Eight years ago, she escaped the stifling secrets of Bel Claire, Louisiana. Now, those secrets are calling her home.
Del thought she'd left the ghosts of her past behind in the bayou. A new life, a new love, a new beginning in the heart of France. But a chilling phone call shatters her fragile peace: her parents are dead, her sister missing, and the sleepy town she fled is gripped by fear.
Reluctantly returning to Bel Claire, Del is haunted by the trauma that drove her away. The suffocating closeness of the community. The whispers that cling like Spanish moss. The lies that twist and tangle like the cypress roots in the swamp.
As she navigates the currents of her former life, Del finds herself drawn into a web of suspicion and paranoia. Her childhood sweetheart, now the lead investigator, struggles to reconcile the girl he lost with the woman who's returned. Meanwhile, Del's own sanity is tested as unexplainable events leave her questioning everything she thought she knew.
With the police grasping at straws and the townsfolk watching her every move, Del must confront the darkness that lurks beneath Bel Claire's charming facade. Can she uncover the truth behind her family's disappearance before she becomes the next victim? Or will the secrets of her past finally consume her?
**Stonehouse & Co. Book's up and coming Psychological Thriller*
A criminal mastermind makes a bold move against a wealthy client to put himself in a position to retire in comfort. He has no idea what he's up against when a young widow, desperate to make ends meet, sets her eyes on earning the bounty set on his head.
***
Newly widowed housewife Melody Scott needs to earn some major cash, fast. When her bright and busy children learn that a priceless ruby bracelet has been stolen and a six-figure reward is being offered, they convince her to try to do what the police, museum security, and the best private investigators have failed to do. Working against them is a notorious thief who has met people from around the world, but who has never once encountered a woman like Melody Scott. When the sweet innocence of the Scott family clashes against criminal forces more dangerous than they ever imagined, Melody is all too aware that a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do to protect her family.
The Widow, Melody Scott is a 2021 Watty Award Winner!
Content Warning: This story does contain depictions of stalking behavior.