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Literary Las Vegas: MaryAnn Unger

Sun City Anthem author MaryAnn Unger's novel "Bits and Pieces" mixes murder, mystery, forensics and a touch of the supernatural in what many may see as an unlikely place: Henderson.

"That's right: Vegas's little sister is getting into the spotlight," she said.

Her heroine Matti James is a forensic facial reconstruction artist who teams up with a murder mystery club intent on solving crimes, not reading books.

Unger sought technical advice from an expert in the facial reconstruction field with the Metropolitan Police Department.

"So while the novel is fiction, the science behind it is not," she said.

In the sequel, "The Kiev Connection," she tapped experts from the Metropolitan Police Department's Search and Recovery dive team and from the Henderson Police Department.

Visit marunger.com.

Excerpt:

Linda drew closer. Her eyes opened wide. "Author? Do you think we're a book club? Lord, no! We work on unsolved homicides. Of course, police technically consider them all open cases, but we know better. They're ice cold. In a way, they're the brick-walls the police can't break down."

Oh, brother, of all the crazy women in the area, this one had to find me. "And police allow your involvement?" Matti asked as politely as she could.

"Kate has a reputation for closing cold cases, and Sherry's our ticket to convincing a certain police captain to reinvestigate. To our credit, the club uncovered evidence that helped solve cases in the Las Vegas Valley, so we're on very good terms with Henderson PD, Las Vegas Metro PD, the Clark County Coroner, and the medical examiners." Linda's lips formed a sly smile as she returned the empty glass to Matti. "Having an ex-brother-in-law on the Henderson police force doesn't hurt either. See you on Monday. You'll be hooked. I'm sure of it."

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