Upon her return, she quickly learns that her ex-fiancé, Dillion Upshur Kennedy (known as Duck to his friends and comrades), has gone missing. No one knows where he is or why he’s vanished, and everyone from cops to crooks are looking for him. But Duck’s disappearance becomes the least of Leigh’s worries when she enters her apartment to discover a dead man in her kitchen. West has an engaging writing style, and provides Leigh with such an authentic voice, that I was easily sucked in with the first paragraph. Frustrated by her injury, longing for a job she loves but can no longer perform, she returns to D.C. at a crossroads. Duck’s disappearance and the subsequent information she uncovers literally throws her into a loop she’s ill-prepared for.

Even though Duck is MIA, he is a main secondary character to this engaging mystery. Through Leigh’s recollections, plus conversations with his family and fellow officers, I immediately knew what kind of man Dillion Kennedy was, and what his motives were for going missing. His love for Leigh was also evident right from the beginning, and I was painted a clear picture of their history together.

West takes this story on several twist and turns, which ultimately lead to the back woods of Maryland. I had no trouble keeping up with the pace, anxious to get to the last chapter and uncover the resolution. I must admit that with all the twists in the plot, I feared a dreaded “loose end” at the end of this tale, but was rewarded with a satisfying conclusion that tied up all the plot points in a nice package.

This is the second mystery featuring Leigh Ann Warren, and hopefully not the last. West has crafted a likeable and realistic character, one that this reader had no trouble understanding or relating to. Leigh is a feisty woman, and this reader hopes that there are many more mysteries in her future.

--Wendy Crutcher