Deadly Harvest

Freelance writer Rachel Crowne, who has earned the moniker Pit Bull because of her relentless interview technique, has decided to investigate the murder of Dilly Friedman despite the strong objection of friends. Dilly taught school near one of the most dangerous housing projects in Baltimore, but the suspects start to look like someone from her distant past. One likely place to start is ""the six,"" a circle to which Dilly once belonged and who have good reason to hide an unsavory secret from their collective past. A 10-year-old black girl and a neighbor cop are Rachel's sidekicks, but unfortunately, they are the only highlights in a formulaic and humorless vehicle for another feisty-female pretender to the Kinsey Milhone throne. (Sept.)