October 5, 2020
During a trial in Delaware’s Trident County Superior Court, court stenographer Victoria Justice, the narrator of Johnson’s fast-paced debut and series launch, recognizes the defendant, Langley Mulligan, who’s charged with felony drug possession, only when Langley laughs. Ten years earlier, Langley, then the head cheerleader at their high school, laughed as she pushed Victoria into the school pool. Since Victoria was wearing a heavy mascot costume, EMTs had to save her from drowning. Langley escaped responsibility because no one witnessed the incident and the other cheerleaders gave her a false alibi. When evidence tampering leads to the dismissal of the current charges in the middle of the trial against Langley, Victoria is outraged. Soon afterward, a court officer involved in the trial, who’s Victoria’s mentor, is murdered. When the police fail to delve effectively into the crime, Victoria is driven to find the culprit. Victoria’s transcript of the trial, she comes to realize, just may hold the clue to the killer’s identity. Readers will cheer the plucky Victoria every step of the way to the shocking ending. Hopefully, she’ll be back soon for another adventure. Agent: Dawn Dowdle, Blue Ridge Literary.