Grounds to Believe - Smoke River, #1

In the small town of Smoke River, Washington, everyone knows the Elect of God. They're good religious people, honest, hardworking-and they're hiding some dreadful secrets. He'd find Kailey some day. One assignment at a time. One prayer at a time. Six years ago, a cult took Ross Malcolm's baby daughter. He's never stopped looking for her ... and now he has a sidearm, a badge, and a soul-deep commitment to protect the innocent.
When the state's elite Organized Crime Task Force assigns him to Smoke River, Washington, to find out why the death rate among children belonging to an obscure religious group is so high, he's sure it's going to be one of the toughest cases of his career. But first, he has to find a way in . Julia McNeill is the daughter of an Elder and the almost-fiancée of a prospective Deacon in the plain church known as the Elect of God.
Her future position is secure . except that she's not sure she wants it. She's never quite been able to fit in, to measure up in comparison with her dazzling sister, who married an Elder and produced two beautiful kids. It breaks Julia's heart that her nephew Ryan is so close to death and no one can figure out why . but when she asks questions, the church leadership shuts her out. And then a biker with eyes that have seen too much walks into the bookstore where Julia works, and everything about her life begins to change .
including her belief in God's ability to keep her and her nephew safe . "A brave and talented author who looks at the darkness as well as the light."  -Mary Jo Putney