Manner of Death — Cari Z

Detective Sawyer Villeray has his hands full. He's got a mercurial partner whose personal life is deteriorating, a semi-estranged family whose drama he can never fully escape… and now a series of murders whose only connection is their sheer weirdness. A serious crush on the county medical examiner doesn't exactly simplify things, but at least it's fun. Or, well, it would be if said M.E. didn't adamantly refuse to date cops. Or if his assistant wasn't quite so hostile to anyone who looked his way. Dr. Bashir Ramin would very much like to catch a break. A date that isn't interrupted by death. A fellow pathologist who isn't a cranky jerk. A forensic assistant who doesn't gnash her teeth any time Bashir is interested in someone. And maybe, if he's lucky, an autopsy that isn't such a baffling puzzle, it leaves him wondering if he's as good at his job as he thought he was. At this point, the annoying but cute detective is the one good thing in his world. Too bad Bashir doesn't date cops. Right? But there's no time for romance. As the bizarre murders keep piling up, Sawyer and Bashir need to work together to stop a killer. Ideally before one of them becomes the next target.