As Dallas/Fort Worth television networks move into "sweeps" month, WBFD-TV station manager J. Gordon Pfeiffer fires a popular, investigative reporter and picks inexperienced new-hire Aspen Wicklow for his consumer watchdog program, Public Defender. Pfeiffer needs a winning formula to raise the worst ranked station's ratings, but Aspen hides a secret - tragic news makes her cry.Aligning with Pfeiffer's assistant, a mal-adjusted fashion plate with hot flashes, helps Aspen overcome cutthroat colleagues. But following Pfeiffer's cardinal rule of journalism - "Never become part of the story" - becomes virtually impossible once "Investigative Reporter Barbie" gets sucked into a small town sheriff's ongoing war with the Texas prison system. As Aspen ignites a bitter feud with local police, and covers a consumer dispute that draws her into a killer's lair, the prospect of winning a broadcast excellence award pales in comparison to getting fired or killed in this clever, witty tale of murder, mayhem and romance.Laurie Moore, an attorney, lives in Fort Worth with a fractious Siamese cat and a bad Welsh Corgi. She has written two other mystery series, both set in Texas.