Wednesday, June 12, 2019

ALL THE DIRTY SECRETS


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All the Dirty Secrets
A Jake Carrington Thriller #4
by
Marian Lanouette
Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Pub Date: 5/14/19

It’s a shocking blast from the past when homicide detective Jake
Carrington finds himself investigating the last woman he’d suspect of murder . . .

Recovering from a stab wound to the gut, and dealing with the news that his
sister’s killer might beat the system, Lieutenant Jake Carrington
needs some downtime. But that’s cut short by a very sensitive case:
the murder of the police commissioner’s wife. The crime scene—a
dive hotel, complete with provocative, incriminating photos—suggests
the victim was having an affair. But Jake finds that hard to
believe—as hard to believe as the #1 suspect . . .

Jake hasn’t seen his high school sweetheart, Melinda Mastrianni, since
the day his sister, Eva, died. He’d turned down Eva’s request for
a ride so he could go see Melinda, and the guilt has never left him.
Now Melinda’s a local photographer, mostly shooting weddings and
graduations. Definitely not the kind of pics that led him to her
doorstep. But when Melinda disappears, and more prominent women turn
up dead, Jake will have to navigate through a twisted blackmailing
scheme to find out if the girl he once knew is long gone—or if
she’s a killer’s next target . . .


Tense and authentic—a suspenseful page-turner!” --Leo J. Maloney on All
the Pretty Brides



Chapter 1

Sergeant Louie Romanelli donned a second pair of gloves before he dared touch anything in the rent-by-the-hour room. Squeaky beds and low moans from the adjoining rooms bled through the walls, even on a Sunday morning. Someone was getting it, but not him. He’d been called from home on his day off as a special favor for Commissioner Todd Blake. Sophia hadn’t been a happy camper when he told her he had to report in. His wife had planned a family outing for the day and now he had ruined the whole thing—yet again. The job is the job, he thought.

No, instead he’d get to spend his day in a diseased, bug-infested room, standing over the half-nude body of the commissioner’s lovely wife splayed on the bed. He had seen her only the night before, at a local charity ball she had organized. Her brilliant blue eyes had been alive then, vibrant, but had now started to fade as Callie Blake stared up at the ceiling with a vacant death gaze. Not for the first time, he wondered why this classy lady had been in this fleabag motel dressed like a hooker.

Louie turned, then strolled toward the door when a car screeched to a stop at the curb. The low murmur of the crowd that had gathered outside the scene grew louder. A mixture of pimps, hookers, and local residents with their cell phones at the ready waited to learn what had happened in room 142. Not that it was uncommon for a death to occur here. Most residents at the motel were druggies and many had overdosed inside their rooms.

He handed the evidence bag to the uniform next to him. He’d recognized the captain’s car. Louie waited for his passenger to step from the car. He swore under his breath when Commissioner Todd Blake climbed out. Why the hell did the captain bring him to the crime scene? Blake was a suspect, for God’s sake. The media vultures hovered outside the police lines, shouting questions at the captain and Blake. For pity’s sake, it’s going to be all over the news tonight that the police commissioner received special treatment.

Blake ignored the screaming media as if they weren’t there. Gwenn Langley, the reporter from Channel 5, stood off to the side, away from the herd. Gwenn placed her hand on Blake’s elbow and leaned close to whisper into his ear. From his place in the doorway of the crime scene, Louie rushed toward the pair to shelter Blake from her.

“Step back or I’ll have you removed from the scene. Gwenn, show a little respect. This isn’t the time or the place to approach the commissioner,” Louie warned.

“Louie, she’s fine, leave her alone,” Blake said.

Louie stared Langley down before shifting his gaze to Captain Shamus McGuire, who shrugged at the unasked question.

Louie cleared his throat before he spoke in a soft voice for Blake’s ears only. “Commissioner, I can’t let you on the crime scene.”

“That’s my wife in there, Sergeant. I’m going in come hell or high water. Now get the hell out of my way if you want to keep your job,” Todd shot back. The veins in his temples looked as if they were about to burst from his skin.

Louie was afraid the commissioner would have a stroke and become his next causality. As if a pack of lions, the media moved in closer, hoping for a sound bite for tonight’s news.

“Captain…” Louie turned to Shamus, a plea in his eyes.

