Running on Empty

Balzo (A Cup of Joe) introduces a beguiling heroine in this wryly amusing first in a new series. AnnaLise Griggs temporarily leaves her reporter's job in Wisconsin to check up on her ailing mother in the resort town of Sutherton, N.C. While AnnaLise gently tries to find out why her mother accidentally withdrew way too much blood from a prominent donor at the blood bank, an ominous series of events%E2%80%94the shooting death of a former police chief, the fatal bludgeoning of an outside investor wanting to open a sushi restaurant, an attempt on the life of an aggressive land developer%E2%80%94further disturb her and indeed shake up the entire town. When AnnaLise herself is attacked, she teams with her mother and an intriguing group of former classmates with long memories to do some creative prying. Despite an uneven narrative and a disjointed finale, readers will cheer the resolute and feisty AnnaLise every step of the way. (May)