In the Beginning

After hours driving to Aspen Ridge, Annie Summers pulled into the Rosemont rest stop for a Diet Coke and a stretch. Instead, she found a dead man, a spilled coffee cup, and a trembling puppy she named Bandit—a part-time purse thief, full-time partner in trouble.

Lieutenant David Brooks of the Oregon State Police showed up all business, declaring Annie a person of interest and grounding her in town until the murder could be untangled.

Furious or not, Annie knew one thing: she and Bandit weren’t waiting around for answers. Armed with sharp instincts (and an even sharper dog), Annie plunges into a web of secrets, small-town gossip, and clues hidden in plain sight. Between makeshift sleuthing and Bandit’s comic mischief, the risks and the laughs only grow. She hopes the case is simple, but her gut says otherwise. Because with every clue, Annie wonders—what if she’s in more danger than she thinks?