Instead of using an actual D.C. locale, Truman sets her solid 21st mystery (after 2004's Murder at Union Station
) at the fictional Washington Tribune
, not to be confused with any actual newspaper. When two young, attractive female media professionals, one a Tribune
employee, are murdered, veteran crime reporter Joe Wilcox, who's been feeling the heat from his boss, senses a chance to improve his position by theorizing that a serial killer is at work. To complicate matters, Joe's brother, Michael, who was long ago institutionalized for killing a young girl, arrives in town and begins to insinuate himself back into Joe's life. Joe's daughter, Roberta, an up-and-coming local TV newscaster, competes for scoops as more mayhem follows. Truman works hard to put all the pieces together, and though it's not her most plausible puzzle, she delivers a satisfying resolution to what becomes a cautionary tale about ambition and a vote for journalistic integrity. Agent, Ted Chichak
. (Oct.)
