Shakespeare's Counselor

This is the final installment in Charlaine Harris' "Lily Bard" series, which makes me sad as I really like this damaged but determined heroine. Lily was kidnapped, raped and tortured for days as a young woman and she has never really talked about it to anyone, at least not in a professional capacity. She has in fact tried very hard to keep anyone from knowing about this part of her past. She has moved to a small town, Shakespeare, Arkansas, where no one knows her story and started cleaning houses for a living. Eventually though the word has gotten out to some people, she has made a couple of friends, and even found a new love and husband, Jack. They have not told anyone yet that they are married. Jack has his own past problems he is trying to keep on the down low. But when Lily has a nightmare one night and attacks Jack thinking he is trying to hurt her, they both realize she needs to get some help. Lily soon thereafter sees a notice for a support group for rape victims at the local health center and it seems like a sign. She learns in the course of events that the counselor leading the group, Tamsin, has problems of her own--a stalker--which gets to be everyone's problem when a new group member ifs murdered and pinned to the wall of Tamsin's office on group therapy night. Lily and Jack get involved against their will, face a heart-rending event that brings them closer, and narrowly avoid becoming the subject of a new "true-crime" novel. Strong plot, continued development of characters, and good local color all add up to a fast-paced and enjoyable read. I have one other review of this series in my blog (Shakespeare's Trollop), but they are all good. The Lily Bard series is here.