Standoff at Black Ridge

Twenty-three children vanish from a school bus in Caldwell, Texas — and Ruth Baker's daughter should have been on it. The trail leads to the infamous Red Barn Killings of twenty years ago, and to the powerful people who may have been protecting a terrible secret all along.

Called to a remote winter cabin to investigate a couple's unexplained disappearance, Texas Rangers Ruth Baker and Aaron Tate uncover a chilling scene that hints at a pattern of brutal killings beneath the snow-covered wilderness. As a vicious storm traps them in isolation, they realize they are not alone — a deadly predator who knows the woods is intent on keeping the cabin's secrets buried forever.

Travelers are turning up dead along an isolated stretch of desert highway, victims of snipers who strike without warning and vanish. The trail leads to a death cult — and the killers are targeting anyone who gets too close, including Ruth herself.

When a rural Texas ranch house explodes, Rangers Baker and Tate discover the charred remains of nearly thirty people — and a killer systematically destroying human-trafficking safe houses with their occupants inside. Racing to evacuate victims before the Iceman strikes again, Ruth must navigate the dark intersection of human trafficking, domestic terrorism, and a nation divided.