cover image River Bodies: A Northampton County Novel

River Bodies: A Northampton County Novel

Karen Katchur. Thomas & Mercer, $24.95 (290p) ISBN 978-1-5039-0239-8

On one side of the Delaware River is Portland, Pa., the childhood home of veterinarian Becca Kingsley, the heroine of this suspenseful series launch from Katchur (The Sisters of Blue Mountain); on the other side is Columbia, N.J., where Becca lives with a handsome litigator who’s unfaithful to her. On her mother’s advice, Becca visits her dying father, who was once Portland’s police chief; she became estranged from him before her parents’ divorce on account of his infidelity. When a corpse is found near the river, Becca gets involved in the case, since she may have seen the killer while she was out running. Det. Parker Reed, formerly a close friend of Becca’s, investigates. Parker links the new murder to one with the same m.o. that occurred years earlier, in which Becca’s father played a key investigative role. Fragments of Becca’s memory involving the first murder begin returning, and the danger escalates as buried secrets emerge from the past. A possible romance between Becca and Parker adds to the intrigue. A gripping ending will leave readers eager for the sequel. Agent: Carly Watters, P.S. Literary. (Nov.)