Format Hardcover
Publication Date 01/06/26
ISBN 9798897100361
Trim Size / Pages 6 x 9 in / 304

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The Cheerleader

A Novel

Marina Evans

Monday Night Football collides with “Cheer” in a riveting crime thriller by a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.

When Jentry Rae, captain of the Dallas Lonestars’ cheerleading squad and “America’s Sweetheart” is found dead in the squad’s locker room, the rumors and speculation begin to swirl. A jealous ex? A deranged fan? And who might be next?

The Dallas Lonestars Cheerleaders reek of perfection and hairspray. Nothing is more important than upholding their squeaky-clean reputation and sexy––but not too sexy––image. Still reeling from the murder of her best-friend-turned-rival, cheerleader Shaunette Simmons is scared and overwhelmed.

Meanwhile, filmmaker Nikki Keegan lucks into the story of a lifetime. Brought in to document the Lonestars’ potential comeback after four disastrous seasons, the ambitious Nikki is now perfectly placed to investigate the murder of its star cheerleader.

Nikki ingratiates herself with the grieving Shanuette but as they spend more time together, Nikki suspects what the cheerleader is really feeling is not grief, but guilt. The true-crime documentary seems to be writing itself. . . .

But when Shaunette is run off the road and left to die, Nikki must decide whether her directorial acumen is great enough to solve the murder before she becomes the killer’s next target.

Filled with twists, turns, and high kicks, The Cheerleader takes readers “behind the gloss” of this iconic American subculture. Filled with sisterhood and ambition, survival and scandal, The Cheerleader will keep you riveted until the final page.

Marina Evans is a former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader who graduated from Southern Methodist University with a degrees in English Literature and Creative Writing. During her time with the Cowboys, she cheered under her maiden/nick name, Rena Morelli. She now lives in Arizona but thinks about her days in short-shorts often. The Cheerleader is her debut thriller.

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