Title- Bird of Prey
Series- Sémya Slotin Mystery #1
By- Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba
Genre- mystery/suspense/ thriller romance
Length: 52000 words/ 200 pages
Release date: October 7 2013
Blurb:
18+ adult content
Who killed the infamous Johanna Cartier? Sémya Slotin is thrown back in the business of solving mysteries when she found her body. With the help of her best friend Polliannah Koch, DCI Ally Gibbons and the mysterious but extremely sexy Josh Heinz, she vows to see this through.
This was supposed to be an easy case...
Sémya Slotin had spent the last three years living in London with her best friend Polliannah Koch staying away from solving cases. After Hawaii, she was taking a break from puzzles, cases and mysteries that could potentially get her killed. Instead, she had been doing her second and third favorite things, drinking and selling expensive vintage wines and having earth-shattering sex with the mysterious, sexy, beautiful but ever so secretive Josh Heinz. Life in London was good....until her funds ran out. Too much wine drinking, not enough wine selling!
When fashion designer and adoptive mother, Annika Slotin, summoned her back to Paris to hire her for what Sémya considered being the easiest case of her amateur sleuth career, all she could think of and see was money signs and a well-deserved Cuban holiday once it was solved. What Sémya didn't see was her stumbling on the fresh corpse of supermodel Johanna Cartier. She didn't think that male model turned fashion designer Julian Marais-Caldwin, who also happened to be Sémya's ex, would be suspected of brutally murdering her. Johanna was his girlfriend, his muse and he loved her. Sémya didn't see the dead bodies piling up or the conspiracy theories.
Sémya was a little rusty. But then again, it was supposed to be an easy case and she was going to solve it. One vintage wine at a time... Sémya Slotin was officially back in business!
Excerpt:
Josh found Julian in his office. He was about to apologize when he saw the picture on the wall. A nude of picture Sémya, a giant nude picture of Sémya! You could see everything but her face as it was shadowed. "You're not serious," Josh murmured.
"It's some of my best work," he smirked back. He had a bottle of Jack Daniels with him and had obviously been drinking some it. Very American of him!
"You're staring the naked body of your ex-girlfriend every day? That's sick," Josh told him. But the photograph was beautiful. He couldn't believe that Sémya let him do that.
"It's art. Sémya and I had history; it's not a big deal," he shrugged.
"Ten years later and you're still holding on to this…it's a big deal," Josh said. He was ready to take it down when Sémya got in the room.
"What is this? Note comparing time?" Sémya said. She looked at the photograph, "Julian you're bigger but Josh is better. And I'm not just saying that because you were my first. You were a good lover ten years ago and but Josh is just the best I've ever had."
Wow that wasn't nice… but Josh couldn't wipe off the grin on his face.
"What the fuck! Who says shit like this, Sémya?" Julian said back.
"I don't know…it's not a big deal, you just have my tits on display for everyone to see. But you couldn't pick up the phone in three years to call me?" she said matching his tone.
"He's the best you've ever had! That's a line if I ever heard one," Julian told her.
Yes, it is…"Hey… don't talk to her like that. She's been busting her ass to save yours for weeks!" Josh told him then tried to take the photograph down but Julian stopped him.
"We were good together. It reminds me of how good we were," he whined. "No one comes here but me and the cleaning lady. And only people who had seen you naked would know that it's you." He sat back on his desk. "Really he is better? We had fireworks, Sémya!"
Josh shook his head in disbelief. Is this guy for real?
She chuckled back. "I loved you so much but I was such a foolish girl. I mean I used to write you poetry. But you didn't love me back. How could you? You didn't even love yourself back then. But that sure had changed." Her chuckle turned into a bitter laugh. "What the hell is going on with Eileen? You're fucking her? She's barely twenty-five and oh…are you insane?"
"It's none of your business. Eileen is a great person; I wish I met her before Johanna." He took out a file and threw it her way. "She gave it to me earlier today," he slurred.
