First-time teacher MEGAN McCONNELL has misgivings about her new job-the remoteness of the small Oregon town where she's been hired, the fact that the previous teacher had committed suicide-but with a DUI on her record (and even worse things not on it), she knows she should be grateful for any teaching job she can get. Problems arise quickly, though, when Megan suspects that a 10-year-old boy in her class is being molested by his foster father, who happens to be the head of the local school board. Megan works to gain the confidence of the secretive boy, Wesley, but when she has enough evidence to press for an investigation, things go terribly wrong: Wesley accuses her of misconduct, and the foster father forces her to resign. When the boy then disappears, Megan becomes the prime suspect in his possible murder. Like the character-driven mysteries of Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, and John Hart, River of Secrets moves forward at a relentless pace, building momentum towards its startling climax.