Detective Francesca DeMarco receives a call from her cousin's roommate that Kristin is unconscious on the floor of their apartment. When Francesca arrives, she knows Kristin is dead, but she doesn't believe that she overdosed on drugs, even though a syringe is hanging from her arm. Kristin has been clean for several years now. Francesca, called Frankie by her friends, is with Major Crimes at the Aurora Police Department. She's heard about a string of deaths in Aurora that seem to lead to a serial killer. They all have the same MO as Kristin's death.

Armed with her cousin's file, Frankie marches into Detective Lukkas Cavanaugh O'Bannon's office, determined to talk him into letting her work these cases with him and his partner. All of five feet one, Frankie is a spit-fire that can dish it out as hard as Luke can and takes no gruff from him. They seem to mix like oil and water from the start. She has to present her case carefully, because she isn't supposed to be working on the case of a relative. Luke is very suspicious of Frankie's intense interest in these cases, but he allows her to work with him. The next few days bring some heated words and passionate arguments. Can they stop yelling at each other long enough catch this killer?

It's always a treat to visit the Cavanaugh family and the Aurora Police Department. They're almost one and the same. Marie Ferrarella brings us another delightful thriller with CAVANAUGH ENCOUNTER. I love the playful banter between her characters in their dialogue. It lightens the fact that they are after serious criminals and placing themselves in harm's way daily. Ms. Ferrarella's stories usually have a big party thrown by Andrew Cavanaugh, a retired Chief of Police and head of the Cavanaugh clan, and this one did not disappoint. The storyline takes several twists and turns on its way to a dramatic ending. There's a little romance on the side too. You can read this one as a stand-alone, but all of the Cavanaugh Justice series is great reading if you're a suspense/thriller junky.