A fatal aviation accident begins to look like a homicide in Arnold’s mystery novel.

Special Agent Dani York from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation heads to Tick County to look into a homicide. That’s where a local deputy has discovered the severed head of one of two missing men who’d been on a fishing trip. Searching Tick Springs Lake for further signs of the men and their boat, Dani turns up something even more shocking: A crashed plane at the lake’s bottom. The pilot, Hope Tucker, is also found dead, still in the pilot’s seat. Federal Aviation Administration Inspector Pat McNeil joins the investigation, and though the crash looks like an accident, Dani sticks around. Oddly enough, evidence suggests that Hope had died before the plane even took off. The case leads to Tucker Aviation, and the now widowed owner—Hope’s husband, David Tucker—quickly falls under suspicion for not reporting the aircraft missing. Dani interviews several individuals, including David’s son, the Tuckers’ nanny, and a pastor at the local church where partier-turned-worshipper Hope has donated quite a bit of money. Dani and Pat zero in on David, as his first wife, who died a year earlier, has a peculiar connection to Hope’s death. “I follow evidence,” Dani says, and that marks many others as murder suspects until she can rule them out. So, she continues to ask questions, dig for possible motives, and consider various scenarios to explain how a killer might have done it, all the while keeping pesky reporters at bay.

Arnold delivers out a tautly written Southern mystery. The Tennessee backdrop is vividly rendered, from the intense humidity (temperatures, despite recurrent rainstorms, rarely cool off) to the locals’ preferred elixir of bourbon. The author keeps the plot moving via dialogue that pops and relatively brief scenes. Arnold’s descriptions are vibrant without sacrificing conciseness: “The first drops hit in large, scattered splotches in the dry dirt, sending up puffs of dust. The team broke into a trot, then ran for their cars, most making it before sheets of rain blurred the horizon.” Dani is methodical in her investigation—the procedural aspects of the story feel authentic as she interviews people multiple times and scrutinizes details of the case. While she’s unquestionably attracted to the lanky, robust Pat, their engaging relationship is built on mutual respect. The rest of the cast is just as engaging, including a Tucker Aviation flight instructor, Hope’s unassuming mother (and straight-shooting grandmother), and Shelby County’s razor-sharp district attorney. Many of these characters are introduced as part of the murder investigation, but their distinctive lives and temperaments are well-developed. Although readers will guess some of the mystery’s turns, there are several surprises throughout, including the big reveal. The author rounds out this tale with a cynical take on the media—intermittent news articles come from two specific news sources that, despite covering the same story, are drastically different in their takes.

This solid whodunit revels in its Southern flair and boasts a wonderfully nimble storyline.