Crash
Confirmed bachelor Julian Custer is a true gentleman, but he’s a bit out of step with the modern world. So when he happens on a terrible car crash, chivalry demands that he try to rescue the unfortunate victims. It’s too late for the driver of the burning car, but Julian is able to save the passenger, although his arms are severely burned in the process. At the hospital, he learns that the young woman he’s rescued, Delia Barrow, has just immigrated to Scotland from New Zealand with her now-dead brother. Delia’s personal possessions, including her identity papers, were destroyed in the crash. She has no money, knows no one in Scotland, and has suffered severe injuries in the crash. Julian vows to help Delia but gets more than he bargained for when he discovers that the car crash was not an accident and that not only Delia’s life but his own could be in danger. There’s plenty of mystery and suspense in this engaging story, but Hammond also injects warmhearted, feel-good romance and an authentic portrait of life in rural Scotland. It’s a winning combination. --Emily Melton