Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Hard Town by Adam Plantinga

Book Description

After surviving a deadly prison break, ex-Detroit cop Kurt Argento is ready for some quiet. Still working through his grief over the passing of his wife, Argento finds himself house-sitting for a friend with his loyal companion, Hudson, a Chow Chow-Shepard mix. It’s a simple life, but it’s one that Argento is content to live. Then Kristin Reed shows up, begging Argento to find her missing husband and son. 

Argento starts to notice that Fenton, Arizona is more than meets the eye. First there’s the large, overly equipped public safety team complete with specialized tactics and sophisticated weaponry. Then there’s the unusual financial boosting of failing small businesses by the U.S. government. Finally, there’s a man with no name with unprecedented control over the town. Argento finds himself unraveling not just the truth behind the disappearance of a family, but a conspiracy that’s taken a whole town to cover up. 

Fenton, Arizona is going to push him further than he’s ever had to go. And along the way, he may just lose a part of himself. Because justice isn’t as black and white as Argento would like to believe.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Hard Town by Adam Plantinga blends action, humor, and moral dilemmas for the main character, Kurt Argento. Jack Reacher and Harry Bosch will move over for Kurt Argento, someone with a combination of their qualities. Argento emerges as a character where his reputation precedes him, with a desire to help others in dire straits.

Argento is a former Detroit beat copy and SWAT team member who served for over twenty years. In these first two books of the series readers see him as a wounded man, both physically and mentally. He has a stubborn, uncompromising sense of justice and formidable street-fighting skills, and is now grieving over the loss of his beloved wife to cancer.

Hard Town begins with Argento housesitting with his loyal companion, Hudson, A Chow-Chow Shepherd mix, for an old SWAT buddy in Fenton Arizona. At a diner he is approached by a woman, Kristin Reed, with her toddler who asks his help to find her missing husband. But after she fails to arrive for their appointment Argento decides to investigate the disappearance of the Reed family. Unfortunately, he is met with hostility and suspicion. Argento starts to notice that Fenton, Arizona is more than meets the eye.

He is up against government forces and ex-military special operators who have quietly taken over this small Arizona town, for the purpose, as they see it, of keeping America safe. There’s the large, overly equipped public safety team complete with specialized tactics and sophisticated weaponry. Then there’s the unusual financial boosting of failing small businesses by the U.S. government. Finally, there’s a man known only as “Silver Haired Man” with unprecedented control over the town. Argento finds himself needing to unravel, not just the truth behind the disappearance of a family, but a conspiracy that’s covered up by many in the town. He must contend with gangland assassins, mercenaries, and a mysterious psychopath with a huge intellect who is working on a secret project for the government.

There is quick witted dialogue, realistic scenes, and a great action plot, with well-written, detailed, and complex characterizations.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Did you use your personal experience to write these stories?

Adam Plantinga: I am a police sergeant in San Francisco. I can use my police training and tactics for my main character, who is a former cop. His outlook on life is like mine. I spend a fair amount of time around felons, so I get a sense of how they speak and act. Many times, when they say and do something I use it in the books.

EC: How are you like your main character, Kurt Argento?

AP: He is hard driving who does not have a lot of patience for disorder. He is relentless. I like to think I have these qualities as well when going after wanted felons. He is a straight shooter just like me. And we both had/have wonderful wives.

EC: What other qualities does Argento have?

AP: In the first book, The Ascent, there are a lot of flashbacks about his wife who he lost to cancer. He is caring, inquisitive, can read people, a problem solver, stubborn, former SWAT, can connect the dots, and is a hunter and fisher. He is a handy guy.

EC: What is the difference between The Ascent and this book?

AP: The first book took place indoors in a violent maximum-security prison and this second book was outdoors, with many scenes in the desert. In The Ascent, Argento operates in black and white regarding moral choices whereas in the second book there are shades of grey that include him blinded by rage.

EC: Why did you kill a child and a dog?

