If you received a stack of books as Christmas presents you may have been saving your favourite author for last. Shirlee McCoy never disappoints with her romantic suspense novels and her latest addition is DEADLY CHRISTMAS SECRETS in a series called Mission: Rescue. The setting is inland Northwest America.

Harper Shelby is living hermit-like in a woodland cabin with a large dog and a can of bear spray. She's changed her life since her sister's murder four years ago, and is now a ceramic artist. When some guy from a private detective agency shows up, asking if she needs protection, her instinct is to say no. Logan Fitzgerald isn't a problem for her, but the gunman who follows him is.

From the tense beginning we progress to a difficult family situation. Harper's sister was found dead in the river and a drug addict convicted; Harper's niece Amelia was never found, presumed dead. But Harper knew about the difficult marriage involved, the controlling husband. Now she is told that her brother-in-law was the one who sent the security team after her. This doesn't make much sense, but what opens a window of hope is the possibility that young Amelia is still alive.

Logan has been a military sniper, then he settled to farming and raising his younger brothers. A co-worker, Stella, shows up to help protect Harper, because there's more than one man hunting them. The police are on the ball, but they don't provide bodyguards in the middle of nowhere. Harper heads to D.C. with the security team in a hunt for Amelia. At this stage, I found many conversations and thoughts about the prior events, and we hear a lot about the brother-in-law before meeting him. Harper's bitterness against the man has poisoned her thoughts and she tries to clear her mind, give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he wasn't involved in her sister's death; maybe the problems were exaggerated. How can she be sure?

Several times in DEADLY CHRISTMAS SECRETS we are told God has a plan, but this complex plot twists to a greater extent than most romances, so the outcome is only reached by determination and heroism. Wintry weather is the theme rather than Christmas, resonating with the winter of Harper's heart, equally in need of spring. This latest understated romance by Shirlee McCoy is exciting, suitable for all ages and will appeal to her fans, new and old.