Contrary, Kentucky is a small community in the haunted and mysterious land of the Appalachian Mountains. After Alma Bashears's cousin is brutally murdered, she uncovers family secrets that change her life-but will these secrets also lead her to her death?

"Alma Bashears is a heroine who is classy, smart, clever, resourceful, sexy, and full of surprises. And the other characters blow the hillbilly stereotype to smithereens. When I lecture on mystery writing I use Tess's books as examples on how it ought to be done."
-James N. Frey, Author of How to Write a Damn Good Mystery

Tess Collins is a coal miner’s granddaughter with Cherokee ancestry on her mother’s side and a legend of being descended from a mountain clan known as the Seven Big Sisters on her father’s. Raised in the southeastern Kentucky town of Middlesboro, she spent her early years listening to mountain tales of haunted hollows, ghosts, moonshiners and unsolved murders. No doubt they influenced her writing. She is the author of THE LAW OF REVENGE, THE LAW OF THE DEAD, and THE LAW OF BETRAYAL, thrillers set in Appalachia, three plays TOSSING MONTE, BARBARIANS, and HELEN OF TROY and is a member of the Authors Guild, Dramatists Guild, Sisters In Crime and Mystery Writers of America. Her non-fiction book HOW THEATER MANAGERS MANAGE (June 2003) is published by Rowman and Littlefield’s Scarecrow Press. THE LAW OF BETRAYAL was a 2003 finalist for ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year in the Mystery Category while HOW THEATER MANAGERS MANAGE garnered the Bronze Award in the Performing Arts Category. Miss Collins received a B.A. from the University of Kentucky and a Ph.D. from The Union Institute. She lives in San Francisco where she manages the prestigious Curran Theatre, a major Broadway show venue. Her web page can be accessed at www.tesscollins.com/

Tess Collins is a coal miner?s granddaughter. She spent her early years listening to mountain tales of haunted hollows, moonshiners, and unsolved murders. No doubt they influenced her writing. She is the author of: The Law of Revenge; The Law of the Dead; and The Law of Betrayal and a non-fiction book How Theater Managers Manage. Contact her at www.tesscollins.com/