AP: I speak to it in the acknowledgement of the book. In a writing conference the moderator said the only rule that matters is that it can be done if it powers the story, and it works. The killing of the dog is the fuel for Argento throughout the rest of the book. The role of Hudson is to spur Argento because the bad guys crossed the red line in the sand.

EC: How would you describe the “Silver-Haired Man?”

AP: He is not a sympathetic character. He is diabolical. He uses his power and intellect for pure evil with no redeeming qualities. He is cold-blooded with tendencies to being a psychopath: narcissistic, without empathy.

EC: Why pit off the former Special Forces military against a former cop?

AP: I do work with a lot of those who are former military and are now in law enforcement. The plot has these former Special Forces people pretending to be cops. While in the military they saw and had to do bad things in the service of their country. When they were offered a million plus dollars for this assignment, they figured it was their just due. But they lost their way in the process with only one appearing to have a conscience, Redfinger. He cannot square what he did with who he is. The others have committed atrocities without guilt.

EC: Why the desert setting?

AP: I was able to put in how someone lost will get headaches, dehydration, pain, and thirst with the extreme heat. I did some research by speaking with a desert survivalist and a burn expert to

make it realistic. I also read a book, Death Watch, as a child that is a desert survival tale. There are passages from that book that are in my memory, and I wanted to recreate that setting. My wife and I love the desert setting.

EC: Next book?

AP: There are two more books in the series. The plot has Argento finding himself in a small South Dakota town. He decides to help a teenager who is in a lot of trouble. The working title is Run Through Walls, probably out in 2026.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

ARC Feature Post and Book Review: Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts

Book Description

Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper, and her partner had just taken down three men preying on hikers in the Western Maryland mountains. Driving back, she pulled in at a convenience store—and walked right into a robbery in progress. One gunshot from a jittery thief was about to change her world.

After being shocked back to life on the operating table, she has a long recovery ahead, so she moves back to her parents’ peaceful house in Heron’s Rest. As for the boyfriend who dumped her via text while she was in the hospital, good riddance.

She may be down, but she’s not out. So when a woman vanishes, leaving her car behind in a supermarket parking lot, Sloan searches online for similar cases. She finds them, spread across three states. Men and women, old and young—the missing seem to have nothing in common. And the abductions keep happening.

Luckily, the new man in her life shares her passion for solving this mystery. But it will take every ounce of endurance to get to the dark heart of this bizarre case—and she’s willing to risk her life again if that’s what it takes to stop the horror.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217388081-hidden-nature?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=ZVurAHIy6W&rank=1

Hidden Nature

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DDJC6XS2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin’s Press (May 27, 2025)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 27, 2025
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 448 pages

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

HIDDEN NATURE by Nora Roberts is an intriguing mash-up of mystery, crime thriller, investigation, and romance with a bit of HGTV like home renovation going on throughout. The setting of this story is the beautiful Maryland mountains with a main character who is not only a member of the Natural Resources Police but is a genuine lover of nature and all its varied seasons. This is a standalone novel.

Sloan Cooper grew up knowing exactly what she wanted to do with her life. While her family runs a successful year-round vacation resort in the Heron’s Rest, she has her heart set on a career with the Natural Resources Police of Maryland. After closing a successful case, she and her partner stop at a small-town convenience store. Sloan walks into a robbery in progress and is shot in the chest.

After being shocked back to life, she has a long recuperation ahead. She returns to her childhood home, but even though she cannot return to work, she is bored. When she hears about the case of a missing woman which intrigues her. She decides to do a bit of online searching on her own and soon discovers there are more missing people in the tri-state area of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia that appear to have no connections other than their disappearances.

As the investigation continues with several jurisdictions on the case, Sloan realizes what the connection is between all the missing, but it is so bazaar, others find it hard to believe, but Sloan knows she is right. When a local friend goes missing, she is determined to find him and bring him home and stop the killer or killers because she may be on their list, too.

