A serial killer terrorizes residents among the lush orchards and farmlands of California's Sacramento River Delta.
The Synopsis:
A mystery surrounds the lush orchards and farmlands of California’s Sacramento River Delta. As Sara Mason returns to her hometown in order to start a new life, she learns that a serial killer is terrorizing its residents.
Despite battling the memory of the drowning deaths of her younger sister and alcoholic parents, Sara is determined to make peace with her past. However, she soon learns that the elusive psychopath who strangles his victims, snaps their necks, and then buries each along with a dead animal, is now stalking her. Sara’s attempt to rebuild her life is hindered even more by the discovery of skeletal remains both on and near her property. She must move out as the criminal investigation focuses on suspects like the gravedigger Crazy Ike, a cat-killing vagrant, a Peeping Tom, and several others who may be connected to the twenty-eight victims. After several attempts on her life, Sara discovers critical clues and bravely volunteers to be a decoy for the sheriff’s department.
Sara Mason is a woman whose destiny has brought her back home, but her decision may lead her down a path lined with danger and straight into the arms of a madman in this captivating thriller.
Excerpt
“Come see this,” Johanna said. The deputy led her into the garage. They peered out the back windows into the field where other deputies began putting down yellow, tented markers.
Sara pressed her forehead against the glass, angled her gaze downward and, repulsed, jumped backward. “Who the hell does he think he is?” Below the window lay a hole in the ground the size of a grave. She could only imagine for whom.
Johanna pointed. “See that?”
Sara looked again, stunned by what she had missed. “Who does he think he is?” she asked again, screaming. A dead cat almost the color of the soil lay at the bottom of the excavation.
“He didn’t intend to do you in though. At least not last night.”
“Is that a joke?”
“No, look. The hole’s only a foot deep.”
The excavation was only the depth of a shovel scoop. “The graves already found were a lot deeper than that,” Sara said.
“This may not be the serial killer’s work,” Johanna said. “There’s no evidence that any of his victims were stalked before they went missing.”
“This could be someone else?”
“A copycat sicko, maybe, who likes to taunt.”
Professional Reviews
Gripping Story
...edge of your seat drama." ~ Jimmy Emerson, River Delta native, Courtland, CA
Riveting
"A riveting tale of mystery and suspense set in our own magnificent River Delta." ~ Donna & Bob Nunes, Delta natives, Rio Vista, CA.
Believable Characters
The characters were utterly believable and, as individuals, commanded love, sympathy, respect, fear, and loathing appropriately. ~ Carla Koellmann, Bookseller, Lihue, Hawaii
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