Leslie Bendaly

Once Guilty Leslie Bendaly

After having spent three years in prison for the murder of her stepsistera murder she did not commitChristine Roberts has been released on a technicality. The joy she had anticipated is quickly replaced by panic when she is pummeled by the facts of her new reality. During her trial, the media dubbed her the Society Murderess, a name she had nearly forgotten but quickly remembers when she is hounded by the press and ignored by her country club friends. The only way to get her life back is to find the real murderer, but Christine knows she wont be able to do that on her own. With no one to turn to she calls on someone she barely knows. Craig Saunders was the only reporter who had treated her with kindness. His career in need of a boost, Craig agrees to help, already envisioning the headline when they find the real murderer. Their shared attraction is an added bonus. Lacking information, Christine must also enlist the help of the person she most fears: Detective Mark Kellogg, maybe a crooked cop but definitely the guy who arrested her. As their investigation progresses, so does Craig and Christines relationship, but each is suspicious of the others motives. Personal issues become moot when the pairs investigation leads to another murder, and there is no doubt that their lives are at risk.