It’s April 2019 in the rural farming community of Field’s Crossing, Indiana. Following Mary Ann Miller’s series debut, BONES UNDER THE ICE, in which snow plows had piled ice covering Stephanie Gattison’s body six weeks ago, Webster’s Park sports an emerald cloak of grass.

Lisa DuVal, the owner of Big Al’s Diner, dyed 100 dozen eggs for the annual Easter egg hunt and returned the catering van to the diner hours ago. Lisa’s daughter, Aubrey Holmes, is furious that her mom hasn’t returned for a family gathering. Sheriff Jhonni Laurent finds an unresponsive Lisa sitting in the van at the diner. Thinking possible heart attack, Laurent discovers blood pouring from Lisa’s abdomen while performing CPR. Eggs weren’t all that "dyed."

"Were it not for the gory murders, CRACKS BENEATH THE SURFACE could be a cozy mystery. Miller’s glib style engages the reader with subtle nuances of small-town life."

Specifications in Lisa’s will disavow family members from inheriting a sizeable portfolio, especially her estranged husband, Keith. Eyebrows are raised when Aubrey, who worked at the diner, is to receive nothing but her mother’s recipes. Laurent and her favorite deputy, Dak Aikens, assemble a list of suspects and realize that they’ve “got nothing but liars, cheaters and gamblers.” It seems that everyone they interview has one goal: “To move out of this dumpy little town.”

Miller misses the mystery mark by putting the reader in the mind of a killer during another homicide. Laurent must link the two victims, friends who had worked together. Two random murders in a small town are doubtful. The law enforcement officers gather evidence to narrow the spectrum of suspects.

Laurent juggles two homicide cases while still receiving physical therapy from a gunshot wound to her shoulder while investigating the Gattison murder six weeks before. Trouble comes in threes. The daughter she gave up for adoption three decades ago has contacted her and insists on knowing the identity of the biological father. Laurent’s heart hurts more than her shoulder.

Were it not for the gory murders, CRACKS BENEATH THE SURFACE could be a cozy mystery. Miller’s glib style engages the reader with subtle nuances of small-town life. Police procedures, evidence gathering and slight contradictions in statements made by persons of interest are like jigsaw puzzle pieces that Sheriff Laurent assembles in her mind.