Promised Lies
A Detective Blanchette Mystery Book 1
by Marguerite Ashton
Genre:
Mystery, Thriller
Mystery, Thriller
Detective Lily Blanchette has a lot on her plate…
Her sister Celine has recently been murdered and her parents are on the
brink of divorce. Now she’s lead on a multiple murder investigation.
brink of divorce. Now she’s lead on a multiple murder investigation.
Six months after Lily’s sister’s death, the bodies of two young women
are discovered. One look at the way the bodies have been posed and
Lily knows her sister’s killer is back.
are discovered. One look at the way the bodies have been posed and
Lily knows her sister’s killer is back.
And she’s determined to get him.
When Lily visits the family of victim Tanya O’Neal, she learns the woman
had arranged to meet a man going by the handle CtryGeek23 on the
social networking site Scatter.
had arranged to meet a man going by the handle CtryGeek23 on the
social networking site Scatter.
Lily thinks finding the man behind the account is key to solving the case.
But CtryGeek23 is very clever, and Lily has her work cut out for her. As
she digs around, clues point her to a local brewery where she
discovers the body of another young woman.
she digs around, clues point her to a local brewery where she
discovers the body of another young woman.
The more Lily digs, the more she thinks there is more than one murderer
at work, and CtryGeek23 is the mastermind.
at work, and CtryGeek23 is the mastermind.
But who is he?
And how will they catch him?
As the investigation comes to life, death hits closer to home, and Lily
discovers she may not be who she thinks she is at all.
discovers she may not be who she thinks she is at all.
Filled with plot turns, suspense and mystery, Promised Lies will leave you
wondering how well anybody knows anyone…
wondering how well anybody knows anyone…
**On sale for .99 cents!**
Lily leaned on the steering wheel and
squinted at the tall figure in her headlights. She eased her foot off the gas pedal
and watched as the figure dragged something off the road. “Did you see that?”
“It could’ve been road kill,” Morgan said.
Lily slowed down. She pulled the truck
off to the side where she peered at an object lying on the pavement. “It’s a cellphone.”
Throwing the gear into park, she hopped out.
“Wait a second. Let me call it in.”
Lily squatted down next to the cellphone.
Morgan came up next to her. “They’re sending
out a car.”
Lily put her hand up. “Backlight’s going
out. Phone was just used.” She stood and scanned the cornfield. “Someone’s out there
and most likely in trouble.”
Lily’s heart raced as she ran back to
her truck, collecting her gun and badge from underneath the seat. She placed her
gun in her hip holster and clipped her badge on the opposite side onto her belt.
“That wasn’t an animal.”
“You’re not going out there,” Morgan said.
Lily grabbed the flashlight from the side
pocket on the door and sprinted over to spot where the figure had disappeared.
She turned on the flashlight and drew
a circle using the light rays near her feet. “It looks like drag marks.”
“Back-up is coming. It’s dark. No way
we’re going hunting in some damn cornfield.”
Lily sighed. Morgan was right, but whoever
had been hauled off was in trouble and running out of time.
A piercing scream erupted in the distance.
Lily took off toward the sound, using her flashlight and the dull glow from the
city lights to guide her.
In a matter of seconds, her feet pounded
the soft soil leading away from the safety of her truck.
She glanced over her shoulder and saw
her partner running parallel with her, but staying closer to the road.
On the other side of the fence row, footsteps
matched hers in beat as they trampled the pile of fallen leaves scattered among
the field. Lily picked up her pace, running hard and fast, tussling with buck thorn
branches as they swatted her face and throat.
Strings of hanging barb wire nipped at
her clothes as she dodged several leaning fence posts. The chilling wind penetrated
her torn clothing and lapped at the slits in the fabric on her thigh and calf.
A few seconds later, a prickly burn in
her leg forced Lily to stop. It felt like thin shards of glass sliced into her raw
flesh, imbedding themselves into the jagged gashes. She hiked up her pants leg and
shined the light on the wounds. Those
damn branches.
Lily’s chest heaved with exertion as disappointment
overwhelmed her. The footsteps tapered off into the darkness. He was
getting away. She fell to her knees and clutched her injured leg in agony.
Lily glanced over at the road. It was
silent. And she was alone. Where did Morgan go? The terror that lay beneath her
bold judgment to rescue someone had surfaced.
