Merissa Racine

IT'S FINALLY HAPPENED, THE OPIOID CRISIS HAS ARRIVED IN CRAWFORD, WYOMINGCourt Stenographer Lauren Besoner was finally recovering, both physically and emotionally, from her narrow escape from death, but when she discovers her young neighbor's lifeless body in the bone-chilling snow all the dark memories resurface. Are the nightmares soon to follow?The arrival of Detective Sam Overstreet, the man Lauren's recently begun seeing, settles her nerves. He tells her all signs point to an overdose, but Lauren's neighbor Twila refuses to believe her granddaughter OD'd.Sam's investigation into the deadly opioids poisoning his hometown comes to an abrupt halt when the autopsy results return. Sam's search for a drug dealer turns into a hunt for a cunning killer.Are Lauren and Sam about to discover the truth is more dangerous than any drugs on the street?

For Lauren Besoner, Crawford finally felt like home. Not a very exciting home for some, but she liked it and it felt good to be back in her home state of Wyoming. She enjoyed working as a court stenographer, was often heard saying, "When someone got on that witness stand, you never knew what was going to come out their mouth." But It only took one moment for Lauren's life to go from predictable and routine to anything but. That moment was when she discovers her boss's dead body. Things immediately turn from bad to worse when the detective on the case is convinced Lauren is the killer. Before she is arrested she must convince the head-strong detective, Sam Overstreet, that he is wrong.The threat of arrest is only one of Lauren's worries. She knows her job will be in jeopardy when the search begins for a replacement for her old judge. She would have to reapply for the job she already had. It may even mean leaving Crawford for good. When Lauren decides to investigate her judge's death, it comes with some unexpected consequences. She discovers her boss made a few enemies before taking the bench, and even more after. As Lauren searches for the truth, the real killer is out there deciding whether to put an end to Lauren's sleuthing for good.