Sketchy Characters — Sheila McGraw

A devastating hurricane.

A frantic search for a missing friend.

A brutal double murder...

As an apartment-complex manager and a part-time artists' model, Marilyn's ho-hum but comfortable life is devastated by the hurricane that strips away her job, car, and home, and drives friends far from the city. Arriving at her friend, Fran's dry apartment, Fran turns out to be missing. As Marilyn searches for her friend she stumbles upon a murder scene and is forced to go on the run from ruthless killers. Though she keeps a low profile, Marilyn can't dodge a cast of sketchy characters that ooze into her orbit. There's a crooked lawyer and his wealthy clients, an internet scammer, a pair of suspicious hipsters, and a serial killer targeting the artists at Marilyn's life-drawing group. Throw a couple of good friends and a sexy and protective detective in the mix, and it's not all bad.

Even so, Marilyn must question everyone around her and find the inner strength to discover and act upon her true character. It's survival of the smartest and most resilient, and no more Miss Nice-Girl as the action moves full speed, and the twists and turns keep coming, and Marilyn must tackle the circumstances of her new, near-impossible normal.