The home place

After her parents die in a car accident on an icy road in Montana, Alma Terrebonne takes her full scholarship and goes to Bryn Mawr. She leaves behind her younger sister, Vicky, who lost a leg in the accident, and all the emotions she can no longer handle. Twelve years later, she is a corporate attorney about to make partner when the call comes that troubled, drug-addled, single-mother Vicky is dead. Alma heads home to identify the body, plan the funeral, and get back to Seattle as quickly as possible. But Vicky's accidental death may not be an accident. Her overbearing Uncle Walt is acting strange, a coal developer is getting just a little too pushy, and Vicky's daughter looks to Alma for safety. On top of that, Chance Murphy, her old boyfriend, won't allow her to tamp down her feelings, for him or for home, anymore. La Seur makes a very assured debut. Her characters are rich and believable; the plot is perfectly paced with mystery and romance enough to keep the reader hooked. And it's all played against a beautifully drawn Montana backdrop. -- Amazon.com.