Windswept

Twenty-five years is a long time to keep a secret. Telling the truth can be deadly. In Windswept: A Digger Doyle Mystery, reporter-turned-detective Elizabeth "Digger" Doyle confronts political power, buried crimes, and a cold case that refuses to stay buried. Now working for a scrappy online newspaper in Albuquerque, Digger travels with other journalists to a remote wind farm in eastern New Mexico. They've been summoned by state representative Carmen Lawlor, a controversial figure whose efforts to block new oil and gas drilling have earned her dangerous enemies. The press conference never happens. Lawlor is found dead at the base of a wind turbine. Was it an accident-or murder? A veteran radio reporter hints that Lawlor's death may be tied to a decades-old mystery: the disappearance of eighteen-year-old Julie Mondragon in the desolate Malpais volcanic wilderness. Before she can explain more, the reporter herself is dead. The message is clear-someone wants the past to stay hidden. As Digger and fellow journalist Manny Begay investigate the long-ago tragedy, they uncover a chilling pattern of deaths linked to that fateful day. Meanwhile, the danger grows personal. Digger's wife, state representative Maria Ortiz, vows to continue Lawlor's environmental fight, drawing the attention of powerful political and corporate interests willing to silence opposition. Set in New Mexico's stark, unforgiving landscape, Windswept is a gripping mystery blending investigative journalism, political intrigue, and a haunting cold case.