This is another great all-around, intriguing and satisfying book by Ms. Roberts. I opened this book and could not stop. Sloan is a strong, intelligent protagonist who is put through difficult physical and mental trials and doggedly continues forward. Her family and friends are all fully developed characters that are a strong support system and interesting in their own rights. The HGTV home renovations add a unique twist to the dialogue and focus when they are not discussing or chasing down the missing. I also loved the beautifully integrated descriptions of nature and wildlife in the area. The crime thriller plotline is woven throughout the book at an ever-increasing pace. The perpetrators are seriously scary and depraved and made the hair on my arms stand-up.

I highly recommend this amazing mash-up! Ms. Roberts is one of my all-time favorite authors and I always look forward to her books.

***

About the Author

Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Shelter in Place, Year One, Come Sundown, and many more. She is also the author of the bestselling In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than five hundred million copies of her books in print.

Social Media Links

Website: https://noraroberts.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/noraroberts

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/norarobertsauthor/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/hidden-nature-by-nora-roberts

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Her Burning Lies by Pamela Fagan Hutchins

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for HER BURNING LIES (Detective Delaney Pace Book #5) by Pamela Fagan Hutchins on this Bookouture Book-On-Tour blog tour.

Below you will find an about the book section, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

***

About the Book

As a blazing wildfire rages through Kearny County, homes are destroyed and the town is in turmoil. Amongst the debris, the body of a young woman lies totally still, her eyes looking to the sky, a silver sword pinning her to the ground.

When fire wardens search the scorched remains of an abandoned farmhouse, underneath the rubble, they make a shocking discovery—a young woman, stabbed and left to die in the middle of the fire zone. Detective Delaney Pace and Sheriff Leo Palmer are called in to investigate.

Leo takes in the woman’s petite features, his voice shaking as he turns to Delaney. He knows the victim—they had met on an online dating site. How did she end up in the middle of the wildfires, and who would want to kill an innocent young woman?

As a second body is discovered at a remote ranch, also stabbed with a silver sword, Delaney is sure the victims are linked—both young mothers, both looking for love. Could Kearny County have a serial killer preying on single women?

Delaney’s heart pounds when she learns that her close friend, Clara Eckhardt, is missing, last seen driving towards the fires. She ignores the evacuation orders and races towards the inferno. But when shots are fired, she knows the murderer has her in their sight. Will she turn back and save herself or chase the killer further into the fire to save her friend’s life?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/224716409-her-burning-lies?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=hqrJd1ufsg&rank=1

Buy link: https://geni.us/B0DVLF5DMLsocial

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

HER BURNING LIES (Detective Delaney Pace Book #5) by Pamela Fagan Hutchins is an edge-of-your-seat action packed crime thriller/police procedural featuring Detective Inspector Delaney Pace in Kearny County, Wyoming. This is the fifth book in the series and can be read as a standalone crime thriller, but the main characters’ personal relationships change and grow over the series. I have read them all in order and really enjoy the crime plots and the growing relationship between Delaney and Leo.

Detective Inspector Delaney Pace and Sheriff Leo Palmer have their hands full with a large wildfire raging through the county. When the fire wardens gather to set up a staging area at an abandoned farm, they discover the body of a young women in the stone farmhouse dead and pinned to the ground with a large sword.

A second body is discovered the next day in the burned-out barn. The body is as charred as the barn, and it also is pinned to the ground with a sword. As Delaney and Leo investigate the identities of their victims, they discover they have both given birth, but no babies are found in the apartment building that houses several young women.

When one of Delaney’s friends disappears, she and Leo are racing against the clock to find her and discover if there is a connection between her and the dead young women as the wildfire gets ever closer.

This is another fantastic addition to the Detective Delaney Pace series! I am never disappointed. The crime thriller plot always keeps me guessing to the climax with plenty of twists and surprises throughout. Delaney and Leo’s extended families add relatability and realism to the story. Their personal relationship is a rollercoaster ride that finally, after five books, has left me with good feelings for their future. This is a must-read series for me, and I am always excited to get the next book.

I highly recommend this addictive crime thriller/police procedural book and series.

