Slaying You

Gagnon’s bumpy sequel to Killing Me finds 24-year-old Amber Jamison living in San Francisco with her new girlfriend, Kat. Though Amber fled Las Vegas after being targeted by a serial killer in the previous book, she and Kat are planning a trip back to Sin City for a wedding. Dot, the bride, is an old friend of Amber’s and the leader of the Fatal Femmes, a motley crew of Vegas sex workers, costumers, and showgirls who fashion themselves as Scooby Gang–style “citizen sleuths.” After Amber and Kat settle into their room at the Mayhem Motel, they’re drawn into the Femmes’ search for a man who’s been abducting local sex workers, drugging them, and shaving their heads. Then Grace, the sister of the killer who had it out for Amber, shows up at Dot’s wedding, and people start dying. The action gets off to a slow start, with too much rehashing of the previous book, then careens into overstuffed territory, with overlapping story lines that cover the core investigation, the return of Amber’s grifter parents, and Grace’s family drama. The sprawling plot offers some picaresque pleasures, but for the most part, this is too busy for its own good. Here’s hoping Gagnon returns to form next time. Agent: Stephanie Kip Rostan, Levine Greenberg Rostan. (May)