LAPD homicide detective Jessie Drake is astonished when her closest high school confidant, who hasn’t been in touch for almost two years, shows up at her door with an alarming tale of being harassed by an unseen stalker. The friend is now "Dr. Renee," a popular radio talk show psychologist who doles out quick-fix no-nonsense advice to troubled callers on everything from lackluster marriages to steamy illicit affairs. Now Renee is desperately frightened and convinced that Jessie can help her.

Skeptical, and with little to go on, Jessie agrees to investigate— just as a favor. But her interest quickly turns professional when Renee’s six-year-old daughter Molly is kidnapped and the child’s nanny murdered. Renee and her estranged husband Barry, already in a fierce battle over custody, trade angry charges of blame and suspicion while Jessie tracks a bizarre series of events that began a few weeks earlier when a battered wife phoned Dr. Renee for help. Now the woman’s crazed husband blames the radio therapist for handing out advice that his ruined his marriage, and—on the air for all to hear—he threatens revenge.

With a child as a pawn, a killer holds all the cards—and he’s chosen Jessie to be the LAPD’s top player. As the hours tick by, he uses the radio talk show to up the ante, sending shock waves of fear and disbelief throughout the city. And under the hot glare of media scrutiny, Jessie works feverishly against the clock to beat him at his own game—because she knows that a man who has killed and has nothing to lose will stop at nothing to satisfy his need for vengeance.

 

Reviews for Dead Air

Booklist
"In her fourth mystery featuring Los Angeles Police Department detective Jessie Drake, Krich deals with the complex issues of domestic violence, family dysfunction, and the search for spirituality in a world full of distractions.... With a well-crafted plot that calls attention to important social issues, this fast-moving story will appeal to a variety of readers."

Livonia Observer & Eccentric
"The riveting story could bring Krich even more prizes. It could also bring her recognition outside the mystery fiction genre. Any reader who is looking for a well-told, fast-moving tale, built around vivid characters involved in issues that are both contemporary and timeless will find this book a treasure."

Radio Business Report
"A page turner that keeps the reader interested in the central plot's twists and turns...a suspenseful and worthwhile read."

Crescent Blues
"Krich hits her stride with this novel.... Watch for more fine writing from this 'Queen of Mystery' contender and savor this psychologically suspenseful police procedural."

About.com
"Krich tackles not one, not two but almost a dozen touch subjects...which I won't give away so you can enjoy the twists and turns of this investigation as much as I did."

Publishers Weekly
"Krich delivers some real suspense."

RT Book Club
"DEAD AIR is a masterwork of suspense. Krich keeps the pot boiling and readers will hold their breaths until the outcome of the story. There are also several involving subplots that will keep you on the edge of your seat."

The Painted Rock
"Jessica Drake is a superb law enforcement official, but her personal life remains in shambles though she seeks contentment. She has mixed and confusing feelings about her ex-husband. She slowly is coming to terms with her Jewish heritage. Finally, Jessica struggles with an inner conflict involving her abusive mother and her "see no evil" father who ignored it. Because Jessica seems so real, the entertaining mystery appears even more genuine. An excellent story line is made even stronger by Rochelle Krich's talent for characterization."

Jekyll's Golden Islander
"If you like meat with your potatoes, krich is the writer for you. She tackles complicated social issues and serves it up with a cracking good mystery. Krich is one of the best."

Amazon.com, editorial reviewer Michael Hudson
"[Jessie] Drake knits up some awfully deft police work for a neatly finished cuff of a close. Krich has created a series with legs, and as Jessie Drake's character grows, so will the ranks of her fans."

Mystery Lovers News
"A compelling tale of abuse, kidnapping and stalking....Tune in to this top notch thriller and leave the light on."

Cleveland Plain Dealer
"A real nail-biter...thoroughly engaging"

Houston Chronicle
"This is a story the reader watches unfold, evolve, spin in and out of control and eventually come to a resolution... There's a sense in this, as in Krich's earlier works, that the author sees a bigger picture and uses her craft to select and showcase the best way to illustrate her observations about society."

Charlotte Austin Review
"Dead Air is a cerebral mystery, high on content, with enough action thrown in to keep up the pace....Important questions are answered in the end, but more are raised, leaving the door open for yet another welcome sequel."

Baltimore Jewish Times
"Nail-biting...a well-crafted story with many unexpected plot turns."