Killing Kin [Mass Market Paperback]

No-nonsense Washington, D.C., cop Leigh Ann Warren, out on disability because of an injured knee, returns home to find a dead body in her apartment. Clues link the corpse to Leigh's ex-fianc?, Det. Dillon Upshur Kennedy, affectionately called Duck. His partner, Eddie Grimes, informs Leigh that Duck (who has turned in his badge and disappeared) swiped some drugs and a mysterious piggy bank, found when a notorious drug dealer was killed in a car accident, and that she has four days before he's reported to Internal Affairs. Leigh's search leads her to Sanctuary, a tiny artists' community in western Maryland, where she finds that the locals are less than anxious to answer her questions. West (Sunrise) has a knack for creating colorful yet realistic characters and witty dialogue. This pulsing mystery will keep readers guessing to the endAwhich, albeit a bit fuzzy, will leave them wanting more of smart, gutsy Leigh Warren. (July)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

An intriguing puzzler full of twists and turns. -- --Romantic Times

Out on disability leave, Washington, D.C., policewoman Leigh Ann Warren can't stay off the job and out of the game -- not when her partner and former fiancé Dillon Upshur "Duck" Kennedy has vanished mysteriously and determined and dangerous people on both sides of the law are hunting him down. And the dead body she discovers in her own apartment only strengthens Leigh Ann's resolve to find Duck first.

But the trail is twisted with perilous, unexpected turns, leading her deep into the woods of western Maryland -- and to the lair of a killer who'd just as soon leave behind two dead cops rather than one.

Chassie West's first mystery, Sunrise, garnered much critical acclaim and earned her an Edgar® Award nomination for Best Original Paperback. Her later novel, Killing Kin, was nominated for an Edgar® and an Anthony Award. Her most recent novel featuring Leigh Ann Warren is Killer Chameleon, published by HarperTorch. Ms. West lives in Columbia, Maryland.