Scream In Silence (2001)

Beloved for both her complex mysteries and her fascinating main character, African-American female cop Marti MacAlister, Eleanor Taylor Bland is "one of today's most talented mystery writers" (Booklist). Now Marti is newly married, juggling domestic bliss and a blended family, when an arsonist/bomber shatters the peace of their sleepy Chicago suburb. Suddenly Marti and her partner Matthew "Vik" Jessenovik are working overtime to investigate a series of crimes that appear victimless--until a woman's charred body is discovered in the smoking ruins of a vacant house. There's no time to lose as they race to find a sociopath who has them in his sights--as he graduates from backlot blazes to wholesale homicide, in search of the ultimate thrill....