Murder hits close to home for criminalist Lark Riordan when a neighbor’s son is killed and another neighbor is arrested for the crime. Teaming up with homicide detective Max Siwek to investigate the case, Lark encounters family secrets, old grudges, and dysfunctional relationships that make her own life seem normal. And that’s saying something because her father is a self-involved actor who’s just been nominated for an Oscar, and she and Max have a thing for each other even though he’s her stepbrother. It’s… complicated. Whipping Boy is a noir-cozy (#NOZY) novella, the first in a new mystery series by Katherine Tomlinson, author of Suicide Blonde and the L.A. Nocturne stories. NOVELLA length: 43,000 words.