"You did meet her before, six months before to be exact…Johanna's medical records, it only took her five days," she said picking it up.
"Whatever Sémya, I'll leave you to your new boy toy wonder." He intentionally bumped into Josh on his way out, his bottle of whisky in his hand. That was that.
"The best, yeah?" he smirked taking her in his arms.
"This isn't news to you," she grinned back.
"I know, but it's nice to hear you say it when we're fully clothed," he winked. He kissed her neck and she stiffened. "What's wrong?"
She was looking at the medical report. "I know who did it," she said looking up with a raw resolve in her eyes, "I know who killed Johanna Cartier."
Title- The Plot Thickens
Series- Sémya Slotin Mystery #2
By- Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba
Genre- mystery/suspense/ thriller romance
Blurb:
18+ adult content
What happened while Semya Slotin and Josh Heinz were busy solving Johanna Cartier's murder in Bird Of Prey?
Polliannah's story... When Polliannah Koch Guryev meets John Allen, she thinks that she's finally found her Prince Charming a tall, blond and handsome banker. What could go wrong?
John Allen has a job to do and getting closer to the beautiful Miss Koch Guryev is supposed to be a means to an end. But then they fall in love. He's a hit man on a mission, she's the sister of his targets. What possible future could they have? Now he and his Russian Princess have to leave London for their safety.But it may already be too late for them…
Excerpt:
John adjusted his earpiece when he saw Sémya and Polliannah getting out of the car. He has been spying on them for over a month now. He realised early on that it was easier to do in Chelsea, close to their store, than around their flat in North London. There, someone may notice him or worst recognize him. He lowered his head and looked away as they passed him. Polliannah stopped a couple of steps up when her phone rang and Sémya crossed her arms sipping her coffee.
They both looked like they had a long night. Polliannah adjusted her mini dress and sighed heavily before answering. "Wie bist du Mamma9?" she said rolling her tired eyes at Sémya. Her almost daily calls from her mother Petra Koch… {9.How are you Mom?}
She gave Sémya the keys to the store. "Weak Sauce!" Sémya teased and ran across the street to open their store.
"You know I want to speak in English with you, Nannah," John heard Polliannah's mother say through his earpiece, the magic of modern technology as long as he was close enough. The small café not far from their store was perfect for this. "Yes, I am fine. Are you? You sound tired."
"Sémya and I finished that nice bottle of vodka Connor sent me last year for my thirtieth birthday," she laughed back. She yawned and stretched her body, revealing her long sexy legs. "It was good stuff." Connor Ivan Guryev was Ivan Guryev's second son after Dmitri, his eldest. "What can I do for you Mama? We're about to open the store and we have to do our inventory-"
"Your father's offer and mine still stands, Nannah. We know you need the money and your family needs you," Petra said.
"Money with strings attached. Thank you, mama but no thanks," Polliannah told her mother for the twentieth time.
"All right Liebling. You take care10," Petra said. {10.Darling}
"I always do mama. Please do the same," she told her and disconnected the call. Each time her mother called, John was convinced that she would finally give in and let them help her. Each time she had proved him wrong. She had been gaining his respect a little more each day.
Polliannah hurried into her store so John adjusted his earpiece so he could hear Sémya as well. It was Sémya's turn to deal with a call from her family. By the sound of it she was talking to her younger brother Aaron Slotin. He could see her nervously pacing around the shop floor through his small goggles. "Putain11! Aaron, what time is it in Toronto anyway?" she asked him.
"Sémya Louise, please do this for me. Mother just wants to talk. She said she needs your help and you're the only one who could do it," he said. {11.What the fuck!}
Sémya covered the mouthpiece and turned to Polliannah. "Did you say yes?" Sémya asked her. Polliannah shook her pretty head and left her for the backroom. "All right, p'tit frère12, I'll hear her out but I'm not promising anything. I'll pick up the next time she calls," she said and sighed. {12.Little brother}
"Actually… eh… she wants you to go Paris and-" Aaron babbled.
