From Publishers Weekly
Against all odds, this romantic suspense which has little mystery and almost no romance still manages to be a good read. Leigh Ann Warren is an African American Washington, D.C., cop, back in her home town of Sunrise, N.C., after a shooting that left her with a half-inch welt on her scalp and some new revelations about what it means to be a cop. Leigh Ann's return happens to coincide with a reunion of all classes of Sunrise Township School, which is on the verge of being torn down to make room for a shopping mall. The general mood of ill will isn't eased by Leigh Ann's discovery of a long-decomposed body hastily buried in a local cemetary, or by the subsequent murder of the town doctor. Willy-nilly, Leigh Ann is dragged into an investigation of the body's identity, the reasons behind the two murders-and dark talk of skeletons and evil-doings in the purportedly peaceable town. The little romance (one passionate kiss, really) is provided by her friend and partner, who follows Leigh Ann to Sunrise. He's charming, a bit patronizing (of a threat made on Leigh Ann he says "Nobody messes with my stuff") and, most of all, unnecessary. The real point of the book is for Leigh Ann to come to grips with her own questions about the direction of her life, and West does this with a good eye for detail and a fine ear for dialogue Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
YA?Distraught over the near-death of her partner, African American D.C. policewoman Leigh Ann Warren returns to her native Sunrise, NC. She finds the small town in an uproar as a proposed shopping mall will displace the graves of former slaves. She helps the sheriff solve three murders, and discovers that her high school principal's son used to rape female students after spying on them in the showers. Leigh Ann is an especially appealing character. She is realistically drawn, and is caring, humorous, undecided, thoughtful, or brave as the occasion warrants. The complex and fast-moving plot will keep readers turning the pages.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description

Big-city cop Leigh Ann Warren is coming back to Sunrise, North Carolina, to escape the pressures of the job -- and her guilt over nearly causing the death of her partner Duck. But things have changed here since she was a girl. Tensions over plans to develop hallowed ground for commercial purposes are tearing a once close-knit community to pieces.

Leigh Ann hoped to stay neutral, but a decades-old murder, newly unearthed, is dragging her down into a whirlpool of fear and small-town secrets. And a killer still lurking in the shadows of Sunrise is about to strike again -- this time, too close to home.

About the Author
Chassie WestWebpage for Chassie West:Www.bobwest.com Email:bobwest@bobwest.comBooks by Chassie West:Duck Blind, Loss of Innocence, Sunrise, Untitled #1. Visit her website at www.qoe.net/chassiewest

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Washington, D.C. cop Leigh Ann Warren has returned to her small home town of Sunrise, North Carolina, to relax after a tough assignment. But when a murderer strikes, Leigh Ann extends her visit to dig into the crime, and the town's chilling secrets and deadly lies.

"A good read.... West [has] a good eye for detail and a fine ear for dialogue." —Publishers Weekly

"West has created a heroine human enough to appreciate a mother's hug, gutsy enough to solve a murder, and sensible enough to love Italian shoes. Bravissima!" —Lisa Scottoline, author of Final Appeal

- 1995 Edgar Award nominee for best paperback original mystery.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Against all odds, this romantic suspense which has little mystery and almost no romance still manages to be a good read. Leigh Ann Warren is an African American Washington, D.C., cop, back in her home town of Sunrise, N.C., after a shooting that left her with a half-inch welt on her scalp and some new revelations about what it means to be a cop. Leigh Ann's return happens to coincide with a reunion of all classes of Sunrise Township School, which is on the verge of being torn down to make room for a shopping mall. The general mood of ill will isn't eased by Leigh Ann's discovery of a long-decomposed body hastily buried in a local cemetary, or by the subsequent murder of the town doctor. Willy-nilly, Leigh Ann is dragged into an investigation of the body's identity, the reasons behind the two murders-and dark talk of skeletons and evil-doings in the purportedly peaceable town. The little romance (one passionate kiss, really) is provided by her friend and partner, who follows Leigh Ann to Sunrise. He's charming, a bit patronizing (of a threat made on Leigh Ann he says ``Nobody messes with my stuff'') and, most of all, unnecessary. The real point of the book is for Leigh Ann to come to grips with her own questions about the direction of her life, and West does this with a good eye for detail and a fine ear for dialogue (Oct.)

School Library Journal

YA-Distraught over the near-death of her partner, African American D.C. policewoman Leigh Ann Warren returns to her native Sunrise, NC. She finds the small town in an uproar as a proposed shopping mall will displace the graves of former slaves. She helps the sheriff solve three murders, and discovers that her high school principal's son used to rape female students after spying on them in the showers. Leigh Ann is an especially appealing character. She is realistically drawn, and is caring, humorous, undecided, thoughtful, or brave as the occasion warrants. The complex and fast-moving plot will keep readers turning the pages.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING