Bones under the ice

Sheriff Jhonni Laurent--the protagonist of Miller's promising debut and series launch, a slow-burn police procedural--investigates the murder of 18-year-old Stephanie Gattison, whose body was discovered frozen under a mound of plowed snow and ice in rural Field's Crossing, Ind. Suspects include Dylan Martin, Gattison's boyfriend, and members of the Tillman family, who have been rivals of the Martins for generations. Meanwhile, Laurent is up for reelection, and running against her is her deputy, Mike Greene, who, in collaboration with the local newspaper editor, goes to extremes to skew the election results in his favor. A second murder, of a banker, complicates matters further. Dialogue can be stilted, and the reveal comes too soon, but the depiction of farm culture (crops, livestock, weather, futures, financing, seeds), the workings of local government, and old-time cronies breakfasting at the town diner all ring true. There are times when Miller might have heeded the advice of good farmers and not plowed the same field so often, but, like the community she cares about, hers is an honest effort with potential for a popular series. Agent: Dawn Dowdle, Blue Ridge Literary. (Mar.)

DEBUT The first woman sheriff of the small farming community of Fields Crossing, IN, never expected to be looking down at a corpse in a snow pile in the dead of winter. Sheriff Jhonni Laurent has been summoned to the scene after two boys find the hand of a dead girl peeking out of snow in a park. The timing of the murder could not be worse. Laurent is running for re-election, and some unsavory townsfolk have scores to settle. But the investigation continues even as the sheriff faces mounting pressure from residents and the local newspaper to solve the case. Tensions mount when a second murder victim is found. The community now demands answers from a stressed sheriff who has a few secrets of her own. Are the two murders connected? And what long-hidden secrets do they threaten to reveal? VERDICT A new series perfect for fans of J.A. Jance and Craig Johnson or anyone who likes small-town settings, small-town secrets, and lots of characters.--Bill Anderson