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Published Sep 2011
250 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
Politics, money, love...what could go wrong?
Susan Callisto is pushing thirty and taking stock. Before she traded financial security at a Boston law firm for sandals and jeans in Waltham, she specialized in real estate law. Now she has reinvented herself as a political consultant for ordinary people seeking low-level office. Her income may be dicey, but Susan loves her new life—until her sometime boyfriend, Detective Lieutenant Michael Benedict, dumps her without a goodbye. Not one to mope, Susan uses humor and perpetual motion to push away the pain.
Susan's new world is one where politics can turn deadly and even love may not survive. So when local high roller Charles Renfrow offers her a huge retainer to advise his political campaign, Susan is wary. Why would a scientist stalking the human genome want to be mayor of a small Massachusetts town? Finding the answer takes Susan through a maze of toxic secrets including those floating around Renfrow's biotech company. On her way to confront him, Susan instead finds the body of his beautiful assistant. Assigned to the case, Michael reenters Susan's life.
When Michael's suspicions settle on Roddie Baird, yet another, and favorite, of Susan's clients, Susan elbows her way into the investigation. She hopes to prove Michael wrong. As she probes—and lays her own life on the line—Susan uncovers a crack in everything….
"Starred Review. Gerst gets good mileage out of her political roots, but it’s her finely honed plot that seals the deal. Here’s hoping she runs for another term." - Kirkus
"...The plot unfolds like a set of Russian nesting dolls with each solution hiding yet another surprising development and each testing Callisto's resolve and resilience" - Publishers Weekly
"Gerst does a fine job with plot maneuvers, bringing in an exciting twist at the end. A promising new series." - Library Journal
"Welcome to Angela Gerst, who makes an impressive debut with A Crack in Everything. Her heroine, Susan Callisto, gets more than she bargained for when her client's beautiful young assistant turns up dead, and Callisto follows the trail like a pro, as it leads to the killer - and to a man she once loved." - Lisa Scottoline, author of Save Me
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