“A gut-wrenching mystery/thriller that explores prejudice and the incredible stress on soldiers in a seemingly unending war with no clear goals.” —Kirkus Reviews
It was supposed to be a relaxing trip to Yellowstone for Lola Wicks. Some down time for Lola and her daughter, and a chance for Lola to consider whether she should marry the little girl’s father, the sheriff of the small Montana town where Lola never imagined she’d stay so long, much less settle down. Only nothing is ever easy for Lola. Especially when a Wyoming soldier returning from Afghanistan commits suicide, two other soldiers start a near-fatal fight, and a woman is terrorized. The events strike close to home for the former foreign correspondent. Lola’s spent enough time in Afghanistan to know the toll it can take on a soldier’s mind. She also knows that something happened back in the war zone—and that something has followed these soldiers home. Determined to get the story, Lola starts investigating. But soon it becomes clear that finding the truth might keep her from getting herself and her daughter out of Wyoming alive.
“Gwen Florio weaves a compelling tapestry that combines family saga, social consciousness and human frailty.” —Craig Johnson, New York Times–bestselling author of the Longmire series
Praise for the Lola Wicks mysteries
“A gutsy series.” —The New York Times
“Outstanding . . . Believable action complements razor-sharp observations of people and scenery.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review on Montana
“The writing is top-notch, and the action builds at just the right pace . . . Lola Wicks is going to be around for a long, long time.” —Kirkus Reviews on Dakota
Gwen Florio, a former editor at the Missoulian, is an award-winning journalist and an adjunct professor in University of Montana’s School of Journalism. Florio is the author of the Lola Wicks crime series as well as Silent Hearts, a novel set in Afghanistan. Her first novel, Montana, won the Pinckley Prize for Debut Novel, and a High Plains Book Award. Best Laid Plans, the first book in her new crime series, the Nora Best Mysteries, published in 2020. She currently lives in Montana with her partner and dog.