nA big thriller with an even bigger heart! -- Lisa Gardner, New York Times bestselling author n nEqual parts compelling mystery and riveting family drama...I'd follow its hero, Deputy Ben Packard, anywhere. -- Jess Lourey, Edgar-nominated author of The Taken Onesn nIt's time to put the past to rest...n nBen Packard was just a boy when his older brother disappeared. Ben watched him walk out the back door of their grandparents' house and into the cold night.n nHis brother was never seen again.n nDecades later, Deputy Packard finds himself with too much time on his hands. A shooting has him on leave and under investigation, and all he can do is dwell on the past.

For the first time in years, new information about his brother has surfaced that may lead them to the location of a body.n nThe midwinter ground is frozen solid. Worse, Packard is cut off from department resources. As he strikes out to finally uncover the truth behind his brother's disappearance, he stumbles on a separate, suspicious death.

A tenuous connection exists between the two cases, and as Packard starts to dig, he meets fierce resistance from friends and foes alike who want him to stand down.n nThe winter is long and cold. By the end of it, Packard will risk everything to catch a killer and reveal the shocking truth about his brother.n