"No!" Sémya yelled and almost threw her phone across the room. John couldn't help but laugh. These women had been entertaining him for the past five weeks. Even if he had a job to do, he had come to like them and their antics. "She can't summon me like I'm still a teenager...I'm not paying for the trip," she finally told him after she calmed down.
"She booked you a Standard Premier Train ticket to Paris for tomorrow morning," he told her. Sémya was visibly fuming. "Non-flexible…leaving at 7:31a.m."
John almost dropped his binoculars he was laughing so hard. He looked at the café's manager. He had paid him a large sum of money for his silence. But Dovos' men to do not leave witnesses… he would have to take care of him eventually.
Sémya finally hung up with her brother. "Weak Sauce? Are you alive in there?" she shouted toward the backroom.
Polliannah emerged looking a little green. "Fucking Russian Vodka…"
"Weak Sauce, did you puke again?" she teased back.
"Call me Weak Sauce one more time and it will be the last thing you'll ever say to me," Polliannah threatened and sneered as she sat behind the cash register.
"Why? Are they finally shipping your foreign arse back to Mother Russia? I tipped off immigration months ago!" she laughed back.
"Ah! The joke is on you, I'm here as a German citizen not a Russian one," she said.
"So I'm going to Paris tomorrow… do you need anything brought back?" Sémya asked with a total lack of enthusiasm. Polliannah instantly lighted up. "Something we can afford?" Sémya added purposely.
"Sanka original… I'm sure Annika can spare a little dress," she said.
"Well you can ask her because I won't," Sémya told her and walked to the backroom.
"Forget that I've ever mentioned it!" Polliannah said back.
Title- Polliannah Got Married!
Series- Sémya Slotin Mystery #3
By- Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba
Genre- mystery/suspense/ thriller romance
Length: 65000 words/ 250 pages
Release date: June 16 2014
Blurb:
The truth this time, and nothing but the truth…
Polliannah Koch Guryev is in trouble and her boyfriend is dead. It's not the first time amateur sleuth Sémya Slotin finds herself on the first plane to rescue her best friend, but nothing's prepared her for what she finds in Toronto. Polliannah is a widow and her late husband John Allen was a hit man for the powerful Dovos family. What did they want from her? Why is this happening? One thing they do know: their carefree life back in London is officially over.
Sémya's long-time boyfriend Josh Heinz knows more than he lets on, but as usual he's not telling her anything. In fact, everyone knows more but nobody's talking. But that never stops Sémya Slotin, Detective Extraordinaire, from finding out the truth beneath the lies…
But at what cost? Old conspiracies and secrets resurface that put them all in peril. Sémya's worst fears about her relationship with Josh and his past are confirmed, and the rift between them may never heal.
Sémya and Polliannah's world is falling apart. Will they be able to come out of this stronger? Oh, and did I mention that Polliannah got married?
Excerpt:
Then she wrote the other name. "FREGG," she muttered and felt a chill travelling down her spine. The Sémya, you're on the right fucking track chill…
She turned on her laptop and called Ally, "DCI Gibbons, how's your Sunday so far?"
"This is not a social call, is it?" Ally said.
"No it's about the case here or maybe a five year old case at the Dovos family island," Sémya told her.
She heard her shift around. "I'm listening."
"What do you know about FREGG and the Dovos family? More importantly, what access do you have?" she asked her.
"FREGG is a myth… a ghost agency or organization," Ally told her.
"Yes, except for the fact that it is not," she chuckled back. "I researched them sixteen years ago when I was investigating my stepfather's murder. They're real, but also that powerful."
"Alright… why do you need my access?" she asked.
"Hacking the Metropolitan Police Service's server, what else?" There was no point lying to her. She didn't want Ally to get in any trouble. She needed access so she could get in then do her thing. "Ally, your access can buy me a whole sixty seconds more than the thirty seconds I could get away with," she added.
"Sémya, I like you… but not this much," she told her.
"Ally… I just need to find some breadcrumbs. Your access will help me to be invisible, but I'll erase my presence afterwards," she said and started to type.
