Julia Gooden Mystery

Julia Gooden remembers nothing about the worst night of her life. Thirty years ago, her nine-year-old brother Ben was abducted from the room they shared. Now a crime reporter at a Detroit newspaper, Julia tries to give others the closure she's never found. But guilt and grief over Ben's disappearance have left her fearful that whoever took her brother is going to come back. And then, on the anniversary of Ben's disappearance, Julia's worst fears are realized when her two-year-old son, Will, is snatched from his bed. Convinced that the crimes are related, Julia tries to piece together memories from her final day with Ben. Are the sudden reminders of her brother clues that will lead her to her son's abductor, or merely coincidence?

Julia's husband, Assistant District Attorney David Tanner is about to bring criminal Nick Rossi to trial for drug trafficking, illegal gambling, bribery, and more. However, when a courthouse bomb claims several victims, including the prosecution's key witness, David is left critically injured. Julia's certain Rossi orchestrated the attack, but she doesn't have a strong case against him, and his power and connections run deep. Undeterred, she enlists the help of Detroit PD's Detective Raymond Navarro, and they begin to follow a trail of blackmail, payback, and political ambition, hoping to find proof of Rossi's guilt at its end. The risks are high, but Julia's always been willing to take them. This time, though, her family hangs in the balance, and justice may come too late.

The past never really leaves us. Crime reporter Julia Gooden sees proof of this every day in her stories. A dark childhood, a negligent parent, early abandonment-any one of them can seal a person's fate as either a villain or victim. Julia, who experienced all three, seems to have beaten the odds, finding happiness raising her two sons and a blossoming relationship with detective Raymond Navarro. But now, after three decades of absence, Julia's conman father has resurfaced to throw her life into turmoil again. Julia was only seven when Duke Gooden abruptly left. Barely a month later, her nine-year-old brother, Ben, disappeared. Ben was her hero and protector, and though the case is cold, Julia has never given up hope of finding him. Duke's return offers vital clues-but it also makes her a target of those who intend to see Duke punished for his many sins. When Julia investigates the death of a city councilman's young nephew, she finds links to a string of other murders . . . and to a web of greed and kidnapping that stretches back decades. At long last, Julia may be able to discover what happened to Ben all those years ago, but only if she's willing to risk everything in her present . . .

In this gritty, riveting new novel, Detroit reporter Julia Gooden tracks down a serial killer-only to realize she has become his obsession . . . Crime writer Julia Gooden has just completed the most important story of her life-a book about her beloved brother's childhood abduction and how she found his killer after thirty years. But that hasn't taken her focus off her day job-especially with what looks to be a serial killer terrorizing the city. Female runners are being snatched off jogging trails, then slaughtered in abandoned churches. As Julia begins investigating, with help from Detective Raymond Navarro, she realizes just how personal this case has become. The murders, planned and executed with uncanny precision, are of women who share traits with Julia. Now he's contacting her directly, insisting things will get much worse unless Julia makes him famous through her writing. But no matter how skillfully she plays along, her opponent's ultimate goal is clear. And only by unraveling the threads that link a killer's twisted mind to her own dark past can Julia prevent herself from becoming his final victim . . .