Burned in Baltimore

Toni Credella has a past and she's trying to make a future. Five years ago, she killed her abusive husband to the outrage of his fellow cops, his family, and hers. Determined to move on, Toni buys a dilapidated house in Baltimore, makes friends with the neighbors, and pursues her career as a decorator. Toni's house is burglarized. When she has the chance to showcase her work at this year's Decorator's House, it's vandalized, too, and that's the least of it. A series of misfortunes strike in rapid succession. Toni becomes entangled in the havoc caused by greed, cruelty, and intersecting motives. Is Toni the target of the drive-by shooting? Or is it Cedric, a neighbor boy whose character may not be as good as his intentions? Or perhaps it's Alice Mae, who has terrible memories packed into that little head of hers. Which one of those secrets proves to be lethal? Burned in Baltimore's memorable characters linger in my mind. Willy, an elderly burglar, is proud that he's self-supporting. Cedric sullen prickles mask a firm affection for his aunt and poor Alice Mae. Toni herself is a complex, guilt-ridden character whose tenacity brings her to self-discovery and the mystery's solution in a stomach-twisting climax. Ms. Titchener has a notable gift for tight plotting, pace, character, and human interest. The reader takes a breath to recover from one incident and another, apparently unrelated, crops up in its wake. I've never before followed the trail of a water faucet with quite such intense interest... Jeanette Cottrell, author of At Risk of Being a Fool

Although Toni Credella has been acquitted for killing her husband in self-defense, her family and neighbors have not yet accepted her innocence. Having recently moved to a new neighborhood in the slums of Baltimore, she attempts to put her life back together in a house she fixes up as she can. Her career as a singer was destroyed because of bad publicity, but she manages as an interior decorator with a bit of private detecting on the side.When things go wrong in her neighborhood, she jumps right into the thick of the robberies and murders to solve the case. Finding herself shot at, threatened, and even kidnapped does not keep Toni off the streets. A strong woman, Toni fights her enemies to save the lives of her neighbors and her family.BURNED IN BALTIMORE is a thriller that will keep the reader riveted. Not for the light at heart, the plot is a page-turner with attitude. Louise Titchener has created a tale that brings the neighborhoods of Baltimore to life with a vengeance. Whether the gangs and neighborhood in the inner city are realistically in such a bad shape or not, this author has an awesome tale to tell.The characters in BURNED IN BALTIMORE jump from the pages to stick with the reader. Alice Mae Buntloft, a foster child left in Toni's care for a few days, tears at the heart strings with her story of abuse and neglect. When Toni goes to bat for the child and her other neighbors she puts her whole heart in and leaves the reader in awe of her strength. When Toni promisesto keep Cedric, a teen thug's secret, she manages to keep her mouth shut even in a tough situation that may put her life at risk. Toni inspires strength and gives the neighborhood a force to be reckoned with.Angie Dobson