A body just turned up in the small town of Portland, Pennsylvania. The crime is eerily similar to a twenty-year-old cold case: another victim, brutally murdered, found in the Delaware River. Lead detective Parker Reed is intent on connecting the two murders, but the locals are on lockdown, revealing nothing.
The past meets the present when Becca Kingsley, who returns to Portland to be with her estranged but dying father, runs into Parker, her childhood love. As the daughter of the former police chief, Becca's quickly drawn into the case. Coming home has brought something ominous to the surface-memories long buried, secrets best kept hidden. Becca starts questioning all her past relationships, including one with a man who's watched over her for years. For the first time, she wonders if he's more predator than protector.
In a small town where darkness hides in plain sight, the truth could change Becca's life-or end it.
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(Thomas & Mercer, 1 November 2018, 302 pages, ebook, borrowed from @AmazonKindle #PrimeReading)
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I read a lot of thrillers and this shares a lot of the traits I've come to expect from this genre; fast pace, well written and engaging. I like the fact the book is set in a small town. I love thrillers set in small towns and rural areas, they can be much more surprising and less predictable that they can be if set in a big town or city. A body being found has much less impact in an urban area. The chapters sometimes include flashbacks to the similar murder twenty years ago, moving back and forth between the past and present. This isn't always signposted very well and a couple of times it created a feeling of disorientation. I liked the way the author gradually reveals the links between both murders. I love book about secrets and Becca finds out there's a darker side to the place where she grew up. This is the first in a series. I'd definitely read the others.
