Over Her Head
A faith-based domestic suspense novel
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- $4.99
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- $4.99
Publisher Description
“Readers will get swept up in Senft’s story, wanting to know just as badly as Laurie: Who really killed Miranda Peizer?” —Publishers Weekly
“As tragedy unravels a community and a church, a good woman is forced to face the stark truth of her own faith. Once more, [Senft] has created a compelling story of crisis and spirit.” —Mary Jo Putney
In the small town of Smoke River, Washington, everyone knows the plain church, the Elect of God. They’re good religious people, honest, hardworking … and they’re hiding some dreadful secrets.
What kind of mother suspects her own daughter of murder?
Laurie Hale has the perfect life—and the perfect family to go with it. All she wants is for her kids to find the popularity and success in school that she enjoyed back in the day. But one night on the Smoke River bridge, a bid for popularity goes wrong and one of the teens from that weird group, the Elect of God, is found dead. When the police begin to investigate her daughter Anna, fear and suspicion begin to eat away at everything Laurie values.
Anna is one of several teenage suspects, but none of them is talking, and peaceful Smoke River divides along religious lines—to the point that Laurie is even asked to leave her prayer group just when she needs their support. Her marriage starts to crumble and her standing in town shows its shaky foundations.
Laurie doesn’t want to face the truth. But it’s the job of investigator Nick Tremore, her cousin, to find it. What if Anna really was there the night that Elect girl, Randi Peizer, was killed? Why is Nick spending so much time with Randi’s mother? And what kind of person is Laurie if she can doubt her own child’s innocence?
Over Her Head is the fourth novel in the faith-based Smoke River domestic suspense series. The books can be read as standalones, though the characters all know one another and appear in each other’s stories. No strong language, just a dollop of suspense, a loving kiss, and a guaranteed happily ever after. If you like books by Sage Parker, Christy Barritt, or Charles Martin, you’re in the right place. Enjoy!
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When a 14-year-old girl dies in a mysterious drowning accident quickly ruled a homicide, the small town of Glendale and its tight-knit Christian community are thrown into chaos. Laurie Hale, the respected leader of the local women's Bible study group, is not only the woman who found the body but also the mother of Anna Hale-one of the prime suspects in the case. As the town rumor mill kicks into high gear, Laurie's confidence in her daughter's innocence begins to crumble. Waves of guilt threaten to take Laurie under, but "She had to trust her daughter. She had to. Otherwise their family would splinter and fall apart." As Laurie's worst fears about Anna seem to become a reality, the narrative begins to take on a soap opera feel, with Bates (A Sounding Brass) coming down heavy on the teen drama and corresponding parental angst. Though the setting, plot and characters may feel familiar to the mystery genre, readers will likely get swept up in Bates's story anyway, wanting to know just as badly as Laurie and company: who really killed Miranda Peizer?
