Cold Case in Cherokee Crossing - Rita Herron (HI #1535 - Dec 2014)

Series: Cold Case (Book 4)

A decades-old cold case is testing everything one Texas Ranger thought he knew about obtaining justice…

A lot of men on death row profess their innocence. Those men are mostly just scared of dying. Jaxon Ward understands that, but as a Texas Ranger he needs to uphold the law. Yet the story Avery Tierney tells him… He's convinced her brother is awaiting execution while the real killer remains at large.

Searching for the murderer opens old wounds for Avery, and now she has to face a past so traumatic she blocked it out. A past not so dissimilar to Jax's. Before long, the only comfort they find is in each other's arms. Avery's lost everything once before. And now, if she loses Jaxon, she fears she'll never recover.

Good story of a man on death row for murder and the efforts made by his sister to find the truth. A week before he's scheduled to die, Avery visited her brother in prison and discovered that he had confessed to killing their foster father because he thought she had done it. Jaxon has been assigned to the case to make sure nothing comes up that will stop it. When he hears her story and talks to her brother he suspects that she may be right.

Avery had suffered terrible abuse by her foster father. Her brother had tried to protect her, but was regularly beaten and tied up. The night of the murder she had come out of a blackout to see her brother holding a knife and stabbing the man. Her statement had helped send Hank to prison, but now she wants to help set him free. As she and Jaxon begin asking questions, Avery begins receiving threats, warning her to give up her quest. 

Jaxon had also spent time in foster care and knew that bad things happen all too often. He is amazed by Avery's strength and determination. Though he had been told by his boss to make sure the execution went on as scheduled, his own honor as a Ranger wouldn't allow him to ignore the possibility that the wrong person had been convicted. The more people he questions, the more obvious it becomes that the authorities had taken the easy way out. Jaxon becomes more determined to uncover the truth.

There were many layers to the mystery here, and multiple people with motive to kill Wade. I loved following each step and trying to figure out where it was leading. Some of the stories that were uncovered were heartbreaking. As the day of execution got closer, the intensity of the search increased. There was a surprise appearance by someone who claimed knowledge of the murder. When the final confrontation came, I was surprised by who had actually done it, and even more surprised by who had covered it up. 

The romance between Jaxon and Avery was pretty quick. There was an immediate attraction between them, but they did try to resist at first. Jaxon felt it was inappropriate to get involved with Avery while he was investigating, but he found it very hard to resist. I loved his protectiveness toward her from the very beginning. He was horrified by the things that had happened to her and so sweet with her when she was having nightmares and flashbacks. Avery had her own issues obviously, because of the abuse she had suffered. Besides her problems having any kind of relationships, she had serious trust issues with men. From the very start she trusted Jaxon, which enabled her to allow herself to feel more. There was a brief break in that trust, but reason overcame it, and they were able to look forward together. I especially loved seeing what Jaxon did for Avery's brother and father.

Cold Case at Camden Crossing - Rita Herron (HI #1463 - Dec 2013)

Series: Cold Case (Book 1)

People in town believe Tawny-Lynn Boulder is the only reason the Camden Cross case went unsolved. She survived the bus accident that left several dead and two missing, but the severe trauma left her with amnesia. So when she returns to her family's ranch after seven years, Sheriff Chaz Camden presses her to help locate the girls who were never found -- including his own sister. But someone in town is threatening to kill Tawny-Lynn to keep the case closed. Now she must trust that the sexy sheriff she once loved will protect her and show this murderer that in Camden, accidents don't happen…justice does.

Excellent book, I got so involved that I could not put it down. Tawny isn't happy about coming back to Camden Crossing, but someone has to deal with the ranch after her father's death. She left town as soon as she graduated from high school, unable to deal with the way people treated her after the accident. She was the only survivor, but thanks to a concussion and the trauma, she has no memory of the day the accident happened. All she knows is that her sister and one other girl are missing and everyone blames her for not remembering what she may have seen.

The first person she saw when she arrived was Chaz Camden, who is now the sheriff. Besides being the brother of her sister's best friend and the other missing girl, he was also the boy she'd had a crush on. She immediately notices the changes in him, and how sexy he has become. She's attracted to him, but can't forget the way that his family treated her after the accident. All she wants to do is get the property ready to sell and leave town. There's an unpleasant surprise waiting for her inside the house - a threatening message, written in blood. Then, on her way back to town from getting cleaning supplies, someone runs her off the road.

