Lola Wicks Mysteries

A "flawed, complex, compelling heroine faces challenges that are both gut-wrenchingly difficult and all too common today . . . Far above the crowd." -Kirkus Reviews Ravaged by loss and suffering under the weight of addiction, journalist Lola Wicks's life takes a bad turn after a family tragedy. The only reason she agrees to travel to Salt Lake City to write a human interest story on overseas adoptions is to prove that she is still managing her life-and show the authorities she's still a fit mother. But the assignment is immediately complicated when her subject, a Vietnamese teen adopted by a white family, is accused of murder. Determined to prove his innocence, Lola investigation takes her to the edges of the darkness pervading her own life-making her wonder if she'll ever find her way back again. "Engrossing . . . Few will be able to resist this moving tale of redemption." -Publishers Weekly Praise for the Lola Wicks mysteries "A gutsy series." -The New York Times "Gwen Florio weaves a compelling tapestry that combines family saga, social consciousness and human frailty." -Craig Johnson, New York Times–bestselling author on Disgraced "The writing is top-notch, and the action builds at just the right pace . . . [Amateur sleuth] Lola Wicks is going to be around for a long, long time." -Kirkus Reviews on Dakota "Compelling, realistically flawed characters and a timely story line . . . make this one of Florio's hardest-hitting mysteries yet." -Library Journal, starred review on Reservations

"Captures the culture and poverty on reservations still suffering from greed and mismanagement . . . A ripped-from-the-headlines story with a shocking ending." -Kirkus Reviews Now that journalist Lola Wicks finally decided to settle down and marry small-town sheriff Charlie Laurendeau, she's long overdue to meet her in-laws. But shortly after arriving at the Arizona Navajo reservation where they live, an eco-terrorist attack leaves a tribal elder dead, escalating the controversy surrounding the new coal mine on the reservation. Lola's reporter instincts kick in and soon she's pursuing the story, which doesn't exactly ingratiate her with Charlie's parents. But as the violence escalates, Lola begins to wonder if her husband's family is somehow involved-a suspicion that could cost her not only her marriage-but her life. "Compelling, realistically flawed characters and a timely story line . . . make this one of Florio's hardest-hitting mysteries yet." -Library Journal, starred review Praise for the Lola Wicks mysteries "A gutsy series." -The New York Times "Outstanding . . . Believable action complements razor-sharp observations of people and scenery." -Publishers Weekly,starred review on Montana "Gwen Florio weaves a compelling tapestry that combines family saga, social consciousness and human frailty." -Craig Johnson, New York Times–bestselling author on Disgraced "The writing is top-notch, and the action builds at just the right pace . . . Lola Wicks is going to be around for a long, long time." -Kirkus Reviews on Dakota

"A gut-wrenching mystery/thriller that explores prejudice and the incredible stress on soldiers in a seemingly unending war with no clear goals." -Kirkus Reviews It was supposed to be a relaxing trip to Yellowstone for Lola Wicks. Some down time for Lola and her daughter, and a chance for Lola to consider whether she should marry the little girl's father, the sheriff of the small Montana town where Lola never imagined she'd stay so long, much less settle down. Only nothing is ever easy for Lola. Especially when a Wyoming soldier returning from Afghanistan commits suicide, two other soldiers start a near-fatal fight, and a woman is terrorized. The events strike close to home for the former foreign correspondent. Lola's spent enough time in Afghanistan to know the toll it can take on a soldier's mind. She also knows that something happened back in the war zone-and that something has followed these soldiers home. Determined to get the story, Lola starts investigating. But soon it becomes clear that finding the truth might keep her from getting herself and her daughter out of Wyoming alive. "Gwen Florio weaves a compelling tapestry that combines family saga, social consciousness and human frailty." -Craig Johnson, New York Times–bestselling author of the Longmire series Praise for the Lola Wicks mysteries "A gutsy series." -The New York Times "Outstanding . . . Believable action complements razor-sharp observations of people and scenery." -Publishers Weekly, starred review on Montana "The writing is top-notch, and the action builds at just the right pace . . . Lola Wicks is going to be around for a long, long time." -Kirkus Reviews on Dakota

"Outstanding . . . Believable action complements razor-sharp observations of people and scenery." -Publishers Weekly, starred review Foreign correspondent Lola Wicks feels at home in the war zones of Afghanistan-so when her editor reassigns her from Kabul to a suburban stateside beat, she's a fish out of water. To blow off some steam, Lola heads to Montana for some downtime at a friend's cabin. But when she arrives, she discovers her friend has been shot dead in the hills outside her home. The murder is downright chilling-enough to make Lola want to hightail it back to Kabul. But as the first person on the scene, she's forced to stick around. Lola figures the only way to get out of dodge quickly is to solve the crime herself. But she's unsettled by the strangeness of the small mountain town, which is only magnified by the tensions between the locals and the people of the nearby Blackfeet Nation. Soon Lola's doing things she never imagined, like leaning on her new friendship with a fellow reporter-and getting up close and personal with the local sheriff. The more she's drawn deeper into the crime, the more connected she feels to this small community under the big sky-a bond which raises the stakes on just about everything. "Crammed with atmosphere and intriguing characters . . . A satisfying, hair-raising ride." -Kirkus Reviews "A gutsy series." -The New York Times

"The writing is top-notch, and the action builds at just the right pace . . . [Amateur sleuth] Lola Wicks is going to be around for a long, long time." -Kirkus Reviews For a foreign correspondent used to the high stakes of war zones in Afghanistan, Lola Wicks is getting restless working the local news beat in the small town of Magpie, Montana. So when Judith Calf Looking, a Blackfeet woman who has been missing for months, is found frozen in a snowbank, Lola's journalist instincts go on alert. The sheriff, otherwise known as the romantic reason Lola is still in Magpie, believes Judith froze while hitchhiking back to the reservation. But when Lola learns that Judith had been working as a stripper in a small North Dakota oil town, and that several Blackfeet women have gone missing over the past year, she sets out in search of answers. What she finds is a world full of tough men and corrupt cops, where women are treated poorly and no one cares. For the first time in a long time, Lola may be in over her head. Not that a little danger has ever stopped her. . . . Praise for the Lola Wick mysteries "A gutsy series." -The New York Times "Outstanding . . . Believable action complements razor-sharp observations of people and scenery." -Publishers Weekly, starred review on Montana "A gut-wrenching mystery/thriller that explores prejudice and the incredible stress on soldiers in a seemingly unending war with no clear goals." -Kirkus Reviews on Disgraced "Gwen Florio weaves a compelling tapestry that combines family saga, social consciousness and human frailty." -Craig Johnson, New York Times–bestselling author on Disgraced