Publication Date: November 11, 2025
Detective Leanne Everhart swore she’d never go back to her hometown near Marfa, Texas—but she returns when her brother needs her, only to find a town in need too, still torn apart by a decades-old crime.
Leanne Everhart knows women have something to fear in her artsy hometown, especially so if they’re not rich, white locals. Returning to town after her father’s death, she sees the ugliest sides of an area that draws people for its severe, untamed natural landscape.
While her department faces mounting backlash over a recent wrongful conviction in the long-ago murder case of a popular local teenager—which is now unsolved—Leanne is called to a fresh crime scene at the edge of the desert. A nameless woman was found murdered, with no clues as to her identity. As Leanne digs into the crime scene evidence, she grows convinced this latest murder case is linked with the local teenager’s murder. And to multiple cold cases, all unnamed female victims, that have all been shelved by her department without leads.
Now, with conflicted loyalties and without allies, Leanne must hunt down a serial killer, one who’s been preying on local women for  two decades, growing bolder and more ruthless with every strike.
Detective Leanne Everhart suspects the dead woman found in the desert is connected to a series of unidentified bodies.
Finding the truth means uncovering secrets from the past, which is already rearing its ugly head. Author Laura Griffin serves up a thriller brimming with action in Innocence Road.
Leanne’s challenges unfold both professionally and personally. Her boss threatens to offload the missing person’s case if Leanne doesn’t produce a suspect. Meanwhile, a highly publicized murder case draws renewed attention when the convicted murderer manages to get his conviction thrown out, casting doubt on the police department and Leanne’s late father.
The pace is solid, combining investigative work with rich details. The twists and turns relating to the dangerous aspect keep the reader guessing until the satisfying conclusion.
Innocence Road highlights the impact of a single event and the fallout felt years later.
Laura Griffin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty books and novellas. She is a two-time RITA Award winner, as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award. Laura got her start in journalism before venturing into the world of suspense fiction.
Laura lives in Austin, Texas, where she is working on her next novel.
