Part of FBI Thriller, book 1
First published 2003
Sally Brainerd arrives in The Cove desperate for refuge. Her father Amory St. John lies dead in Washington D.C., murdered under circumstances that have made Sally a target. She chooses this tiny coastal town because it seems safe. The elderly residents focus on their famous ice cream recipe, and tourists flock here for the sweet treat that built the town's reputation. But Sally's sanctuary crumbles when FBI Special Agent James Quinlan appears. He works undercover, tracking her movements while she believes she has found peace among the ice cream vendors and visiting families. Quinlan carries a murder case that demands answers, and every lead points to Sally as the person who holds crucial information. The agent must decide whether Sally Brainerd committed a crime or witnessed something that could solve his case. Sally faces her own choice between continued flight and confronting whatever truth connects her to violent death. Their cat and mouse game plays out against the backdrop of a town built on secrets as sweet and carefully guarded as the ice cream recipe that draws crowds to The Cove's deceptively simple streets.
Genres: romance, suspense, mystery, crime, contemporary, action
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, enemies-to-lovers, flight
Setting: The Cove, Washington D.C.
336 pages · Hardcover · G. P. Putnam's Sons