title: An Absence of Motive
author: Wells, Maggie
description: He was an outsider
  
  And the only man she could trust.
  
  Attorney Marlee Masters's brother was murdered. Proving it means working with Sheriff Ben Kinsella and facing down the nasty whispers in their rural Georgia town. Although the gossips accuse Marlee of being the real threat, there's a stalker vowing retribution if the two don't end the investigation. Ben won't abandon Marlee in her hour of need, but will she have to place herself in even more peril to catch the killer?
  
  From Harlequin Intrigue: Seek thrills. Solve crimes. Justice served. Discover more action-packed stories in the Raising the Bar Brief series. All books are stand-alone with uplifting endings but were published in the following order:
  Book 1: An Absence of Motive
  Book 2: For the Defense
  Book 3: Trial in the Backwoods