by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this post on how to win a copy of this book, along with a link to purchase it.

Reading about Jarrett Creek, Texas always feels like returning home. The community is spread out over long distances but sparsely populated, and so residents tend to know everyone else—and their business. Samuel Craddock is their retired former police chief, recently brought back after a scheme forced Jarrett Creek into bankruptcy. No one is more surprised than Craddock to discover how well it’s working out.

When his neighbor Jenny Sandstone asks for help after her mother falls ill, Craddock manfully steps in. A prosecuting attorney, Jenny is closed off about her personal life and has never asked for assistance. Jenny’s mother Vera warns Craddock that Jenny is in danger, and then pleas for Craddock to find Jenny’s father and first wife. Just before she dies, Vera later tries to pass off her request as a delusion, and Jenny surprisingly declares that Vera was the first wife.

Craddock has more than enough on his plate. The adolescents of Jarrett Creek give him plenty to worry about. When Jenny’s horses and then she herself are attacked he has no choice but to ask questions that Jenny refuses to answer. As Jenny slowly buries herself in alcohol, Craddock is forced to look at her family’s secrets and break down the protective barrier she’s built around herself.

In this fourth Samuel Craddock mystery, Shames has perfected the quiet demeanor and dry humor that camouflage Jarrett Creek’s acting police chief’s sharp intelligence. Sometimes the worst crimes hide under a veneer of normalcy, and being neighbors for generations doesn’t mean that one truly knows another. Fans of Robert B. Parker’s Jesse Stone, Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire, and C.J. Box’s Joe Pickett will adore this series that features a strong law enforcement officer, sly dialogue, and skillfully complex characters.

To enter to win a copy of A Deadly Affair at the Bobtail Ridge, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Bobtail,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen April 18, 2015. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

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Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).