Police Protection — Kassandra Lamb

A story ripped from real-life headlines! Groggy from a concussion, a police detective is found in an alley, standing over the body of an unarmed African-American boy. He is literally holding the smoking gun and has no memory of what happened. To the Baltimore County Police Department, it's a slam-dunk. But various forces push psychotherapist Kate Huntington and her P.I. husband to investigate behind the scenes, and what they find doesn't add up. Why did the boy's oldest brother disappear on the same day? And did the brother in between them, who's on the autism spectrum and nonverbal, witness the shooting? For Kate, the case becomes personal as she connects with the grieving mother, whose dead son was the same age as her Billy. When seemingly unrelated events create obstacles in their path, a pattern emerges; someone is trying to discourage their investigation. Whatever happened in that alley, it's more than just a bad shoot by a stressed-out cop. The answers may come from unexpected sources, but Kate and Skip better find them soon... before another life is lost. (All books in this series are designed to be read and enjoyed as stand-alones as well.)