Valley of the Shadow — Charlotte Hughes

Within every shadow...
A former crime reporter heads to her small hometown in search of solace. But acclaimed suspense writer Charlotte Hughes deftly turns the comforts of home into a dark tale of treachery and murder.

Lies an Unsettling Secret
Safely back in her rural mountain town, Meg Gentry is hired as a reporter for the local paper. But her tranquility is soon shattered by some disturbing events. First Meg's predecessor dies mysteriously. Then the twenty-year-old skeleton of an unidentified woman is unearthed, clearly a victim of murder. And a series of bizarre religious ceremonies lead Meg into the circle of a charismatic preacher and his highly impressionable flock. Digging up details on each story, Meg soon uncovers a variety of deeply guarded secrets in the small Southern society--secrets in the small Southern society--secrets that, if revealed, could drag her downward and bury her forever.