Hiding In The Shadows

By Vicki C Lee

Special Agent Ricki James’ every move is being watched by an unknown figure who keeps to the shadows, following her team as they chase a killer through the rugged backcountry of a national park.

The report for her last case is barely finished when Special Agent Ricki James is called on to help a fellow agent track down illegal hunters operating in North Cascades National Park. But the hunters aren’t the only thing they find. Deep in the forest, and way off the trail, there’s a body, with a bullet in his back and another in his head-- grisly proof that hunting deer isn’t the only illegal activity going on in the wild, untamed park.
When more bodies are uncovered, and their prime suspect is murdered, the stakes climb to new heights as innocent park visitors are in danger of becoming collateral damage. With the investigative unit stretched thin, Ricki is forced to accept help from Dr. Jonathan Blake. She’s had run-ins with the famous FBI profiler before and does not want to owe him any favors. But with few clues and even fewer resources, there isn’t much choice.
As the investigation heats up, Ricki receives threats pointing directly at her from someone who is also searching for the killer. Someone who is careful to keep to the shadows of the forest, and no one has seen in decades. In the small town just outside the park, he’s talked about in whispers as “the Hermit”.
It’s unnerving to be shadowed by someone who know the park better than she does, and who’s blatantly told Ricki that if she doesn’t catch the killer soon, then he will. And he’ll dispose of anyone who gets in his way. Now catching a killer isn’t Ricki’s only problem. She must fight to keep the team from being cornered in the backcountry because that’s where the Hermit operates best. If he traps them there, no one will walk out of the forest alive.