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At the start of this gripping series launch from Sue Grafton Award winner Clark (the Cass Raines Chicago mysteries), Det. Harriet Foster of the Chicago PD gets a new partner, Det. Jim Lonergan, following the death by suicide of her partner of 11 years. Foster and Lonergan, who's old-school in the worst way, are clashing before they set out to investigate the murder of a young woman with red lipstick encircling her wrists and ankles. The two are barely speaking to each other when a second victim with the same markings is discovered. Through a psychiatrist, Foster gets a lead on a suspect, Bodie Morgan, who was arrested twice for stalking attractive redheaded women and wound up spending 30 days in a psychiatric facility. Bodie's twin sister, Amelia Davies, knows why her brother behaves as he does, but it's a family secret she and Bodie are willing to kill to protect--as Foster and Lonergan discover to their peril. Foster's dogged approach to catching killers will resonate with Michael Connelly fans. May the wait for the second Harriet Foster police procedural be brief. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Jan.)

Sue Grafton Memorial Award-winning Clark ("Cass Raines Chicago Mystery" series) launches a new series featuring Detective Harriet Foster of the Chicago PD. Returning to work two months after her partner of 11 years died by suicide, Harriet is partnered with old-school Detective Jim Lonergan. Their tactics more than clash as they investigate the murder of a young college student. When a second victim is discovered, Harriet and Jim's mutual antagonism reaches a fever pitch. After consulting with psychiatrist Mariana Silva, Harriet finally gets a lead on a suspect, Bodie Morgan. Though Bodie seems like a viable candidate, the detectives soon begin to eye the rest of the Morgan family, particularly Bodie's father, Tom. As Harriet learns more about the disturbing Morgan family dynamics, she realizes that soon, her own life may be caught in the crosshairs as well. Unfortunately, the audio is marred by narrator Chanté McCormick's disappointing, robotic performance. Listeners may be frustrated by her mismatched characterizations and off-putting cadence. VERDICT Filled with twists and an ever-changing roster of suspects, this is a fast-paced and gripping story. Recommend to fans of Michael Connelly, Karin Slaughter, and Joe Ide, but suggest the print book over the audio.--Emily Skrezec

A Chicago cop still mourning her late partner transfers to a new precinct just in time to catch a truly creepy case. There's no question of Det. Harriet Foster returning from two months' leave to her old precinct, which is haunted by her memories of Det. Glynnis Thompson from before and after her suicide. When Sgt. Sharon Griffin, her new boss, partners her with Det. Jim Lonergan, aptly describing him as a serviceable asshole, the two tackle the fatal stabbing of DePaul student Peggy Birch, an activist working to reform the police force, on the Riverwalk. Lonergan naturally assumes that Keith Ainsley, the Northwestern student found unconscious a few feet from the body, is responsible, but Harriet is less ready to sweat Ainsley, partly because, like him, she's Black, partly because Lonergan puts her back up. No sooner has the forensic lab announced that the blood on Ainsley's clothes isn't Peggy's than a second corpse turns up, this one sporting the patch of Peggy's blood that Lonergan had longed to find on Ainsley. A third murder makes it seem more likely that a serial killer who preys on red-haired women is at work. As psychiatrist Mariana Silva inserts herself into the case with a persistence that doesn't bode well for her own life span, a succession of cutaways to the twins Bodie and Amelia Morgan--whose father, accountant Tom Morgan, felt compelled years ago to kill a series of redheads--broadly implies that the new murders are very much a family affair. But which member of the family? Solid, unspectacular work from a writer who knows the dark side of the Windy City. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.