Carrie McCrite and her husband, Amos, had dreamed of retiring to a home in the Ozarks. After Amos dies in a hunting accident, Carrie decides to go ahead with their dream, but alone. She needs to be someone--to prove she's a capable woman who can take care of herself. Carrie meets neighbor JoAnne Harrington, a man-hater who certainly provides an example of female independence. And there are important things to do when a stone quarry threatens to turn part of their beloved valley into heaps of gravel. The two women and their neighbors band together to fight for their valley. But someone decides JoAnne must die.  Grieving over JoAnne's death, Carrie feels compelled to uncover and destroy the mystery and darkness now swirling in the valley. That's what a strong woman would do. Then Carrie's new neighbor, retired Kansas City Police Major, Henry King, warns her that she, and not JoAnne, may have been the killer's real target. But that's ridiculous--isn't it? And Henry is hiding secrets of his own. How strong can Carrie be? How much danger can she survive. It's time to find out.