Bones and Blossoms

Clarkson Crowder's heirloom potato harvest is shaping up to be spectacular—until her irrigation repairs unearth something far more troubling than rusty pipes. When a contractor's backhoe reveals human remains buried in her south field, Clarkson finds herself at the center of yet another murder investigation. The skeleton belongs to Russ Pemberton, a farmhand who vanished four years ago without a trace. Everyone assumed he'd simply drifted on to the next town, but someone in Meadow Creek knew the truth all along.

As Clarkson digs into Russ's final weeks, she discovers he was a man who noticed things—things that certain people would prefer stayed hidden. He worked for farms across Crawford County, and any number of respected locals might have had reason to want him silenced. When Russ's mother arrives seeking answers after four years of agonizing uncertainty, Clarkson can't help but promise to find them. But the deeper she investigates, the clearer it becomes that the killer has been hiding in plain sight, walking the same streets and attending the same church suppers as everyone else.

With her potato crop at stake, her dog Diddly determined to "help" the forensic team, and Sheriff Patterson once again torn between irritation and grudging respect, Clarkson must untangle a web of secrets before the killer decides some things are better left buried. In Meadow Creek, Kansas, the earth eventually gives up what's been hidden—but not everyone is ready for the harvest.