***

About the Author

Pamela Fagan Hutchins is a USA Today bestselling and Silver Falchion Best Mystery winning mystery/thriller/suspense author (and recovering attorney and investigator) who splits her time between an off-the-grid lodge on the face of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains and a rustic cabin on Maine’s Lake Mooselookmeguntic with her husband, kids and grandkids, rescue pets and sled dog, and draft cross horses.

Social Media Links

Website: https://pamelafaganhutchins.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamela.fagan.hutchins.author

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pamela_fagan_hutchins/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/her-burning-lies-a-completely-nail-biting-and-absolutely-addictive-crime-thriller-detective-delaney-pace-book-5-by-pamela-fagan-hutchins


Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Blood Moon by Sandra Brown

Book Description

Detective John Bowie is one misstep away from being fired from the Auclair Police Department in coastal Louisiana. Recently divorced and slightly heavy-handed with his liquor, Bowie does all that he can to cope with the actions taken (or not taken) during the investigation of Crissy Mellin, a teenage girl who disappeared more than three years prior. But now, Crisis Point, a long-running true crime television series, is soon to air an episode documenting the unsolved Mellin case. Bowie has been instructed by his unscrupulous boss to keep to his grievances and criticisms over the mishandling of the investigation to himself.

Beth Collins, a senior producer on Crisis Point, knows what classifies as a great story and when there’s something more to be told. After working on the show for seven years, Collins is convinced that Crissy Mellin’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. A string of disappearances of teenage girls in nearby areas have only one thing in common: They took place on the night of a blood moon. In a last-ditch effort to find out the truth, Beth enlists Detective Bowie to help her figure out what happened to Crissy and find the true culprit before he acts on the next blood moon—in four days’ time.   

With their jobs and their lives at risk, Bowie and Collins band together to identify and capture a perpetrator, while fighting an irresistible spark between them that threatens to upend everything.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Blood Moon by Sandra Brown has her usual style.  The plot is intense, dark, and raw, intertwined with a love story that includes sexual scenes, where the chemistry between the hero and heroine starts from the first page.

Readers will get to know John Bowie, an angry detective haunted by his failure not to solve the cold case disappearance of Crissy Mellin; Beth Collins, the producer of a true crime show, and Tom Barker, the corrupt boss of John.

Crisis Point, the true crime TV series, is going to air an episode documenting Crissy Mellin’s unsolved disappearance. Collins is convinced that Mellin’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. A string of disappearances of teenage girls in nearby areas have only one thing in common: they took place on the night of a blood moon. Detective John Bowie has been instructed by his boss not to talk to Beth or anyone else about the crime he has determined solved and closed. Not listening, he meets Beth and listens to her theories, because he has never felt comfortable with the outcome of the case and didn’t agree with the resolution. They decide to work together realizing that in four days there will be another blood moon, which can mean another girl disappearing or being murdered.  They race against the clock to find the antagonist and possibly save another girl, but in working together they also realize there is an attraction between them that cannot be denied.

This novel is intense, intriguing, and has a thrilling twist.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Did the plot or title come first?

Sandra Brown: I first came up with the title. Then I thought, what is a blood moon?  The next one comes out March 13th.  They only occur every 3 and a half years. It is a strange phenomenon. My editor and I wanted a spring book, so this was perfect.

EC: How did you come up with a story centering on the title?

SB:  I watched true crime shows and thought what a cool job it is to be a producer on one of these shows. This is the profession I gave to my heroine, Beth.  I then came up with my hero, a reluctant police officer, John, who is haunted by a cold case.

EC: What is a blood moon since it plays such an intricate role in the story?

SB: It is an astrological anomaly every 3 and a half years.  To understand, hold both your hands up. The sun is in your left hand. The moon is in your right hand. Right in the middle of them, in perfect alliance, is earth. The sun reflects light onto the moon. But the earth forms a perfect shadow on a full moon, totally covering the moon.  The reason it turns an orangish red is that the sunlight is being filtered through the earth’s atmosphere. The bad guys wanted to make sacrifices to the moon goddess, Luna.

EC: What is numerology?

SB: It goes hand in hand with the blood moon regarding the cases concerning the disappearance of the girls. A person has a core number that guides a person’s decision making.  Like an astrology sign. There are religious and cultural connotations.

