Pine County Sheriff Cas Larkin is investigating two homicides, one man killed by blunt force trauma, the other shot. Although there is nothing to tie the two men together other than they were both drug users, Cas suspects their murders are connected. Cas’s wife Connie becomes interested in Edgar T. Nelson, founding father of their small town of Maryvale, and his daughter Mary Lou. Rumor has it that after Mary Lou ran off to marry a Frenchman, Nelson shot himself and Mary Lou never returned home. Connie finds dated material about the Nelsons in the basement of the town’s library, and while exploring hears someone crying. However, no one else is in the basement with her. Strange things begin happening in the library and several people think it may be haunted. When a medium confirms this, Connie begins to investigate who might be haunting the library and why, which leads to past murders that tie into the present two her husband is investigating.

Griffey has written a highly entertaining story, incorporating small-town charm with loveable primary and secondary characters wrapped around two interconnecting mysteries. The Nelson Scandal is part of a series that promises to snag readers’ interests and not let go, with nicely developed characters, appealing locale, and the unique juxtaposition of a professional investigator paired with an amateur sleuth.