After the Shadows by Amanda Cabot

 After the Shadows  by Amanda Cabot  342 pages

A brighter future awaits -- if she can escape the shadows of the past. Emily Leland sheds no tears when her abusive husband is killed in a bar fight, but what awaits her back home in Sweetwater Crossing is far from the welcome and comfort she expected. First she discovers her father has died under mysterious circumstances. Then the house where the new schoolteacher and his son are supposed to board burns, leaving them homeless. When Emily proposes turning the family home into a boardinghouse, her sister is so incensed that she leaves town. Alone and broke, her family name sullied by controversy, Emily is determined to solve the mystery of her father's death -- and to aid Craig Ferguson, despite her fears of men. The widowed schoolmaster proves to be a devoted father, an innovative teacher, and an unexpected ally. Together they must work to unmask a killer and escape the shadows of their own pasts in order to forge a brighter future.

This is the first book by this author that I have read.  I thought is was an historical fiction love story.  Much to my surprise it was also a mystery!  I figured out who it was before the end of the book but it was still compelling how they solved the mystery.  It was historical fiction but the way it was solved was very much up to date and a good ending.  Can't wait to read the other 2 books in the trilogy.