Gloria Larson is happy to take a job as editor of a weekly newspaper in the small town of Rosewood, Nebraska, even though her parents don’t like the idea one bit. The town holds a secret—her birth mother’s identity. Gloria’s parents worry she won’t like what she finds, but once Gloria starts unraveling the story, she can’t be dissuaded. Gloria is armed with three pieces of knowledge about the woman who gave her up for adoption. 1) The woman was in her forties. 2) She lived in Rosewood. 3) She was accused of murder in 1974. No wonder Gloria’s parents don’t want her to dig into her past. How many women in Rosewood in 1974 could have been accused of murder? Only four, it turns out. Articles in the newspaper archives show a picture of four women dubbed The Thorns of Rosewood. The women were suspects in the disappearance of a judge’s wife, but once again, Gloria knows three things: 1) No body. 2) No proof. 3) No charges. It looks as though the Thorns got away with murder. Gloria wants the truth. Did these Thorns of Rosewood murder the judge’s wife? She finds the four women at an assisted-living facility in Lincoln, Nebraska. They tell her they are ready to confess. This is Gloria’s chance to get the story of a lifetime and find out who her birth mother is…and why that woman gave her away.

Gloria Larson learns of her mother’s murder, and the list of suspects grows by the minute. When she meets new family members, trust issues come into play. Fortunately, she still has her Thorns, but a handful of old women can only do so much against flames in Rosewood. However when it comes to raging fires—one should never underestimate strong-willed women.

Murder shakes the town of Rosewood. A killer is in their midst. Everyone is suspect, even family. Blonde hairs and double lives; Gloria Larson can’t seem to escape the heavy breath of suspicion on the back of her neck. With help from her Thorns, the four elderly women she’s come to love, she tries to move on and adapt to the changes in her life, but she’s a magnet for mayhem. Someone has an axe to grind and even a wedding won’t keep them from holding their peace.