Wendy L. Young's debut novel, "Come the Shadows" is the first installment of the Campbell Creek series. The story is set in the small town of Campbell Creek, North Carolina which lies in the shadow of Wilmington. It's a quiet close-knit community that hasn't had a murder in seventeen years. Until now.
Officer Will Harmon goes to investigate the skeleton that is found at the long defunct bread factory. His sister Jessica is the medical examiner and her examination of the remains leads to a conclusion of murder. The sheriff has other ideas and reports the death as natural causes. Jessica continues to pursue the murder investigation with the off the record help of her brother and his partner Ricky.
There are land developers in town buying up property, including the bread factory for a big, as yet undisclosed development. As the neighbors start selling out rapidly, Laura, Will's wife, becomes concerned for the future of their community and begins to fight the developers. When mysterious fires erupt and Laura's life is threatened there is no telling how deep the mystery lies.
This is a great mystery that starts a little slow but once it takes off it will keep the pages turning rapidly. The characters are real, charming and sometimes humorous. The relationships amongst the characters are well developed and draw you in.
I, for one, am looking forward to the second installment!
Ooh, this sounds like a book my sister would like. I definitely enjoy small town stories.
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