BURDEN OF TRUTH

When a cop is rumored to have turned rogue before his death, the love of his life has to find the truth to clear his name.

Birdie Keane has been crazy for cop Matt Whelan since she was 15 and he was about twice that. She knows he feels the same way but is astonished when, on her 30th birthday, he finally makes it clear that he wants them to be together. In the past, the biggest obstacles were Linda, now his ex-wife, and the disapproval from their closely linked families. Now that he’s apparently gotten over them, Birdie immediately agrees to be with Matt even though it means breaking the heart of her steadfast boyfriend, George. The next day, she receives a shocking phone call from the coroner: Matt’s dead body has been found. Birdie knows it must be murder even though the evidence points to suicide. Since the police won’t investigate a suicide, Birdie, consummate investigative journalist that she is, gets ready to find out the truth for herself. She suspects that what’s happened is related to a murder at Paige Street and a cop gone wrong. As she uncovers secrets, Birdie gets herself into enough trouble to require rescue efforts by Deputy Detective Ron Hughes, who sees himself as a possible new man for Birdie. What she learns shocks her and makes her realize that Matt’s absence from her life may have been his way of saving her from the truth.

Nolan packs quite a twist in her debut, but Birdie’s tour through pedophilia and rampant homophobia will make this a tough tale for many readers.