Grace Miller is, in theory, coming home when she accepts an
assignment to cover a story about a tragedy in an Amish district of New
York State. Yet the rural community of Quail Hollow hasn't been home
to her since she was three when her mother was killed. She soon finds
herself in PLAIN JEOPARDY. I highly
recommend this read.
Not only is Grace rubbing salt into wounds by enquiring about young
people hurt and killed after a drugged driver crashed a car, she opens
painful memories by asking what happened to her own family. These
local people don't seem to understand that she has a story to cover,
and her editor wants the personal angle. Trying not to upset anyone,
Grace feels the need to give a voice to an Amish teen girl in the
hospital. I could already see that this girl is a stand-in for herself. The
murder of Grace's mother was never resolved, and she's been unable
to give voice to her hurts.
Conner Gates, who witnesses when a driver nearly squashes Grace in
the dark, is a police officer today, and his father Harry was sheriff when
Grace's mother was killed. Conner offers to connect her with Harry.
Since the Amish don't allow photos, Grace has no mementos of her late
mother. Maybe Harry can shed some light on her mother's life—and
unresolved death. Grace is given some pointers but warned that if she
keeps digging she might not be able to live with what she discovers.
In addition to the main characters in this excellent crime story, I really
enjoyed Deputy Becky Spoth, a practical-minded female officer who
grew up Amish and decided to serve her community in another way.
Quail Hollow, NY, is snowed under during this story, so the elements
form a large part of the scenic setting and provide clues—like
footprints—or restrict travel at times. Top marks to author Alison Stone
for giving us such a realistic, tension-filled tale of clashing cultures, of
cold case and new, of past haunting the present. Plus a romance! This
book has something for everyone. I found PLAIN JEOPARDY suitable for anyone from mid-teens
upwards, and especially for lovers of romantic suspense where the
situation and mystery take precedence.
Reporter Grace Miller’s Amish hometown seems the perfect
place to recuperate from surgery—until a tragedy puts her on
the trail of her mother’s long-unsolved murder. Now
someone’s set their lethal sights on her, determined to keep
the truth behind her mother’s death and a fatal car crash
involving local teens hidden. After discovering that Grace
is in danger, police captain Conner Gates drops everything
to protect her…and help solve the cold case his father could
not. But as they delve into the past, can they face down the
dangerous foe hiding in plain sight, threatening to turn
their blossoming love into a deadly trap?
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