In Houston, there's an adopted child in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. The biological mother, Angie Vanover, is missing, her last communication being from Devil's Claw, a town full of secrets about an hour outside of El Paso. Angie's sister, Dana, a veterinarian in Houston, is searching for her missing sister in hopes of saving a little girl's life. The newly minted sheriff of Devil's Claw is Jay Eversole, a man trying to fill his uncle's shoes after his untimely death in a fire. Jay is filled with inner demons, having lost his police job in Dallas because of flashbacks from the terror and death he witnessed in Iraq.

The people of Devil's Claw don't want Dana in their town, uncovering long-buried secrets, and they don't hesitate in showing her. Amid the burning heat and endless sand of Rimrock County, the rednecks, small-town dirty politics, a deadly car chase and a snakebite that could have killed her, Dana is still determined to find her sister. Then a body mummified in salt is found. Could this be Angie?

In this remote area of the country, in the middle of nowhere, in a town of less than 200 people, Jay and Dana have managed to find love. Will Angie be found in time to help a little girl survive cancer? Will Jay and Dana stay alive long enough to have a future together? Wait until you read the ending of this marvelous suspense thriller. You'll never guess and it will keep you on the edge of your seat.

I have never missed a Colleen Thompson thriller and never will. THE SALT MAIDEN is yet another treasure you cannot miss. It's wrought with intensity, mystery, intrigue, passion and a roller coaster ride until the last page is turned. Take the ride; you'll be glad you did.