The Ghost of Timmy Wahl — Lin Waterhouse

A tiny Ozark town is haunted by a long-ago crime in this “dynamic, captivating” mystery by the author of Bred to the Bone (Mid-Atlantic Book Review).
 
While visiting her mother in the rural Missouri town of Sycamore Bend, Catherine Hudson and her boyfriend go on a scenic hike -- though it gets hard to see much of anything when a dense fog descends upon their trail. Then, in the rapidly fading sunlight, a young, barefoot boy appears, searching for his dog. But before they can even learn his identity, he disappears back into the mist.
 
Catherine's mother, Caroline, has become increasingly interested in the lives of those around her, even though some would prefer some stories stay in the past. But the retired librarian can't help herself. Soon, details of a boy's death eighty years ago begin to unfold -- and a much more recent tragedy involving abuse, addiction, and neglect. Caroline won't rest -- and neither will a young victim's spirit -- until justice is done . . .