by J. A. Jance
Part of Ali Reynolds, book 2
First published 2007
Ali Reynolds drives the scorching highway from Los Angeles toward Palm Springs, eager to leave her troubles behind. Her husband cheated on her, and the television network fired her simply for being over forty. Now she faces divorce proceedings and a wrongful dismissal lawsuit. The desert road stretches ahead, promising escape from her complicated life. Then Ali passes a terrible car accident. She feels grateful she no longer works as a news reporter and won't have to cover the story. But relief turns to shock when she discovers the victim is her unfaithful husband. Police immediately focus their investigation on Ali. She becomes the primary suspect in what appears to be murder. Someone bound her husband with tape and left him to die in a car trunk on that deadly stretch of highway. Ali must prove her innocence while uncovering who really wanted her husband dead. The case pulls her into a dangerous conspiracy where betrayal runs deep and revenge takes deadly forms.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Los Angeles, Palm Springs
Period: Contemporary
368 pages · Hardcover · Touchstone Books
Content warnings: murder, violence