The Deep Deep Snow by Brian Freeman - 4 stars

[Ellen]

35 years ago, Shelby Lake, now a police detective in the town of Avery Weir (aka "Everywhere") was left on the doorstep of the local police chief Tom Ginn's home. He named her after the body of water he had been fishing. Ginn gladly raised the infant and their relationship was close and warm. Now Tom is beginning to show signs of the disease that took both of his parents: Alzheimer's. Shelby dreads the day when he no longer recognizes her or the day she realizes she can't care for him anymore.

A decade ago a young boy named Jeremiah went missing after a bike ride with his older brother Adrian. Jeremiah was only 10 years old at the time and quickly became bored with his 16 year old brother and decided to head back on his own. Adrian told him to go and that he would catch up with him in a while. Jeremiah was never seen again. His bike was found abandoned along the side of the road that cut through the deep forest. Clues were sparse but rumors were rampant. A popular teacher had been accused of his wife's murder several years before but was acquitted. There never was a good explanation of her death and now his name has come up again in the case of Jeremiah.

Ten years after the mysterious disappearance of the young boy a startling clue is found at an abandoned resort. The case is reopened and the guilty party commits a murder to try and cover the tracks. Shelby Lake slowly comes to realize the truth hidden beneath the deep deep snow and is astounded by what she uncovers.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I will certainly be looking for more. The story was well paced with characters I could root for. Red herrings abounded and the final reveal was a shocker. It's a good one.