Newlyweds Mattie and Cole Walker are enjoying a family outing with Cole's daughters in the Colorado mountains when a frightening scream shatters their outing. Fearing someone has been hurt, Mattie, a deputy with the Timber Creek County police, and Robo, her K-9 partner, surge ahead to see if they can help.

Just as they come into view of a person lying at the base of a cliff, a sudden rock slide buries the victim under stone and shale.

Meanwhile, Cole has rushed the girls back to the lodge where the family has been staying and summoned emergency help.

The victim is beyond help when his body is recovered, and Mattie and Cole are shocked to discover they know him. Tom Murphy was a local banker, and his wife, Tess, assists Cole in his veterinary practice. The couple had been staying at the same resort, and Mattie and Cole have the heart-wrenching task of breaking the news to Tess.

A preliminary investigation on the canyon rim discloses evidence indicating Tom's death was not an accident. As the investigative team racks up an array of suspects and uncovers potential motives, Mattie's new family becomes the target of the killer, posing challenges unlike any she's faced in the past.

Tension mounts to a nail-biting climax when Cole and Angie, his eldest daughter, become hostages for the killer's demands in a bid to escape justice.

Margaret Mizushima offers well-drawn characters, an engrossing plot, and enough suspense and action to keep the pages turning. It doesn't hurt that she adds puzzling crimes and solid detective work to the mix. The insights into the work of a forensically trained canine are a plus. Cole's work as a veterinarian adds additional treats for the animal lover.

This is the 10th in the Timber Creek K-9 series. As usual, it's a taut tale with more twists and turns than a mountain trail. One of the pleasures of reading a series is that we get to know and care about the characters and their goals. Mizushima has skillfully maintained reader interest in Mattie's quest to understand her family history in earlier books and now in her growing relationship with Cole and efforts to adapt as stepmother to his daughters.

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