In this third book in the River Bend Chronicles, Lynn Powers, a fortyish widow with a teenage son, continues to build her new life in River Bend. It's two weeks before Christmas and the holiday season is going full tilt -- except for Lynn and her son.In an effort to rekindle their slow starting romance, chief detective Dusty Reid pays a visit and finds Lynn's household untouched by holiday cheer. Dusty takes Jason on a routine call and starts a series of events that mirrors the death of Lynn's husband two years ago. In addition to grieving on the anniversary of her husband's death, Lynn has been advised by one of the board members of the River Bend Philanthropies that his review of a local nonprofit, River Bend Reads, has revealed embezzlement.This story weaves through the Christmas holidays, with Lynn and Dusty's big New Year's Eve date spent in the morgue identifying the body of a staff member of River Bend Reads. And then another body turns up. Renee Kumor has lived in North Carolina for over thirty years. The setting for the River Bend Chronicles series reflects her early life in Ohio and her later years in western North Carolina. She was a stay-at-home mom for several years developing a personal ethic of community service. Through the years as her children aged, she became active in the political and non-profit life of the community. She began writing a political opinion column for the local newspaper, but retired from writing when she announced her candidacy for local political office. After eight years as a county commissioner, she returned to non-profit service and began writing a monthly column for the newspaper on non-profit management and service issues. Renee has been married to her husband for forty-four years. They have four children and four grandchildren. Renee Kumor enthralls readers of her popular romance series -- The River Bend Chronicles -- drawing them into the lives and loves of the inhabitants of this all-too-familiar small town.
