After seven years and one spectacular financial faceplant, Sam Ellison—the prodigal middle daughter—returns home to Lago Tierra, a gated desert paradise where the lawns are lush, the gossip is toxic, and the HOA meetings are deadly serious.
All Sam wants is to lie low in the casita in front of her parents’ house with her loyal pup, Auggie. But when murder hits the neighborhood, she’s pulled into a tangle of secrets, power plays, and family politics. In Lago Tierra, everyone’s hiding something—and Sam’s about to find out that home is where the bodies are buried.
Ch. 1 | The Rules Get Broken
A rainy night turns deadly when rule-bound Peter learns the hard way that some HOA secrets are worth killing for. Order meets chaos in Chapter 1.
Taryn Barnes
Ch. | There Goes the Neighborhood
After seven years away, Sam Ellison returns home to her family’s manicured prison — where secrets, silence, and control are HOA policy.
Taryn Barnes
Ch. 3 | The Weekend Dad
A father-son fishing trip turns nightmarish when a car surfaces from Lake Mead — with secrets that tie back to Lago Tierra’s perfect facade.
Taryn Barnes
Ch. 4 | Dead in the Water
A perfect day for a quadruple homicide.
Taryn Barnes
Ch. 5 | That Escalated Quickly
Some turf wars don’t need grass to grow.
Taryn Barnes