In mid-grope, Jack’s cell phone rings (and he answers it!) and he is called to his father’s home. Senator Rivera is engaged to a very young woman who happens to be Jack’s ex-girlfriend. Impetuous and aggravated are two things Chrissy is prone to be and both are what cause her to drive to the Senator’s home where she finds the soon to be Mrs. Rivera dead and Jack in police custody being questioned for her murder.

Now Chrissy’s emotions range from outrange that Jack would ditch her to murder his future stepmother to disbelief that Jack would do something like that, especially something that would jeopardize his career with the LAPD. Jack likes his father for the murder and the Senator suspects Jack, but his parental instincts kick in (a little too late) and he approaches Chrissy to help clear Jack’s name.

Chrissy is also suspicious of the Senator so she agrees. The deeper Chrissy digs, the more political enemies of the Senator she finds, but which one hates him enough to frame his son for murder?

Chrissy is a funny, sassy heroine. She is also a bit too self-depreciating and often downplays how smart she is, as if to wonder how a cocktail waitress could ever become a psychologist. She has an equally zany partner in crime, Elaine, best friend from high school, who is trying to break into television.

A supporting case includes the usually political smarmy types and a string of Chrissy’s neurotic patients. Chrissy’s investigation takes her from LA politics to scientific companies where she meets handsome, greedy young men. All the while, Chrissy has her eye on Jack Rivera, hoping he’s innocent and hoping they can soon pick up where the phone call interrupted them. A fun, fast-paced mystery that will keep readers rooting for Elaine to get a series and for Chrissy and Jack to finally get together before the next murderer strikes and involves them all again.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry