Sweet Mary by Liz Balmaseda

First, let me say that I love reading both fiction and non-fiction written by newspaper people. They know how to say with needs to be said, without wasting words or my time. Balmaseda has won a Pulitzer, twice, for her reporting. This is a tremendous first novel. A woman is falsely accused of being a cocaine-queen. She's a successful realtor, but everyone is willing to believe the worst. She takes it upon herself, because no one else will, to find the real criminal. The story is a gripping, heartrending one, with a noir soul and plenty of surprising twists. You'll have a hard time putting it down and you'll love it.