While Deidre Morris is attending a meeting at the town library, her best friend forever Dixie is babysitting Deidre's five-year-old son Kevin. Dixie just moved back to Echo Falls a couple years ago. At the library Deidre meets Jase Glassman. Jase has just moved to town and is working in her father-in-law's law firm, taking the place of her deceased husband. Frank died two years ago in an unexplained car crash and the position has not been filled until now.

Deidre has trouble getting her car to start when she leaves the meeting, and Jase comes to the rescue, offering to drive her home. As they arrive at Deidre's house, the front door is open. Jase goes in cautiously and finds Dixie dead on the living room floor. They find Kevin lying at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious. After a few days in the hospital, Kevin awakes and has no memory of what happened. The question now is killed Dixie and why? There seems to be no immediate explanation.

Jase comes to Echo Falls with baggage and takes his new job with strings attached. He's supposed to be gathering evidence for Judge Morris, his new employer and Deidre's father-in-law, to prove that Deidre is an unfit mother. This murder in her home nicely helps him fit right in with getting well-acquainted with her.

Marta Perry brings us a suspenseful new series set in Pennsylvania Dutch country where the English and Amish co- exist side by side. Deidre and Jase are strong, resilient characters who feel some attraction to each other right away, but both are extremely cautious with their hearts. After all, Jase is supposed to be investigating Deidre, not falling for her. The supporting characters are a sundry lot, and I expect we'll learn some of their stories in future books in this series. As the storyline moves along, Jase begins to doubt that there is any fact in the judge's charges against Deidre. Is it just an unfair prejudice? ECHO OF DANGER keeps us turning pages with every twist and turn of the plot. It's a story about trust and betrayal, but also about kindness and forgiveness. I've always been a fan of Ms. Perry's novels. This should be a great new series!

Book Summary

In peaceful Pennsylvania Dutch country, a young mother discovers a shocking danger—and an unexpected ally

A whisper of a threat looms over widow Deidre Morris. She and her young son have unwittingly become prisoners of her intimidating father-in-law's power. One wrong step could find her son torn from her and in the hands of the influential judge. But when Deidre collides with an intriguing stranger, the prospect of a new friendship gives her renewed hope…until a devastating murder rocks the quiet community of Echo Falls and Deidre learns first impressions can't be trusted.

Attorney Jase Glassman's assignment is straightforward: befriend Deidre, gather incriminating evidence…and allow her dogged father-in-law to take custody of her child. Anything else, including losing himself in her honest charm, will compromise the job he was hired to do. Yet when a murderer ushers danger into the town, Jase's only instinct is to protect Deidre and her son—no matter the sacrifice.