Sugar Skull — Denise Hamilton

When a distraught father breaks past security to beg for her help, Los Angeles Times reporter Eve Diamond can't refuse. His daughter, caught up in the rough "squatter" lifestyle, is missing - and Eve, sensing a scoop, wants to know why a privileged teen from Pasadena would hook up with the dregs of Hollywood. When the girl is found dead, Eve suspects there is more going on than the tragic death of a rebellious youth.

The search for answers will take Eve from the street world of drugs and sex to the upper echelon of L.A. society - who don't appreciate her digging up their dirt. Even as Eve fights against the powers-that-be who want her off the story, she finds herself mixing business and pleasure when she's irresistibly drawn to the brooding son of a Mexican music titan. For it is in his world - and in the intricate sugar skulls that mark the Mexican "Day of the Dead" - that Eve may find the key to unmasking a killer... .