The fast talking, incredibly smart heroine that many of us have come to enjoy over the years is back in another baffling mystery.  This time out; the crime hits very close to home.

Munch has left her past behind, but a woman's battered body is discovered and detectives turn up on Munch's doorstep.  Munch's picture is in the victim's criminal file, and she must go back to her past as a biker/bad girl and explain how she used her friend to get off on a DUI.  However, though she may be cleared of any wrong doing in the murder, Munch is determined to help find out what happened to her former friend.

Munch's past offers her insight into the victim and the victim's brutal beau, Thor, a man who may be responsible for a trio of murders years ago.  As Munch tries to balance her burgeoning relationship, her family life, and her job, she also faces her past and those who are determined to settle a few scores.

If you have never read a Munch Mancini mystery, you are in for a rather pleasant treat.  Munch is not your typical heroine.  She's a former biker chick whose spent years cleaning up her act, and now is a responsible mom and citizen.  I thoroughly enjoy her tough, yet emotional, persona.  The author's colorful past as a runaway who spent time living in a hippie commune and riding with biker gangs helps bring Munch to life in a very realistic way.

You needn't worry if you've missed the first books in this series, they all work well as stand-alone novels.  However, once you've had a taste of a Munch Mancini book, you'll be scouring your bookstore for more!