When Cormac O’Malley—Dogwood, Ohio’s former outcast and a man just released after spending fifteen years in prison—returns and shows up on her doorstep, librarian Eloise Carmichael hires him as a handyman despite her family’s warnings and her own misgivings. Inexplicably drawn to Cormac, Eloise begins to form a tentative friendship with the tortured, aloof man and unknowingly becomes ensnared in his quest for vengeance.When a body is found at the library, suspicions center on Cormac, and Eloise finds herself in the role of his defender, pitted against the most powerful men in town. As the threats against Cormac escalate, Eloise becomes obsessed with the mysteries surrounding a murder that took place fifteen years ago and begins the task of delving into the past in hopes of discovering the source of the present danger.As the body count rises and family secrets are brought to light, Eloise and Cormac are forced to realize that the only hope for redemption—and love—lies in each other. But when doubt is cast on Cormac’s innocence and her very life is threatened, the one man Eloise isn’t certain she can trust is the only one who can save her.