The trauma of the past comes full circle to threaten Colorado deputy sheriff and K-9 handler Mattie Wray and those she loves in the eighth book in this engaging mystery series.

Mattie and her recently discovered sister Julia go to Mexico to see their mother and inform her one of the men who murdered their father is dead and another is in prison, no longer a threat to her. But they discover Ramona and her new husband Juan Martinez have disappeared, and no one can tell them where they've gone.

Disappointed and worried, Julia and Mattie meet with San Diego Detective Sonia Alvarez, who is looking into the cold case murder of their father, Border Patrol agent Douglas Wray, before going home -- Julia to California and Mattie back to Colorado.

But, on arrival at her house in Timber Creek, Mattie finds a note pinned to the front door telling her to look for "him" among the standing dead up in the high country.

Her team at the sheriff's department goes on alert and mounts a search. Robo, Mattie's K-9 partner, leads her to the body of her stepfather, bound to a dead pine tree. Meanwhile, veterinarian Cole Walker, Mattie's fiance, has been called to a nearby campground where several horses have been poisoned by selenium in the drinking water.

More notes alert Mattie her mother is in poor condition and, then, that Julia also has been kidnapped and is bound for Colorado. The only way to save them is for Mattie to put herself in jeopardy and meet the perpetrator as requested.

Margaret Mizushima has spun a taut tale with more twists and turns than a mountain trail, one guaranteed to keep you up past your bedtime and turning pages to see what happens next. She skillfully maintains reader interest in Mattie's quest to understand her family history and in her developing relationship with Cole. We're as anxious to solve the mystery of Mattie's checkered past as she is, and our empathy makes us want her relationship with Cole to succeed.

It doesn't hurt that she adds puzzling crimes and solid detective work to the mix. And there's also the bonus of information on the training and handling of police dogs and the skills of veterinary work.

[ visit Margaret Mizushima's website ]