A fun blend of unexpected twists and self-deprecating humor, Ali Welliver's debut novel, Swift in Death, keeps readers guessing from beginning to end. Sam Swift is, by all appearances, an ordinary bartender living and working in Willowbridge, Oregon, who makes up in humor what she lacks in physical grace. All that is about to change, however, when she witnesses the murder of her friend and coworker behind the bar. While she wasn't able to catch a glimpse of the murderer, her unfortunate presence at the crime scene during the actual murder leads police to believe that Sam could be the next intended victim. This foreboding suspicion is only furthered when those around her begin falling victim to the mysterious serial killer. Her closest male companions instantly form a protective circle around her, dubbing themselves Sam's own personal bodyguards. This self-appointed task force includes Demetrius Hawk, the best friend of her father who went missing years before; Fisher Swift, her loveable and protective twin brother; Archer Anderson, her former fiancé whose attractive qualities are still annoyingly apparent; and Billy Captain, her boss for the past seven years and the man to whom Sam finds herself quite inconveniently attracted. Things take a turn for the worse when Sam's own twin brother is named as the number-one suspect in this ever-increasing series of brutal murders. Determined to prove his innocence, even if it means putting herself in harm's way, Sam launches an investigation of her own with the help of Archer, whose bounty hunter skills prove quite handy, and Billy, who simply refuses to leave Sam on her own for fear of something happening to her. But as Sam plunges deeper and deeper into her search for the truth, she quickly comes to realize that all is not as it seems, and that trust can sometimes be the deadliest foe of them all.