EC:  How would you describe John Bowie?

SB: He was a dedicated police officer and is haunted by the cold case.  I wanted to write about his relationship with his teenage daughter and his brotherly-like friendship with Mitch. He is arrogant in a sarcastic and cynical way, intense, outspoken, sarcastic, edgy, stubborn, and cynical.

EC: What is the difference between John and Mitch?

SB: They could not be more different.  John is very serious and contemplative. Mitch always cracks jokes. He is arrogant, humorous, a smart-aleck, loyal, and caring.

EC: How would you describe Beth?

SB: Determined, loyal, savvy, gutsy, ambitious, confident in her abilities, but feeling tenuous toward her career. 

EC: How would you describe the relationship between Beth and John?

SB: They met their match in each other.  They both got under each other’s skin and are frustrated with each other. The have chemistry from chapter one. He puts her totally out of her element. They both were obsessed with this case.

EC: What is the role of the Crissy Mellin case?

SB: Her disappearance messed up Detective John Bowie’s life.  He became remorseful and regretful.  He knew there was more to it but was forced to give in to his boss. This has eaten at him. He desired to get to the bottom of it and find answers.  Beth is frustrated and impatient. She is not getting answers from John because he is not filling in the blanks.

EC:  How would you describe the boss Lt. Thomas Barker?

SB:  Incompetent, sadistic, arrogant, egotistical, and obnoxious.  He knows John has his number and is superior to him.

EC: Next book?

SB:  The next book will feature Mitch, the DEA officer who decides to change jobs and work with John. They are best friends. John and Beth will be in the next book as secondary characters. This story takes place two years after the end of Blood Moon and will be published spring of 2026.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

ARC Feature Post and Book Review: Head Cases by John McMahon

Book Description

FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles. He also has a blind spot on the human side of investigations, a blindness that sometimes even includes people in his own life, like his beloved seven-year-old daughter Camila. Gardner and his squad of brilliant yet quirky agents make up the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit, the FBI’s hidden edge, brought in for cases that no one else can solve.

When DNA links a murder victim to a serial killer long presumed dead, the team springs into action. A second victim establishes a pattern, and the murderer begins leaving a trail of clues and riddles especially for Gardner. And while the PAR team is usually relegated to working cold cases from behind a desk, the investigation puts them on the road and into the public eye, following in the footsteps of a killer.

Along with Gardner, PAR consists of a mathematician, a weapons expert, a computer analyst, and their leader, a career agent. Each of them must use every skill they have to solve the riddle of the killer’s identity. But with the perpetrator somehow learning more and more about the team at PAR, can they protect themselves and their families…before it’s too late?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211004897-head-cases?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=j7HammCJbK&rank=1

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

HEAD CASES (PAR Unit #1) by John McMahon is an engaging and exciting first book in a new series featuring a group of extremely talented and specialized FBI agents, who while brilliant in their specific areas, have had a serious misstep in their careers and are now grouped together for a last chance to keep their jobs. While the PAR (Patterns and Recognition) unit is quirky, the book’s crime plot is gripping, gritty and graphic as they chase a serial killer of serial killers.

FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an eidetic memory who loves puzzles but is extremely socially awkward. The PAR unit is not deployed to the field but is used when all others have failed to solve a case by analyzing data from their office and finding that missing piece that helps solve the case.

But this case is different. The DNA of a murder victim has come back as a match to a serial killer who was presumed dead. Gardner’s supervisor and the head of the FBI have chosen him to lead this hunt in the field. While the Gardner and the team look forward to the field work, they also realize that if this case is not solved, the recriminations will blow back on them and they could be reassigned or terminated.

The killer has personal information on Gardner that could only come from his FBI file as he taunts and threatens him and his family after another kill. Can Gardner and his unit stop this killer before his endgame and final disappearance?

