A West Virginia cop must determine who had an axe to grind with a notorious womanizer in this mystery series opener.

Retirement is on the horizon for Det. Sam Lagarde of West Virginia’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations, and he’s looking forward to it. As a cop with a reputation for persistence, he’s earned some relaxation. But first, there’s the matter of a head . . .

Ben Cromwell is discovered, decapitated, in a dumpster behind a Charles Town spa. A known regular at the regional jail, Cromwell was no stranger to trouble. He was also no stranger to the ladies.

As Lagarde begins digging into the victim’s life, he finds five women with one thing in common: their hatred of Ben Cromwell. Determining which of them followed through on that feeling won’t be easy, but if Lagarde doesn’t lose his top, he’ll come out ahead . . .

“Layer upon layer, Ms. Fite connects the dots between her well-defined and wonderfully diverse characters.” —Rochelle Wisoff-Fields, author of Please Say Kaddish for Me

“[Ginny Fite] has no trouble delving into the dark side of people and showing us that evil exists.” —Katherine Cobb, author of Break Out the Dawn

“Not your ordinary murder mystery! . . . I couldn’t put it down.” —Tonya Royston, author of Surrender at Sundown