The Orchard Grave
(2026)When Trust Becomes Evidence
(The fourth book in the Truth & Temptation Mysteries series)
A novel by Alexi Hart
The truth was never buried. It was staged.
When a farmworker vanishes from an orchard outside Yakima, investigator Nora Hart is pulled into a case no one wants reopened. The official story is clean. Too clean. And when a personal item turns up where it shouldn’t, Nora recognizes the mark of someone who knows how to manipulate evidence and control the narrative.
As pressure mounts from law enforcement, powerful local interests, and a community trained to stay quiet, Nora is forced to navigate a case built on omissions and carefully planted lies. Every answer uncovers another layer of intention, and every step forward puts her closer to someone who doesn’t just want the truth hidden. They want it rewritten.
Lane knows how dangerous that kind of enemy can be. Working beside Nora means balancing protection with trust, and neither comes easily. As the investigation tightens, so does the connection between them, forged in long nights, near misses, and the shared understanding that some choices can’t be undone once made.
The orchard keeps its secrets well. But secrets rot.
As witnesses disappear, loyalties fracture, and the cost of exposure becomes brutally clear, Nora must decide how far she’s willing to go, and who she’s willing to risk, to stop a truth designed to vanish without a trace.
The Orchard Grave is a slow-burn mystery romance where danger and desire collide, and where solving the case may mean changing everything that came before.
Perfect for readers who love atmospheric mysteries, emotional tension, and romance forged under pressure.
Genre: Mystery
When a farmworker vanishes from an orchard outside Yakima, investigator Nora Hart is pulled into a case no one wants reopened. The official story is clean. Too clean. And when a personal item turns up where it shouldn’t, Nora recognizes the mark of someone who knows how to manipulate evidence and control the narrative.
As pressure mounts from law enforcement, powerful local interests, and a community trained to stay quiet, Nora is forced to navigate a case built on omissions and carefully planted lies. Every answer uncovers another layer of intention, and every step forward puts her closer to someone who doesn’t just want the truth hidden. They want it rewritten.
Lane knows how dangerous that kind of enemy can be. Working beside Nora means balancing protection with trust, and neither comes easily. As the investigation tightens, so does the connection between them, forged in long nights, near misses, and the shared understanding that some choices can’t be undone once made.
The orchard keeps its secrets well. But secrets rot.
As witnesses disappear, loyalties fracture, and the cost of exposure becomes brutally clear, Nora must decide how far she’s willing to go, and who she’s willing to risk, to stop a truth designed to vanish without a trace.
The Orchard Grave is a slow-burn mystery romance where danger and desire collide, and where solving the case may mean changing everything that came before.
Perfect for readers who love atmospheric mysteries, emotional tension, and romance forged under pressure.
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for Alexi Hart's The Orchard Grave