In the night-still canyons from the Arizona desert, a woman is away from home. Alone but also for her cherished red-tailed hawk, she flees in the dark shadows of her youthful life, the horror she has witnessed…as well as the terror that now stalks her.

New York Moments bestselling author J.A. Jance profits with her 8th novel in the extremely acclaimed Joanna Brady mystery series. Established against the backdrop of the present day western, this gripping tale finds Sheriff Brady juggling a precarious overload in both her personal about Devil’s Claw and professional lives. About to end up being married, Joanna’s facing a child turning twelve and happening twenty, a meddlesome mother micro-managing her wedding ceremony, and new in-laws arriving any time. The sudden death of her much-loved neighbor and handyman, Clayton Rhodes, creates further turmoil, leaving Joanna shocked, saddened, and the mark of Clayton’s irate and irrational child, who accuses the Sheriff’s Division of covering up a possible murder.

But amidst the uproar, the report of the homicide at Cochise Stronghold in the Dragoon Mountains quickly captures Joanna’s full attention. An Indian girl has been discovered shot to death–a female lately released from prision after offering time for the manslaughter killing of her spouse. She actually is the mother of a lacking fifteen-year-old, Lucy Ridder.

The death at first appears to be an instance of domestic rage finally exploding’and a troubled teen runaway may be a victim, or a cold-blooded killer. Yet as Joanna deals with the long-standing problems of Clayton Rhodes’ family and digs deeper into the mystical existence of Lucy and her family members, she discovers that investigating family hostilities is usually leading her down a twisted trail of hatred, greed, and far-reaching consequences–and right into a harmful world where violence may be the first response and very long buried secrets are a reason to eliminate…or die.

Once more, J.A. Jance delivers a gritty, deftly created thriller that unfolds on the vivid landscape of natural beauty and unrelenting danger. And, as generally, Sheriff Joanna Brady brings the setting to life using the sensitivity, spirit, and intense interest for justice which makes Jance novels ring with authenticity.