Blood River Witch

In this well-built if overwrought literary crime novel from Martinson (The Reign of the Kingfisher), Kentucky sheriff’s deputy Alicia Moore faces suspicion after she discovers the body of her ex-fiancé, Jake Paisley, “crucified like Jesus” and disemboweled. It’s the same m.o. of a murder two decades ago when Alicia was in her senior year of high school and engaged to Jake. The convicted killer, a “fucked-up kid” named Greg Walpole, was friends with Jake before the crime, and locals suspected Alicia and Jake were somehow involved. The stress caused them to break up, and to this day, she’s called “blood river witch” around town. But thanks to her father, the sheriff at the time, from whom she’s now estranged, she was never charged with a crime. Now, as Moore becomes a person of interest in Jake’s murder, she’s pulled from the case and investigates on her own, placing her faith in an occult scholar who offers to help her solve the crime and clear her name. As she gets closer to the truth and uncovers a scheme to convict her of Jake’s murder, she turns to her father for help. The story is full of satisfying twists and turns, but the purple prose can be distracting, as when a pastor’s voice “lifted toward the ceiling like helium in an airship.” It’s a mixed bag. Agent: Danielle Matta, Robin Straus Agency. (June)