M.L. Donato

Lisa Maselli and Alex Griffin were the newest officers on the Highlands Regional Police Force-a twentysomething duo townspeople thought didn't belong in a "man's" profession. When accusations of nepotism marred the appointment of Lisa Maselli, the county commissioner's daughter, the Police Board went beyond the county line to find its next officer. An ex-park ranger, Alex Griffin longed for a laidback life in rural Pennsylvania. What she got was more than she'd bargained for. Partnered by the police chief as a ploy to challenge their "competence," Lisa Maselli and Alex Griffin laid down the law in no uncertain terms and became best friends in the process. Then, one night, the unthinkable happened. Alex Griffin had an encounter she would never forget-with a masked intruder seeking to settle a score. In a town unreceptive to female cops, suspicions ran rampant; it seemed a lot of men had a motive-including the sleazy chief of police himself. For Alex Griffin, the search for her assailant was living hell. For Lisa Maselli, it became probable cause for blood-a personal serving of justice fueled by a dark secret that threatened to destroy everything and everyone around her.