That night, however, Sutton is stunned to be called out to cover a murder scene and find that the victim is the cop she just spent the day with. Sutton's personal involvement in the case gives her an even more intense interest in knowing what happened to this good man. When she begins to see a connection to another murder, this one of a high-powered head of a large philanthropic organization, Sutton begins investigating a tangled web of payoffs and financial chicanery going back decades. She also makes herself a target to a killer who has already murdered twice to protect those secrets.

Sutton is undergoing a personal crisis of sorts as well. Her attraction to police detective Noah Lansing is developing into a bone fide relationship, and Sutton, with a history of failed relationships, is terrified. A personal relationship with a cop, when her beat is the Fairfax County Police Department, is unwise. A relationship with a single parent, the father of a young son, when she knows nothing of children, is even more intimidating. Facing a loaded gun on the job was easier, Sutton thinks to herself.

Sutton is a likable character, with enough quirks to keep her interesting (such as an acerbic inner voice always playing devil's advocate). Even the minor characters come alive, and Sutton's relationships with the cops she works with and writes stories about are both believable and intriguing. Not just the compelling blue-eyed Noah, but the many others who are friends, adversaries, and sources.

Sometimes a book just "hits the spot." Corruption of Justice was one of those satisfying reads where the story flows smoothly and I was immersed from beginning to end. The mystery was complicated enough to be interesting, logical and believable, with an emotional edge because I cared about the victim and about Sutton. This is the third book in an excellent series, and I'm looking forward to many more.

--Jeri Wright