Fantasy and reality clash when the members of an online group meet in person. Behind the sparkling online personas lie hidden truths and deadly secrets.
"You can't tell him." Sarah's pretty face hardens, the dimples fading like a whimsical daydream. Her fingers claw Marisa's arm. Marisa glares back, defiance coursing through her. "I won't let you deceive my friend. You're pretending to be someone you're not." Her eyes take in Sarah's carefully concealed curves beneath the oversized sweatshirt and boxy jeans. "You're a stripper with a dangerous boyfriend, not a high school teacher searching for love." But when Sarah is found dead in the middle of her exotic performance, stabbed by an audacious killer, Marisa is thrust into a nightmare. She and her distraught friend become prime suspects in a case that grows more tangled by the hour. Determined to clear her name, Marisa teams up with an unlikely group of allies. Parvis, an attractive investigative reporter hungry for a shocking headline, sparks both irritation and intrigue in Marisa with his relentless pursuit of the story-and his flirtatious wit that leaves her questioning his true intentions. Alex, the steadfast and handsome accountant with a hidden agenda of his own, steps in to help Marisa piece together the clues, his steady presence making her heart race and her thoughts blur. The simmering tension between them is as complex as the mystery itself. Their quest for the truth draws them into shadowy corners and dangerous secrets, forcing Marisa to confront her own reckless past. Once a buttoned-up administrator by day and a thrill-seeker by night, she now revisits those forbidden places, seeking answers that could save her life. Clara, a retired lunch lady fearless to the point of recklessness, lends her unique "slay-dar"-an uncanny ability to sniff out trouble-to their efforts. And Laithe, Marisa's part-Abyssinian cat with a knack for getting into mischief, uses his sharp instincts to paw through clues. As the investigation deepens, secrets surface, exposing explosive, decades-old betrayals and a vigilante-style killing that someone will do anything to keep buried. Marisa must navigate a web of lies, romantic entanglements, and deadly threats. Can she uncover the killer before the murderer strikes again-or before her fragile heart succumbs to one of the two men fighting for her trust?
The twisted trail to justice leads Marisa and her friends to a shocking showdown. Can she solve the mystery before her online account is deleted . . . permanently?
The Takes a Dare Series:
#1 Murder Takes a Dare
#2 Mayhem Takes a Dare
#3 Arson Takes a Dare