Run-of-the-mill case leads to unexpected danger in "Dead Heat"

In "Dead Heat" by Jacey Ford ($7.99, Berkley Sensation Book), private investigator Daphne Donovan is drowning in a sea of guilt.

A former FBI agent, Daphne feels she could have prevented the Sept. 11 hijackings, or at least one of them, if she had just convinced her superiors to go after the terrorist she was tracking back in September, 2001. She was unable to do that and that terrorist turned out to be one of the hijackers.

Feeling responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Americans and frustrated by the restrictions the FBI placed on her, Daphne quits. She's now a private investigator and her new case is working for bank president Keith Melman.

Melman, 42 and divorced from a cheating wife, is dating 24-year-old Nicole Solem. Keith has noticed a change in Nicole's behavior and burned once by his ex, he hires Daphne to find out if Nicole is stepping out on him.

Daphne's new case doesn't lead to a cheating girlfriend, but it does lead her to a red-hot affair with an ex-Navy SEAL and a plot for revenge that includes the murder of Daphne's client.

Figuring out why Keith was murdered and who did the deed is of the utmost importance, because if Daphne fails to find the answers, then the deaths that follow would make the events of Sept. 11, 2001, seem like a walk in the park.

If you like pulse-pounding suspense, "Dead Heat" should be your next pick at the bookstore.