages · Hardcover · Berkley
Content warnings: alcohol-abuse, death, murder