Dark Blue Death — Jan Grape

Austin Police officer Zoe Barrow, first seen in the Anthony award-nominated Austin City Blue, is assisting field officers in role-playing for the new police cadets at Austin Police Department's Training Academy. Zoe and fellow training officer Anne Panzarella are conducting moving violations stops when a cadet comes running up to say one of the cadets has been killed. Zoe finds herself thrust into a mind-boggling case involving an extremely sick-minded individual who uses a high-powered rifle to execute from a distance, yet who then has an up-close and personal encounter with the body afterward. As other female APD officers are killed, the F.B.I. is called in to help. Zoe's partner, Sergeant Harry Albright, is scornful of the their involvement, while Zoe - as a brand-new homicide officer - welcomes any and all help. In the meantime, Zoe's husband, Byron Barrow, who remains in a semi-vegetative state, disappears from the nursing home where he lives along with two other patients. This is a scary nightmare for Zoe. Has he been kidnapped for ransom? Or has some "bad guy" she'd put in prison planned to get back at her? As the body counts rises and Zoe and Harry struggle to catch the sniper, Zoe is drawn into a battle of wills with Byron's parents. Can Zoe handle the heat, find the sniper, and survive another tension-filled week?

Jan Grape and her husband, Elmer sold Mysteries & More bookstore in Austin, Texas, to spend more time with their five grandchildren and travel. They now live in a RV full time with their black cats, Nick and Nora.