Dead by Wednesday-Beverly Long

Dead by Wednesday Beverly Long Harlequin Intrigue, Dec 17 2013, $5.50 ISBN: 9780373697397 Following the death of her older brother due to gang violence, Carmen Jimenez dedicated her life to helping troubled pregnant teens. Police officer Robert Hanson investigates a serial killer targeting male teens every Wednesday for the past four weeks. He and Carmen met three months ago when she was the maid of honor and he the best man at their respective BFFs’ wedding. Their solo dance was heavenly but he wanted more and she was afraid. A victim of bullies at high school, Carmen’s brother Raoul makes a new friend Apollo who helps him deal with his tormenters. Realizing her sibling has changed and concerned that Raoul was turning to the gangs; Carman asks Robert to be a big brother to his sibling. Though his time is limited and he rationalizes that Raoul gives him an inside to teen boys, Hanson knows he agrees because this is his chance for some time with Carmen. When she learns the dark secret her hero fails to tell her, their relationship collapses at a time the killer targets the Jimenez siblings. This is a strong romantic police procedural that provides a deep look into the subculture of gangs especially the motives including being a bullying victim why so many join the violent lifestyle, and the impact on families by teen pregnancy. Readers will know the identity of the serial killer early on, but not care as Dead by Wednesday needs a warning label to wear seatbelts due to a faster than the speed of light storyline. Harriet Klausner