Then, several yards away, Lily saw an
outline walking towards her. Instinctively, she reached back, gripping her nine
millimeter, giving her the reassurance she still had control. “Stop! Police!”
The outline continued toward her.
Lily unfastened the holster and the person
stopped, sheltered by the trees. She could tell by the masculine build it wasn’t
Morgan.
“Get down on the ground and put your hands
behind your head,” Lily demanded.
“Lily?” Morgan shouted, coming up from
the rear.
Relieved to hear the voice of her best
friend, Lily exhaled, but kept her eyes front, ready to pull her firearm and shoot
if he dared to make one move in her direction.
As Morgan approached, the unidentified
man turned and fled in the other direction.
“Are you all right?” Morgan offered her
hand.
“Terrified.”
As Lily and Morgan made their way out
to the road, they heard movement near the fence. Lily stopped, aimed her light and
followed the beams over a pile of clothing, then upon a woman’s face.
The victim moaned and threw up her arm
to shield her eyes from the light.
Morgan jogged over to the young lady
and stooped next to her to ask a few questions.
Exhausted, Lily limped to a grassy patch
and sat down. She could still see Morgan. For the moment, that was all that mattered.
Lily looked at the stretch of road she’d
traveled on several occasions; one of those occasions jabbed at her memory like
nails being pounded into hard recycled wood.
Celine’s funeral.
A snapping sound brought Lily out of her
thoughts. She looked toward the hazard lights flashing on her truck and saw a yellow
strip flapping in the wind a few feet away from her.
She rose, took a couple more steps, and squinted at the bold black lettering printed on the tape, which
kickstarted her heart.
County Road K.
She was near the crime scene.
Her Final Watch
A Detective Blanchette Mystery Book 2
Speaking second-hand truths can be deadly …
Detective Lily Blanchette will stop at nothing to solve a murder. Her current
case involves the killing of an undercover cop working to bring down
the mob for prostitution and drugs.
But Lily's usual laser-like focus on the case has been disrupted.
Two weeks earlier, she learned she was pregnant by her murderous husband
whom she'd killed in self-defense. Unsure whether to keep her baby or
place the child of this cruel man up for adoption, Lily keeps the
pregnancy a secret from her colleagues.
Under mounting pressure to solve the case, Lily arranges a sit-down with a
local mob boss only to find out her suspect is also wanted by them.
But before Lily can warn her team, she and her new partner, Jeremiah,
are shot at, and another body is found.
When she discovers Jeremiah has a connection with the underworld, she is
pulled into a conflict that swirls around the boss's son who's
hell-bent on revenge.
To add to the complexity of the situation, Lily learns that her victim
might still be alive if it wasn't for opportunistic Assistant
District Attorney, Ibee Walters, who has a twisted vision of justice.
As Lily gets closer to finding the killer, she unravels ugly secrets
that point to Ibee and Jeremiah - placing Lily's life and her unborn child in danger.
**On sale for .99 cents!**
When Marguerite Ashton was in her twenties, she took up acting but
realized she preferred to work behind the camera, writing crime
fiction. A few years later, she married an IT Geek and settled down
with her role as wife, mom, and writer. Five kids later, she founded
the Crime Writer’s Panel and began working with former law
enforcement investigators to create; Criminal Lines Blog, an online
library for crime writers who need help with their book research.
realized she preferred to work behind the camera, writing crime
fiction. A few years later, she married an IT Geek and settled down
with her role as wife, mom, and writer. Five kids later, she founded
the Crime Writer’s Panel and began working with former law
enforcement investigators to create; Criminal Lines Blog, an online
library for crime writers who need help with their book research.
She’s a workaholic who hides in her writer’s attic, plotting out her next
book and stalking Pinterest for the next avocado recipe.
book and stalking Pinterest for the next avocado recipe.
A member of Sisters in Crime, Marguerite grew up in Colorado, but is
now happily living in Wisconsin and playing as much golf as possible.
She can be found on Twitter and Facebook.
now happily living in Wisconsin and playing as much golf as possible.
She can be found on Twitter and Facebook.
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We love learning about more great books to read and I sure have a lot of readers in my family. Thanks for sharing and also the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting. I loved the reviews
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read.
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