Ava Logan is publisher of a small-town newspaper and is bothered by the fact that her delivery person, Scott, didn't show up for work and she hasn't been able to contact him. She tells this to her sheriff boyfriend, Grayson Ridge, while they're waiting for her daughter Emma to be baptized in the river. But just as it's Emma's turn, Ava sees something - and wades out into the water only to discover Scott's backpack.

When she finds that Scott's cat Boone is still in his apartment, unfed for days, she takes the poor animal with her and now the hunt is on for the young man. But where is he? And more importantly, is he dead or alive?...

This is the second book in the series and just as good as the first. It takes place in the Appalachia, where modern life cohabits with ways of old. While Ava is chasing down leads to discover what happened to Scott, she's also dealing with the fact that one of those folk, Mary McCarter, is being attacked for her home remedies, and Ava's children are going through their own crises.

But in finding out the truth of what happened to Scott is causing problems between her and Grayson: he wants to handle the case in his own way and she goes off on her own asking questions and learning things she needs to keep secret - for now.

It's a dark tale and disturbing - in more ways than one. I had a difficult time with parts of it, and that rarely happens for me. I can honestly say it took quite a bit for me to finish this book. Which pretty much tells you how well it is written. Another author and I might not have gotten through it.

Watching Ava take the pieces and put everything together, finding the clues and connecting it all, and still it was almost missed how everything connected until she was given a chance to ask the right questions, completed the puzzle. In the end there is no defense when evil lies in the hearts of men. We can only hope that we never encounter it. Highly recommended. ( )