This is an exciting serial killer crime thriller that kept me reading from page one to the end. Gardner is such a great protagonist, and the author brings him to life as a fully developed and believable character. While not stated in the story, you realize he is somewhere on the spectrum, but his mother has taught him how to deal with his special intellect and social awkwardness from childhood. All his other teammates are brilliant and interesting in their own quirkiness and specialties and will probably be more in the limelight in future books.

The crime thriller plot in this story is perfectly paced with a God complex serial killer and the step-by-step hunt to capture him. Some of the surprises along the way come from more than just the antagonist and Gardner must make decisions that not only affect him, but his whole unit. There are graphic descriptions of blood and body parts throughout, but it is a serial killer thriller and to be expected.

I highly recommend this crime thriller police procedural with great new characters that I am looking forward to following in future books.

***

About the Author

John McMahon studied Creative Writing at The University of Arizona. In his role as an ad agency creative director, his work has won a Gold Clio for Fiat, and he’s written a Superbowl spot for Alfa Romeo. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his family and two rescue animals. He’s hard at work on another P.T. Marsh book and dreams of splitting time between Cabo San Lucas and Lake Lanier.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.johnmcmahonbooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JohnMcMahonBooks/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmcmahonbooks/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/head-cases-by-john-mcmahon

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: River of Lies by James L’Etoile

RIVER OF LIES

by James L’Etoile


January 6 – 31, 2025 Virtual Book Tour


A Detective Emily Hunter Mystery

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for RIVER OF LIES (A Detective Emily Hunter Mystery Book #2) by James L’Etoile on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links, and a Kingsumo giveaway. Enjoy!

***

Book Description

Detective Emily Hunter must be the voice for the voiceless

The homeless camps spread throughout the city of Sacramento are a topic of heated debate among residents. They’re considered undesirable—a nuisance—an eyesore. But when the camps fall victim to a string of devastating arson attacks, Detective Emily Hunter and her partner, Javier Medina, dive into the investigation and become acquainted with the real people whose lives have been destroyed.

The attacks only begin to draw attention when two of the victims are identified as the city’s former anti-homeless mayor and a camp social worker—but rather than strengthening the push for justice, the movement to completely abolish the camps intensifies.

The investigation becomes politically charged when Emily discovers who stands to gain from burning the homeless out of their shelters. She struggles to balance the high-stakes investigation with caring for her Alzheimer’s-stricken mother, whose condition is rapidly deteriorating. The investigation uncovers an unlikely suspect and a reluctant witness standing between Emily and the shocking truth. Can Emily overcome resistance and her personal obstacles to halt the attacks?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/211049706-river-of-lies?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=BafHYRDtuL&rank=1

River of Lies

Genre: Police Procedural; Thriller
Published by: Oceanview Publishing
Publication Date: January 7, 2025
Number of Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781608095896 (ISBN10: 1608095894)
Series: A Detective Emily Hunter Mystery, 2

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

RIVER OF LIES (A Detective Emily Hunter Mystery Book #2) by James L’Etoile is an intriguing, socially relevant, and twisted crime thriller/police procedural featuring a smart and determined female detective in Sacramento, California. This is the second book in the series which can easily be read as a standalone, but the first book, Face of Greed, is an excellent read that I highly recommend, also. 

Homicide Detective Emily Hunter and her partner, Detective Javier “Javi” Medina are given the politically charged case where homeless encampments are being torched by men in black when a dead man is discovered to have been killed, and it turns out to be the ex-mayor. When another body is discovered at the scene of the next arson and it is once again not a homeless victim, Emily and Javi are caught between investigating the deaths and the new mayor’s office working to abolish the camps and disbursing the homeless while eliminating the crime scenes.

Emily discovers a homeless mother, and her young daughter are somehow tied to the deaths, but with the political interference and threats, the potential profits involved in the elimination of the homeless camps, and the public perceptions of the homeless population, she and Javi must work fast to unravel the motives behind these murders to catch the killer.

