The Missing Witness by Allison Brennan

Published in 2024. Mystery. Kara Quinn is a detective with the LAPD, who is on temporary assignment to the FBI in Washington, to protect her from being killed as a witness in a criminal case. Not only is the accused charged with human trafficking, he is also under investigation for fraud. But when Kara returns to LA to testify, the accused is murdered in broad daylight, and a key witness in the fraud investigation disappears. Kara steps in to find her to continue the investigation into a massive scheme diverting funds designated for the homeless into the pockets of the owners of the nonprofits who were supposed to help them.

The author has written several books using the team of Kara Quinn and Matt Costa. The author also did extensive research into the funding for homelessness and the fraud that could result without proper accountability. That part of the story was interesting and timely, but I thought the author’s use of flashbacks and time shifts to be confusing. In addition, the selection of the witness to have the first person narrative voice was a curious selection since the main character did not.