[Avery Shaw 04] • Shot Off The Presses

Life should be good for Avery Shaw. She's got a hunky new boyfriend in local pawnshop owner (and sometime private detective) Elliot Kane, her cousin Lexie swears she'll be moving out of her house one day "real soon" and her family has been relatively quiet for a whole week. That's practically perfection in Avery's world.

Then, what appears to be a random freeway shooting resulting in the death of a young mother, causes upheaval on just about every front. County Sheriff Jake Farrell announces that the same gun used in the current shooting was also used in a similar shooting one county over a few weeks before. A joint task force is assembled and the denizens of southeastern Michigan are on edge – including Elliot and Jake, who still can't quite seem to make amends with one another.

Avery is on the case, but she's got a few distractions blocking her way. The commander of the local National Guard base is acting cagey, there's a new public relations liaison in the sheriff's department that is laying down the law about media leaks and her grandfather is refusing to report for jury duty which, most likely, will result in his own incarceration.

When you couple that with Carly's upcoming wedding, the opening of Lexie's new yoga studio and Avery's mom's insistence that Thundercats shoes are not appropriate footwear for public outings, and Avery's happiness quotient continues to plummet.

Avery is determined to get the story – even when it becomes apparent that her efforts have turned the shooter's attention to her. When Avery finally does find an answer, will she survive to tell anyone about it?

Note: These books are full of sarcasm and are a little bit snarky -- so read only if you like to laugh and you aren't easily offended. This is the fourth book in the Avery Shaw Mystery series.