Dare to Sleep (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781452510897)

On most days, in most years, nothing much happens in Dyman, a peaceful Australian community. But today is not most days. A hiker waves down traffic, panicked and breathless, to report a horrendous homicide. Two young but efficient investigators--Detective Denise Porter and her partner, Constable Stanthorpe--are assigned to the case. The increasingly disturbing and confusing labyrinth of evidence challenges them like no other case has, and what their investigation reveals is almost as disturbing as the crime itself.

This murder has all the signs of organized crime, and the tell-tale presence of "The Boss" is problematic, to say the least. Illusive as well as elusive, "The Boss" has made sure that every lead is a dead one, every suspicion is a false one, and every fact is anything but. Mayor Brody Mayfield, a well-respected member of the community, is swept into the investigation and quickly finds his reputation called into question.

The mayor's assistant, Kate Diamond, has her own secrets to protect. A product of an abusive childhood, she grew up in poverty and was no stranger to death. As an adult, her quest for financial security has her locked into her own set of challenges. The deeper she digs, the more she uncovers her own scandal. Even worse, she begins to suspect that her boss may be closer to "The Boss" than anyone knows.

As one team races to reveal the truth, another works just as hard to protect its secrets.