Ali Reynolds, a former TV anchorwoman, is deep into a grueling six-week training course at the Arizona Police Academy when she is contacted by a colleague from her broadcasting days. Brenda Riley needs help, and the tale she tells is an old story. A former anchor herself, Brenda got booted off the air about the same time as Ali, but unlike Ali, the once pretty, perfectly put-together blonde has fallen on hard times. The only thing that held her together was her engagement to Richard Lattimer, a guy she met on the Internet. But now he’s dumped her and disappeared. Would Ali check him out for her?

With the help of her significant other, B. Simpson, Ali learns that everything Lattimer told Brenda was a lie. Lattimer is actually Richard Lowensdale, a cyber-sociopath who has left a trail of broken hearts in his virtual wake…and Brenda was just one of his victims.

With Fatal Error, we see why J.A. Jance is known for delivering “a devilish page-turner” (People), as the plot takes an unexpected twist. When Lattimer turns up murdered and Brenda goes missing, Ali discovers that Brenda has unwittingly crossed paths with a cold-blooded killer—and if Ali’s not careful, she may make the same mistake.