Private Investigator Nicoli "Nikki" Hunter can't seem to stay out of trouble in her sixth mystery, A Side Order Of Murder. A thirty-six-year-old beauty, Nikki lives on the California coast aboard a 46-foot sailboat, and rents an office in the marina complex where her boat is docked. Though she normally specializes in covert restaurant and bar employee surveillance, she seems to have developed a perilous sideline investigating homicides.In A Side Order Of Murder Nikki is hired by a wealthy, if socially stunted, young man who is convinced that someone is trying to drive him insane. Because he was referred by Nikki's friend, Jack "The Cat" McGuire, she agrees to look into Cliff's case. Nikki quickly discovers that his assumptions are correct. Someone is, indeed, tampering with his sanity. Within a week she discovers that his former professor at Cal Berkeley recently committed suicide, and Cliff's classmates from an elite physics study group are being systematically assassinated. When Nikki realizes that Cliff's life is in danger, she decides to help him disappear and to expose the conspiracy as quickly and as publicly as possible.A Side Order Of Murder is a twisted journey through the world of government black ops and mind control. Through it all Nikki Hunter never seems to lose her sense of humor. She is an enigma - feminine and emotional, yet tough and action oriented, and is constantly both annoyed and moved by young Cliff Montgomery, who arrives on her doorstep a hapless geek, and leaves her care as a strong, confident man she is proud to call her friend.The author, Nancy Skopin, was a Beverly Hills Book Award winner for her first novel, Murder On The Menu.