Killer Deception

"Tonight is about finally having some damn fun!" That's what Vanessa Paige thought on her way out the door after an argument with her fifteen-year-old niece, Simone. Vanessa took her niece in a few months ago after the sudden death of her half-sister, Monique. The transition from single life to parental guardian is beyond difficult. They share a small apartment above the bookstore she co-owns with her best friend, Whitney Brown, and butt heads and bump into each other daily. Vanessa has been looking forward to the Hope Ridge High Twenty Year Class Reunion for weeks, mainly because her best friend's older brother, Will Brown, is picking her up. The night of her dreams turns into a nightmare when she returns home and discovers Simone has gone. There's not a trace of her left in the apartment. It's as if she vanished into thin air. While the good folks of Hope Ridge come together to search for Simone, Vanessa is distraught. Simone's disappearance leaves her with more questions than answers. Someone is lying. Someone knows where Simone is, and what happened the night of the reunion. Someone has committed the ultimate deception. PUBLISHER NOTE: A Small-Town Murder Mystery containing adult language, violence, and sexual themes. 71,000 words.