Harper Adams Mystery Series by Denise Grover Swank

Disgraced, ex-detective Harper Adams is perfectly content wallowing at rock bottom. She’s lost her job, house, and reputation, and it only gets worse when she’s forced to move back home to Jackson Creek, Arkansas, the one place she swore she’d never return. But everything changes when she gets chilling news. A childhood friend’s daughter is missing…and it’s eerily reminiscent of Harper’s sister’s kidnapping and murder two decades ago. Not her business... moreDisgraced, ex-detective Harper Adams is perfectly content wallowing at rock bottom. She’s lost her job, house, and reputation, and it only gets worse when she’s forced to move back home to Jackson Creek, Arkansas, the one place she swore she’d never return. But everything changes when she gets chilling news. A childhood friend’s daughter is missing…and it’s eerily reminiscent of Harper’s sister’s kidnapping and murder two decades ago. Not her business. Except with the police fumbling the case at every turn, Harper realizes she might be the only one who can save the girl. And she might need the help of James Malcolm, a former crime boss, to do it. less

Welcome to Lone County, Arkansas, where every corner holds a secret, and the past is never really buried. Disgraced ex-detective Harper Adams has traded her badge for a desk job at her father's law firm, a move as dull as the small town she's returned to. But things take a turn when a local woman wants to declare her missing husband dead, five years after his mysterious disappearance... moreWelcome to Lone County, Arkansas, where every corner holds a secret, and the past is never really buried. Disgraced ex-detective Harper Adams has traded her badge for a desk job at her father's law firm, a move as dull as the small town she's returned to. But things take a turn when a local woman wants to declare her missing husband dead, five years after his mysterious disappearance. With her father’s firm representing the life insurance company, Harper seizes the opportunity to delve back into her investigative roots. Her search leads her back to James Malcolm, a former crime boss turned tavern owner, who has his finger on the pulse of every shadowed corner. His offer to help with her investigation catches her by surprise. Why would a former criminal offer his help unless he has something to gain? less

She quit drinking the day her mother died. Now she has to stay sober long enough to prove it wasn’t an accident. Former detective Harper Adams is only days into sobriety when she realizes her mother’s car accident wasn’t an accident at all. The faded skid marks on the bridge. The drugs in her tox screen. The packed suitcase in the trunk, for a trip her homebody mother never mentioned. Something sinister happened—and Harper is determined to uncover the truth... moreShe quit drinking the day her mother died. Now she has to stay sober long enough to prove it wasn’t an accident. Former detective Harper Adams is only days into sobriety when she realizes her mother’s car accident wasn’t an accident at all. The faded skid marks on the bridge. The drugs in her tox screen. The packed suitcase in the trunk, for a trip her homebody mother never mentioned. Something sinister happened—and Harper is determined to uncover the truth. To do that, she accepts the assistance of the last man she should trust: James Malcolm, a crime boss with a shadowy past. He insists he’s only trying to help. Harper isn’t sure whether his offer is about justice or something else entirely, but she decides it’s safer to work with the devil you know. Malcolm gets results—and results are what she needs. As Harper digs deeper, she unearths secrets powerful people want to keep buried. And the closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous it becomes. Staying sober is hard. Facing what really happened to her mother might destroy her. less

The fourth book in the Harper Adams Mystery series. When Harper and James Malcolm go after the man who replaced James's mentor, they uncover a criminal empire far darker than they imagined—one built on human trafficking and ruthless power. But exposing the truth could cost them everything.