The Killing Plains

DEBUT This gritty, atmospheric mystery, set in West Texas, won a CWA Debut Dagger Award. When a young boy was found dead 20 years ago in Crescent Bluff, all signs pointed to Willis Newland as his killer. Now Newland has been released from prison, and another boy has been murdered, in the same pattern as the decades-ago crime. Before the Texas Rangers can rearrest Willis, he’s found dead. His mother, Iris Newland, demands to have the case reopened, and police chief Russ Newland (a relative) asks his sister-in-law Colly to help investigate. After Colly’s husband and daughter were killed in Houston, she retired from the police and is raising her anxious grandson. She’s reluctant to be drawn into more Newland family drama in her husband’s hometown, but she acquiesces. Colly soon receives threats involving rattlesnake blood, but they only make her more determined. With the help of a troubled young police officer, she uncovers local secrets, as red herrings and mysterious hints lead to a twisted killer.