Credo's Hope — Alison Naomi Holt

Introducing Detective ALEXANDRA WOLFE, a fresh, funny, tough cop who skates on the edge of the law in her quest for justice. A Mafia boss, a hunky bi-sexual nurse, Alex's rescued mutt, Tessa, and her exuberant best friend, Megan, help Alex turn her everyday life as a detective upside down. Six years ago, Brian McClelland was murdered, and his brother was convicted of killing him. When Megan bullies Alex into reviewing the case, Alex discovers that her Captain was the chief investigator who overlooked evidence that might have proved the brother's innocence. Against the Captain's orders and Alex's better judgment, she unofficially re-opens the case and finds herself following a twisted investigative trail left by the murder victim himself. The problem is, she has no idea what he was investigating or whether his investigation ultimately led to his death. As she digs into clues from the past, she finds herself at the doorstep of the beautiful and daunting Gianina Angelino, who just happens to be the head of the Angelino Crime Family. Things really heat up for Alex when she starts to receive unsolicited help from the mafia, and the police department, once again, orders her to stay away from the murder investigation and from any connections with organized crime. This in itself proves difficult since Gianina doesn't answer to Alex's chain of command and continues to help wherever and whenever she sees fit. Alex's unorthodox methods blur her personal and professional lives and when her two worlds collide, keeping her day job becomes the least of her worries as Alex struggles to keep from following the dead man's trail straight to her own demise.