Hattie was an actress, both on and off the stage. She could be whoever the people around her expected her to be. But Hattie only wanted one thing - to get out of Pine Valley, Minnesota. She planned on moving to New York right after graduation. But before she got to don her cap and gown, she's found murdered in an abandoned barn. Hattie herself takes us through the months leading up to the murder. Del, county sheriff and best friend of Hattie's father, narrates the ensuing investigation. Del is easily the most likeable character in the book. Hattie is a little too conniving and self-involved, but she doesn't deserve what happened to her. I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. There's only a handful of suspects and not a lot of intricate plot twists and turns so it's no edge-of-your-seat thriller, but it's solidly written and well paced. It's a book you can't wait to get back to, if you do put it down.