Conard County: Lethal Homecoming

Conard County: The Next Generation #59

by Rachel Lee

She’s come home to stop her nightmares.
He’s protecting her from new ones.

Returning home is supposed to help Detective Seana McTiernan lay her past to rest. Instead, it’s made her a target. Yet having Jason Carlyle live just across the street gives her an unexpected sense of security. Especially since confronting the tragedy that occurred fifteen years ago has uncovered long-buried secrets. As Jason goes from neighbor to protector, Seana is determined to solve the mystery that upended her world. Will her homecoming provide closure to the cold case or create two new victims?

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 24, 2026

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Rachel Lee is a New York Times best-selling author and the winner of Six Romantic Times magazine Reviewers' Choice Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and is a five-time finalist for the Romance Writers of America's RITA® Award. She has penned a wide variety of novels in several genres including fantasy, romantic suspense, and romantic comedy. She resides in Tampa, Florida.

Reviews

[Ann C. · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is extremely boring. There is no action, not even when the bad guy is caught. Why did he wait 15 years to get his "insurance" from the property? He could have gotten it anytime between renters, whenever there was no one living in the house. But for the sake of the story, he waited until Seana was back.

Did Art get a deal with the marshals? He hinted that he got one. However, it was never mentioned by anyone else.

The book ended abruptly. I have begun to realize that all of the author's books end this way. Things about the couple are left up to the reader. How long does it take for Seana's house to be sold? Does Jason move to Colorado? Does his brother move back to live with his boyfriend? Does the boyfriend move to North Dakota? An epilogue would have been nice.

I have given the last 3 books (including this one) in this series 1 star. All books that I read before that I gave 5 stars. The books can no longer hold my attention.

[Karen Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is intriguing. It is mostly suspense with light romance. The story is definitely interesting but more due to the characters and their character development than the mystery. It definitely kept me engaged. However, I found the first chapter very confusing. She has a sister but she was in foster care alone. Then, it was confusing about which brother lived across the street. I do wish we had more information about what memories Jason was fighting and his PTSD. All of the revelation was focused on Seana. Abrupt ending.