Ten years ago, as a college scholarship whiz-kid, Eva Rayburn
and three older sorority sisters called the Rising Stars toasted
the end of the school year. While the others were gone buying more
alcohol, tragedy struck. Eva was raped, branded with a star and
left to die in a blazing fire. She survived, but Josiah Cross, her
brutal attacker, did not.

Determined to keep the memory of his son unblemished, wealthy
and powerful Darius Cross twisted the facts to make Josiah out to
be the victim. Cross and his minions painted Eva as the cause of
Josiah’s death in “The Sorority House Murder.”
Except for an older sister, Angie, Eva has no living family.
Refusing all help and any contact from Angie, Eva was found guilty
and sent to prison for 10 years for manslaughter.

After serving her sentence, and with nowhere else to go, Eva,
now 27 years old, returns to her Alexandria, Virginia, home. Darius
Cross is dead. Wanting to make a clean break from her past, Eva
avoids contact with her lawyer-sister and everyone else she once
knew. She works as a bartender/waitress, a part-time process
server, and a night-time attendant at a homeless shelter to save
money for college. One evening, when Eva is running late for her
job at the shelter, a fire breaks out. The charred remains of a
victim branded with a star are recovered, and Eva is forced to
relive her painful past.

Detective Deacon Garrison is an Alexandria City homicide
detective assigned to the arson and murder case. The victim is
identified as one of Eva’s sorority sisters, who had
testified against her at the trial. When the mutilated body of a
second sorority sister, who also testified against her, is found,
the detective turns his attention to Eva. The police aren’t
the only ones interested in Eva and “The Sorority House
Murder.” Crime reporter Connor Donovan made a name for
himself during the original case. He will do whatever it takes to
get a byline, no matter what’s true or who gets hurt in the
process. And a twisted killer is on the loose.

SENSELESS has strong and compelling characters, along with the
right mixture of mystery, romance and suspense. The romantic scenes
are touching but not too graphic, and the crime scenes are vivid
but not cringe-worthy or overly grisly. It kept me turning the
pages late into the night, guessing until the end and wanting to
read more. Fortunately, the wait turned out to be merely a matter
of weeks, because the follow-up, MERCILESS, is already in
stores.