"What does FREGG stand for?" Ally asked her.
Sémya smiled, she was getting to her. "The founders' names, Fenton, Reginald, Edgerton, Giadi and Gaumont. Obscenely rich families who decided to create their own crime-fighting agency with bottomless deep pockets. They have governments backing, especially after the Second World War. It was one of the best secrets of the Geneva Conventions of 1949."
"The rumour is that it was created in 1950," Ally laughed back.
"It was formed in 1932 but was an epic failure… you know Switzerland back then," She accessed the Metropolitan Police Service server and entered Ally's credentials and paused.
"How do you know all this?" she asked.
"How do you not?" Sémya laughed. "So do I have your consent? Gaumont, one of the legacies went to school with me, that's how I got the information. He was sweet on me and I had a case to solve."
Ally let out a loud sigh. "What do you need from me?"
She finished her bottle of wine. "Nothing Love, just your consent." Sémya said and typed Ally's passcode. "I'm in… timer ninety seconds. I need to use a clearance level higher than yours. How about your boss? James Connelly. He's chummy with Heinz." She typed as quickly as she could. She hadn't done this in quite some times. The rush was invigorating. "Okay, so five years ago, The Dovos… What type of files do you have for me, Jim?" She kept searching and found more classified reports about an attack and bombing on The Second's birthday. "There was an attack… I'm downloading as we speak… The Guryevs were there… your boss' clearance is four times higher than yours… it doesn't make sense!" James Connelly had NCA, National Crime Agency, clearance, as well as MI5 and NDEDIU access. He was only supposed to be a Chief Superintendent.
"Forty seconds, Sémya."
"Alright, I'm there… James William Connelly? He's in the report, Ally... Also…" she kept typing and downloading the files to her servers. "Ten seconds… fuck! I need to get out. I'm cleaning up… and out!" The rush was making her hands trembled.
"What did you find?" Ally asked. Sémya could hear from her voice that she was excited too.
"Someone attempted to kill the Dovos family five years ago… and Ally, your boss was there. I gotta go." She hung up.
Sémya looked at the info in front of her. The files were encrypted, but she could try to make a few deductions. CS James Connelly only took the files he could read and only the ones with his name on it. They said yesterday that John shot him, was it when it happened? Did he go there on his own or with a team? Was it some type of suicide mission? She searched for any mentions of other names. If he got shot there, someone had to get him out. Do I have to spell it out for you, Slotin?
FREGG was an 'elusive crime fighting' agency. They enjoyed blending in plain sight; covert missions… like dismantling a human trafficking ring in Hawaii. She slowly got up and went to her board. "Josh Heinz, James Connelly equal FREGG," she muttered as she wrote in her own code. "So who did it? FREGG or Guryev's?"
About the Author:
Meet Danielle-Claude Ngontang Mba The Author, The Blogger, The Cheeky Reviewer "My life journey is like my playlist, amazingly unique but full of contradictions with surprising joys with every song..."
In the past two years, while living in Canada, England and France I wrote four novels: This Could Have Been Our Song! A coulda woulda shoulda ballad... (Book one) currently available on amazon, iTunes, Kobo, Barnes and Nobles and Smashwords. The sequel This Would Have Been Our Song! Catchy tune and dancers' tales has been in January 2014. Bird Of Prey, my first mystery romance novel has been released in October 7th, 2013 and its first sequel The Plot Thickens (a novella) in December. The second one Polliannah Got Married! will be released in June 2014 and the final in July 2014. I'm currently residing in Paris, France.
Contact: info@danielle-claude.com ~ Author website~ Blogger website Danielle-Claude Indie Book Reviews ~ Twitter: @weissdaughter ~ Facebook Author Page ~ Danielle-Claude Indie Book Reviews facebook page ~ Goodreads
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Giveaway:
2 PAPERBACK COPIES OF BOOK FOUR, VINCENT MALLORY EDGERTON (US, CANADA & UK ONLY)
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