Dispatcher Zak Waller prefers working behind the scenes in the Sheriff’s Office of Lost Trail, Montana, but when a newcomer to the sparely populated town is brutally murdered—and the Sheriff is quick to pin the death on an unknown outsider—Zak starts his own private sleuthing.
On the surface Lost Trail is a picture-perfect western town, offering a simple way of life revolving around the local ranches and ski hill, but Zak knows the truth behind the facade. When his old school friend Tiff Masterson, whose family owns a local Christmas tree farm, moves back to town, the two of them join forces to get to the truth about the murder.
Bitter Roots is the first of the Bitter Root Mysteries.
Bitter Truth
In the isolated ranching community of Lost Trails, Montana, Lacy Stillman, a rich elderly rancher has died of a heart attack in her own bed. What could be more normal than that? As Zak Waller, dispatcher with the local Sheriff’s Office, joins the town in mourning the loss of the community matriarch, some disquieting information makes Zak wonder if Lacy’s death was not what it seemed.
Meanwhile, Zak's friend Tiff Masterson is overwhelmed by her mother’s escalating mental breakdown and her aunt’s stubborn denial of the problem. Tiff’s load becomes even heavier when family friend and local lawyer Justin Pittman looks to her for help with his own serious health issues.
When an unexpected connection is discovered between the Mastersons and the Pittmans, an old crime is uncovered with far reaching ramifications that will change everything.
Bitter End
Murder in a small town is always personal.
When a young mother is murdered in the isolated ranching town of Lost Trail, Montana, the father of her child is the first suspect. In this case, there are two: the biological father who hasn’t seen his daughter in over a year and the adoptive father whose life hangs in the balance as he struggles with cancer.
Zak Waller is Lost Trail’s newest deputy. He’s also locked in a power struggle with the town’s old-school Sheriff. If Zak solves this case maybe he’ll finally get the respect he deserves. But is he willing to tear a family apart in the process?
Perfect for fans of the British television film Broadchurch.
Bitter Sweet
Murder in a small town is always personal.
Local longtime librarian, Sybil Tombe, is missing, abducted from her home on the outskirts of the isolated ranching town of Lost Trail, Montana. An elderly neighbor reports seeing a gray-haired, bearded man driving up to Sybil’s house the night she disappeared. Newly-minted Sheriff Zak Waller can’t think of a less likely target for a crime. When an older man is reported lurking around a young girl at the local grade school, Zak wonders if this man could also be Sybil’s abductor? The descriptions of the men are similar—but what could be the possible link between a young girl and 60-year-old Sybil?
Peeling back the layers of Sybil's life, Zak discovers Sybil is a master at keeping secrets, especially her own, and these secrets may now be threatening her life as well as the life of an innocent child. As Zak and his team work to uncover the truth, he also has to deal with issues in his romantic relationship with deputy Nadine Black, and mete justice to a respected town citizen who has been sheltering his criminal past for too long.
They all sound wonderful!
ReplyDeleteGreat series--thanks for visiting : )
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