A bloodied body buried on Cape Cod. A cold case in Kansas.

Can Leila track down a savage killer?

After a blinding snowstorm, artist and amateur sleuth Leila Goodfriend wakes early in the morning for a walk in the woods to think, to escape. When she stumbles on the bloodied body of a woman buried in a snow bank, Leila digs desperately, her fingers bleed, shaking with fear, she knows who it is.

It’s Susie, the ex-girlfriend of Steve, a failed photographer she dumped months before.

Leila was at a creative retreat with her eccentric group of Red Barn artist friends, on a remote island off Cape Cod. On the rebound from her relationship, Leila finds herself attracted to Detective John Grace, a partner in both romance and crime investigation.

However, when the police arrive on the crime scene, Detective Grace warns her not to investigate a murder case, again. But Leila trusts her instincts and resolves to prove Steve’s innocence, at least of murder.

As an artist, Leila is convinced that bodies have a story to tell. Unauthorized, Leila observes Susie’s autopsy—and the body reveals an enigmatic clue:

Susie died on a bed of long-stemmed roses.

Steve begs Leila to help him—swearing he has evidence that Susie’s killer is a suspect in a cold case in Kansas. Leila confronts the suspect, stealing a possible clue—an arrowhead.

Tracking the trail of blood and revenge from Cape Cod to a Native American casino in Kansas, a ritualistic murder reveals a cold case killer—and a deadly secret from Leila’s past.

If you're a fan of Lisa Gardner and Karin Slaughter, you’ll love Death In Smoke.