KILLING KATE by Julie Kramer

Finished Mo 2/27/12

Part of a series featuring Riley Spartz who is an on-air investigator for Channel 3 News, Minneapolis, MN. A murder of a young waitress in which a chalk angel was traced around the body is linked to a serial killer working in the region. Riley is covering the murder, and soon realizes that the young woman, Kate, is the sister of her old college roommate, Laura. Riley and Laura had a falling out when Laura accused a fellow student of rape, and it was shown that the sex was consensual, and she made the accusation only to protect her reputation. Apparently, she has a history of this behavior, but this is a thread that is not really followed in the novel.

The killer is a local Minneapolis probate lawyer. This man feels that he is under the spell of 'The Black Angel' which is a statue in The Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City, IA. The statue is a bronze angel with the wings pointing down, and was erected at the gravesite of Teresa Dolezal Feldevert, her husband, and son. Many legends have circulated over the years, this sinister monument makes Oakland one of the most haunted sites in Iowa.

The novel is an easy read, and delivers a modest payoff. The interesting part of the novel is that their are some insights as to how a real TV news-network handles the news. The author, Julie Kramer has a background in television news.

My post at GoodReads:

This novel is part of a series featuring Riley Spartz who is an on-air investigator for Channel 3 News, Minneapolis, MN. KILLING KATE examines the murder of a young waitress in which a chalk angel was traced around the body, and this killing is linked to a serial killer working the region. The novel uses the legend surrounding,'The Black Angel', which is a real statue in The Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City, IA. The statue is a bronze angel with the wings pointing down, and was erected at the gravesite of Teresa Dolezal Feldevert, her husband, and son. Many legends have circulated over the years, and this sinister monument makes Oakland one of the most haunted sites in Iowa.

The novel is an easy read, and delivers a modest payoff. The interesting part of the novel is that their are some insights as to how a real TV news-network handles the news. The author, Julie Kramer has a background in television news.