Commissioner Blake was his boss, but he couldn’t allow him to muddy up the evidence. If it came to trial, Blake’s lawyers would have a field day. They’d almost be guaranteed a dismissal based on compromised evidence.

Shamus grasped Blake’s arm, and whispered something to him. Louie leaned in, trying to hear, but Blake pinned Louie with a glare.

“Callie needs me, Shamus. I have to go in,” Blake said.

“I’ll walk you in…” Louie said, conceding to his captain’s judgment, but was cut off before he could finish his warning to Blake. He understood Blake’s need. He’d want to see the body and crime scene if his wife, Sophia, lay dead in there instead of Callie Blake. The thought frightened Louie, and he blessed himself to banish it.

Shamus said, “Louie, step aside. Todd’s going in for a minute, but you have to promise, Todd, afterward you’ll wait for me in the car.”

“Shamus…”

“Todd, I can’t compromise the scene. If you don’t agree to not touch anything, I’ll have to have an officer escort you from the scene.”

Blake’s eyes narrowed as he stared down Shamus. Louie watched McGuire count down the seconds before Blake agreed.

Shamus led Todd Blake from the curb, up the path lined with the shouting media, to room 142. When Louie, his captain, and the commissioner stepped into the crime scene, Louie’s team stopped what they were doing and came to attention. Blake approached his dead wife. Louie caught a few exchanging looks and behind Blake’s back, he waved off the team. At least they have the grace to drop their eyes, Louie thought. God, this is a mess. It was painful to watch when Blake dropped to his knees by Callie’s corpse. Sobs racked his body.

“Who could do this to her?”

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All the Pretty Brides
A Jake Carrington Thriller #3

Homicide detective Jake Carrington has an engagement that can’t wait—with
a killer.

Haunted by the murder of his sister, Lieutenant Jake Carrington struggles to
control his personal demons as he stands over the brutalized body of
a young woman found dead on the railroad tracks. The victim
disappeared on July 6th, the fifth woman in as many years to go
missing on that date. The fifth happy bride-to-be. The only one whose
body has turned up.
Soon the killer is sending personal messages to Jake. They refer to an
unidentified brother he believes Jake hates as much as he does. With
his partner distracted by turmoil at home, Jake is on his own. Drawn
deeper and deeper into a murderous family feud, his mission is to
find out who the killer’s brother is—and stop him before another
innocent woman’s life is cut tragically short.
Tense and authentic—a suspenseful page-turner!”Leo J. Maloney






All the Hidden Sins
A Jake Carrington Thriller #2

When it comes to crime, homicide detective Jake Carrington plays for high stakes . . .


Assigned a missing persons case, Lieutenant Jake Carrington investigates a local Mob
boss. The trail goes cold, but the Mafioso isn’t taking any
chances, and soon the heat turns up from another quarter. Turns out
there’s more than one dangerous suspect . . .
Kyra Russell is drop-dead gorgeous and Jake is only human. But despite their mutual
attraction, Jake’s suspicion deepens when he learns about her
gambling problem—an addiction that cost her both husband and son.
Even more disturbing is Kyra’s day job. She runs a crematorium—and
it’s tied to the Mob. Now Jake will have to navigate a firestorm of
treachery to get to the truth . . .




All the Deadly Lies
A Jake Carrington Thriller #1

Homicide detective Jake Carrington takes murder personally…

The victim was bludgeoned, stripped, and left for dead. Shanna Wagner
deserves justice—and there’s no better cop than Lieutenant Jake
Carrington to find her killer. The brutality of the crime reminds
Jake of his sister’s murder seventeen years ago, and the
remorseless man responsible, now up for parole.


Then another woman is killed—and Jake goes dangerously close to the
edge. He’ll have to face his personal demons and focus his
formidable skills if he hopes to stop a vicious murderer from
striking again—and hold on to his career, and his life . . .





A self-described tough blonde from Brooklyn, Marian Lanouette
grew up as one of 10 children. As far back as she can remember,
Marian loved to read. She was especially intrigued by the
Daily
News
crime reports. Tragically, someone she knew was murdered.
The killer was never found. Her Jake Carrington thrillers are
informed by her admiration for police work, her experience in running
a crematorium, and her desire to write books where good prevails,
even in the darkest times. Marian lives in New England with her husband. 



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1 comment:

Sunnymay said...

The cover looks creepy with the window dripping with moisture. I want to see what's inside and figure out the clues sprinkled in this mystery.