Seizin

In the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, a young mother hikes along an infrequently used trail, intending to join friends for a weekend backpacking trip, but never arrives for the rendezvous. The few available clues suggest a brutal slaying at the hands of a twisted killer. Despite a massive effort by the police, the murder remained unsolved and faded from public interest…
Sixteen years later, Carole Wolfe, daughter of the missing woman and reporter for a Knoxville paper, finds herself covering a land dispute story at a property near her mother's disappearance. Adjacent to the Smokey Mountains and owned by an elderly couple, the land is blanketed by virgin forests and coveted by New York computer magnate Alex Berlineman who wants it for his new headquarters. When the couple refuse to sell, he conspires with local politicos to steal it—legally.
Initially, Carole favors the condemnation of the property for the jobs and money it would pump into the local economy. Until a violent assault, a budding romance with a principled professor, and the resurfacing of a serial killer force her to confront the darker costs of progress.
As eco-terrorists close in and her mother's killer resurfaces, Carole is forced to outwit a predator who has stalked her family for decades—or become his next victim.
Set against the backdrop of the Great Smoky Mountains, "SEIZIN" blends psychological menace with legal and political intrigue in a combination that will leave readers on the edge of their seats.