ONLY BY DEATH by Kathy Herman

"A heart for a family, but a mind full of greed."

Only by Death

Posted: July 5, 2018

The long-awaited second novel in the Ozark Mountain Trilogy by Kathy Herman is titled ONLY BY DEATH. A story of heartbreak, tragedy, family drama, murder, and mystery. You will never expect what lies just beyond the next page. You will immediately fall in love with Herman's writing style and the intensity she adds to her stories. Herman shares inspiring messages throughout her novels.

ONLY BY DEATH has a list of interesting characters that are sure to capture your heart making them feel more like family than characters in a book. The creative and heartbreaking plot is full of twists, turns, and unexpected surprises. Herman has written a story that plays out more like a movie than a novel.

ONLY BY DEATH is a murder mystery unlike any other! You will not be disappointed. While this is the second book in the Ozark Mountain Trilogy, it can easily be read as a standalone novel. The romantic and family relationships are meaningful and based on faith. What happens when you question faith because your heart is breaking? The killer is known from the beginning, but that doesn't make it less intense or suspenseful. Especially when the killer finds out that there is a witness that must be silenced if they plan on getting away with an unspeakable crime of love and greed. The suspense picks up as one must fight to survive as one tries to cover up a horrific murder.

ONLY BY DEATH is a novel that you will not want to put down. It's a story of heartbreak and tragedy that draws you into the mind of a killer who has a heart for a family, but a mind full of greed.

Book Summary

After much agonizing, Liam Berne takes his mother, who has Alzheimer’s, to the Sure Foot River and drowns her. A mercy killing, he tells himself, to spare her years in a nursing home. And getting his inheritance early isn’t a bad thing either.

Dixie Berne’s body is recovered and the coroner cannot find any sign of foul play, though Liam’s sister isn’t convinced. Then Liam hears rumors that a twelve-year-old boy has witnessed the drowning. Terrified that he will be discovered, Liam sets out to intimidate the boy into silence. Little does Liam know that someone else suspects him—someone who intends to make him pay.