Bones Under the Ice: A Jhonni Laurent Mystery

Sheriff Jhonni Laurent—the protagonist of Miller’s promising debut and series launch, a slow-burn police procedural—investigates the murder of 18-year-old Stephanie Gattison, whose body was discovered frozen under a mound of plowed snow and ice in rural Field’s Crossing, Ind. Suspects include Dylan Martin, Gattison’s boyfriend, and members of the Tillman family, who have been rivals of the Martins for generations. Meanwhile, Laurent is up for reelection, and running against her is her deputy, Mike Greene, who, in collaboration with the local newspaper editor, goes to extremes to skew the election results in his favor. A second murder, of a banker, complicates matters further. Dialogue can be stilted, and the reveal comes too soon, but the depiction of farm culture (crops, livestock, weather, futures, financing, seeds), the workings of local government, and old-time cronies breakfasting at the town diner all ring true. There are times when Miller might have heeded the advice of good farmers and not plowed the same field so often, but, like the community she cares about, hers is an honest effort with potential for a popular series. Agent: Dawn Dowdle, Blue Ridge Literary. (Mar.)