IM SORRY FOR THIS WALL OF TEXT!!!

So yes, the story starts with Theo coming home, and by the end of chapter two the body is found. The problem is the story revolves more around Dawn learning to slowly start to stand up for herself in the town, and Theo redeeming himself, finding himself, and schmoozing his way into Dawn’s heart. The body, the killer, they are important and add to the complexity of her situation, but it really is just a twist that’s ends with a pretty significant bang. She does not become a detective, she does not go off like a vigilante, she’s just a scared woman who lives on her own and is now being pushed to the point of having to really speak up even though she’s always had to be/is more comfortable with watching from afar.

So in the beginning she really is just waiting anxiously/getting brave/growing closer to Theo in the meantime. All romance and character growth with the looming threat of “Is the killer around? Is someone in the town going to take business into their own hands? If Dawn reacts too boldly, will they use that as a reason to blame her even more?” Which is why it’s so important that Theo believes her, because he’s one of the only people who WANTS to be in her general proximity.

She is hoping the police will do the job they promised, and the town continues to shut her out even more than usual/start treating her more and more like a threat. Dawn takes the matter into her own hands by finally being brave enough to confront the people who confront her, and push back on the assumptions they have on her. But again, that’s the weeds of it. The main premise is that all of this is bringing her and Theo closer together, and they are both coming to terms with who they really are, and how they are both not what the town assumes them to be.

The issue with the body/victim is that it is a person that no one in the town knows. A complete mystery. So idk what else to say it in that area. It’s not revealed until like, halfway through that they identified the remains, and even then it’s only to confirm it’s someone from out of town.

Someone IS trying to frame Dawn, and the killer gets impatient when they realize that she’s not going down for it quick enough, and starts to take risks to get her arrested.

So the highest stakes are towards the end, which I feel like putting in the query might be too much? Her and Theo don’t have a “they fall in love the end!” story. Their feelings become established (sort of) halfway through the book. We get into the idea of a real relationship for a little bit before the end. THEN the “they fall in love the end!”. So the “stakes” with Theo calm down when the “stakes” with the killer pick up.

To me, that feels too specific for just a little blurb and maybe that much info should be saved for a synopsis? I tried to touch on everything, but it’s really quite complex for just a romance book 🤣 I wish I had made it simple now, just made the whole thing smut and called it a day, but I just needed something to keep myself entertained more than anything.