Crimson River

Lyla Eden runs a coffee shop in Quincy Falls, Montana, and has spent years putting work ahead of everything else while her siblings pair off around her. When her sister forces a day off on her, Lyla heads out for a hike. By a stream outside town she comes across a man rinsing blood from his hands.

She steps too close. His hand closes around her throat, then he releases her and disappears into the trees. Lyla reports what happened, and it draws Detective Vance Sutter to town.

Vance carries a tarnished badge and a case that has followed him for much of his career. Lyla is the only real lead he has. Working together throws the two into each other's company quickly, and the attraction grows alongside the investigation. The mystery they are chasing refuses to stay simple.

This is romantic suspense set in a small town, with a love story and a criminal case running side by side. It is the fifth book in the Edens series, where each volume centres on a different sibling and can be read on its own.