A missing child. A fractured family. A truth buried in time.
TJ "Jack" Kelly was just a teenager when eight-year-old Marla Ferguson-the sister of his high school sweetheart Shannon-was kidnapped, leaving her twin brother injured and her family shattered. When the case went cold, guilt, anger, and unanswered questions drove everyone apart-including Jack, whose dream of becoming a police officer was forged in the aftermath of Marla's disappearance.
Nineteen years later Jack, now a homicide detective, returns to his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ontario, when another young girl-a dead ringer for Marla-is found raped and murdered. As the killer begins to taunt the police and the Ferguson family, he must confront long-buried secrets, resurfacing resentments, and a past that refuses to stay buried. Jack and his partner Tony Caruso race to uncover the truth before more girls are killed-perhaps even the woman Jack has never stopped loving.
If They'd Only Known is a haunting cold case crime novel about trauma, memory, and the devastating ripple effects of violence. For the reader who loves stories that explore what tragedy leaves behind not just who committed the crime.