The Prairie Grass Murders — Patricia Stoltey

THE SWEET SMELL OF SOMETHING ROTTEN
Vietnam veteran Willie Grisseljon is hiking through the rural Illinois countryside of his youth when he stumbles over a dead body hidden in a raspberry patch. When Willie reports his discovery, the local deputy takes one look at the wild-eyed veteran -- still suffering from post-traumatic stress -- and locks him up in the psychiatric ward. Luckily, Willie has family in high places. His sister, Palm Beach, Florida, judge Sylvia Thorn, brings her investigative skills to the scene.

A hike back to the spot reveals newly plowed soil and no corpse. Suspecting a cover-up, Sylvia turns to the sheriff, her old flame, to begin piecing together clues surrounding a missing business developer and the corruption and secrets he may have taken to his grave. For Sylvia, the seemingly obvious solution has a darker spectre -- one that follows her home to Florida, where danger stalks her in her own backyard.