Persistent Guilt — Michael J. McCann

On a cold morning in late April, a man and his dog discover the nude body of a young woman in the ditch alongside the picturesque Thousand Islands Parkway in Leeds County. The woman was stabbed fifteen times before being dumped.

Detective Constable Kevin Walker of the Ontario Provincial Police discovers that the victim, Andie Matheson, worked for an old high school acquaintance of his. Kyle Baldwin now runs a charity that raises funds for mobile medical clinics in Kenya, but he had a brief affair with the victim several years ago that ended badly. Why did she continue to work for Baldwin? Did she see someone else after breaking up with him?

At the time of the callout to the Parkway, Detective Inspector Ellie March is investigating the mayor of the nearby city of Brockville for alleged criminal wrongdoing. With two cases to manage, she and Kevin Walker must determine if the mayor is somehow connected to a wider circle of crime or if Kevin's friend, Kyle Baldwin, murdered his ex-lover in a fit of jealous rage.