Homeless — Sharyl Bales

Volume 4 in the Signe Series - Survivors - was set in 1980. I've taken the dramatic step of jumping 15 years into the future to introduce a now 21-year-old Kelsey Baez; Signe's second oldest granddaughter, who has received a degree in Journalism and is itching to make her mark on the world. Homeless has turned into a madcap adventure of Gonzo Journalism set in the Arizona desert with occasional dips into the seamier side of South Phoenix. Kelsey decided to go undercover to live among the homeless in order to gather enough material to write a novel. With the support of her famous grandmother, she is introduced to the one person - Father Antonio - who can help her slip into this new life. What Kelsey assumed would be nothing more than an information gathering mission soon turns deadly when she finds one of the tramp camp's regulars near death's door; less than a mile from camp, shot in the shoulder and with fresh blood still oozing from the wound.