Emily and Javi are a great pair of detectives with the perfect blend of smart investigative skills, empathy for victims, and care for each other as partners. Their personal lives are blended seamlessly into the story and add moments of levity to the otherwise serious situations. Besides her high stress job, Emily is also dealing with a mother who has Alzheimer’s and is deteriorating rapidly. The crime plotline is intricately written and realistic with many twists throughout this fast-paced story. When I think I know what is going on and I have a solution in mind, Mr. L’Etoile always has another surprise in store for me and what I think is the ending, is not. These books always need to be read to the very last word and I love that.

I highly recommend this tremendous crime thriller/police procedural from Mr. L’Etoile. If you haven’t picked up any of his books yet, you are missing out.

***

Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

It would be easy to float away in the darkness and let the current pull her under, too. She’d thought about it several times before—in her “dark times,” as her ex-husband used to call them.

Lisa’s life hadn’t turned out the way she’d hoped. Abusive parents, a failed marriage, the booze—so much booze—all swirled together to set her on this path. Losing her apartment finally put her out here. Now this. She thought she’d escaped, but running from her past hadn’t worked. The ghosts of years past had stripped everything away. Lisa had nothing left, not even hope.

The tug of the Sacramento River on her legs was temping, and the spring snow runoff numbed Lisa’s thighs as she waded out.

Lisa closed her eyes and pictured herself lying back and allowing the river to put an end to it.

“Momma?”

Lisa’s eyes shot open.

Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted the faint outline of her daughter standing on the riverbank. The eight-year-old wore a thin blue t-shirt with a unicorn on the front, a threadbare pair of jeans, holding a stuffed bunny with one ear missing. The girl’s face registered confusion.

“Baby, go on back to the tent,” Lisa said. 

Lisa felt her daughter would be better off without her. The mother’s sins cast a damning shadow. But she couldn’t abandon Willow. Not like this. Lisa knew what it was like to be an orphan in an unfriendly world. The future of an eight-year-old alone in a homeless camp wasn’t the life Willow deserved. 

“Momma, what are you doing?” 

Lisa’s eyes welled. She didn’t need to tell her daughter the world was a hurtful place. She’d keep the secrets and not let her know there was nothing worth living for—for now. 

“I’m coming, baby.” 

Lisa turned and waded back toward the bank. Her daughter spent the last two years in one homeless camp or another. The tightly packed shelters made Lisa’s claustrophobia itch. 

Lisa reached for her daughter and grabbed her, lifting the girl into a tight hug. Tears streamed down Lisa’s cheeks. Not because Lisa wanted to end her suffering. She’d considered that option before. The tears came from nearly making Willow an orphan and leaving the innocent girl behind in a homeless camp. Willow couldn’t fight off the predators who lurked in the darkness—like they did tonight. 

From the river’s edge, the camp spread a quarter mile in either direction. There was never any official count because people came and went, died, were arrested, or simply disappeared from the camp. Lisa guessed there were over two hundred people living here in the city’s forgotten shadows. 

It was time to move. When the camps get too big, bad things happen, and people talk. 

Lights flickered from small campfires and lanterns throughout the settlement. Lisa thought they looked like fallen stars. She hugged Willow a little closer and followed the trail back into the camp. 

She unzipped the fly on their tent and scooted inside. Their belongings—a change of clothes, a towel to share, and two children’s books lay on one end of the nylon dome tent. A pair of sleeping bags took up most of the space. Lisa knew they were lucky to have them—others didn’t. 

“All right, sweetie, let’s get you settled in for the night.” 

Willow wiggled into her sleeping bag with her stuffed rabbit. Lisa grabbed a book, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, one of her daughter’s favorites. The eight-year-old could recite most of the story by heart. 

Lisa opened the book when a loud commotion erupted outside. It wasn’t uncommon in the camp. Fights over property, drugs, or imagined slights fed by drugs, alcohol, and glitchy mental health were a daily occurrence. Lisa learned the best thing to do was stay out of it and never get involved. 

It sounded like the usual dust-up until the screams began. 

“Stay here, Willow.” 

Lisa crawled to the tent flap, zipped it open, and poked her head out. 

Fire. 

Flames erupted on the far side of the camp. It was always a risk in the cardboard condos and plastic tarp shelters along the riverbank. This was different. At least six structures were ablaze. People were running, backlit by the orange and yellow glow. The evening delta breeze fanned the flames, igniting another dozen tents. 

