The unexpected death of client Edgar Henry doesn't prevent detective Gray Hollowell, the hero of Dixie Browning's Undertow, from investigating the possible murder of Edgar's wife, Roxie, which occurred nearly 27 years ago. As Gray's investigation brings him into contact with the clannish Henry family, he becomes enamored with Edgar's fiercely independent daughter, Mariah. The undercurrent of romantic tension between Mariah and Gray is almost tangible, though their relationship rolls into trite territory when she goes boating with her cousin despite Gray's repeated warnings and he's forced to rescue her. While it's unclear how Gray solves the decades-old mystery surrounding Roxie's death, the conclusion is a stunner.
Like a spent wave, washing broken shells back to sea, the clues to a long-ago death had been caught in the undertow of time...
Cold cases were Gray Hollowell's specialty, and for a bored detective on disability, turning over clues from a twenty-seven-year-old boating fatality on exclusive Henry Island was just the vacation he needed. Edgar Henry had paid him cash, given him the keys to his cottage, told him what he knew about his wife's death-then up and died. But it wasn't until Edgar's vulnerable daughter, Mariah, showed up to scatter Edgar's ashes that Gray felt the pull of her innocent beauty-and the chill of this cold case. It was obvious that her zany relatives disliked her and wanted her gone (as they had her mother before her?)-but not before they gained control of her share of the family legacy. Gray could easily have pocketed Edgar's money and run, but family entanglements could be messy, and he knew in no uncertain terms, Mariah was going to need him.
Cold cases were Gray Hollowell's specialty, and for a bored detective on disability, turning over clues from a twenty-seven-year-old boating fatality on exclusive Henry Island was just the vacation he needed. Edgar Henry had paid him cash, given him the keys to his cottage, told him what he knew about his wife's death-then up and died. But it wasn't until Edgar's vulnerable daughter, Mariah, showed up to scatter Edgar's ashes that Gray felt the pull of her innocent beauty-and the chill of this cold case. It was obvious that her zany relatives disliked her and wanted her gone (as they had her mother before her?)-but not before they gained control of her share of the family legacy. Gray could easily have pocketed Edgar's money and run, but family entanglements could be messy, and he knew in no uncertain terms, Mariah was going to need him.
