Unshaken

The stakes are high for a sheltered Amish woman who witnesses a murder in Shepard Gray’s thrilling follow-up to Unforgotten. When 23-year-old Stephanie Miller sees a teenage boy shoot an older man at her local Ohio dollar store, her life is upended. First, she’s grazed by the shooter’s second bullet, then whisked away by social worker Bev, who believes Stephanie’s at risk of gang retaliation and arranges for her to take refuge on Bev’s brother Hardy’s Kentucky ranch. Stephanie is terrified and feels abandoned by God, but gruff military veteran Hardy works hard to earn her trust. As each opens up about their own tragic backstory, their chemistry builds, and Stephanie starts to envision a life outside the Amish community. But the gang from Ohio hasn’t forgotten about her, and when threatening messages show up at the ranch, Hardy fears that even he might not be able to keep her safe. Readers will be drawn in by the propulsive action and stay for awkward yet lovable Stephanie’s character arc as she grapples with mounting threats while coming into her own and deciding what she wants for her future. This captivates from first page to last. (June)