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