Ruby Shaw has been in Paradise, Arizona, for less than twenty-four hours when the woman next door is found dead.
For Ruby, the murder threatens to destroy the only cover keeping her daughter alive. Just weeks ago, she was Patricia Martinez, a successful New York artist. But after witnessing her brother-in-law commit a mob-related murder in Las Vegas, the U.S. Marshals wiped her identity and relocated her and her twelve-year-old daughter, Allie, to a quirky Arizona hillside town.
Forbidden from painting or contacting her past, Ruby tries to build a quiet life. But when her wealthy landlady, Greta, is killed—and the bloody murder weapon appears in Ruby’s own yard—Ruby becomes the prime suspect.
With Deputy Darla Cotton asking sharp questions and her witness-protection handler threatening to move them again, Ruby must prove her innocence without exposing her real identity. Rebuilding life isn't easy: Allie is grieving their past, a lonely rescue dog named Boomer keeps unearthing crime scene evidence, and Ruby is falling for Luke, a handsome local farmer and cook who offers a glimpse at a real future.
When a second body is found on a haunted hayride, Paradise has a serial killer. The suspect list grows to include Greta’s greedy heirs, a desperate hotel owner, and corrupt local officials. To protect her daughter and secure a true home, Ruby uses her artist’s eye for detail to unravel a deadly real-estate conspiracy before the killer—or the law—catches up to her.
The Witness Who Moved Next Door to Murder is a warm, witty Southwestern cozy mystery featuring an artist in witness protection, desert gardening, a clever rescue dog, theatrical ghost tours, and a determined mother fighting for a second chance.
