Title: Her
Final Watch (A
Detective Blanchett Mystery Book 2)
Author: Marguerite Ashton
Genre:
Mystery, Thriller
About the book:
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!**
Excerpt:
Chapter 1
December 10, 2015 4:13 p.m.
Detective Ariel
Weeks stabbed at the small block of ice until it split into several pieces across
the counter. She tossed the jagged cubes into the glass and made her client a drink.
In less than twenty-four hours, Ariel would
no longer have to use the name Jasmine and keep men company to protect her cover.
All she needed to do was make it through this last night, and she’d be allowed to
be who she was; a mom just doing her job.
After gathering evidence and recording
all the data she had, it would be hard to detach. Towards the end, she’d learned
things she’d wished weren’t true, leaving her stomach in tattered knots.
Back at home, there were two reasons Ariel
would never take on another undercover assignment.
Click.
Ariel ground her teeth as the door to Cabin
D opened and closed. She could feel Mikey Surace, the mob boss’s son, staring at
the backless white dress she wore at his request.
The man who smiled at the sight of blood
was standing behind her, breathing heavily.
She turned and handed Mikey his drink.
“Your gin and grapefruit.”
Mikey took the drink and pulled Ariel down
on the bed next to him. His hand, smooth like velvet, traced over her dark brown
skin, along the length of her arm and rested on her thigh. “I had a shitty day.”
He loosened his tie, removed his gun and put it on the ottoman.
Ariel stole a glance at the weapon, thinking
of ways to grab it before he did. Just in case. “Wanna talk about it?”
“I had my talk with Pop. He wants me to
get married and have kids so I can take over as head of the family soon. He wants
our family to be seen as more law-abiding than the other three families.”
“Nowadays, no one gets married to have
a family. Would he accept a long engagement?”
“No way. My old man still believes in marrying
now, ask questions later.” Mikey took a sip of his drink and sat it down on the
nightstand table. “My father asked my mother to marry him on her seventeenth birthday.”
“I’m sure you’ll find a woman who’ll accept
you for who you are, who won’t care about the lifestyle you lead, and who knows
when not to ask questions about your business.”
“You always say the right things. Why won’t
you let me take care of you?” he asked, planting a kiss on Ariel’s full lips. “This
is my third time asking you to be with me.”
Ariel wanted to wipe off the lingering
citrus taste from her mouth but didn’t out of fear. She had already been spotted
by one of Surace’s men and couldn’t believe that she was still alive. Probably because
Ariel, at any moment, could tell the boss things that the other person was doing,
clearing herself from any suspicion and allowing her to keep her cover. Even that
wasn’t a guarantee.
Drops of rain peppered the window facing
out at the bare branches of a willow tree. Wind hissed against the cabin.
Ariel stared into Mikey’s almond-shaped
eyes. The olive tint of his skin masked his fiery temper. Things were getting heavy
and out of control for a first time U.C. like herself.
She undid the strap on her stilettos and
let them drop to the floor. “Because your ex-girlfriend is in charge of my money
and I need every penny. I wanna make my money and maybe one day get out. It’s a
dream of mine to stop escorting and waiting tables at the club.”
“If you get with me, you won’t need money.”
Mikey cupped Ariel’s chin and squeezed. “Why do you keep turning me down?”
“I’m not turning you down.” She pulled
out of his grip and rubbed her chin. “I don’t want to ruin my friendship with your
ex. She’s my bestie and the only one I can trust in this business.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“You’re a dangerous man.”
“I’m only dangerous to those who cross
me.”
Ariel wanted to ask Mikey if he’d kill
her but decided against it. It was best to redirect the conversation and talk about
what he enjoyed the most. Him. “What’s it like to kill someone?”
Mikey pulled Ariel back on the bed and
laid on top of her. “When I put my finger on the trigger, it’s like foreplay. With
each pull of the trigger, that’s the build-up. Once my target is dead, I’m satisfied.
For me, it’s a lot like sex.”
“Has anyone told you you’re crazy?”
“Yeah. They never lived to say it again.”
About
the Author:
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.
She’s
a workaholic who hides in her writer’s attic, plotting out her next
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.
Author
Links:
Website:
http://www.margueriteashton.net/
Newsletter:
http://margueriteashton.us15.list-manage1.com/subscribe?u=f60ba3bdd0363ee67179576c2&id=4399683a06
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/msashton_writer
Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.com/msashton
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/msashton36/
Amazon:
http://amzn.to/2C1LShQ
Giveaway
