The first in a series of political thrillers, ONE MURDER MORE is author Kris Calvin’s debut mystery. It features Maren Kane, a lobbyist working for Ecobabe, a toy company based in Sacramento. The latest legislative bill Maren is working on revolves around keeping people, especially children, safe when riding in cars by banning the use of cell phones, hands free or not. There’s a lot of hot controversy on both sides, so Maren has an uphill battle. One morning, on her way to a meeting, fighting a thick fog that can often curse California’s central valley, she witnesses an accident and becomes an unwitting heroine. While able to save a child from the submerged car, she couldn’t free the driver, leaving her with a bittersweet feeling.

Still reeling from the trauma surrounding the morning incident, she ends the day by finding the bloody body of a woman she often worked with in the state capitol building. Worse, and to her utter surprise, she learns that her friend and colleague Sean has been arrested for the murder. She is sure that things have hit bottom at that point, but then someone tries to kill Maren herself. Just what the heck is going on?

"Kris Calvin has spent time in politics, so she’s writing with inside knowledge, and it shows. It is clear that she knows her way around the halls of the capitol.... With Calvin’s imagination, she will certainly go far in her writing career."

Fortunately, Maren has neighbor and co-worker Polly to rely on. Maren’s house is now a crime scene, and she has trouble getting around with her injuries. She doesn’t want to put anyone else in peril, but Polly, a truly unique woman, can take care of herself. In fact, Maren tends to keep company with unique and strong people, notably of the female type. Not being a detective by profession, she needs a clever entourage.

The action in this book is relentless and nonstop. A true mover and shaker, Maren races around the capitol city in pursuit of leads, many turning out to be dead ends, but she has a dogged determination when it comes to friendship. Besides, she truly believes in Sean’s innocence. The police just don’t seem to interpret her theories in the same fashion she does. She keeps finding something remarkable, then telling Sean’s attorney, but gets shot down time after time.

So when Maren can’t find the answers she needs in Sacramento, she broadens her search to the outlying areas, stretching north up toward the Oregon border, but danger follows her everywhere. As a lobbyist, Maren has a pretty good understanding of how things work in politics, but what she uncovers has her further doubting herself. Would people really go so far as to kill, and kill multiple times, for reasons as seemingly shallow as what she believes is behind the motive?

Kris Calvin has spent time in politics, so she’s writing with inside knowledge, and it shows. It is clear that she knows her way around the halls of the capitol. While her technique sometimes comes across as a bit immature, such as overdoing descriptions and idioms, the story carries through the dips in stellar writing quality. With Calvin’s imagination, she will certainly go far in her writing career.