A former reporter gets a new spin on life in this gripping debut from author Jaime Parker Stickle, whose psychological roller-coaster ride set in sunny Los Angeles tackles motherhood and murder.

New mother Corey Tracey-Lieberman wakes up to nightmarish news: two teenage girls found hanged in a nearby park. Even more unsettling is how the news casually casts the tragedy as the result of increasing street crime, as if the victims' lives didn't really matter.

Corey knows better. In the six years she's lived in Highland Park, she's seen gentrification but no uptick in criminal activity. A former broadcast journalist, she knows all about spin-and not just the media kind. She now teaches spin classes in the neighborhood, between caring for her nine-month-old son and battling postpartum anxiety.

When police efforts fall short, Corey launches her own investigation into the hangings, flexing her idle sleuthing skills with baby in tow. And after a third murder strikes too close to home, she knows she's onto something big.

An emotional gut punch tempered by belly laughs, Vicious Cycle is a tour de force certain to thrill all readers.

About the Author
Jaime Parker Stickle is a writer, actor, podcaster, and professor of film and television at Montclair State University. She's also the creator and host of the true crime investigative podcast The Girl with the Same Name, as well as the hilarious podcast about side hustles, Make That Paper. Jaime lives in Los Angeles with her husband, son, and fur babies.

Reviews

"Stickle buttresses her well-executed mystery plot with sharp wit...Readers will be hungry to hear more." -Publishers Weekly

"Jaime Stickle's debut, Vicious Cycle, is a layer cake of enjoyment. Any former reporter can investigate murder, but Stickle's protagonist, Corey Tracey-Lieberman, does it with a baby strapped to her chest while fighting postpartum anxiety. Funny in spots, heartbreaking in spots, Stickle brings the humanity-and lands the plane without nary a bump." -Tracy Clark, award-winning author of the Cass Raines and Detective Harriet Foster series

"Jaime Parker Stickle's debut is both a love letter to the everyday people of Los Angeles and a kick-ass mystery. Corey Tracey-Lieberman is a vibrant, often-delirious, and surprisingly moving investigator who never stops being herself, even in the most hilarious and harrowing circumstances. Vicious Cycle is an absolute delight." -Tod Goldberg, New York Times bestselling author

Book Information
ISBN 9781662531781
Author Jaime Parker Stickle
Format Paperback
Page Count 317
Imprint Thomas & Mercer
Publisher Amazon Publishing
Weight(grams) 340g
Dimensions(mm) 213mm * 140mm * 19mm