Public Enemy #1

by Kiki Swinson

Overview

National bestselling author Kiki Swinson amps up the action and suspense with unpredictable characters, breakneck twists, and a gut-punch portrait of Southern surviving—and dying. Now the odds are straight-up killer when a private eye gets in way over her head...

Too much to prove...
A former journalist with a knack for unraveling dirty secrets, Khloé Mercer figures if she's going to risk her life, she might as well make big money as a private investigator. But this reckless newbie needs a major case to make her name—and really show she can handle Norfolk, Virginia's toughest streets...

Too much to hide...
When a narcotics detective's widow needs someone to investigate her disgraced husband's so-called suicide, Khloé jumps at the lucrative fee—and the clues that the Norfolk Police Department is rotten from top to bottom. And with formidable backup from her ex-felon uncle, she turns the city upside-down to uncover the truth...

Too late to run...
But Khloé's cage-rattling tactics and high-wire strategies threaten both the cops and the city's brutal underworld alike. Now, with her life in the crosshairs and no one she can trust, she'll find that building a reputation comes with a price she may not survive to pay...

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781496729774
Publisher:	Kensington
Publication date:	11/29/2022
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	1,010,384
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Kiki Swinson is a nationally bestselling author whose novels, inspired by her experiences and a five-year stint in federal prison, have sold over 3.4 million copies.Swinson’s works feature resilient women making tough—and sometimes not quite legal—decisions to survive. She completed her first novel while incarcerated and her second novel, Wifey, went on to become a #1 Essence® bestseller and the first installment in one of today’s most popular urban series. A native of Portsmouth, Virginia—and a former hustler’s wife—Swinson resides in Bel Air, Maryland. Visit her on instagram at @AllThingsKikiSwinson.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for KiKi Swinson
 
“Pitch-perfect dialogue, juicy sexual trysts, cold-blooded betrayal, and ruthless violence mark this suspenseful fast-moving tale that is topped off by a shocking epilogue.”
—Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW on The Score
 
“Swinson delivers another strong, fully dimensional lead character in Misty, who begins as an ordinary career woman and ends up in even deeper trouble with each wrong choice.”
—Booklist on The Black Market
 
“National bestselling author Swinson is back, with a new novel packed with suspense, intrigue, and brutally memorable characters, all portrayed through the lens of gritty Southern life. You’ll keep flipping pages to see how the story’s heroine faces a succession of harrowing adventures as she fights desperately to keep herself, and those she loves, alive.”
—The Grio on The Safe House
 
“Edgy street fiction with an extra dose of suspense…For MadameNoire loyalists with an addiction to street stories, Kiki Swinson’s latest book is a strong follow-up to her much talked about novel, The Score. Kiki Swinson has raised the bar with The Mark, not only because of the cat and mouse theme that sits between the pages but also because of the ocean-deep suspense that runs all through it.”
—MadameNoire
 
“From one of the most prolific and respected voices in urban fiction…You’ll tear through this vivid and pulse-pounding journey of a young woman on the run, who will do whatever she can to save her life—and protect those she loves.”
—CrimeReads on The Safe House
 
“Breathless suspense explodes on practically every page, highlighted by scenes of violence and merciless, execution-style murders. Lauren comes off as something of Superwoman who performs feats of strength two days after giving birth, but that just adds to the page-turning appeal. Swinson’s name will generate strong interest.”
—Library Journal on The Mark

From the Publisher

2021-03-03
A newly minted Virginia private eye gets her uncle’s help to investigate dirty cops in a case that rapidly goes off the rails.

Soon after leaving her TV reporting job to become a full-time private investigator in Norfolk, Khloé Mercer meets client Frances Larson at a Starbucks to hear what she wants. Frances is a Rihanna look-alike, apart from her obvious pregnancy, and her self-confidence raises Khloé’s hackles almost immediately. Her new client offers to pay Khloé $40,000 to find out what happened to her husband, Gavin, a narcotics detective who supposedly died by his own hand. Frances is certain that some dirty cops in the department did him in. Khloé’s not so sure. She’s sure about the dirty cops, though, because she runs into some as soon as she digs into the case. Since things seem dangerous, Khloé wants to make sure someone has her back, so she subcontracts with her uncle Eddie to help keep her safe. As a longtime member of the notorious gang Ace of Spades, Eddie has off-the-books connections Khloé doesn’t even want to know about. The investigation quickly heads south. Frances’ frequent calls to check on Khloé’s progress suggest that something’s just off, and Uncle Eddie gets sidetracked by shady dealings of his own. By the time Khloé starts to figure out what’s really going on, Uncle Eddie’s gone so off course that she’s got more to solve than just the mystery she started with.

The novice investigator faces heat from both her case and the street in this fast-paced read.

Kirkus Reviews