I hope you enjoyed my vacation memories this week. I'll share more soon. We're leaving Maine today, will spend the night in MA and tomorrow on to NY where I'll get to visit with a long-time friend whom I haven't seen in 7 years! Anyway, enough about me....
Today's guest is no stranger to our blog. Janet has shared Treasures and Thoughts and been in our Spotlight on a pretty regular basis but today we get a sneak peek into her and co-writing husband's newest release, Slick Deal!
Take it away Janet....
His death is soon followed by threats against the rest of his family.
Private Investigator Skylar Drake and his partner Casey Dolan are hired by an L.A. gangster to protect the family and solve Oliver’s mysterious death.
Clues lead them to Avalon, on Santa Catalina Island, a Hollywood movie star playground.
A high profile scandal, mysterious women, treason and more deaths complicate matters, putting Drake and his partner in danger.
Twenty-three miles may not seem far away but false identity and corruption on this island could squash their efforts to answer the question—How in the world can a dead man commit suicide?
Excerpt: Almost midnight. I was working security for the New Year’s Eve bash at the posh Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel with my partner Casey Dolan. The rented tuxedos we were wearing made us look like we belonged with the rich crowd down on the ballroom floor, but we were working. This was one of the most exclusive parties in the city. I’d been here before and I’ve never known any other hotel with the kind of history this place had. Our job tonight was to keep an eye out for trouble...and I suppose this was a much better way to greet the new year than sitting at home in front of the television with a bottle of whiskey. As a matter of principle, I didn’t take security work. But Dolan thought D&D Investigations would benefit from this job by keeping the lights on and paying our secretary. He was right.
I scanned the crowd and checked my watch—a minute before midnight. The noise level in the room escalated with anticipation. I spotted Dolan at his post under an archway on the other side of the room and smiled. He nodded. From my spot on the catwalk above the ballroom floor I watched as they counted down the last seconds—five, four, three, two… Just as the clock on stage struck midnight, the room exploded with shouts, horns, balloons, and a snowstorm of confetti. The band played “Auld Lang Syne” while a banner unfurled above the bandstand that proclaimed: HAPPY NEW YEAR 1956.
It seemed as though everyone in the world was dancing, hugging, and kissing. My mind disappeared into the past. I remembered my late wife, Claire, and how we celebrated every New Year together. Even when she was big with our daughter, Ellie, Claire was stunning. I pulled out my wallet and gazed at her photo. I miss you honey, so very much.
A man’s voice boomed over the P.A., “Is there a doctor in the house?” My dream with Claire evaporated. I looked down at the stage where a man had grabbed the microphone from the band leader’s hands and shouted, “We need help in the main lobby.”
I motioned for Dolan to stay put while I ducked behind the heavy drapes and crossed the hall to the lobby mezzanine. Fourteen steps would take me down to the lobby floor. I think I only used five. My hand automatically went to my holster, just in case. Pushing through the crowd, I found a portly man on his back in a pool of blood on the terracotta-tiled floor. A tuxedo-clad man loosened the tie of the victim but I knew he was gone. I'd seen that vacant look in his eyes a hundred times back when I worked LAPD homicide.
Somewhere in the crowd I heard “Make way please, we're nurses.” A couple of women in evening gowns appeared. I held the curious crowd back while the women knelt on the bloody floor and checked for a pulse. One shook her head and placed a lacy handkerchief over the dead man's face.
Their world travels have sparked several ideas for murder and crime stories. This creative couple is married and live in Southern California.
Links for Janet:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janet.lynn.5477
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanetLynn4
e-mail: janet_lynn51@yahoo.com
website: www.janetlynnauthor.com
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Contact info for Will:
Twitter: @Will_Zeilinger
Facebook: www.facebook.com/wzeilinger
website: http://www.willzeilingerauthor.com
Slick Deal can be purchased at Amazon.
Hope you enjoyed today's post and will check back weekly for Tuesday Treasures, Thursday Thoughts and Saturday Spotlight!
Until next time, take care and God Bless.
PamT
6 comments:
Sounds like a wonderful mystery! Congrats on your collaboration. Two heads and sets of eyes are great.
I love that period of L.A. history. So much corruption makes good fodder for mysteries.
Sounds interesting. Best wishes!
I love the hard-boiled old detective narrative stye--staccato and terse. You make a great team!Best wishes for continued success.
Thank you Pam for hosting us. Two heads, four eyes, and hands really help with the research into 1950s L.A. The gangster-infested city has been a real kick to research. Our first book Sliver of Glass, we spent time in old Hollywood just walking around and visiting some of the hotels and club still open but different names. Many had pictures of the way the club looked in the 50s. We had lunch that day at Musso and Frank in the then exclusive dining room. I imagined sitting at the same table Dashiell Hammett, Clark Gable or Marylin Monroe once sat! We even took a class in Lockpicking and Safe Cracking to make the act of breaking in real. That too was an interesting experience! Thank you all for your interest in Slick Deal. Janet Lynn
Oh, how fun! Sounds like my kind of read. Love that you're bringing this genre back! Best wishes!
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