The cheap nylon shelters went up like dried rice paper. 

“Baby, get your shoes on.” 

“What is it, Momma?” 

“We need to—” 

Lisa spotted two men in the chaos, both outlined by the flames behind them. They weren’t running. One set the next row of tents ablaze. The second man wielded a baseball bat and swung the aluminum cylinder at anyone who came near. A sickening tink sound echoed among the rows of tents when he bounced the bat off a man’s shoulder. 

Lisa grabbed her daughter’s hand, pulling her from the tent. The girl’s eyes grew large when she spotted the fires. 

Willow pulled away and ducked back into the tent. 

“Willow Marie, don’t you pull away from me. Come here. We need to get away.” 

Lisa felt the heat from the fire. It was spreading fast, and the flames jumped up into the trees within the camp. 

Bending into the tent, Lisa found Willow gathering her stuffed animal and the books. 

“Come now, we need to—” 

Tink

Lisa fell flat on the ground. The rounded end of the baseball bat shoved at her ribs. Dazed from a blow to the head, she didn’t move. Lisa registered a man’s boot stepping over her. 

The flames grew closer. 

Willow’s fear backed her into the far corner of the tent. 

Lisa’s ragged voice called to her daughter. “Willow. Listen. I need—I need you to run. Hide. Go to the safe place—the rock where we hide things. Stay until I come for you.” 

“I don’t want to go. I’m scared.” 

“I know, baby. You have to be brave. Take Mr. Bunny and go, now.” 

Willow clutched her stuffed animal, the book, and stepped through the tent flap. 

“Momma, you have an owie.” 

“I know, baby. I’ll be okay.” 

It was a lie. Lisa knew she was far from okay. She could feel the pressure in her head building with each heartbeat. 

“Go to the place we talked about, honey. Go quick.” 

Willow’s eyes welled. She didn’t budge, frozen in fear before a scream from someone nearby broke her from the trance. Another row of tents went up in flames. 

“Go.” 

Willow hugged her bunny and trotted toward the river. Lisa lost sight of her through the smoke billowing through the camp. 

She tried to get up and couldn’t move her legs. She crabbed forward using her arms, inching away from the burning camp. 

Her tent flashed, and the flames consumed it in seconds. The melting fabric, plastic and nylon fibers fell on her. The molten material burned through her clothing and ate into the flesh on Lisa’s back. 

The pain seared into her. Screams around her meant she wasn’t the only one. The two arsonists headed in the same direction Willow had fled. 

“Stop them,” she cried. No one could hear over the chaos of the burning camp. 

Lisa now wished the water had brought a calm end to everything. She didn’t expect this—the fire, searing flame, and torture. Part of her believed she deserved this fate for the pain she’d caused. Willow didn’t. The girl didn’t understand. Now, Lisa worried about what would happen to her sweet little girl. Mr. Bunny would not be enough. 

The last thought before the flames ate at her pant legs. “I’ve failed you.”

***

Author Bio

James L’Etoile uses his twenty-nine years behind bars as an influence in his award-winning novels, short stories, and screenplays. He is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, and director of California’s state parole system. His novels have been shortlisted or awarded the Lefty, Anthony, Silver Falchion, and the Public Safety Writers Award. River of Lies is his most recent novel. Look for Sins of the Father and The Red List, coming soon. He is the host of Authors on the Air, served as a board member of his local Sister-in-Crime chapter, sits on the Mystery Writers of America national board, and serves as the Director of QueryFest at ThrillerFest for International Thriller Writers.

Social Media Links


www.jamesletoile.com
Prison to the Page Newsletter
Goodreads
BookBub – @crimewriter
Instagram – @authorjamesletoile
Threads – @authorjamesletoile
Facebook – @AuthorJamesLetoile

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Oceanview Publishing

###

KINGSUMO GIVEAWAY

https://kingsumo.com/g/1rxqxx1/river-of-lies-by-james-letoile