Newlywed Pauly Caton watches, horrified, as the hot air balloon--the one she should have been riding in--falls from the sky. She races to the wrecked basket to discover both the pilot and her husband Randy dead in the fiery crash. The lone survivor appears to be an unknown child, who runs from the scene, naked and fearful, and disappears from sight. Shocked, Pauly turns to her Grams, a flashy grande dame and carnival owner, and a source of comfort for her pain.



During the ensuing weeks, Pauly learns that nearly everything she knew about her new husband was based on lies and deception. As Christmas approaches, she attempts to pick up the pieces of her life and uncovers a host of other surprises about Randy--things that make her question everything about her choice to marry him. She senses she can trust no one, not even the police, and learns that there are secrets which threaten to put her own life in danger.



Praise for Susan Slater's previous mystery novels:

The Dan Mahoney series:

"Flash Flood is just what it sounds like--a fresh, surprising, adrenaline-rush whitewater ride. It's also funny. Susan Slater can flat-out write." --Don Winslow, New York Times bestselling author



"Slater's excellent sequel to Flash Flood takes insurance investigator Dan Mahoney to tiny Wagon Mound, New Mexico ... Readers will be glad they're along for the ride."-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)



"There'll be much, much more, with whispers of everything from alien experiments to voodoo, before Slater closes out this lively, surprising case, first of a series." - Kirkus Reviews



"Dan Mahoney is an appealingly resilient character, a welcome addition to the roster of sleuths that make the Southwest a hotbed of current mystery fiction." --Publishers Weekly



The Ben Pecos mystery series:

"Solid, suspenseful narrative and colorful glimpses of Native American life ... strongly recommend." --Library Journal



"A series to watch." --Booklist



"... Ben Pecos--raised far from New Mexico's Tewa Pueblo--could become as lasting a fictional presence as Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee." - Chicago Tribune



"... a gripping, interesting tale." -5 stars, online review