The Julie Kramer Reader's Companion

Book excerpt: A collection of excerpts from Julie Kramer’s novels. SILENCING SAM In this town, gossip kills . . . When a widely despised gossip columnist is found shot to death, Riley Spartz must secretly investigate a case in which she becomes the prime suspect. In the wake of the brutal murder, she discovers that news and gossip have more in common than she ever imagined. KILLING KATE Not all angels are divine . . . As TV reporter Riley Spartz discovers a serial killer drawing chalk outlines shaped like angels around the bodies of his victims, she unearths an eerie legend dating back nearly a century. Tracking clues to an Iowa cemetery, Riley finds an infamous Black Angel monument that may be connected to the string of homicides throughout the Midwest. Now she is up against a delusional young man who believes the statue is urging him to kill. SHUNNING SARAH An insular Amish town . . . A secret that won’t stay buried . . . Minneapolis’s star investigative reporter Riley Spartz is constantly in search of her next TV sweeps piece. When she hears that a young boy is trapped at the bottom of a sinkhole, she smells ratings. Little does she know just how big the story will be—not only does it involve a tragic murder, but the local Amish community as well. Once Riley is on the case, though, she sees that solving it will be anything but easy. DELIVERING DEATH Be careful what you open… When Riley Spartz receives a package of teeth in the mail at work, she’s quickly embroiled in a homicide investigation that spirals into one of the odder cases the Minneapolis police force has ever seen. Though the cops try to keep certain grisly details quiet, this murder has a strange twist—it seems that the killer wants the crime publicized. As the stakes continue to rise for her job and her life, Riley must outwit the killer in a trap that could leave yet another person dead...