Her Last Day: A Jessie Cole Novel

Sacramento, Calif., PI Jessie Cole, the heroine of this exciting, intricately plotted series launch from Ragan (Furious and two other crime novels featuring Faith McCann), was drawn to detective work after her sister, Sophie, disappeared one night a decade earlier. Crime reporter Ben Morrison, who has suffered for years from amnesia caused by a car accident, approaches Jessie to do a series of articles focusing on the search for the still-missing Sophie. By focusing on Sophie’s disappearance anew, Jessie hopes to uncover something overlooked in the original investigation. Meanwhile, Jessie has full responsibility for her 14-year-old niece; is facing charges for shooting a stalker she was following on one of her cases; and has to deal with her fear of rejection when a former lover, police detective Colin Grayson, reappears. Colin, she discovers, is pursuing the Heartless Killer, a serial murderer who in the past six years has claimed at least 13 victims. As old wounds are reopened for both Ben and Jessie, the tense plot builds to a startling and satisfying resolution. (Oct.)