Innocence Road - by Laura Griffin (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Leanne Everhart knows women have something to fear in her artsy hometown, especially so if they're not rich, white locals. Returning to town after her father's death, she sees the ugliest sides of an area that draws people for its severe, untamed natural landscape. While her department faces mounting backlash over a recent wrongful conviction in the long-ago murder case of a popular local teenager--which is now unsolved--Leanne is called to a fresh crime scene at the edge of the desert. A nameless woman was found murdered, with no clues as to her identity. As Leanne digs into the crime scene evidence, she grows convinced this latest murder case is linked with the local teenager's murder"--

Book Synopsis

Detective Leanne Everhart swore she'd never go back to her hometown near Marfa, Texas--but she returns when her brother needs her, only to find a town in need too, still torn apart by a decades-old crime.

Leanne Everhart knows women have something to fear in her artsy hometown, especially so if they're not rich, white locals. Returning to town after her father's death, she sees the ugliest sides of an area that draws people for its severe, untamed natural landscape.

While her department faces mounting backlash over a recent wrongful conviction in the long-ago murder case of a popular local teenager--which is now unsolved--Leanne is called to a fresh crime scene at the edge of the desert. A nameless woman was found murdered, with no clues as to her identity. As Leanne digs into the crime scene evidence, she grows convinced this latest murder case is linked with the local teenager's murder. And to multiple cold cases, all unnamed female victims, that have all been shelved by her department without leads.

Now, with conflicted loyalties and without allies, Leanne must hunt down a serial killer, one who's been preying on local women for two decades, growing bolder and more ruthless with every strike.

Review Quotes

"High-tension suspense that feels urgently of the moment. This saga crackles with border politics, racism, sexism and corruption."--People

"Innocence Road puts generational trauma and buried secrets front and center with a twisty plot and big surprises. A story that asks if justice is really for all that will stay with readers long after the final page."--Vanessa Lillie, bestselling author of Blood Sisters

"On some roads, innocence isn't easy to come by. When no one seems to care about the nameless, apparently friendless women who have been murdered and left by the side of the desolate desert road, Detective Leanne Everhart steps in to uncover the truth - and unearths more than she bargained for. Full of tragic secrets, family drama, and harrowing twists, Laura Griffin's suspenseful, insightful novels never disappoint."--New York Times bestselling author Juliet Blackwell

"Gripping...Griffin's evocative sense of place captures the minutiae of small-town life...Innocence Road maps a strong plot buoyed by powerful characters like Leanne, whose tenacious personality enhances her skills as an investigator."--Shelf Awareness

"...this atmospheric page-turner starring a complex detective is engrossing enough to deserve a sequel."--Publishers Weekly

"This is an edge-of-the-seat read that's not for the faint of heart."--First Clue

"An engaging heroine and a nicely complex mystery. This stand-alone will appeal to readers of Linda Castillo and Allison Brennan."--Library Journal

"...An intense, page-turning story."--Red Carpet Crash

"Innocence Road is a fast-paced, unputdownable mystery that grabs the reader from the first pages. Leanne is a fully developed character -- strong, dedicated, angry, filled with self-doubt -- and you can't help but hope Griffin will start another series centered around Leanne.--The Denver Post

About the Author

Laura Griffin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty books and novellas. She is a two-time RITA Award winner, as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award.