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(as of Aug 01, 2026 18:25:12 UTC – Details)
When the past refuses to stay buried, the truth can explode.
The night before the long-awaited return of the Highwater Revival Music Festival, an explosion shatters the calm—and among the debris, investigators find the body of a woman who didn’t die in the blast. She was murdered.
Dr. Kerry Dearborne is hired in her capacity of a private investigator to help the police unravel the tangled threads: the cause of the explosion, the identity of a killer, and the secrets buried beneath more than a decade of silence. But as the investigation deepens, her confidence begins to crack. Someone is watching. Someone knows she’s close to the truth.
Meanwhile, she’s been distracted by a high-profile murder trial in Lake Pines, where her testimony as an expert witness could mean freedom—or a lifetime behind bars—for a man she believes is guilty. When the trial takes a shocking turn, the fallout threatens to expose a dark connection.
As old sins resurface and the circle of suspects tightens, one question haunts her every move: Was the dead woman caught in someone else’s crossfire—or was she the key to uncovering a far more fatal truth?
A taut, atmospheric mystery of buried secrets, fragile loyalties, and the deadly choices of the past that all point to a fatal truth.
“Fasten your seatbelts and hold on tight, L.L. Abbott’s latest mystery is one action-packed, wild ride of a read. Abbott expertly intertwines multiple storylines including a decade-old murder, an explosive (literally) music festival, and a shocking court trial, all in the twistiest and turniest of ways. What I really enjoyed about this one was how main protagonists, medical examiner/private detective/wife Kerry and police chief/husband Simon find themselves working together, and at times, against one another, with the shared goal of solving the crimes-a-plenty going on. Abbott treats us to a deeper look into their relationship, both personally and professionally. Also, there is a real sense of stakes this time on a personal level for Kerry, where we get to see another side to her we haven’t seen before. Not gonna lie, A Fatal Truth is officially my favorite Lake Pines Mystery (so far).”
– Steven J. Silverman
Author
The Dog Walking Detectives Mysteries
Publisher : Hemlock and Ash
Publication date : December 1, 2025
Language : English
Print length : 628 pages
ISBN-10 : 1998056139
ISBN-13 : 978-1998056132
Item Weight : 2.06 pounds
Dimensions : 6 x 1.57 x 9 inches
Best Sellers Rank: #64,203 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #3,616 in Amateur Sleuths #5,257 in Cozy Mysteries (Books) #5,938 in Murder Thrillers
Customer Reviews: 5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars (4) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
