Harding Proper

Charlotte Evers enters a used bookstore in the quiet mountain town of Harding, and assigns a threat-level to the old clerk behind the counter-only ninety percent harmless, ten percent a threat. Charlotte needs to unload a small fortune in antique books for quick cash, and she’s prepared a lie in order to hide her motives. Turns out, the clerk isn’t a push-over.

Neither is the police chief. They’re determined to discover Charlotte’s real identity and her connection to a missing persons case. The sooner Harding returns to normal, the sooner the residents can go back to avoiding each other. Trouble is, in a small town where mistrust is common, Charlotte isn’t the only one with something to lose.

Harding Proper is the recipient of the 2022 Gold Quill Award for best novel of the year from the League of Utah Writers.