Bad Blood: A Novel

A woman is on a mission to discover if her high-school sweetheart is guilty of murder in this domestic suspense debut filled with head-snapping reveals, jaw-dropping twists, and a stunning conclusion. (Samantha M. Bailey)

I read it in a SINGLE SITTING. --Hayley Scrivenor, nationally bestselling and Lambda Literary Award-winning author of Dirt Creek and Girl Falling

A double murder. A toxic past. A family secret.

When criminal lawyer Justine Stone is handed the lead on her first murder case, she's thrilled at the chance to enter the big leagues--until she discovers that she recognizes the man on the stand. Jake Reynolds, her first love who abruptly disappeared from her life years ago, and who is now facing charges for a grisly double homicide. If she's going to send Jake to prison for murder, she has to be sure, and that means heading back to their hometown to seek answers, a place she's been desperate to leave in the past.

Back home after almost two decades, Justine is haunted by memories, not only of the idyllic love she shared with Jake, but darker recollections of the death of her beloved father and the weight of the small town's expectations. When her older brother Max goes missing, she starts to suspect that everything is connected, and with the date of the trial looming, she's running out of time to put the pieces together.

Riveting and atmospheric, Bad Blood is a story of dark secrets, complicated families, and fraught homecoming, which will keep readers guessing until the very last page.