Meet the residents of Haven Park, and see if you can figure it out. (Note: if you click on the names, it will take you to more extensive bios, which contain spoilers. Click at your own risk. Those pictured are a throwback to the webseries era, in which I used actors and icons from the 1960s to illustrate my characters.)
In order of appearance:
Carol Mathison is beloved by the community and poised for greatness that sadly, she is never allowed to achieve. Her murder has shaken Haven Park to its very foundation, but as more and more comes out in the days that follow, the question of who killed her becomes more and more difficult to answer. Who hated this widowed mother of two enough to want her dead? Was it her philandering fiancé? Was it her jealous best friend? Was it the upstanding preacher's wife? The possibilities are endless.
Jeff Howard has never had it very easy. Ever since immigrating to the US from Wales at the age of 12, he's struggled to support himself and more often than not has relied on his good looks and easy charm to get by. By Independence Day 1966, however, it appears that Jeff's luck has finally changed. He is engaged to the beautiful Carol and has effortlessly stepped into the role of father to her two young sons, but after Carol is found dead, the truth about their less-than-happy relationship begins to come to light.
Shane Marcette has just lost the love of his life, and as if that weren't bad enough, he is now tasked with finding her killer. Blaming himself for his inability to protect Carol, Shane drinks his way through the next few days and sets his sights on Jeff, but the more time that drags on, and the more people that end up dead, the more Shane has to realize that maybe his romantic rival wasn't behind this after all. The killer is a whole lot closer than he knows.
Terri Englund has always been a good girl, with a secret taste for the darker things in life. Unhappy with her marriage, but unable to break free of her controlling husband (or his money), she sets about reinventing herself after the death of her parents. It's when she meets drifter Lucas Brady that her life really changes, however...especially when so many of her closest wind up in the crosshairs of a killer. Could her dalliance with the dark side be much darker than anyone expected?
Marnie Blake longs to see the good in people, which is evident in the fact that she married Evan, despite all of his various flaws and shortcomings. She knows he's more deeply troubled than he appears, but she's committed to helping him move past the trauma of his first wife's suicide, and all of the guilt that he's carried for years. There's only one problem: Evan's guilt goes far beyond his inability to help Francine, and the real reason for her suicide is far darker than anyone could've anticipated.
Brett Woodward is one of the good guys. The pastor of First Baptist of Haven Park, he takes his calling seriously, living his life for the betterment of his those around him. That selflessness is beginning to take a toll, however, and it's questionable how much longer this flawed man of faith can remain the rock of the community when his personal life begins to crumble around him.
Lucas Brady is living a lie. He's come to Haven Park for a fresh start, in every sense of the word, and has set his sights on a little forbidden fruit -- namely the very married Terri. Her overbearing husband Lance complicates matters, and so does the shadowy nature of what brought this drifter to town in the first place. Before long, the walls are closing in around him and Lucas makes a decision that will change his life (and Terri's life as well) forever.
Evan Blake is an enigma and he likes it that way. After the death of his beloved first wife Francine, Evan shut the world out and lives in relative isolation, surrounded by photos of Francine and his trusty bottle of scotch. His second wife, Marnie, does her best to help him but Evan's guilt is deeply rooted...and, as is revealed later, there's a very good reason for that.
Julia Woodward has a secret, one that threatens to blow the entire lid of the life she's worked very hard to make for herself. Eaten alive with guilt and torn between her husband and a man she knows she could never call her own, Julia struggles to make the best decision for everyone involved...but when the wheel of fate takes a tragic turn, it looks like that choice might be made for her. Permanently.
Lance Englund lives for two things: his business and his standing. It appears that his wife, Terri, is merely along for the ride, but Lance refuses to grant her a divorce -- despite the fact that she's heavily embroiled in an affair with Lucas. Desperate to win back the woman he married almost five years ago, Lance is willing to do just about anything...but is it too late?
Michael Goldman never wanted to be involved in any of this in the first place. A detective from Laramie, he's agreed to "consult" on the investigation as a favor to the mayor, who is also one of his golfing buddies. The more time he spends in Haven Park, though, the more Michael begins to realize just how much lurks beneath the surface of the seemingly perfect community.
Click here for Other Characters of Note