A disabled ex-Army officer turned world-class cryptographer...a beautiful FBI agent...and a ruthless murderer on the loose in Atlanta. A heartless killer ambushes and guns down ex-mobster Jay Mancini. Days later, the killer disposes of Mancini's live-in girlfriend in cold blood. Desperate to identify the culprit, Jay's niece Chelsea convinces work colleague and amateur detective Alton Blackwell to help investigate the seemingly run-of-the-mill professional mob hits. Alton and his girlfriend, FBI Agent Mallory Wilson, race to sequester Chelsea away from wrathful mob gangsters intent on silencing anyone with knowledge of "family activities." But the investigation spirals out of control as a series of new events with no apparent mob connection serves to confound their efforts to identify the assassin. As Alton and Mallory struggle to make sense of scant evidence, unseen danger marches inexorably closer to them and Chelsea, who seems to lie in the vortex of the mayhem. Will Alton and Mallory unravel the mystery in time to avoid becoming the killer's next victims? And will their growing relationship survive the presence of the beautiful Chelsea Mancini? Combining edge-of-your-seat psychological thrills with a side of romance, RUTHLESS keeps readers guessing until the final clue is revealed.