Mel Crane thought she was done solving murders. Murder wasn’t done with her. Justice doesn’t retire; it just loses the badge.
Former Sheriff Mel Crane thought stepping down from her badge would bring peace, but life has other plans. As she mentors her successor, Lorenzo Gates, through his first major case, the mysterious death of Greg Foster, whose body was discovered in an Oldsmobile Cutlass that belongs to her brother-in-law, Lance, she and her former deputy butt heads.
While Mel navigates her new role as a mentor and a consultant, her world continues to shift beneath her feet. Her father’s declining health threatens the future of the family farm that’s been their anchor for generations. Her nephew Cole, once destined to inherit that legacy, has caught the law enforcement bug and wants to follow in Mel’s footsteps rather than tend to the farm. Meanwhile, Hannah and Morgan’s graduation from culinary school means new opportunities and their departure from Morelville, taking three-year-olds Jef and Espy with them and leaving Mel and Dana facing an unexpected emptiness at home.
As the investigation into Greg Foster’s death unearths buried secrets and dangerous enemies, Mel must learn to solve crimes without the authority of her former position while helping everyone she loves to navigate their own crossroads. But when the past refuses to stay buried and the killer strikes again, Mel discovers some mysteries can only be solved by embracing change rather than fighting it.
In this pivotal 14th installment of the Morelville Mysteries, Mel Crane faces her greatest challenge yet: reinventing herself while holding her family together and proving that justice doesn’t require a badge; just determination, wisdom, and the courage to step into the unknown.
- Listing ID: 6638
- Author: Hagan, Anne