When she stumbles over a body on a favorite hiking trail, the sheriff's wife becomes the chief sleuth in this prequel to The Sheridan County Mysteries.

Summer is gorgeous in the mountains of Sheridan County, Wyoming, where Jo Wolf takes to the hiking trails to enjoy the scenery inbetween her volunteer responsibilities as the organizer, caretaker, and defacto hiring manager for a rural school nestled among the ranches. A wife of a local sheriff, she wants to adopt a burro so that their own family ranch feels complete. Despite the fresh air, cool creeks, and kindhearted neighbors, Jo is struggling to hire for the upcoming school year. Whether frightened by proximity to bears or too attached to city lights, she can't find a teacher who will stick around. But when she stumbles over a stranger's body in the woods, her to-do list shifts as she takes on the role of sleuth. If Jo can't identify the murderer in time, she won't make it to the first day of school.