Time of Death

Product DescriptionThe mutilated body on the St. Louis riverfront is just the beginning. PJ Gray, psychologist and expert in forensic virtual reality, has her hands full when the Metro Mangler claims more victims. As the case heats up, so do her feelings for her partner, Detective Leo Schultz. Theyre like bolts of lightning that sizzle and hiss the closer they get, swept up in a relationship that is more force of nature than emotional state. PJ crawls into the murderers mind by experiencing the killings in virtual reality. Schultz relies on a cops instincts. Neither of them can solve the baffling deaths. If theyre all connected, then there are two types of murders: one intensely personal and bloody, the other quick and efficient. Two killers, or one killer with different motivations? Its a profilers nightmare. As a wealthy familys secrets unravel and a thirtyyearold murder comes to light, PJ is suddenly in danger of crossing the line from investigator to victim.Shirley Kennett is a member of International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the American Crime Writers League. She lives with her husband, two sons, and several cats in the St. Louis metropolitan area.From BooklistThe hook in Kennetts PJ Gray series, starring a St. Louis psychological profiler, is the use of virtualreality software to recreate crime scenes. The hightech wizardry is fine, but what really makes this series go is the fiery relationship and strong personalities of the costars, gutsy protagonist PJ (Penelope) and her Andy Sipowiczlike boyfriend, Leo Schultz, a police detective. This pair could be solving cases with legal pads and pencils, and readers would still be drawn to them. This time singlemom PJ is keeping an eye on the online gaming addiction of her teenage son and trying to decide what kind of commitment to give the lovably exasperating Schultz. Meanwhile, the police are struggling with a series of brutal murders that may be tied to a serial killer. Schultz hits the streets in search of clues, and PJ fires up her virtualreality program to relive the grisly crimes. A topnotch series that satisfies both readers seeking pageturning suspense and those looking for characters so real you almost expect to see them at the local diner. Jenny McLarinCopyright American Library Association. All rights reservedReviewThis riproaring pageturner of a thriller builds to its nailnibbling climax on a solid foundation of police procedure, cuttingedge Virtual Reality crimescene simulation, and realistic and likeable protagonists. Carole Nelson Douglas, author of Femme Fatale and >Spider DanceExcerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Im surprised to see that my right hand trembles as I hold the knife.With fear? No. Im the one in charge here. I am not the slicee.Shame? Maybe a little, that I dont have more socially acceptable things to occupy my time. Who decides whats socially acceptable, anyway? Probably theres some secret god to worship, the God of Successful Parties. Ive made my humble little offerings at the altar, but not enough for the god to bless me into the kind of life I want: the house, the servants, upper arms that dont jiggle, the aura of class if not the real thing, adequate sex with hubby and a little something extra with the golf pro or the personal trainer or the stock adviser. Or with all of them, separately or in any combination.If my offerings to the god werent sufficient before, maybe some blood sacrifice will do it.Theres a little regret in the trembling of my hand, too. Regret that I didnt do this sooner. Ive always known that if you dont climb the social ladder, you live on the droppings of the people on the higher rungs. Ive just never done anything about it before...