We Begin at the End

In Cape Haven, California, thirty years after he killed a young girl, Vincent King returns home following his release from prison. His arrival disrupts the lives of his childhood friend, Chief of Police Walk, and Star Radley, the sister of the girl Vincent killed. Star’s daughter, thirteen-year-old Duchess Day Radley, identifies as an outlaw to protect her younger brother and struggling mother. When a second tragedy occurs, Duchess triggers a sequence of events that forces Walk to confront his past loyalties while Duchess flees to her grandfather's ranch in Montana.

Readers of rural noir and character-driven crime fiction choose this book for its focus on the cyclical nature of trauma and the consequences of long-held secrets. It appeals to those who prefer grit over procedural puzzles, offering a study of how guilt shapes a small community over decades. The reader finishes the story with an understanding of how misplaced protection often leads to further harm and how the pursuit of justice can conflict with the reality of human error.