Among the Dead

June 12, 2017
Rachel Carver, the heroine of Backlund’s exciting debut and series launch, resigned from North Carolina’s State Bureau of Investigation after fatally shooting a young mother in the line of duty. Rachel misses being a homicide investigator, though, and she welcomes the offer of her former partner, Danny Braddock, now Lowry County’s chief deputy, to consult on a murder case that has sowed panic in his small, peaceful mountain community. A bartender was found with a knife in his chest, lying on his kitchen floor. The police have no witnesses or suspects. Soon after Rachel arrives in the area, another man is murdered, this time with a knife in the back of his head. The authorities want a speedy resolution to the killings, which they believe are both drug related, but Rachel has her own ideas and insists on pursuing the investigation until it’s properly completed. Along the way, she’s romantically drawn to Danny. Readers will look forward to seeing more of the complex, capable Rachel. Agent: Rachel Ekstrom Courage, Irene Goodman Literary Agency.

July 1, 2017

Rachel Carver resigned from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation after an innocent woman was killed on her last case. When an old partner calls and asks her to help with a murder investigation in the western part of the state, she reluctantly agrees. A man was murdered inside his home, with no signs of forced entry and no suspects. When a second person is killed, investigators suspect the same culprit is responsible because of the precise timing of the crime. As the violence escalates, Rachel studies the victims, finding a link to their high school years and a recent suicide. It's one more case that could blow up in Rachel's face. VERDICT With a complex investigation building to a surprising twist, this riveting debut introduces a strong female lead in a violent, character-driven story. Fans of Linda Castillo's "Kate Burkholder" mysteries will welcome Rachel Carver's arrival.--LH

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Starred review from June 15, 2017
Murder and politics make uneasy bedfellows in this gripping debut.Rachel Carver was a crack homicide investigator for North Carolina's State Bureau of Investigation until guilt over a death in her last case caused her to quit. Even after Rachel shot a woman who may have been wrongly accused of murder, her devotion to her boss kept her from speaking out. Now, a desperate plea from Danny Braddock, her former partner from the Raleigh Police Department (where she worked before moving up to the SBI), brings her to a small town west of Asheville that's immersed in a tough murder case. Danny's boss, whose county commissioners have targeted him after a botched investigation, hires Rachel as a consultant. The small department is eager to learn, and Rachel's expertise, especially in how to keep meticulous records that will hold up in court, gets them up and running on the homicide. Dean McGrath has been found stabbed to death in his home. The crime scene is suspiciously clean, and an autopsy reveals that McGrath was hit with a round object before he was stabbed. Rachel's discovery of a baseball bat proves pivotal, but she's more interested in motive. One of the county commissioners is convinced that the death had something to do with drugs and biker gangs, a theory the SBI adopts when it finally sends in an agent to investigate, but Rachel isn't convinced. When another victim is found murdered in very similar circumstances, a hair and blood traces from the bat may provide the evidence needed to convict their suspect. Once more, however, Rachel wants to know why the two men were targeted and returns to their school days looking for answers. Her romantic entanglement with Danny is sidelined when more murders follow. This time, Rachel resolves, political pressure won't keep her from finding the truth. A procedural with a complex heroine and a torrid pace. This series kickoff is at once credible, moving, and suspenseful.

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