No one is in the hallway when the wary homicide detective Kate Bowers opens her front door, service revolver in hand. But there is a message—a glittery button which has been taped there.  The button sends two messages: another murder has occurred in D.C. and probably comes from the victim’s clothing and Bowers’ anonymous stalker—most likely a serial killer—has discovered her new address.

Poor and wealthy alike are prey in Marta Sprout’s KILL NOTICE, the tale of a monster-and-mouse game aimed at luring Bowers  into a chase. But trained as a sniper, Bowers is no mouse. Only her former lover, an FBI swat team member, has an inkling of the secrets in her military past that uniquely make her suited for facing down evil. An appealing combination of tough and kind with some snarky cynicism and good humor thrown in, Bowers is a relentless hunter whose brain is just as sharp as the knife she keeps tucked in her ankle holster. The only challenge she shrinks from is intimacy due to her fear of loss.

Meanwhile, sixteen-year-old Bobby Black–who sells cigarettes laced with hallucinogen PCP for the local drug lord–doesn’t want to be out on dangerous street corners late at night, but he’s desperate to help support his grandmother and younger brother. One of his job’s many challenges is evading violent people, including the hooded man who slugs Bobby when the teen tries to rescue his customer Sapphire–a beautiful transgender performer–from assault. When Sapphire’s body is found, Bobby breaks his rule of avoiding the police. He leaves anonymous phone tips that eventually lead Bowers to him as he grieves at Sapphire’s grave site.

KILL NOTICE is compelling, but it has some flaws. First, it’s easy to predict the serial killer early in the story, but to say more would be a spoiler. Second, the novel overuses black dialect to characterize Bobby’s gang and his family. This includes consistently changing “th” to “d” in words like “they” and having Grandma Black emphatically cry “Lawdy, lawdy” when excited. A little bit of regional speech— like the occasional New York “heah” of Jackie Magrath, the chief crime scene investigator—is sufficient to plant the character’s voice in a reader’s mind. Nevertheless, Sprout’s villain is beyond chilling and Bobby and his grandma are people reader’s would most likely want to hug. Also, Bowers is a resounding karate chop of a heroine, and the story never drags.

Marta Sprout’s KILL NOTICE is impressive—a tense, fast paced police procedural with a kick-ass heroine that will leave readers wanting more.

~Alicia Rudnicki for IndieReader