The Galena High School class of ’09 is having their 10-year reunion at a lakeside lodge near their hometown, where one of their own is the chief of police. For such a small community, Galena has turned out some remarkable young people. Like her father before her, Krista Larson went into the family business --- police work --- and bears the honor of being the youngest female chief in the nation. So not just Krista, but all of Galena, can be proud of that achievement. But at least one other girl from the ’09 class has made a big name for herself, a girl who once stole Krista’s boyfriend. And it wasn’t only Krista’s either; it seems she made a habit of stealing boyfriends.

"Max Allan Collins writes a killer thriller. His style is old fashioned, but his stories aren’t. As a writer, he lets nothing get out of his control.... GIRL MOST LIKELY is most likely to rake in lots of new fans for Collins."

Krista ultimately won the guy, but did she win his heart? Now that she has him, does she really want him? Maybe not. In fact, she’s decided to end it. Her timing may not have been the best, though. With the reunion tonight, facing her classmates dateless doesn’t sound so cool. Still, it should be a fun evening out at the lodge. Well, it might have been, except that one of the alumni ended up dead. Savagely murdered. So instead of partying like just another one of her classmates, Krista must put on her chief’s hat and begin the arduous task of flushing out the killer. To help her with this, she enlists retired detective Keith Larson --- her father --- as a pro bono consultant. With a department as small as Galena’s, she needs all the expertise she can muster, while still trying to avoid calling in the state authorities.

Looking at the MO on this crime, it quickly becomes clear that another graduate of their class was probably a victim of the same killer. How are the two connected? Well, Krista didn’t become chief of police because she’s pretty, even though she is. But Krista, a true professional, knows how to work a case. Although homicide has never landed in her jurisdiction before, she expertly directs her troops and runs a tight investigation. The Galena police forge ahead, interviewing everyone who attended the reunion. Krista chooses her “favorites” to interrogate --- those she deems more suspicious than the others.

As law enforcement, Krista doesn’t cut anyone slack, which naturally rankles many people, including her best friend and her ex. Sorry, but she can’t help that. They have a murder --- actually, two murders --- on their hands. It’s crucial that they nab the killer before he strikes again, because, while the cops don’t know who he is, they do know he’s destabilizing. The whole scenario just seems unbelievable. Could it really be one of their classmates? It certainly looks like it, and tempers have begun to flare.

Author Max Allan Collins writes a killer thriller. His style is old fashioned, but his stories aren’t. As a writer, he lets nothing get out of his control. He keeps his thumb on pacing, characters, plot, twists and --- cliffhangers. You will never go wrong falling headlong into a book by him. GIRL MOST LIKELY is most likely to rake in lots of new fans for Collins. He’s definitely at the top of his game here.