AustLit

'What does Lauren Donnelly owe the daughter of the man who died to save her? The cost of his funeral? A job at her ailing Cape Cod nursery? The lives of her loved ones? Or will only her own death settle the score?

'On a wintry New England morning an innocent short-cut turns to disaster when the snow-covered field Lauren Donnelly crosses turns out to be a not-so-solidly-frozen stream. A passing stranger comes to her aid. Only to fall through the ice himself and succumb to the frigid waters. Struggling to come to terms with the tragedy, Lauren reaches out to the man’s only daughter and long-time care-giver, a woman now suffering financial hardship. But Ada Phelps is not the devoted, grief-stricken offspring she pretends. And making people pay for their crimes is the one thing she has always done best.' (Publication summary)