Among the Innocent is my first book by Mary Alford and I was gripped from page one.

The book tells the sad story of Leah Miller, the soul survivor of a ruthless killer who slaughtered her entire family almost ten years ago. The horror forced Leah to leave her Amish upbringing after being adopted by the local police chief and his wife. Leah herself then became a police officer. She is beyond horrified when a gruesome death suggests a copycat, or the man who destroyed her family is returned. If the latter is true, then an innocent man was blamed.

Leah teams up with the brand new police chief, Dalton Cooper, a man with secret, and the hunt for the killer is on. As the book progresses, Dalton and Leah must unravel a mystery and battle a cold-hearted sociopath. All the while, the body count grows.

Among the Innocent rackets up the tension in every chapter but even with the backdrop slaughter, Leah and Dalton draw close and a gentle relationship begins. This, plus Leah’s care for her adoptive mother and affection for her former community provide much needed relief from the brutality going on elsewhere.

Recommended for fans of mysteries, thrillers and suspense.