When I picked up this book I did not realize that it was a part of a series. This one picks up with the main character, Ali Reynolds, completing her final week(s) of training at the Police Academy. If I had read the other books in the series it might have provided me with some insight into Ali’s character but I found that it was not necessary to the overall plot of the story. As Ali completes her training at the Police Academy she’s contacted by a colleague, Brenda Riley, who knew Ali from her old news broadcasting days. Brenda whose life is definitely on a downward alcoholic spiral wants help finding her fiancé, Richard, who has broken off all communication with Brenda. The trick is, Brenda has never met her fiancé “in real life” they “fell in love” over the internet. We quickly find out that “Richard” has left a string of broken hearts on the internet and when he winds up dead and Brenda is missing she quickly becomes the police’s prime suspect. As Ali searches for the truth and her missing friend the reader is brought into a deeper plot that involves a drug cartel and government secrets. I enjoyed the book, it was a good vacation story. However, in the past when I have accidently started a series in the middle I’ve often wanted to go back and read the prior books to get a better understanding of the character development. That was not the case with this book.