Part of V.I. Warshawski, book 18.5
First published 2018
V.I. Warshawski knows the sound of gunfire. She grew up with it in Chicago, where bullets claimed loved ones and gangs ruled the night. Now a string of school shootings has sparked a national movement, and The Edge newspaper sponsors an essay contest asking students to write about gun violence in their lives. The contest comes to Mirabel High on Chicago's South Side, overseen by British journalist Marcena Love, someone V.I. has clashed with before. When arguments erupt over the winning essay, violence strikes the school itself. V.I. must protect students and teachers while hunting a killer. The case forces her to confront the darkest memories of her own childhood as she works to solve this deeply personal investigation.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, personal-stakes
Setting: Chicago, South Side, Mirabel High
Period: contemporary
Kindle Edition · Witness Impulse
Content warnings: violence