The Alpine Yeoman — Mary Daheim

Mary Daheim's bestselling novels, set in Alpine, a picturesque village tucked away in the Cascade Mountains, have charmed a generation of mystery lovers with suspenseful tales of the peril that bubbles up from below the serene surface of small-town life.

An ill wind blows through Alpine, but Advocate publisher Emma Lord and Sheriff Milo Dodge seem immune to the prevailing angst. The newlyweds' domestic idyll is most definitely over when a dead man is discovered near the fish hatchery and nobody has a clue as to his identity. Vida Runkel may have insight, but Emma's redoubtable House & Home editor is mad at the world and saying little. Moreover, whispers of scandal travel through the quaint streets when some high school girls mysteriously take a walk on the wild side. And then Milo's dedicated deputy, Sam Heppner, a true yeoman, suddenly goes AWOL.

What's happening in Alpine? If Milo knows, he's not telling Emma. And Emma's again headed for trouble when she starts snooping. The situation grows even more fraught when a shocking link is revealed between the mystery corpse and one of Alpine's own, unearthing a long-buried dark secret. Tongues are wagging on Front Street -- and the gossip contains an air of menace. Meanwhile, Mary Daheim has written her best book yet.