Mitch Lovett, a recently divorced father of two, wasn’t looking for anything serious—but when he fooled around with an old friend, Dee Wynn, serious was what he got. Dee, a thirty-something partner at her architecture firm, has decided that Mitch will be hers, and nothing is going to stand in her way.

But another old friend from college, Gail, has had her eye on Mitch as well—never mind the fact that she’s married, to a jealous, abusive husband, Ed Strickland, who just happens to have received a new gun for his birthday. When Mitch and Gina consummate their long-standing attraction—recklessly following their heart’s desires—they set into motion a series of events with ultimately tragic consequences for all involved.

Set in Takoma Park (a close-knit liberal community that borders Washington, D.C.) among a group of college friends now raising families together, Lady Killer explores spousal abuse and the ways that both long-standing friendships and marriages can unravel when put to the test. Ultimately, both Mitch and Gail will have to decide who they really are and what they really want—both for themselves and their children. 

Jeff Richards is a native Washingtonian who lives in Takoma Park, Maryland with his wife and two dogs. His first novel, Open Country: A Civil War Novel in Stories, was published in 2015 by Paycock Press. His fiction, essays, and cowboy poetry have appeared in over 27 publications including Pinch, New South, and Southern Humanities Review and five anthologies including Tales Out of School (Beacon Press) and Higher Education(Pearson), a college composition reader. He was the fiction editor and board member of the washington review and a college teacher for many years principally at George Washington University. He has worked as a dishwasher, door-to-door salesmen, farm worker, wilderness counselor, newspaper carrier, radio reporter, and busboy. He has hitchhiked across the country five times, but that was a while back. He is a graduate of the Hollins Writing Program and the parent of two grown children who live in Colorado. His website is www.jeffrichardsauthor.com