NO HOME FOR KILLERS

Think your family is dysfunctional? Welcome to the big time.

The Peña siblings have never exactly been close, but the rifts between them have widened to gulfs since their mother’s funeral two years ago, the last time either former social worker Melinda or nonprofit marketer Emily spoke to their brother, Markus, a well-known performer of protest songs. None of them has anything to do with their widowed father, Frank, and when they’re not cocooned in their own individual problems, from Melinda’s continued pursuit by David Martin, her former boss and one-night stand—a secret she struggles to keep from her partner, patent attorney Rick Walker—to Markus’ well-documented record of abusive behavior, they’re actively working at odds with each other. Everything changes, or at least intensifies, when sex worker Dani turns up at Melinda’s place to tell her that Markus is dead. Melinda rouses herself from the guilt in which she’s been wallowing, determined to track down the killer. Emily, who, operating as the masked avenger Three Strikes, has already kidnapped wife beater Jon Winters and taught him a lesson, follows a more activist path, turning to Markus’ ex-girlfriend, Jon’s cousin Rebecca, as her next victim. But she can’t help suspecting the real culprit she should be targeting is Rebecca’s uncle, the powerful and unscrupulous developer Victor Winters, whose real estate deals have already been linked to drugs and sex trafficking. A miasmal air hangs over the proceedings, but one thing is for sure: This can’t end well.

The perfect gift for friends worried about spending the holidays with their relatives. Things could be worse.