Shelby Pearce is released from prison fifteen years after being convicted of killing her brother-in-law. She is relocating to the small town of Valleysburg, TX, where only a few people know her background. Shelby found Jesus in prison and is determined to beat the odds and make life on the outside work. Armed with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business, both earned while in prison, a temporary job and a business plan to sell her hand-made jewelry, Shelby moves into a secluded cabin owned by a local realtor.

Denton McClure has recently relocated to Valleysburg, telling people he is a math teacher who is still grieving over the loss of her wife. In actuality, Denton is the FBI agent who worked Shelby’s case fifteen years ago, when a very large sum of money went missing, along with the murder of Shelby’s brother-in-law. Shelby was accused of the theft too, but there was never any evidence to convict her. He is here in hopes that he can find out where the money is, recover it and send Shelby back to prison.

As Denton befriends Shelby, trying to get to know her better, he begins to doubt that she knows anything about the money. But he’s not the only one who is interested in finding the money. A series of incidents occur, trying to scare Shelby and get her to tell where the money went. Denton turns from hunter to protector … but can he keep her safe from the ruthless attacks? Can he uncover all the secrets that Shelby and her family are holding?

DiAnn Mills brings us another dynamic romantic thriller in TRACE OF DOUBT. The very unique storyline, along with an unlikely underdog heroin, makes this an exceptional work by Ms. Mills. Her novels are always riveting and keep the reader hanging by a thread, but this one is really well-crafted. Her characters are diverse, yet strong, smart, intense and realistic. Shelby and Denton show lots of introspection throughout the story. I really enjoyed all the plot twists along the way, which bring the novel to quite an unexpected ending. If crime fiction and inspirational thrillers are your genre, TRACE OF DOUBT is one to add to your reading list!