Blood Lines

Cassidy Collins, a 16-year-old superstar who's one part Miley Cyrus and one part Britney Spears, fears for her life in Casey's enjoyable if uneven second mystery to feature Lt. Sarah Armstrong, one of only two female Texas Rangers (after 2008's Singularity ). When Argus, a creepy cyberstalker, gets way too personal before Cassidy's upcoming Texas concert tour, Sarah investigates, along with her estranged FBI profiler sweetie, David Garrity. Meanwhile, 36-year-old Elizabeth Cox, a Houston oil heiress, appears to have committed suicide. Elizabeth's sister, Faith, becomes convinced someone shot Elizabeth to death after Faith receives “messages” from her dead sister. Back home on the ranch, Sarah's daughter, Maggie, worries about her ill horse, who delivers a fragile foal. While Casey successfully taps into celebrity-obsessed culture as Sarah uncovers Cassidy's tragic roots, the less than compelling murder case dilutes the book's overall impact. (July)