Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shadow Ridge | 2020 | M.E. Browning | Buy |
| 2 | Shadow Ridge: A Jo Wyatt Mystery | 2020 | M.E. Browning | N/A |
| 3 | Mercy Creek | 2021 | M.E. Browning | Buy |
Detective Jo Wyatt is a second-generation cop working in Echo Valley, Colorado, a mountain town where everyone knows each other and roots run deep. In Shadow Ridge, she investigates the apparent suicide of a video game designer and uncovers a connection to an internet stalker targeting a group of beta-testers. The case grows more dangerous when a second death follows, and Jo traces the thread back to a grieving father bent on revenge. Mercy Creek raises the stakes with the disappearance of eleven-year-old Lena Flores during a late summer fair. Jo takes the case personally, digging into the girl’s fractured family life and finding a web of secrets that points toward something far worse than a runaway child.
Author M.E. Browning spent her final years in law enforcement with the Durango Police Department, and that experience shows in the series. Jo’s professional frustrations feel genuine, from being passed over for promotion in favor of her less experienced estranged husband to facing skepticism when she pursues unconventional leads. Booklist gave Shadow Ridge a starred review, calling it “a must-read,” and Mystery Scene Magazine praised Mercy Creek as “gripping and fast paced.”