White River

Sometimes the smallest of towns hold the biggest secrets . . . The clear, cold waters of the White River carve a twisting path through the heart of the Ozark Mountains, passing farms and limestone bluff walls, country roads and large tracts of dense forest on its journey. But for everything this life-giving body brings to the area, its secrets are even more powerful. During the autumn of 1990, sixteen-year-old outcast Emma Drake disappeared after telling her mother she was going to the local library for her usual study session. She almost became a forgotten name, one of the countless runaways who are lost forever. But two days later, her nude body was found along the banks of the White River, stripping the community of its innocence and shattering its sense of security. Twenty-five years later, Claire Matthews is a shining star in the newsroom of the Arkansas *Telegraph* in the position she was born for: Chief Political Reporter. She is surprised when her editor demotes her, forcing her to work on a series of articles about cold cases, rather than covering the political scene she so loves. But when she comes across the story of Emma Drake in the *Telegraph’s* archives, Claire sees a chance to salvage her floundering career—perhaps, her only chance. She travels to Fairhope and begins to dig into the secrets of what happened to Emma Drake that cold November night, but soon after her arrival it’s clear someone is desperate to keep the truth hidden. Another murder rocks the tiny community, and Claire must race to uncover the killer’s identity before she becomes the next victim. And when the truth is finally revealed, it will shake the very foundations of this sleepy Ozark town.