Fatal Gift - Hardcover

Suppose you witnessed a crime, but had good reason to believe that if you called the police and told them what you saw your life would be in serious danger of ending very soon after? That's what happens to Kasey Riteman, the completely believable central character in this well-developed first thriller by a commercial photographer with a keen eye for character and detail. Kasey has lots of problems of her own, so when she stumbles on a murder her first impulse is to hide and hope the killer didn't spot her. Then her sense of justice takes over, tempered by justified fear. And when Kasey comes up with what seems like the perfect way to tip off the police without risking her neck, things go from bad to deadly very quickly. An impressive debut from a writer with a natural voice.

you were the secret witness to a sadistic killing, that only the victim was aware of your hidden presence at the scene, and that you were too paralyzed with fear to answer her silent pleas for help. This is Kasey Riteman's dilemma.

Kasey had quit her job to escape the sexual advances of her hateful boss. Hoping to vent her anger, she drove aimlessly into the nighttime countryside, admonishing herself to begin to make adult choices about her life. Going from bad to worse, her old Honda quits running, and she's stranded on an deserted rural road. Seeking help, she stumbles upon the grisly murder, becoming an accidental witness.

Paralyzed by fear, unable to help the woman, she cannot even figure out how to tell the police: realizing that if she goes to the authorities with her murderous tale, she will surely sign her own death warrant. Slowly the perfect solution presents itself, an ingenious scheme so perfect it promises to solve the case and offer Kasey complete protection.