Leanne Everhart knows women have something to fear in her artsy hometown, especially so if they’re not rich, white locals. Returning to town after her father’s death, she sees the ugliest sides of an area that draws people for its severe, untamed natural landscape.
While her department faces mounting backlash over a recent wrongful conviction in the long-ago murder case of a popular local teenager—which is now unsolved—Leanne is called to a fresh crime scene at the edge of the desert. A nameless woman was found murdered, with no clues as to her identity. As Leanne digs into the crime scene evidence, she grows convinced this latest murder case is linked with the local teenager’s murder. And to multiple cold cases, all unnamed female victims, that have all been shelved by her department without leads.
Now, with conflicted loyalties and without allies, Leanne must hunt down a serial killer, one who’s been preying on local women for two decades, growing bolder and more ruthless with every strike.
Innocence Road pulled me right into the heart of Madrone, Texas—a small town simmering with tension, grief, and secrets that refuse to stay buried. The story follows detective Leanne Everheart, who is trying to keep her focus on a brutal new case: the body of an unidentified woman found under disturbing circumstances.
What makes her job even harder is the shadow of an old murder that still divides the town. This case goes back to when her father was a cop and worked on a case that resulted in the conviction of Sean Moriarty. He was convicted of killing Hannah Rawls—a crime that shocked everyone. Now, after new evidence overturns his conviction, Sean walks free, and the community is furious. Some people believe justice has finally been served, while others are convinced a killer has been set loose again.
Leanne finds herself caught in the middle of all that emotion and small-town judgment. She’s determined to find the truth about both cases, even when it feels like everyone around her has something to hide. Along the way, we meet people like Josh Cooper and Izzy Rodriguez, who bring depth, loyalty, and just enough warmth to balance the darker themes.
Laura Griffin does what she does best—mixing strong, relatable characters with a tightly woven mystery. The pacing is excellent, the tension steady, and I really appreciated how the story explored what “innocence” truly means, especially in a town that never forgets.
If you enjoy romantic suspense with realistic police work, emotional depth, and a few twists that keep you guessing, Innocence Road is one you’ll want to pick up.
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