On the Ladder of Humanity (A Jolene Hartley Novel)

A people's politician. A housewife. An ex-gangbanger on the righteous path. And they've all been killed. When Benjamin Ochoa is murdered at an overpass bus stop above Chicago's Dan Ryan Expressway, homicide detective Jolene Hartley finds herself trudging through two past cold cases, revealing more about them than her current investigation. The perplexing circumstances lead Hartley into the deaths of each victim as she tries to find a common thread between each and thus shine some much needed light on her jumbled investigation. Hartley, a stunningly beautiful, extremely focused officer, wades into Chicago on a hunt for a murderer that has resurfaced after five long years. An old fling and a jealous partner lend a hand throughout the investigation, churning up clues and tensions as Hartley tries to focus on her goal: Find her common thread before her killer does.