Red: The Color of Murder is a mystery set in the 1960s. Jo Lewis, a nineteen-year-old girl, finds herself in jail for the murder of her mother. The trauma has caused psychogenic amnesia. Fighting to remember, Jo is exasperated by inmates, prodded by a psychiatrist, and questioned by her lawyer. Her mind wanders to the past to avoid thinking about her mother lying dead with a knife in her back. Jo recalls struggling to love her mother and her parents struggling to love each other. The color red surfaces in her memories as family secrets are revealed. Though the evidence is against her, Jo suspects her dad of the crime. Through it all, Jo holds fast to her faith.