Danger at Dawn — Lee Anderson

Out for an early-morning walk, Amy Masters is practically paralyzed with shock when her sister's dog, Ivan, roots under a bush and turns up their next-door neighbor--a very cold and very dead neighbor. She runs to get help, and wakes up to find herself in a crumpled heap, but fortunately little the worse for wear. The charming Simon Seagraves is Amy's port in a storm, and when he offers his help in a typically friendly fashion, neither one suspects how soon--or how much--Amy is going to need him.

They quickly realize that the scoundrels who thunked Amy over the head are dissatisfied with their less-than-lethal performance. Threatening phone calls begin, and someone breaks into the house at the first opportunity. What's more, since Amy's just a temporary resident in these northern California backwoods, she doesn't know the good guys from the bad. All these country folk are strangers to her and some are behaving more strangely than others...