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The murder of a New Orleans journalist sets off a battle between a reporter determined to tell her story and a shadowy opponent equally determined to keep the truth under wraps.

When Times-Picayune writer Nola Céspedes (Hell or High Water, 2012) goes on her morning run, the last thing she expects to find is the body of her former journalism teacher, professor Judith Taffner. Though Nola was no fan of Judith back at Tulane, she’s soon chasing the story of Judith’s life, not only because it’s her job, but also due to her intense personal desire to help solve the crime. When Nola meets Judith’s husband, Luke Jourdan, and young daughter, Chloe, she starts to wonder if Judith had changed from the hardened woman Nola knew. But she questions her reassessment when she reads the files Judith saved on her work computer. It seems that Judith had a few stories in the works guaranteed to make her a target of people in high places. Soon, Nola has more leads than she has time for. Her overwhelming list of to-do’s is extended even further when Marisol, Nola’s designated “little sister” from the national program, decides to skip out on her parents and bunk with Nola. But all this activity has a silver lining: It keeps Nola from having to respond to her pseudo-boyfriend Bento’s repeated requests for greater intimacy.

The highlight here is in Nola’s personal relationships, which show her to be funny, flawed and formidable.