Shadows of the Past a Suspenseful Adventure in Paperback

I was up for a suspenseful mystery so the prospect of reading Shadows of the Past by Patricia Bradley was a reward after a long week.

Taylor Martin is a Criminal Psychology professor with a specialty in criminal profiling.  The story begins at a crime scene where Taylor has been called in to consult with Newton County  Sheriff's Department.  As the crime scene wraps up she feels inside her pocket and finds an alarming note imprinted with Meade Funeral Home imprinted on the top. She smells the hint of Old Spice wafting through the air. How did the note get inside her pockets? Is it written by someone who has been stalking her? The last offering was a bouquet of black roses. Could it be from a troubled young man who had taken a course from her the term before?

At the scene she meets Nick Sinclair, a handsome writer from the south, not far away from Logan's Point, Mississippi where Taylor is from. Nick hides the detail that his brother Scott is the former student and suspected stalker. Things don't make sense to Nick; his brother was troubled but not a criminal. Just a troubled young man who had gotten in with the wrong crowd drinking and doing drugs. His attorney and administer of Scott's trust fund recommended Conway University so Scott could have a fresh start. It was far from his Memphis Tennessee home and former friends.

Taylor heads back to Logan's Point and finds herself on the same flight as Nick Sinclair who is going home to Memphis.  Taylor's father disappeared when she was quite young and she hopes for answers at last on why he disappeared. He went on a business trip, never to return again. Back in the South, the pieces begin to intersect both the lives of Taylor and Nick. They are strongly attracted to one another; there are puzzling bits of information though that threaten to doom any hopes of a relationship; beginning with Scott, the elusive brother, a large land deal for the Martin land and of course, how the stalker knew that she was in Logan's Point and not in Newton County, Washington State!

Taylor presses on with questions on her father's disappearance and goes so far as to request police files on anything related to his disappearance.  Her uncle Jonathon is trying to get everyone to agree to the sale of the property that has been in the family for generations. With ties to the underground railroad and historic preservation, he needs a majority vote in order to clear the way for a million dollar housing development. He has no time for Taylor's questions and want her to stop any further questions about his brother.

A string of coincidences bring danger to Taylor, to Scott and to others who have information about what happened to James Martin. There are too many things that don't add up and Taylor questions who she can trust.  As Taylor gets closer to the truth more than one life is in danger.

Scott resurfaces and attracts danger too. Will he sober up or will he die? He is looking for his friend Digger who helped him at Conway and now in Tennessee. Nick fears for Scott's life, trying to protect him but also trying to find out the identity of Digger. There are so many questions and turns in the story before we find the truth.

Intrigue and suspense play a big role in this is a story of greed and how it can destroy all a family holds dear: each other.
I recommend this book, a perfect antidote to a cold wintry day along with a rich cup of coffee.