Fatal Design — Anna Faktorovich

Lucinda Thoso, the new Murder Beat reporter, joins the busy newsroom of Cherub Daily. She is immediately thrust into the heart of Los Angeles' gangs, vindictive lovers, corrupt bureaucracy, unintended bloodshed, and convoluted conspiracies. The hunt for the truth becomes personal when Lucinda receives a cryptic newspaper-clipping note in her own mailbox at Cherub that warns of an impending murder. When Lucinda arrives, the threat is proven true: the slashed body of a social worker is an unusual victim that shocks the city. Why would a killer leave a note inviting the discovery? Who would want to kill a lonely caseworker in her home, and yet leave her expensive possessions? Just as answers begin emerging, Lucinda and her police contact, Detective Clovis Pesupetep, are faced with a new gruesome murder of an administrative nurse. With her decades of experience with the macabre, Lucinda finds clues where a slew of techs and detectives fail to see them. On top of their oversights, Clovis' partner, Didier, resists each clue Lucinda uncovers, blocking her progress. Despite great strides, Clovis and Lucinda discover that the realities of crime investigation within the LAPD are such that only subterfuge can lead to the hidden truth.