Silencing Jimmy Silver — Sharon Starns

It's the Fourth of July in Cactus Springs, and that means parades, picnics on the grass, fireworks... and murder. For motel owner Sage Spencer, it's been a year of ups and downs: her relationship with the local sheriff has fallen apart; a new romance fizzled almost before it began, and a dear friend has died. On the up side, her son Sam has come to live with her, the motel is running smoothly and in the black, and the lawn outside the Blue Moon is full of townspeople munching on free popcorn and waiting for the evening's fireworks extravaganza. All Sage wants to do is have a safe, fun evening. Unfortunately, the fireworks show ends in tragedy; speculation is rife over just who silenced Jimmy Silver, and why. During the next few days, Sage has her hands more than full trying to keep her guests happy and deal with unexpected family issues, and has little time to worry about the death of a complete stranger. But when she suspects that Sheriff Benton is getting involved with the wrong person, she can't stop herself from trying to help. The more questions she asks, the more secrets are revealed and the closer she comes to being the killer's next victim. Told both from Sage's point of view and in flashbacks, Silencing Jimmy Silver is a classic who-done-it, with love, lust, deception and death