Fear

Fear is a great motivator in most novels, and this book is no exception. Fear paralyzes Catherine when she finds Leona's body, keeping her from identifying the body. This lack of identification of someone she has known her entire life makes Catherine look like a suspect to the sheriff. Fear continues to build for Catherine as several people point out how vulnerable she is in her home with her neighbors on vacation and no one else living nearby. Catherine becomes so frightened that she believes she hears a prowler in her backyard one night. Later Catherine realizes she did hear a prowler despite convincing herself that the noise was a bird hunting in her yard. Catherine does not let this fear keep her from figuring out the mystery of who is killing everyone she knows, despite the fact that the killer is hoping it will.

Fear is also...