Blurb: In a deceptively peaceful county, a murderer hides in plain sight...
Fifty-eight minutes into her first day on the job, twenty-three-year-old Sheriff Piper Blackwell is faced with a grisly murder-the victim artfully posed amid decorations on his lawn. Drawing on former military training, Piper must prove herself worthy of the sheriff's badge, and that won't be easy.
Chief Deputy Oren Rosenberg, Piper's opponent in the recent election, doesn't like her and wants her to fail. She doesn't like him either, but she needs Oren to help catch the killer before another victim is discovered. Too late!
As Piper leads the manhunt, another crisis hits close to home. Her father, the previous sheriff, is fighting for his life, and she is torn between family and duty. Facing personal and professional threats, Piper has to weather a raging storm, keep the sheriff's department from crumbling around her, and reel in a killer during the most brutal winter sleepy Spencer County, Indiana, has experienced.
Review: It's Sheriff Piper Blackwell's first day on the job, and it starts with a murder. Many of her colleagues have doubts if she can handle it because of her young age, but Piper throws herself into the investigation. As the body count increases, Piper is torn between her duty and wanting to be there for her sick father. The winter weather is as brutal as the case. Yet can Piper solve the murders before she is a victim herself?
This is a nicely written crime mystery taking place in a small town in southern Indiana. It has a cozy mystery feel, but a darker overtone rather than a lighter one. It was fascinating how the killer set up the murder scenes, and there were lots of red herrings with the twists and turns of the plot. I didn't figure it out, and I loved how it all came together. Piper is an admirable young woman. She returned home leaving a promising military career behind to take care of her father who has cancer. She's doing her best to prove herself worthy of being the sheriff, but she isn't getting all the support she needs. Lots of tensions in the police department, especially with Chief Deputy Oren Rosenberg who lost the last election to her.
I live in south-central Indiana, and the author really nailed Midwestern small town life. I've been to Santa Claus, Indiana, and driven around the area. My husband even has a cousin who lives in that county, and the way life and people are captured in this novel is spot-on.
You can find Jean Rabe on her website and pick up a copy of The Dead of Winter here!