Steve McManus

Two reporters uncover ties between a wealthy Los Angeles neighborhood and three missing teenagers in my 84,000-word commercial mystery BLOOD CORRIDOR. A standalone with series potential, BLOOD CORRIDOR is told in dual POV and will appeal to fans of propulsive and compelling character-driven stories like AS THE WICKED WATCH by Tamron Hall and NOTORIOUS by Allison Brennan.

Up-and-coming journalist Kenya McGowan is thrust into the spotlight after declaring the prime suspect in a teenager’s high-profile abduction innocent. When she links the case to a girl’s unsolved kidnapping two years ago, Kenya stirs up old ghosts, earning colleagues’ disdain, pressure from the new ownership—and threats at her door.

A hit and run leaves a young Jane Doe dead in an affluent neighborhood’s street. Freelance news stringer Oscar Pine identifies her as a girl who vanished last year, across town and a world away from where her body was found. Sifting through the wealthy residents’ candid memories, guarded recollections, and outright lies, Oscar pieces together the girl’s frantic last minutes as she tried to escape from someone he suspects lives nearby.

As they speak with family members, potential witnesses, and each other, Kenya and Oscar realize that all three girls were taken by the same man, a genteel predator who phoned their mothers. Believing two of the girls may still be alive, Kenya and Oscar risk their reputations—and their lives—to expose the danger lurking beneath the tony neighborhood’s polished veneer.

steve@stevemcmanus.com