Ransom River, by Meg Gardiner (Dutton; $25.95)

After the horrific accident that nearly cost her her life, Rory Mackenzie hoped to leave Ransom River, California, forever. But then the non-profit she worked for lost its funding and she had to return to the states, where a summons for jury duty awaited her.

The trial should have been somewhat routine: two cops, having an affair, were fooling around at one of their houses when they were surprised by an intruder. The female cop fired her weapon, killing the 16-year-old burglar. The dead kid turned out to be the son of Ransom River’s most notorious criminals.

But the trial turns anything but routine when two masked gunman manage to bypass the courthouse security system, burst into the courtroom, and take four hostages. The choice of hostage appears to be random—until they specifically choose Rory.  When the incident comes to a bloody end, the cops don’t believe Rory when she professes not to understand why the gunmen wanted her. If she is to clear her name, Rory must learn what the gunmen thought she knew.

She’s aided in her search by an old friend: Seth Colder, former cop, former fiancé. Seth was the reason Rory left Ransom River, and he’s the last person she wants to go to for help. Seth knows the town’s secrets, and he suspects there is corruption among the police. But he doesn't know the Mackenzie family's secrets, and how intricately those secrets are connected to an unsolved robbery committed years earlier.

Best known for her Jo Beckett and Evan Delaney mystery series, Meg Gardiner’s Ransom River shows she can handle a stand-alone mystery as well. This was a compelling summer read.