Knights of the Almighty - Paperback

Veronica "Ronnie" Noble is L.A.'s finest detective. She's made a name for herself because she solves cases like a machine. Her latest case is big. High profile. The people in the city are scared, and there are very important people in the city who hate when the city is scared. This is the biggest case of her life. It feels familiar, like an old case, the only one she never solved, a serial killer who carved his victims up after he tortured and killed them. This one is like that, but it's so much more involved.

Ronnie works alone. She doesn't do partners. It's a long story. She's been through some stuff. It's not a secret. Everybody knows, especially her boss, Captain French. That's why it cuts so deep when she finds out he's pairing her up with a brand new, fresh-faced detective who's never worked a homicide case in his life.

Rudy "Cha-Cha" Ramirez just made detective and landed his dream job at the same time. He'll be partnering with the best homicide detective in Los Angeles. Veronica Noble is a legend, and her current case is the biggest homicide investigation in over a decade. He's finally hit the big time. It's too bad he probably won't be able to shake the nickname his new co-workers gave him as soon as he walked in the door. One of those crackerjack detectives found a video of him dancing at a club when he was in the academy. It turns out Rudy's got some moves. Cha-Cha is probably going to stick.

After the third grisly murder scene fitting the M.O. of this case, it becomes more and more apparent that it can't be the work of one person. Multiple victims. Bodies are carved up and staged. High profile, high visibility locations. It just seems like too much work for one person to handle on their own. It starts to smell less like they're hunting a serial killer and more like they're tracking down terrorists. The victims being targeted only add to it. They all come from underserved communities. And don't forget about the bible passages painted on the walls in blood. Somebody is trying to send a message.