Francesca Moretti, private investigator and ex-cop, was
hired to find April Bonner. The last missing person case
didn't end well and left her with
images of the nasty discovery. This new case
brought her to the Wheeler Salvage Yard. The leads pointed
to the owner of this vast wasteland of junk, and she was
immediately shaken by a sense of foreboding and menace. She
was discovered nosing around the yard by none other than
Butch Vaughn, the man who had lured April with his on-
line dating post. Of course he didn't use his real name, or
divulged that fact that he was married, but his on-line
photo is what Francesca used to find him.
The local sheriff had just hired Department 6, a private
security firm, to investigate the discovery of the graves
of murdered women in Dead Mule Canyon. The firm sent Jonah
Young and, as luck would have it, Jonah and Francesca had a
past that was going to wreak havoc on their working together
on this case.
The Wheeler family is beyond creepy and, as the case
unfolds, each member seems to have something to hide. Just
what exactly are they all working so diligently to cover up?
Do the Wheeler's have any connection not just to April but
to those women found in the desert? So, as Francesca boldly
confronts them, you begin to realize she seems to jump into
situation after situation without regard for her own safety.
She knows what she wants -- clues and answers.
There is an ever present sense of danger surrounding
Butch or his brother-in-law, Dean. No denying the temper
Butch doesn't even try to hide or Dean's mental imbalance
and his morbid interest in violence. All the clues
point to Butch or Dean. Rooting out the real
murderer is going to be difficult and dangerous and
Francesca has no choice but to work with Jonah.
Jonah is beginning to take the assaults against Francesca
personally, even though he won't acknowledge how he still
feels about her after all these years. Francesca is equally
guarded around him. But as she becomes the newest target
all bets are off as Francesca and Jonah realize that time
is not on their side. The problem is the nagging feeling
that a piece of the puzzle is missing. Just who are they
looking for?
Well, Novak did it again. You know you are reading a really
good murder mystery when you are saying aloud "oh no", and
"don't turn off your cell phone." Novak puts you right in
the middle of the story and, with KILLER HEAT, it's not
where you really want to be.
The bodies of seven women have been discovered in Skull
Valley, Arizona. Jonah Young, a private security operative
from Department 6, has been hired by the Yavapai County
Sheriff to assist in solving these murders. But Jonah’s
not prepared for the complications that arise when he’s
forced to work with a woman from his past, private
investigator Francesca Moretti.
Jonah betrayed Francesca ten years ago. She hasn’t
forgiven him and she’s pretty sure she never will. But the
woman she was hired to find has been murdered in exactly
the same way as the seven in Skull Valley, so like it or
not, Francesca has to work with Jonah. They quickly zero
in on the most likely suspect--but questions remain.
Questions they have to answer. Because if they bet on the
wrong man, it might be the last thing they ever do…