Patricia Stoltey
The Prairie Grass Murders

Sylvia Thorn, circuit court judge, takes an unexpected trip to Illinois when her older brother, Willie Grisseljon, is confined to hospital for psychiatric evaluation. The Vietnam vet had been on vacation, exploring the countryside where he and Sylvia had grown up, when he found a body. Sylvia is drawn into the mystery when Willie insists on returning to the site and the two discover a local businessman is missing. Soon, they discover clues that may help the sheriff, Sylvia's high school sweetheart Trace Parker, solve the crime.

Jerry Sykes
Lose This Skin

Months after the drive-by shooting that left Detective Inspector Frank Roscoe's foot shattered, the gunman is still on the loose. An old friend appears asking if he would be willing to look into the death of her son. Karl Burns had been run over by a police car, but his mother is convinced that the driver intended to hit someone. Could this cold case be the impetus Roscoe needs to sharpen the investigative skills he fears are lost forever? Or will it take him on a journey that will leave him more bruised and vulnerable than before?

Amanda Bell travels to the remote Monument Valley on the Navajo Indian Reservation to fulfill her father's last wish: deliver and archive his Southwest literary collection, a gift to the fledgling Navajo Cultural Center. To Durango Yazzie, Amanda's arrival is an intrusive reminder to an already superstitious community of herfather's dead body somewhere in the desert, never properly put to rest. Their courage and ideals are tested as they unearth unsavory truths from the past - and a menacing presence watching their every move.