The Serpent Club

the long version

"Her name is Megan Wright. Pretty. Thirteen. Nice house. Private school. When she is raped and murdered, it's a story, and Ted Lowe is the one to report it."--BOOK JACKET. "As Ted smoothly uncovers the facts surrounding Megan's death, he finds that the glittery facade of her perfect life was just that - a thin sheen easily wiped away with the answers to a few well-placed questions. Megan was secretive. She stayed out late. Her parents were divorced. And she was seeing a boy."--BOOK JACKET. "The suspects slowly accumulate: the cold-as-ice mother; the surfer-deadbeat father, the friends, the boyfriend who happens to be the son of one of the richest men in California. It could be any one of them. For any reason."--BOOK JACKET. "Suddenly, Ted's questions stop being answered. Phones slam down, doors slam shut. And he realizes that while he has managed to gather more facts and leads than even the police, there are some people who do not want this case solved. And if the life of a thirteen-year-old girl was worth taking, so is the life of a reporter who's seen too much."--BOOK JACKET.