Jillian Hillcrest, PR Executive at a small Silicon Valley biotechnology company, encounters murder and helps track down and identify the killer.
Jillian Hillcrest, the head of corporate communications at Harmonia Therapeutics, is eagerly staying “on message” to inform investors and the media about the company’s latest drug candidate for the difficult-to-diagnose and treat autoimmune disease, lupus. She is pleased with the results of an announcement in Geneva of encouraging Phase 2 data, and returns to the U.S. ready to continue to publicize her company and its products.
However, her enthusiasm is overshadowed by several events, including some mysterious suspicious clinical data, her boss’s affair with the CEO, and an inquisitive Wall Street Journal reporter. However, the most intrusive interruption in her routine is murder, which disrupts her routine of writing press releases, speaking at conferences, and arranging interviews. She encounters a determined San Francisco police inspector who is convinced she is the key to the murders.
With the help of her ex-husband-whose attentiveness to her suggests he wants to amend the “ex” - and a retired middle-aged intrusive motherly neighbor, Jillian connects disparate pieces of the puzzle to help solve the crimes. This mystery was inspired by a current case of a murder that occurred in La Jolla, CA.