The Scalp Collector

Detective Sammy Stone stared at the blood soaked corpse tied to the La-Z-Boy recliner. The body was that of twenty one year old Marci Levelle. Like Barbara Tony in Lake County last month and Abigail May in DuPage County the month before, Marci has been scalped and gutted. Sammy's sixth sense tells him that this sadistic killer, aptly named the Scalp Collector by the press, hasn't finished his murderous rampage yet. It's just a matter of time before he takes the life of another innocent girl. Determined to put an end to the senseless slaughter as quickly as possible, Sammy relentlessly follows the bizarre pattern of clues that begin to emerge in the aftermath of the crime. It isn't long before he realizes that the prime suspect in his murder investigation is an intimate acquaintance of his. Will Sammy act on his suspicions in time to save the next victim, and himself?

I grew up in Bucktown, a bustling community on the northwest side of Chicago. From an early age, I was attracted to the dark side of human nature, fascinated by what motivated good people to behave in bad ways. I finally decided it was time to write about it. My stories are varied in genre, from romance to crime thrillers, but all offer a glimpse into both the grace and brutality of life, with the themes of forgiveness and redemption being at the heart of each story. When I'm not writing, I enjoy spending time curled up on the sofa with my two rescue cats, Zilly and H.K. and my rescue dog Sammy.