The Mamacita Murders

"In her debut crime thriller, The Mamacita Murders, Debra Mares takes us into the heart and soul of sex crimes prosecutor's Gaby Ruiz' gritty and often heartbreaking job. It's a world that the author has experienced up close -- since 2004, Debra has been a county prosecutor assigned to the Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit. Laura, a 17-year-old prostitute, and the key witness in a sex abuse trial, is missing. When she's found in a motel room, brutally attacked and left for dead, the list of suspects isn't pretty -- and sex crimes prosecutor Gaby Ruiz is determined to find out who tried to kill her witness. Gaby has dedicated her life to protecting and finding justice for at-risk women. Maybe it's because she can't shake her guilt over not being able to protect her own mother from a violent death at the hands of Gaby's stepfather. Now it's Gaby who's in danger. Can she find the truth in time to save her own life? Here's the setup: 

When Laura, a 17-year-old prostitute, is sexually assaulted and left for dead, sex crimes prosecutor Gaby Ruiz is on the case. Laura's not only a victim of attempted murder, she's also the key witness in one of Gaby's trials. Did an assailant connected with Gaby's trial ransack Laura's room and assault her -- did Laura's boyfriend try to kill her because she wanted to leave the Lincoln Gang's prostitution ring -- or did law enforcement try to kill Laura to protect one of their own? The investigation twists from the backwoods in Tuckford County to the back rooms of law enforcement buildings all the way to the Walled City. Gaby also runs The Mamacita Club, a haven for at-risk women from her vintage Airstream motor home. Women affected by drugs, gang and domestic violence, sex crimes, and broken homes -- they're all in The Mamacita Club. In fact, Gaby has spent all of her professional life seeking justice for others. But it is not until Laura goes missing, that Gaby is able to start searching for justice for herself and begin to fix her own guilt-ridden past for not protecting her mom from an abusive relationship -- this time to save her own life and seek closure over her own mother's death." (Kindle Nation Daily)