The Girl in the Moss

A simple fishing trip in rural Canada becomes a disturbing busman’s holiday when former cop Angie Pallorino and her boyfriend, homicide detective James Maddocks, encounter a skeleton instead of trout in White’s third edgy romantic thriller (after The Lullaby Girl). The skeleton is linked to a 24-year-old cold case, and Angie, who’s trying to resurrect her career after being banished from the Victoria, B.C., police force, is asked to research the case by the victim’s grandmother. Angie sees this as an opportunity to not only establish herself as a private investigator but also get some space from her relationship; she loves James but resents and envies him for still having a police job, and has a complicated past that has made her slow to trust. Returning to the scene of the possible crime, Angie risks danger to interview an ominous assortment of river guides and local bullies, all terrifyingly intent on preventing her from learning the truth. This fast-paced and suspenseful novel with unexpected twists will send new readers back for earlier installments in the series. (June)