Jennifer Dornbush's writing is deeply informed by her unique upbringing, raised in the world of forensic science by her father, a medical examiner. Her early exposure to death and investigation, beginning with an airplane crash at age eight, has provided her with an unparalleled perspective. This background, combined with formal training from the Forensic Science Academy and strong connections with law enforcement professionals, allows her to craft narratives with exceptional authenticity and detail. Her work explores the darker aspects of life with a sharp, insightful voice, offering readers compelling and meticulously researched stories.
Recently engaged and deeply ensconced in her third year of surgical residency in Chicago, Emily Hartford gets a shock when she's called home to Freeport, Michigan, the small town she fled a decade ago after the death of her mother. Her estranged father, the local medical examiner, has had a massive heart attack and Emily is needed urgently to help with his recovery.
July 1989, in a sleepy Michigan town, high school grad, Nina Laramie, heads out with her friends and is never seen alive again. Months later, her skeleton is found near a remote party spot in the forest.The ME determines Nina has been brutally raped and bludgeoned to death. Fear and anger ripple through this tight knit community when the case goes cold.Thirty years later, Riley St. James, a Detroit PD assigned to Nina’s case, is determined to get her first big cold case win despite having a similar past to the victim. Relying on her investigative prowess and gut instinct, Riley tracks down a witness, who saw Nina Laramie’s murder. But as the truth comes to light, Riley must face the killers who want their secret to stay in the Hole in the Woods. Based on the 1989 true-life murder case of Shannon Siders for Newaygo County, Michigan. After the case went dormant, a Michigan cold case team formed in 2011 and uncovered new evidence that enabled them to arrest, try, and convict the killers, who were sent to prison for Shannon’s murder in 2015
A cold case murder, a grisly discovery, and a viper's nest of resentment, betrayal, and dirty secrets converge in this mystery perfect for fans of Kathy Reichs and Jayne Ann Krentz. It's been 12 years since Sandi Parkman went missing after being dropped off at home by her schoolmate, Nick Larson, now the Sheriff of Freeport, Michigan. When a construction crew unearths Sandi's bones--along with Nick's letterman jacket and one of his hairs--Nick becomes suspect number one in the murder. Dr. Emily Hartford, the daughter of Freeport's medical examiner, is called in to investigate, but the case is about to get personal. Nick was Emily's high school love, and now she has to either clear his name--or contend that he's the killer. As she delves into the case, a host of other suspects emerge: a coterie of Nick's jock friends from high school; Sandi's sister, Tiffany, now a dancer at a local strip club; and James VanDerMuellen, a trust funder who's recently returned to Freeport. As the autumn skies darken over Freeport and the holiday season looms, Emily must sift through more than Sandi's brittle bones to solve the case. Can she exonerate Nick--and rekindle their long-smoldering romance? The race is on to find the truth.