The following is an excerpt from my new novel, currently in progress:

“Another body has been found in the stairwell of a Michigan Avenue Highrise. The female victim has been identified as Monica Weaver of Grant Park. Ms. Park’s body was discovered at 7:20 Friday morning by a neighbor and resident of the building located at 1130 S. Michigan Ave. Autopsy results are not yet in, however, Cook County Medical Examiner, Nancy Jones confirmed to The Tribune, that Ms. Weaver was, in fact, strangled, making her the tenth victim to die of manual asphyxiation in the same neighborhood since November of 2008.

“Speculation continues in the unsolved homicides that Chicago has a serial killer in their midst. Preliminary reports suggest all of the victims may have known their attacker and that one attacker may responsible for all ten homicides. The first victim, Nina Reed, 33, of  Millennium Park, was discovered in the stairwell of her apartment building November 8, 2008. Autopsy results indicated manual strangulation as the cause of death, as Ms. Reed’s hyoid bone was broken and her lungs were swollen as a result of lack of oxygen. A murder weapon was never found, but a possible ligature, such as a necktie was suggested.

“The second victim was found on March 8, 2009, in the stairwell of an office building located at 70 E. Lake Street, a half block off Michigan Ave. She was identified as Mary-Louise Perez, 29. Ms. Perez’s cause of death is listed as strangulation.

The third victim to be found in the stairwell of a highrise on Michigan Ave. has been identified as Katherine Wojenski, 34, of  Wisconsin. Ms. Wojenski’s body was discovered on November 11, 2009 in the stairwell of her apartment, located at Park Towers, 800 N. Michigan, by the building’s superintendent, Mike Schmidt. The cause of death is listed as manual asphyxiation.

“On March 17, 2010, the body of Josette Ericson was discovered by St. Patrick’s Day revelers in the vestibule of The Bank of America building at 500 N. Michigan Ave. Ms. Ericson’s death has been ruled a homicide by strangulation. The Chicago Police Department’s Chief of Detectives, Thomas Byrne said in a press conference given the following day that the Department was looking at the possibility of a serial killer due to the corresponding dates and location of the homicides, but that no determination has been made as of yet. Victimology also seems to play a large part in the connection of the woman, as their age and hair color are all strikingly similar .