Murder Takes a Dare

"I've gotten myself in too deep-" Jonah's last words are an epitaph to a life spent on the wrong side of the law. Marisa Adair is shocked when Jonah, a former friend from her chaotic past of drinking and partying, surfaces, only to be murdered. She must solve the crime before the killer destroys her new life. To find the murderer, Marisa partners with unusual collaborators. Dithering Russell is focused on ferreting out secrets, including her colorful past. Childhood friend Alex is a chief financial officer and the chief pain in her . . . neck. Esther is the daughter of a former agent in the FBI's controversial "Dickless Tracy" program for women. She learned to disable an opponent in hand-to-hand combat around the same time she learned to spell and throw the quintessential tea party. Marisa's strangest ally is Laithe. The part-Abyssinian cat with a big personality and even larger attitude has his special part to play in the life-or-death investigation. Marisa must revisit her dark past of childhood deprivation and adult struggles with addiction. The clues point to the shadowy underbelly of a notorious club, the setting for the glittering fool's gold of her old double life. Can Marisa and her friends solve the mystery before the murderer strikes again?