Chaz is stunned by the changes in Tawny. She's no longer the skinny kid that he remembers tagging along behind their sisters. When several members of the town want him to force her to leave town, he stands up for her, reminding them that she was a victim also. Chaz's own father is one of the most vocal, blaming Tawny for not helping find his daughter. On his way home from work that evening he finds Tawny's jeep in the ditch. He's disturbed to hear what happened and even more disturbed when he found the threats at her house. He's determined to find out who is behind them.

From here things just get more intense as both Tawny and Chaz turn their minds to investigating just what happened. At first, every question they get answered just brings up more questions. Then the attacks on Tawny become physical and more dangerous. Somebody clearly doesn't want her digging and they don't want her to have a chance to remember. Then one question starts a chain of events that brings answers no one expected and one I definitely didn't see coming. That wasn't even the end of it, as there was one more twist that I halfway suspected, but didn't want to believe.

The relationship that developed between Tawny and Chaz was one that did not go smoothly. Though he stood up for her, there were times that Chaz wondered if Tawny knew more than she was saying, but then he would feel guilty for thinking it. For the most part his protectiveness and the attraction he felt for her were his overriding feelings, to the point where he started to wonder if she would be willing to stay. He did have one bad point where he backslid and made accusations that he shouldn't have, but realized it once he cooled off. Tawny also found herself falling for Chaz, but couldn't see herself ever living in a town where so many hated her. At the end, Chaz realized the depth of his feelings when he nearly lost her. I loved seeing the way things worked out for them.

Cold Case at Cobra Creek - Rita Herron (HI #1531 - Nov 2014)

Series: Cold Case (Book 3)

A Native American tracker makes it his mission to bring a missing child home, just in time for Christmas…

After two years, Sage Freeport had all but given up hope of seeing her little boy again…until she met Dugan Graystone. They shared a disdain for local law enforcement, the same folks who'd hindered Sage's efforts to find her son. As an expert tracker, the broad-shouldered Native American was sure he could find the child -- even if he had to leave Texas to do it. Spending time with Sage, watching as she broke down every time a lead didn't pan out, Dugan worked harder than he ever had before. Now, with Christmas just days away, Dugan knew Sage trusted him to give her the greatest gift of all: bringing Benji home….

Good book. Sage's three year old son had been kidnapped by her fiance two years ago. She has never given up hope of finding him, even though there have been no clues as to where he might be. Her fiance's car had been found burning the day they disappeared, but no bodies had been with the car. While Dugan was searching for some missing hikers he came across some bones, not far from where the car had burned. The bones proved to belong to the fiance, but there was still no sign of Benji. 

The local sheriff had never put much effort into finding out what happened to Sage's son. Even with the new evidence, he tells Sage that there's still not much of a chance of finding him. She refuses to accept that, and Dugan is right there with her. Dugan has had bad experiences with the sheriff, including losing to him when Dugan also ran for sheriff. Sage and Dugan decide to start investigating on their own and find out some disturbing things about her late fiance. As more information comes to light, they also begin receiving threats telling them to stop their search.

Both Dugan and Sage are determined people. Dugan hasn't had life easy because his Native heritage has had some people looking down on him. The more he learns about the case of Sage's missing son, the more he's certain that he can find him. He's also getting closer to Sage, attracted to her physically, but also to her unflagging certainty that her son is still alive. He'd love to contemplate a future with her, but he's certain the she's far to good for him. Meanwhile, Sage's hope for finding her son gets a boost with the new information about her fiance. She is frustrated by the lack of help from the sheriff, and when Dugan offers to help her she is grateful. As they follow the leads they find, Sage does something she never thought she'd do again - she begins to trust a man. That trust is accompanied by a physical attraction she hasn't felt since Benji disappeared. But she doesn't think anything will come of it, because she can't see Dugan being interested in a woman who is only half alive due to her misery over her missing son. 

The suspense part of the story was good. I loved seeing Dugan and Sage follow their leads in spite of the interference they get from the sheriff. It's hard to see Sage's unhappiness as their leads disappear because of foul play from whoever is behind the troubles. It's pretty obvious who the main bad guy is, but everything they had to go through to solve the mystery made this a captivating read.