At the start of this solid series launch from Lageschulte (the Season novels), Kate Duncan returns to her hometown of Eagle River, Iowa, after more than a decade, in search of a fresh start. While working as a mail carrier in Chicago, she was pistol-whipped by a robber, a trauma that left her afraid of further violence. Kate’s marriage ended not long after, following her discovery of her husband’s infidelities. When she learned of an opening for a postal worker in Eagle River, Kate leapt at the opportunity. When she notices that Milton Benniger, an elderly farmer on her route, still hasn’t retrieved a parcel she left by his back door days before, and her knocks remain unanswered, she becomes alarmed. There’s no sign of the reclusive Milton on the farm, and she contacts the local sheriff to investigate. Kate continues the search herself, as well as assessing whether one of his neighbors could be a killer. Lageschulte adeptly evokes small-town life, and readers will root for her empathic, psychologically damaged lead. Hopefully, Kate will back for a sequel soon. (Self-published)