"Power" by Debra Webb

“Power” by Debra Webb is the third book in the series, “The Faces of Evil”.  It covers a week in the life of Deputy Chief Jess Harris.  It is not as fast paced as the first two installments, but still Jess solves two very different cases.  One was an unexpected murder that took place in a high class dance class.  The co-owner and dance teacher is killed in the first few pages.  As the victim lay dying, the killer whispered a cryptic message in her ear.  “Dead ballerinas don’t get to dance”.  Jess has too many suspects and too little time to solve this mystery.

In the meanwhile, a young man disappears from his grandparents’ loving home.  This baffling case leads to the demolition of Jess’ hotel room.  There, another message is scrawled on the wall with spray paint, like graffiti; “THE RAGE HAS STARTED”.  This is the beginning of a street gang war, in which a brother and sister fight for the lead position of the most powerful gang in the area.

“Power” was not my favorite of the series so far, but it was still well-written with Ms. Webb’s style of tension and suspense.  I enjoy this series’ characters, especially Jess and Burnett, whose history together adds another layer to the mystery.  The next book in the series is “Rage”, which I am excited to read.