A Step Ahead of Death by Scott McPherson
Jack Sharp is just an ordinary family physician living in Nebraska. As a former missionary and military physician, his background is anything but ordinary, but he finds quiet satisfaction in the normal routine of a simple life. However, his uncomplicated life is thrown into chaos when he discovers the body of a murdered young woman dumped beside a bike path.
Jack finds himself juggling the drama of the murder investigation with the concerns of his patients and his medical practice. His medical expertise seems to be an asset in the case, but a dear friend, Kathy, needs his help when she receives dramatic news of her own.
Alicia Winters is running for her life and is doing her best to stay hidden. The compassion and generosity of an old farmer and his daughter initially arouse her suspicions, but soon lead her to examine her own motives. As her pursuers close in, she finds herself running out of options and must choose between saving her life and risking it for these people who have come to mean everything to her.
Meanwhile, detectives Rebecca Sweate and Justin Samuelson are piecing together the details of the murder, but what they’re discovering is leading them to the last person anyone would suspect. When another girl goes missing, the detectives uncover startling facts from Jack’s past that link him not only to the murdered girl but to a broader international conspiracy whose head doesn’t mind running over anyone who gets in the way.