Detective Michael Carven has retired following the murder
of his fiancée and operates a farm, Windward Stables,
training and breeding horses in Montana. Following the
rape and strangulation of three young women by a serial
killer, Mike hires Jess Stanson, the best trainer around,
to take over the farm duties to allow him to participate in
the investigation. Upon finding out that Jess is a woman,
his attempt to fire her on the spot is futile. Jess is
determined not to be set aside due to her sex.
Fighting his attraction to Jess becomes a struggle as Mike
fights to hold true to his memories of his deceased
fiancée. When a picture of the last victim is released and
Jess comes forward as a witness to seeing her with a man
before the crime, her own life is at risk and Mike is
catapulted into assuring her safety. Jess's fun loving
character begins to work under Mike's hard veneer and their
relationship soon turns sexual. Phone calls are made to
Mike by the clever and extremely smart predator vowing to
kill Jess if Mike refuses to cease his involvement in the
case. Leaving anonymous clues as to his location, the
killer draws Mike and his crew away from the farm to give
him clearance to stalk his prey, Jess.
This is the first work created by Aris Whittier that I have
had the pleasure of reading. She tells a most exciting
thriller that will make your heart stop and make your blood
run cold. She has a clever way of keeping the romance in
her creation and still fill it with mystery that keeps you
turning the page one after the after. I was unable to put
this one down and will definitely look for further novels
by this gifted writer.
When three young women in their early 20’s are raped and
strangled, former police Detective, Michael Carven enters
into a horrific chase to catch a serial killer. Now retired
and running a horse ranch in Montana, Michael has to hire a
new trainer to take over so he can work on the
investigation. Micheal hires Jessica Stanson who he
believed to be a man. Michael tries to get out of hiring
Jessica when he realizes who she is since he doesn’t want a
woman living in his house, but Jessica proves her worth as
a trainer and he agrees to let her stay on.
While working on his investigation, Michael falls hard for
Jessica. But he is concerned as the serial killer comes
closer to home and Jessica happens to fit the profile of
the victims who have been raped and murdered. Is Jessica
at risk? Can Michael catch the killer before it is too
late? Will the small town in Riverdale, Montana ever be the
same?