For so many years the Sullivan sisters and their father believed their mother had turned her back on them all, picked up and left with a man. Her leaving broke her father's heart and he coped by spending even more time at sea. The three sisters were left to basically fend for themselves and the oldest sister Layne became their keeper. The lesson that Layne took away from the experience was that people you love disappoint and hurt you. So if you avoid the love issue you can avoid the pain. All her reasoning went south when the new chief of police arrived.

At first Layne was angry at being passed over for the promotion and she wore it like a badge. Being decidedly uncooperative and curt to Ross whose only crime was to get the coveted position was her way of coping with the disappointment. Soon all that would become pretty petty as her family was going to have to deal with a new discovery that would once again open the wounds left by their mother's disappearance.

Layne was still battling with her self confidence when she recognized a charm unearthed at what appeared to be a murder site and she did the unimaginable for a police officer she feigned ignorance at who the possible owner was, but in her heart she knew. The charm was identical to the one each sister had - all gifts from their mother. Layne knew any reaction to this discovery would seal her doom and credibility in the eyes of the chief. But as the investigation proceeded the least of her problems was credibility. She was in danger of losing her heart to this dedicated man.

Ross was battling issues with his teenage niece Jessica who was doing her best to drive him insane with her determination to defy him at every step. But Jess wasn't really a bad girl. Just a newcomer trying to find a way to fit in and unfortunately as a teenager she didn't have a clue about boundaries. Ross was also an outsider feeling his way around a police department that had been less disciplined than he would expect and this was a bone of contention between him and Layne. But the most difficult battle Ross was waging war with his rule of separating business from personal. He was definitely beginning to see Layne as a very desirable albeit acerbic woman who was sexy in spite of her rather austere cop appearance and there was no denying the attraction was mutual. In discovering the tender, fragile side of Layne Ross was getting more involved which was definitely against his rules. But they say rules are made to be broken and with affairs of the heart there are no rules.

UNRAVELING THE PAST is a great first book in a trilogy about the Sullivan sisters. The other two are due out in August and October and they are already on my wish list. Andrews has a real gift of gab and her dialog is sharp and witty.