STALKING SUSAN

Two cold cases spark a hot story for flailing TV reporter Riley Spartz in this lively and fast-paced debut.

Spartz isn’t your typical TV newswoman. Although she’s as driven and fast-driving as any of her competitors, she’s been sidelined by more than ratings. Her Minnesota state trooper husband was killed in the line of duty, a tragedy that has caused Spartz to take time off just when she should be renegotiating her contract. Then a friendly source, an ex-homicide cop, drops a potential story in her lap. It concerns a possible serial killer who has already killed two young women named Susan on the exact same date, one year apart. The problem is, those murders were years ago, and Spartz must dig through databases to see if the killings have continued and if other young women are at risk. The all-important November ratings are coming up, as is the anniversary of the murders, and Spartz must take seriously her contact’s hunch—that the killer could be a cop—if she’s going to get the story and save some lives. Kramer writes with heart and pizzazz, and her believable heroine makes the well-worn concept feel fresh.

Kramer’s past as a TV producer lends authority to an entertaining story.