Publisher's Synopsis
The River Front: Introduces Alex as Cincinnati's first Black female detective.
The Girl on the Grill: The murder of a young woman by a local drug distributor.
Missing: Alex solves a fifteen year old abduction cold case
Maggot: Alex has a Mexican Drug cartel boss attacking her.
Racist: Alex is targeted to be killed by a racist.
Votive Candles: A local priest gives Alex a new perspective of crime.
Country Road: An organization is killing young women.
Pool of Blood: Alex is asked to help a case involving a serial killer.
Sins of the Daughter: A demented person kills individuals and buries them along the Canadian Border.
Her extraordinary skills both physically and with her weapon, and the strong support of her detective team members is the "force" that is her armor.
The politics of the City slowly change from one doubting her abilities to proudly referring to her as "Cincinnati's Black Annie Oakley."
Her national and international recognition and desire to employ her services changes the nature of her role.
The Girl on the Grill
It is late on a hot muggy night. The street is empty as the lone homeless Vietnam Vet walks slowly towards the highway over pass. A young woman runs frantically past him, and a car squeals its tires as it takes the corner behind him. He watches in horror as a car speeds past him and then skids to a halt and a huge man jumps out and slams the young woman against the overpass wall. He then lifts her over his head and launches her over the retaining wire fence to the highway below.
Johnnie is now a witness that must be eliminated. His first concern is to save himself. He escapes by climbing over the retaining fence blocking his way down to the highway and runs across the interstate. He is stopped by the scene of the young woman smashed by the grill of the semi-truck. He thinks of her as the girl on the grill.
When an innocent man is accused of the murder, Johnnie decides he must step forward.
He knows that his PTSD, his being homeless and being Black will all work against being considered a credible witness. Johnnie decides to engage a Black female police detective he has seen almost daily as she rides her bike past the Cincinnati library. His first encounter with her convinces him that he has found the right connection.
Alex Evercrest, the only Black female detective on the Cincinnati, police force believes Johnnie. She gets herself and her partner assigned to the case. Her apartment is destroyed by a self propelled rocket, she tracks down and captures her attackers and solves the case.
