by John Hart
First published 2006
Jackson "Work" Pickens barely keeps his world from falling apart. His law practice crumbles. His marriage grows colder each day. His sister Jean won't speak to him. Then someone finds their father Ezra's corpse. The old man vanished mysteriously, leaving behind a fortune and a trail of damage through his children's lives. Now the police eye both Work and Jean as suspects. Work stands to inherit everything, giving him clear motive. Jean suffered worse under their father's cruelty, giving her an even stronger reason to kill. The detective assigned to the case hungers for a conviction. Evidence piles up against the Pickens siblings. Their small Southern town buzzes with gossip about the wealthy family's dark secrets. Work knows he must act before the investigation destroys what remains of his family. He starts digging into the murder himself, determined to protect Jean and prove their innocence. The search forces him to confront the trauma that shaped them both and the community that watched it happen.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller, family-drama
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
Setting: Southern Town
605 pages · Hardcover · Thorndike Pr
Content warnings: abuse, death