A Season to Lie

In Littlejohn’s lively sequel to 2016’s Inherit the Bones, Cedar Valley, Colo., police officer Gemma Monroe returns to work part-time after maternity leave. On a snowy night her first day back, Gemma and her partner, Finn Nowlin, respond to an anonymous caller reporting a prowler at Valley Academy, the elite private school where Gemma was once a student. Instead, Gemma and Finn find the body of best-selling author Delaware Fuente on the school grounds. Fuente came incognito to be a guest lecturer, invited by an old friend employed at the school. Gemma and Finn delve into Delaware’s background to try to find out who hated the successful but arrogant writer. Littlejohn effectively shows life in a small mountain town, where people have known each other all their lives and like to think their area is immune to crime. As Gemma adjusts to motherhood, she worries whether her long-time boyfriend will again be unfaithful. Readers will look forward to seeing more of this insightful and likable character. Agent: Pam Ahearn, Ahearn Agency. (Nov.)