“Black Hemlock” by Christine Anthony

Black Hemlock

Christine Anthony                 
BookBaby (2026)
ISBN: ‎979-8317824228
K.B. Cooper for Reader Views (09/2026)

Deputy Harper Jennings comes upon a perfectly sculpted naked man rinsing off at the creek, and from that first scene, Christine Anthony’s Black Hemlock has its hook firmly set. Once the stranger covers up, Harper learns his identity: Logan Baline, a former SEAL teammate and best friend of her boss, Sheriff Rick Hampton. It’s an encounter that will upend her life, launching a story where falling for Logan means risking her heart as much as a small-town crime wave risks her safety.

No one mentions Harper without calling her brilliant. Returning to her hometown, Cherokee Ridge, after many years working as a government code breaker, she finds herself drawn back into a town that isn’t as safe as she remembers. What’s the magic of storytelling? A desire for everything to be okay. Anthony taps into that here: the reader keeps turning the page because we want Harper to trust in love, and we want the murders and escalating crime solved. That promise is set the moment a deputy is jumped, and Harper comes in to help, only to end up bloody herself, left considering the question: What the hell is happening to their town?

The pacing alternates scenes of romance with scenes of crime, and neither lets the reader settle for long. The attraction between Logan and Harper is physical but also emotional, and the pace of the romance is heated: Logan realizes Harper is the woman he wants to spend his life with, telling her, “I can honestly say no woman has ever intrigued me the way you do.” Harper is tentative and afraid: “She was scared to death because she knew Logan was the one man who could make her dreams come true, and he was the one man who could destroy them.” Harper can’t commit, and there are reasons and secrets that will slowly unravel as the story unfolds. Just as the romance builds toward something real, the crime plot escalates too, with more unexpected murders keeping the reader off balance. The result is momentum that never lets up, pulling the reader forward on both fronts at once.

Anthony’s writing shows real skill in weaving seemingly unrelated violent murders, a suicide, and a poisoning into a single plot. A fractious relationship between the town police and the county sheriff’s department adds friction, along with doubt about some officers’ legitimacy. On top of it all, one crime suspect turns out to be Harper’s former guardian and mentor. As danger and risk climb, Logan and Sheriff Rick call in former SEAL teammates to help, and Anthony’s skill keeps the crime investigation active without letting tension settle.

Readers of romance mysteries want a compelling story, and Black Hemlock delivers one that should appeal especially to cozy mystery crossover fans, with its small-town setting and tight-knit community. Harper and Logan provide a romance that a reader roots for. The mystery of the crimes is not easily guessed or solved, and the unraveling maintains interest throughout.

Book 2 of the Love & Murder series, Black Hemlock poses some fundamental ethical and justice questions. Without giving away any plot twists, a reader can frame the question: Is murder ever warranted? And can the murderer be allowed non-judicial judgment? A reader could just as well relish the outcomes Anthony leads them to. Although Anthony’s conclusions were subtle, the outcomes left this reader with lingering considerations.