For fans of Terry’s Mapleton series, this latest installment is a return to the inner workings of a small-town police department. In Deadly Relations, the crime gets personal when Gordon’s former brother-in-law shows up at his house—the house Gordon is selling—and sets off a bomb. Why? They don’t have time to find out before the suspect is in the wind.

As the investigation unfolds, Gordon has to deal with the small-town reporter who thinks the crime should be solved in a matter of hours, despite the suspect disappearing without a trace. In addition, Gordon is concerned about his police officers when one of the most stoic of the bunch seems to be going off the rails. Gordon is determined to keep his officers engaged, and in the process, ends up on patrol in a situation he isn’t prepared to handle. When the situation resolves, Gordon refocuses on the reason for the call-out and uncovers an unexpected crime. Add to that the political ramifications of being police chief. The story comes full circle as the bomber returns to finish the job and is thwarted in a satisfying conclusion. All in a day’s work along with the underlying theme, Nothing ever happens in Mapleton. Until it does.