"SPRING MELT is a gripping courtroom drama where every truth feels like a thin layer of ice—beautiful, fragile, and one step from cracking wide open. Lori Duffy Foster builds tension with the quiet inevitability of rising water, until everything breaks loose in the final verdict." —Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy

"Told from multiple perspectives, this was outstanding in every way. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book, and although I have no personal knowledge of the Adirondacks, I can honestly say I feel as though I've now been there." - Merissa, ArchaeoLibrarian - I Dig Good Books

“As events move within and outside of the courtroom, Lori Duffy Foster weaves a delicate dance between truth, crime, and victims that keeps readers involved and guessing about motivations, outcomes, and long-kept secrets. …

Librarians and readers will appreciate how the shocking series of revelations unfolds; the compelling nature of how all characters are fully developed with contrasting motivations and feelings about crime, justice, and survival; and how the mystery deepens and develops thanks to probes both within and outside the courtroom.

Book clubs dedicated to courtroom dramas that arrive with a sense of place, history, and purpose will especially appreciate how Spring Melt flavors its suspense with elements of psychological and social revelation in a manner that will encourage avid discussions on many levels.” – D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

"SPRING MELT is life-affirming, presenting a protagonist who is given a second chance to experience and enjoy life. Foster writes with sensitivity and maturity. This is a thoughtful and nuanced story, encouraging the reader’s engagement with the issues it raises. It also presents us with an ethical question: Can murder be justified when the perpetrator has escaped justice himself? Lori Duffy Foster has excelled herself. I loved this book!" – Laraine Stephens, author of the Reggie da Costa Mysteries

"SPRING MELT is a riveting story of justice, forgiveness, and redemption, in which revelations about past crimes and long-buried secrets unfold with nail-biting intensity. The layered narrative is a high-stakes courtroom drama that is also a thriller, as well as a coming-of-age story for the woman at the center of the conflict. As evidence piles up, for and against three men accused of murder, the personal bumps up against the political in ways that surprise, and yet, at the same time, feel inevitable. 

SPRING MELT is not merely set in the Adirondacks. It’s that rare work in which the place and time are inextricably woven into the fabric of the tale. The descriptions are so vivid, I felt as if I knew, as well as the author, the landscape. Though the conclusion is deeply satisfying, I was sorry to turn the last page. It was that good." - Lori Robbins, award-winning author of the On Pointe Mysteries

"Ella Devine’s life in a quiet Adirondack town seems perfect. And although her marriage to a wealthy socialite doctor is cold and loveless, she is content. That is until an incident from her past, changes everything. Abandoned by her husband when her rape as a child comes to the surface after nineteen years, the three men who protected her then are charged with murdering her attacker.

Set in in lush atmosphere of beautiful mountains and lakes, this historical suspense novel is filled with rich details that make it vividly come to life. Details that former crime reporter Lori Duffy Foster turns into a captivating story you won’t want to put down." - Cathi Stoler, bestselling author of the Nick Donahue Adventures

"SPRING MELT by Lori Duffy Foster delivers a gripping mystery and courtroom drama steeped in Adirondack history and filled with characters whose grief, longing, and love leap off the page. The novel’s keen sense of place brings early-20th-century Saranac Lake vividly to life, and, as the trial at the center of the story unfolds, Foster deftly explores the many faces of justice—legal, moral, and personal—through a tapestry of relationships that have shaped each character’s life. A great read!" – Mally Becker, award-winning author of The Revolutionary War mysteries