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Learn moreAfter a human corpse from a gruesome murder is discovered at the Carlton County Feed Yard, Sheriff Sam Abbott, Undersheriff Lottie Albright, and her deputy husband know their resources are going to be overstretched. Still, none of their team or the neighboring law enforcement in western Kansas welcomes the idea of a regional crime center.
KBI agent Dimon suggests the murder may not be a simple local affair. Unconvinced, Lottie—still director of the historical society—calls for stories from families whose ancestors were part of groups colonizing Kansas, hoping to uncover information for the investigation. D├Ána Francesca Diaz, the elderly head of one such clan, arrives at the society with her great-granddaughter. It turns out that the murder victim was Francesca's great-grandson Victor. Francisca insists she knows why Victor was killed, claiming to have ancient documents that can clarify everything.
At D├Ána Francesca's invitation, Lottie visits the Diaz property and gets several surprises. In a drought-ridden area, the land is lush; there are hints of a mysterious family treasure; and Francesca, a fabled curandera with terribly damaged hands, seeks an heir for her herbal knowledge and folk medicine skills. With Victor dead and his sister vowing to become a nun, Francesca has selected Lottie. Reluctant yet fascinated, Lottie agrees. And that's just the first step into generations of a family history fraught with tension and emotional distress. Will it also hold the key to murder and other terrible crimes?
Charlotte Hinger is a historian, novelist, and nonfiction author of articles on contemporary and historical issues in the rural west. She was the editor of two comprehensive hardcover volumes of family and county histories and is a member of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honor Society. She has served on the board of the Kansas State Historical Society and is on the editorial board of Heritage of the Great Plains, published by Emporia State University. Her debut novel, Come Spring, won the Western Writers of America Medicine Pipe Bearer Award.
Karen White is a classically trained actress who has recorded more than 250 audiobooks. A two-time Audie finalist, she has earned multiple Earphones Awards, Library Journal starred reviews, and other accolades, including being recognized by AudioFile magazine as one of the best voices of the year in 2010, 2011, and 2015. A proud member of SAG-AFTRA, she currently lives with her family in coastal North Carolina.
Reviews
“A nasty murder pits the local police against the state police…Lottie must use all her many skills to solve a case that has far-reaching ramifications. This third case for Lottie is filled with surprising historical information, social commentary, romance, and a strong mystery.”
“Readers will learn a lot about the cattle business and Kansas history.”
“This is the third Albright mystery, and, like the previous two, it draws on Lottie’s other occupation—historian—to tell a story in which a modern-day crime connects with mysteries from the past. The author adroitly juggles the primary story with a subplot concerning the effects Lottie’s secrecy about her assignment are having on her family.”
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