A suspenseful read, this is well-written on many levels. Both Penny and Jake are complex characters, both dealing with demons. Jake's sister Mandy took Penny in when she showed up in Flagstaff 13 years before, without even a jacket for warmth, to start a new life. Having lived too much of the good life of a rock star, Jake lands at Mandy's as he is working on starting a new life in recovery. The impending holidays are rocky for both of them. Despite a previous encounter, this time around Penny and Jake connect - until Penny does the one thing her father warned her not to do - try to connect with anyone from her previous life. Now the people who killed her family are after her. The tension is palpable and the pace is steady. Even the secondary characters have depth and there is an emotional charge to their interactions.

This is my first read by Whiteside, but it won't be my last. Although this is the 4th in the Love and Murder Series, it can easily be read as a stand alone.