Books and banter by W.H.Manke

Vanessa Haldersen appears to have it all.  She has a husband who adores her.  They enjoy many goods the world offers.  Her young son is her sunshine even on cloudy days.  The law degree she had earned can open many doors for her.  She loves her work with the West Bay police force where her track record leading the fraud, theft and burglary section of the force has been outstanding.

To infuse energy and new thinking into the struggling homicide unit her commander appoints her to head this unit.  With the appointment challenges arise that test Vanessa to the breaking point.  She feels she must quickly solve the murders of two young men before the killer strikes again. They were killed in similar ways by suffocation on different full moon nights.  Their bodies were left in secluded areas of West Bay.  Both men had been known to be illegal drug users.  No other clues existed, and no promising leads had been established.

When a third body of a young man is found on another full moon night, Vanessa knows the killings will not stop unless she finds the killer soon.  Her expanded investigations finally lead her to a young woman who battles a drug addiction.  This woman had known and had met with the first two victims for some time as well as with the twin brother of the third young man who lost his life.  Many signs Vanessa discovers point to her, and she becomes her primary suspect.  But Vanessa is not convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt she is the killer.  Digging deeper she finds out the young woman is the sister of the officer who is her assistant in the murder investigations.  This fact brings with it new questions, challenges and concerns.  When she is ready to charge the young woman to whom many signs point, Vanessa uncovers a lead that throws all she knows into question.  At the same time her young son is abducted, and she receives a telephone call telling her to drop the investigations, if she hopes to see her son again.