October 2024 | Oceanview Publishing | 978-1608095391

Cracks Beneath the Surface

Book 2 of the Jhonni Laurent Mysteries

Now available

Spring has sprung, and Easter festivities are underway in Field’s Crossing, Indiana. The annual egg hunt is a huge success, thanks in no small part to Lisa DuVal, the owner of Big Al’s Diner who dyed all the eggs. But when Sheriff Jhonni Laurent discovers Lisa’s body in her catering van later that day, the happy holiday quickly sours, and Laurent begins a murder investigation.

All are shocked at the reading of the will when it’s revealed that the diner will be inherited by Lisa’s best friend—not her daughter, which raises Laurent’s suspicions. While working to find the killer, Laurent uncovers some unsightly secrets that Lisa’s family had been concealing. Could they be involved in something shady?

As the investigation begins to take shape, it seems that the melting ice will reveal more than the first buds of spring and when another body is discovered, Laurent must work quickly to determine how the two crimes connect—and who could be behind it all.

Praise

“This is such a well-written police procedural. Mary Ann Miller understands how police departments operate, making her book plausible. The characters were well-developed, and the plot was carefully constructed. I was utterly captivated.”
—The Retired Book Lady

“A crackling good mystery involving murder, wills and probate, cash skimming, and moonshine in small town, Indiana. Mary Ann Miller has expertise in all of it—as well as in police forensics. Who killed Lisa DuVal, the beloved owner of the town’s most popular diner, and why? A doozy of a dysfunctional family and their resentful colleagues are all suspects with secrets. Feisty Sheriff Johnni Laurent and her beleaguered staff must sift through the clues and motives while fending off their own adversaries in town. She had me hooked from the first page. It’s a great read!”
—Carl Vonderau, award-winning author of Murderabilia and Saving Myles

“This gripping, fast-paced and authentic mystery has it all. On the surface, Field’s Crossing is a peaceful small town. Until a brutal murder. A contested inheritance. And desperate suspects whose secrets and lies, greed and ambition, jealousy and vengeance will keep you guessing to the very end. The emotional heartbeat of this story is the person in charge of the investigation—fifty-ish Sheriff Jhonni Laurent, a smart, protective and complicated woman who gave her daughter up for adoption thirty years ago. Now, just as she is closing in on the murderer, Jhonni’s own heart will crack as her daughter comes back into her life. How far will she go to make things right?”
—Helaine Mario, award-winning author of The Lost Concerto

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