This is the third book in the series but can easily be read as a standalone. The books' common denominator is the town's recovery from "The Flood," a massive corruption scandal involving the town's leaders and law enforcement. In this book, Detective Kenneth Gray has returned to the sheriff's department to help sort out cases that may have been affected by the corruption, including going over cold cases. One of those cases was the murder of his wife several years earlier.

Willa Tate works for a construction company. One evening she discovered a partially buried box on one of their sites. After opening it, she believed that it contained evidence of an old crime, but investigating on her own got nowhere. So she took it to the newly formed cold case task force - Kenneth.

The first meeting between Kenneth and Willa did not go as she'd hoped. After showing him the box and its contents and explaining her theory, Kenneth remained skeptical of her claims but promised to check into them. After a conversation with the sheriff, he had more questions for Willa. He quickly becomes less skeptical when Willa's home is ransacked, and she is attacked by someone clearly searching for something. Willa had some tense moments as she wondered if she would survive the encounter. I was glued to the pages as they investigated each item they found in the box and drew closer to the person responsible. There were also brief sections from the killer's viewpoint showing his determination to keep his secret. The final confrontation was a nail-biter with an unexpected twist that put Willa in his crosshairs. I loved how Willa kept her head and played a big part in her rescue and solving the mystery. I liked the ending and seeing how everything was intertwined.

I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Willa and Kenneth. Willa's sunshiny nature made an impression on him from the start, and he had difficulty getting her off his mind. His wife's murder still haunts Kenneth and Willa lights up the dark corners of his life. Willa is equally attracted to Kenneth, who is different from the men she's been involved with before. Kenneth's protectiveness kicked in when Willa was attacked. Their forced proximity gave them a chance to get to know each other and their attraction the opportunity to grow. I liked how Kenneth opened up to Willa about his wife's death, and Willa's compassion was beautifully shown. There were some sweet scenes of them together as their feelings deepened. I liked the ending, and the peace Kenneth found so that he could move on with Willa. ( )