Deep Down

From a New York Times bestseller, a "fast-paced and absorbing" romantic suspense about a woman who returns to Appalachia to search for her missing mother ( RT Book Reviews).
As a child, Jessie Lockwood spent many hours helping her mother, Mariah, count the endangered ginseng plants hidden in the local woods of Deep Down, Kentucky. There she learned to appreciate the tiny Appalachian town-and ginseng's healing powers. Now a PhD, she's made her home in Lexington, even though that meant leaving Deep Down and her beloved mother-and Sheriff Drew Webb, the man she secretly loved.
When Jessie is notified that her mother never returned from her last walk in the woods, she comes home to Deep Down-and to Drew. As Jessie and Drew race to find her mother, several suspects emerge: an agent for those who market the herb for its life-giving properties; Mariah's disgruntled suitor; and an old Cherokee desperate to protect the sacred tribal herb.
In the mist of legend and fear, only two things make sense to Jessie. At any cost, she is desperate to find her mother. And she can't help falling desperately in love with Drew all over again.
Praise for the novels of Karen Harper
"Harper, a master of suspense, keeps readers guessing about crime and love until the very end... of this thrilling tale." - Booklist on Fall from Pride (starred review)
"Haunting suspense, tender romance.... riveting!" -Tess Gerritsen, New York Times-bestselling author on Dark Angel
"Compelling... intricate and fascinating." -Tami Hoag, New York Times-bestselling author, on Dark Road Home
"The story is rich and the tension steadily escalates to a pulse-pounding climax." - Publishers Weekly on The Hiding Place