Bleeding Hearts by Susan Wittig Albert

Another China Bayles mystery.  This one dealt with child abuse in the form of a popular football coach taking advantage of young high school age girls.

Book Synopsis: "With her tea and herbal businesses expanding faster than she could have imagined, China Bayles is already short on time - all the time.  But even she can't refuse when her stepson's principal approaches her to conduct a sensitive investigation of one of Pecan Spring's most prominent citizens.

Coach Tim Duffy is handsome, charming, and married to a member of the local aristocracy.  He also led the high school football team to victory in the Texas state championships for two years in a row, which makes him a god on earth, as far as some people are concerned.  But there's one person who disagrees. An anonymous accuser has made shocking allegations of improper behavior - accusations that lead China to look into the coach's past.

What she uncovers is a perplexing story of forbidden desire, deception, and questionable circumstances surrounding a young woman's death.  And the deeper China digs, the more she fears that the town's beloved coach may be more dangerous than anyone knows - and that his latest obsession is about to hit all too close to her own home."

Happy Reading! 

Bev