Cast the First Stone

A feisty young Mexican-American widow fights corruption and finds love in this debut mystery set in Depression-era Colorado. Trinidad Bates lost her husband eight months ago, but she still has her home and garden, her baking business and her remarkable skills as a dowser. When corrupt sheriff George Mallis locks up her brother Parn for killing his bootlegging partner Merle, Trini takes handsome Deputy Roy Eastman up on his suggestion that she use her dowsing skills to locate the body. It turns up exactly where she predicts, but this new evidence only drags Parn in deeper. To spring her brother, Trini digs into the town's dirty secrets, uncovering shady land dealings. Parn needs her, but so do Merle's children-and so does Roy, in a very different way. Coyote County sees more death and destruction as the wide-open prairie turns from a blessing to a menace when its riches tempt men to murder and a blizzard closes in. All that can save Trini is her grit and the love of her newly created family. Cozy yet refreshing, with a distinctive, homey sense of place.