Cold Justice »

Attorney Kali O Brien is no stranger to San Francisco s dark side, but death hits too close to home when her friend Anne s body is discovered, strangled and naked, in a dank alleyway. And when a yellow rose and a poem are sent to Anne s husband, Kali s deepest fears are awakened....

Because she s seen that calling card before. Eight years ago, Kali helped prosecute a serial killer known as the Bayside Strangler. Anne s murder is soon followed by another -- equally brutal and eerily similar -- raising the possibility that either an innocent man was sentenced to death -- or a twisted copycat is on the loose....

Now, Kali must delve into the secrets of a case long thought closed, searching for the deadly mistake that let a killer walk free. When a third victim falls, a chilling pattern begins to emerge, a pattern that points directly to the next target -- Kali herself.

Jonnie Jacobs is a former practicing attorney. Her previous Kali O Brien novels of legal suspense include Shadow of Doubt, Evidence of Guilt, Motion to Dismiss, and Witness for the Defense. She lives in Northern California with her husband and two sons. Jonnie loves hearing from readers. You can visit her website at www.NMOMysteries.com.

Publishers Weekly

Dwayne Davis, aka the Bayside Strangler, has been dead for a year when Anne Bailey, a defense lawyer formerly on the prosecution team that got Davis the death penalty, is killed in the Strangler's signature style. Anne's law partner, Kali O'Brien, was also involved in the Davis case and notifies her former boss, San Francisco DA Owen Nelson, of the similarities. Nelson fears that bad press could derail his run for governor and persuades Kali to rejoin the payroll and run the case to forestall cover-up charges. She soon has her hands full as the bodies pile up, and she must deal with woman-hating cop Lou Fortune, creepy stalker Nathan Sloane and a growing suspicion that she could be next on the killer's list. A romantic attraction to Lou's partner, Det. Bryce Keating, further complicates affairs. Former attorney Jacobs (Witness for the Defense) has a magic touch with characters from sleazy Mission Street hoods to political power brokers. Clues sometimes give away too much too soon, but menacing red herrings and Technicolor personalities pace the woman-in-peril plot and sharpen the suspense. The author pulls off the neat trick of featuring a lawyer protagonist in a character-driven police procedural that never sees the inside of a courtroom. This is a smash installment in a popular series that is easy to relate to and relentlessly entertaining. (June) Forecast: Local sales will be strong for this San Francisco-based suspense novel (Shadow of Doubt was a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller). Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.