Reviewed by Lesley
TITLE: In The Law’s Hands
SERIES: Men of White Pines Book 2
AUTHOR: Gareth Chris
PUBLISHER: Entwined Publishing
LENGTH: 345 Pages
RELEASE DATE: May 5, 2026
BLURB:
In the quiet town of White Pines, Chief of Police Mitch Winslow finds his life entangled in a web of crime and desire.
When a string of burglaries plagues the town, all eyes turn to Keller Alden, a young man with a troubled past. As Mitch investigates, he finds himself irresistibly drawn to Keller, igniting a forbidden romance. But as the investigation deepens, secrets unravel, and the town’s dark underbelly threatens to expose their love and destroy everything Mitch has worked for.
With danger lurking around every corner, can Mitch solve the crimes and protect the man he loves, or will the truth tear them apart?
REVIEW:
This is the second book in the Men of White Pines series. It focuses on Mitch Winslow, the Chief of Police, and Keller Alden, who lives with and supports his drunk, abusive father.
Mitch was appointed after the previous corrupt mayor, Jeb Alcott, and his equally corrupt crony, Bubba Hatfield, were removed from their roles in book one. He has made significant changes to his team, and his deputy is Officer Amanda Dell. Under Mitch’s leadership, White Pines has become a much safer place — but a spate of burglaries is making the whole town nervous, especially as they always seem to happen where the police aren’t, even with increased patrols. Jeb is becoming increasingly vocal about the situation, stirring up the townspeople.
Officer Dell is called out to a car break‑in and arrests Keller Alden, who she catches running past the vehicle. Keller has a history with the police from his youth; he used to hang around with the town’s troublemakers but has been out of trouble for several years. When Mitch arrives at the scene, something about Keller draws him in, and he finds himself believing Keller’s story — that he was simply running to work after staying at a hook‑up’s house the night before. Mitch feels unexpectedly protective of him and wants to help.
Keller is a compelling character with a complex past and a desperate need for a break. I think he’s written incredibly well and is definitely my favourite character in this book. I was genuinely pleased with how his story ends.
This book follows on nicely from book one, Next Door Dads. We continue to see Myles and Adam, and Keller becomes integral to their son Flynt’s development when they work alongside each other at the police station. We also revisit other characters such as Simone, the waitress at Central Diner, and Cliff, the ex‑teacher turned millionaire. That said, I do think you could read this book without having read the first one.
I’m really looking forward to Cliff’s story, His Choice.
RATING: 
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