Ghost Towns — Betsy Thornton

When former investigator Chloe Newcombe swapped her fast-paced New York City lifestyle for the solitude of the Arizona desert, she figured she was getting herself a peaceful life. But working as a victims' advocate has taught her that even the smallest towns are beset with more than their fair share of crime...

Last seen at the Copper Queen Hotel, Judge Calvin Thomas is rumored to have split for Vegas with a younger woman on his arm--until his body is found in a nearby ghost town with two bullets firmly planted in his head. Chloe is asked to notify his family, but to her surprise, the Thomases are unlike any grieving family she has ever encountered. In fact, they don't seem to be grieving at all. What's more, her friend, Nate, a young reporter who was working on a controversial story about the judge, has disappeared. Fearing for his life, Chloe decides to undertake her own investigation of the judge's murder. Hoping the killer will lead her to Nate, she soon discovers her friend has been harboring a dark secret of his own...