For fans of Jess Lourey and William Kent Krueger, a propulsive Minnesota cold case mystery—the fifth Sheriff Red novel from Linda Norlander, built around a forty-year-old disappearance and the small town that never stopped protecting its secret.

A cold case pulls Sheriff Red Hammergren into the murky depths of Hammer Lake, where money, violence, and forty years of lies collide.

When a fisherman finds a rusted Camaro in Hammer Lake, Sheriff Red Hammergren links it to Rence Thomas—an Iowa man who vanished without a trace four decades ago. Before Red can search for his remains, his adult twins arrive in rural Minnesota demanding answers about their father's fate.

Red's investigation uncovers a reclusive woman with a scarred face who has ties to the old disappearance—and to money now missing from the town treasury. But the more Red digs, the more she realizes everyone connected to this case is hiding something. When one of the twins is found dead on the lakeshore days after a public confrontation, the connection between past and present becomes lethally clear.

Now, with the Hammer Lake Association demanding she close the case before it ruins tourist season and her friend Scotty getting dangerously close to the surviving twin, Red must unravel how the scarred woman, the stolen money, and two deaths forty years apart are connected—before the lake claims another life and the truth sinks with it.

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Praise for Linda Norlander:

“…an enjoyable story with an eccentric cast of characters and a strong female lead…unpredictable, with a satisfying ending…Mystery fans will enjoy…” —Booklist

"…a gripping thriller that will chill you to the bone…Linda Norlander's well-crafted novel will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page." —Susan Hunter, author of Dangerous Habits

"Readers will love Sheriff Red, and absolutely devour every layer of masterful misdirection in this twisty mystery." —LynDee Walker, author of Fear No Truth

"…kept me hooked from start to finish…you won't want to miss this one." —Ava Roberts, author of The Perfect Boyfriend