A federal prosecutor is brutally attacked in her home on Sunday, April 12, just as COVID-19 is beginning to ravage the nation. During the next two weeks, U.S. Attorney Mo Katz (eastern district of Virginia) and his senior staff aid the Alexandria police to track down the culprit. The investigators rely upon electronics to conduct a virtual street search, initiate online witness interviews, and share information with one another during teleconferences. Book three of the Mo Katz Mystery Series combines a historical accounting of the pandemic with a classic murder mystery à la Agatha Christie. Slaters Lane illustrates how the wretchedness of the pandemic has (ironically) brought out the best in many people by demonstrating to them the critical importance of teamwork and of preserving and repairing fragile family relationships. Despite the carnage in the story -- a brutal attack followed by two consequential deaths -- Slaters Lane is a book of hope, promise, and reconciliation. ** "U.S. Attorney Mo Katz takes us through a gripping criminal investigation complicated by the coronavirus. An intriguing and fast-paced plot with plenty of intricate legal entanglements." -- James Benerofe, editor, Suburban Street News, White Plains, N.Y. "There's truth in entertainment. Readers will be pulled into a murder mystery that conveys their fear in the time of the coronavirus...fear of infection and fear that no one's in control. Into this odd present, author John Wasowicz brings a calm and determined influence: Elmo Katz, his fictional U.S. Attorney. Someone whacked Jane Hutton, a sharp-as-knives prosecutor with a twisted personal life and Katz cannot let the killer escape unpunished." -- Menahem Prywes, global lecturer, Washington, D.C.