Sooo disappointed with the Alex sub plot and the abruptness of its resolution. Also really really not a fan of Zach. For one of the few strong female lead characters I had really liked to follow, I am not sure I like where this series is going. ( )

I found some aspects a little unbelievable, but somehow the overall effect was very touching. ( )

Joanne Kilbourn series, #9.
"A languid summer day at Lawyer's Bay is shattered by the noise of a car racing to the end of a dock and plunging into the deep murky water of a northern lake. Help comes too late for Chris Altieri, the young lawyer alone inside the car. This death was no accident, and just hours earlier Altieri had admitted to Joanne Kilbourn that he'd done something unforgivable.

Joanne and two of her children are staying at a cottage in the same gated enclave as Altieri and his law-firm partners. She is puzzled by how swiftly they close ranks after Altieri's death, but that's not all that strikes her as odd; when she learns that a young female lawyer disappeared after abruptly leaving the law firm months earlier, her instincts tell her something is terribly wrong." - jacket notes

An excellent summer escape novel to read at the lake. Good suspense, compelling characters, an intriguing mystery with emotional resonance. Interesting Saskatchewan setting, with realistic tension between the wealthy lawyers and their wives, and some First Nations characters who have loyalties from their shared childhood on the reserve. Gail Bowen maintains her high standards in this 9th novel in the series. ( )