Kinsley Garrett changed her name when she got out of prison. She was convicted of murdering her father, despite her protestations of innocence, and spent fifteen years in prison. She went in as a young teen and took a degree in business management, so she’s made a new start in Frenchtown, Montana. Kinsley is still searching for EVIDENCE OF INNOCENCE. 

Doris Green, a mature family friend, owns Flour and Fancies Baked Goods, and has given Kinsley a good job. Not many people know her real story, but one of them is her late father’s brother, Joe King, who remains convinced of her guilt, a bitter man. When a sudden attempt is made to abduct Kinsley, the police chief Marcus Bayne gets to meet her for the first time outside the self-defence class he runs. The lady flees to the nearest home, which happens to be his. Now Marcus feels responsible for her safety, and he learns that she has never stopped looking for her father's murderer. Is she digging up something to make a felon feel threatened?  Or was she targeted by a random attacker for the bakery takings?

In real life, of course, it could have been as simple as a robbery. But in one of Shirlee McCoy’s romantic suspense novels, the expert weaving of many strands means that a complex case is emerging. The setting is excellently described, with cold wind and melting slush integral features of the story. While we don’t meet that many locals, this is partly because Kinsley has kept herself to herself, and her distrust of the justice system shows strongly. She can’t relax with Marcus around, for all he’s trying to help her. She’s a believable heroine, with issues, but a stubborn nature and a strong work ethic. I admired Marcus’s niece, reading advanced books and creating posters at seven years old. By showing us that all families can have misfortunes and separations, the experienced author creates more rounded and human characters.   

While EVIDENCE OF INNOCENCE is not part of one of the ‘K-9 squad’ series that Shirlee McCoy has written for, we see much well-described police work, up to date with doorbell cameras and DNA analysis. As a thriller, her latest book hits the mark; as a romance, it’s suitable for anyone from teens to adults. The constant dangers sustain a lively pace, but just as much, the apprehension felt by a woman facing a walk home in the dark, or a noise in her home, clearly protest against violence towards all women.