Received a free copy in Goodreads giveaway.
A legislative aide is found dead by Maren Kanea, lobbyist, but when a working associate and friend is arrested she decides to investigate.
Found it at time too slow moving, with unnecessary descriptions of people clothes etc
Believe this is a first book so some tighter editing may appear in the next book. Look forward to reading the next one in the series. ( )

I love a good murder mystery and have not heard of this author, I am the type of reader that loves to read something new and refreshing from either a new author or one that I have never heard of. The story starts out with "Maren Kane could barely make out the yellow dividing line a few feet in front of her through the thick, grey valley fog." Ok so that sentence had me thinking that something bad was going to happen. Sure enough Maren witnesses an accident on the dark road. She gets out to investigate and finds a car overturned in a drainage ditch full of water. She sees that there are two children in the backseat, upside down and the driver in front. Another person, turns up to help her rescue the children, however,nothing can be done for the woman who was the driver. Maren is a lobbyist for a California toy company and knows many people in the local government because of her role. She spends a lot of time in the Capitol and as such she knows a young woman, a legislative aide who is found murdered, by Maren actually, and finds herself involved in the murder investigation. A colleague of Maren's is eventually arrested for the murder as there is incriminating evidence against this young man. What ensues is a race against time as Maren tries to prove that her friend did not do the crime. To have two deaths that she came upon in one day is certainly weighing on Maren, and as time goes by the reader finds out that the two cases are connected. Maren disagrees with the police in that the murder of the aide is a crime of passion but Maren will do all in her power to see that her friend is released. She has a theory but she needs to find evidence that the police will believe. This murder mystery is a fast paced enjoyable read with a story that could very well be in the headlines, a believable tale about corrupt lawmakers who will do anything it takes to further themselves and their careers. If you are looking for a good story, then give this one a try! This is the first book in what looks to be a great political series. I received a copy of the book for review and was not monetarily compensated for said review. - See more at: http://www.celticladysreviews.blogspot.com/#sthash.g32ea6xg.dpuf ( )

This book offers fascinating insight into the machine that is our Washington policymakers. We see the heavy influence of lobbyists and the behind-the-scenes deals necessary in order to pass a bill. The realism here puts us behind those closed doors with the politicians. This, in my opinion, is the book's strength.

The plot unravels at a good pace, speeding up and carrying us along as we move closer to the truth. We're right there with Maren, as she persistently digs up secrets in order to find a killer. While the plot is well planned, the author's effort to give us mystery and suspense brings us a number of characters and subplots wrap that around themselves, and sometimes I felt tangled within it all.

The biggest problem for me was that I missed an emotional connection. While I understood Maren as a professional woman, I wanted more from her on a personal level. For instance, before her friend's arrest, I hadn't felt any special bond between them at all. Consequently, upon his arrest, her insistence on his innocence and her drive to set him free didn't quite ring true for me.

Despite my grumblings, this book does set the stage for an intriguing series to come. ( )