Witness to Slaughter
by K.A. Lugo
GENRE: Thriller
BLURB:
Jack has coped through previous holidays, but this one feels different. It's been four years since he lost his family, and clues to finding those responsible have dried up. Hopelessness has him so tightly wound that he's often driven out of his claustrophobic apartment before the ever-present black dog of depression drags him to a place where there's no coming back from.
Jack wants to be left alone with his sorrow, but when he's offered double his fee by the wife of one of the city's most elite families, how can he refuse? She wants him to follow her husband, Franklin, as she suspects he's cheating and needs photos to get around the strict prenup. Franklin leads Jack across the city to The Majestic Lounge, the Castro District's most popular gay nightclub. By the time he finds Franklin, Jack is forced to break up a heated argument between him and club owner, Chad Lucas.
Lucas approaches Jack the following day, wanting to hire him for added security during the club's popular annual Drag Queen Extravaganza. The event's usual excitement is marred by the deaths of several of Lucas' friends that authorities are calling suicides. Lucas convinces Jack something more nefarious is going on and agrees to the job.
Does the city have another serial killer on its hands, one who's targeting the LGBTQ community? Can Jack find a witness? Surely in the crowded nightclub, someone must have seen something.
Excerpt:
"I want you to follow my husband."
What had Leah said about the famous? It's unicorns and rainbows on the outside, baby. Inside, they're squirrels fighting in a sack.
Jack nearly chuckled as he gazed across the desk. With her classic beige pantsuit with matching pumps and wide-brimmed sun hat, and the oversized Louis Vuitton handbag, Ginnifer Whitney-Cummings emulated the epitome of classic fashion. Nothing screamed squirrels fighting in a sack, but he wondered why she wanted her husband followed.
And why him? If she suspected her husband was cheating on her, she certainly could afford an investigator who moved in her own circle.
As if reading his mind, she continued, "I know I must seem out of place . . . here." She quickly cast a heavily-mascaraed derisive gaze around the small room and settled on the sofa, which looked like someone had recently been sleeping there. He hadn't been expecting anyone so hadn't bothered to put the blanket and pillow in the backroom.
"You could say that."
She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. "I'll get to the point. You're a man who can get the job done. That's what I need."
"There are many good investigators in the city who can get the job done. Why me?" He leaned back in the chair and wove his fingers over his abdomen.
"If rumors are correct, you did what the San Francisco Police Department couldn't. They sat on a serial killer and got nowhere. You solved the case within days."
"I got lucky."
"Luck or not, you accomplished in those few days what a whole department couldn't do in years, and who didn't even see fit to warn the public, I might add. Really, I have no idea why we continue to donate to police charities. Anyway, I need someone like you."
"Mrs. Whitney-Cu—"
"Ginnie. You'll be working for me, so there's no need to be so formal," she told him.
Jack cocked an eyebrow. "I haven't agreed to anything."
"You are. I'm paying double your normal fee."
My Review:
Jack Slaughter is having a hard time dealing with and accepting the loss of his wife and daughter. It has been four years since the last time he saw them. Whenever it all starts to take its toll on him and he starts to head in that dark place, a place that there may not be any coming back from. Jack always takes a walk to help clear his head whenever he finds himself slipping into that cold dark place.
On one of these lonely nights, his stroll takes him a little farther than normal. Jack is pulled back from his dark place by a blood-curdling scream. Jack finds a woman dying in an alley and calls for help. He spots someone at the end of the alley but it is too dark for him to be able to describe the person with clarity. The lady in the alley dies before the ambulance arrives.
Later Jack is hired by one of the city’s most elite ladies. This woman wants Jack to follow her husband to see where he is going and find out what is doing. This lady believes her husband to be cheating on her and needs proof that he is before she can end her marriage. She needs proof that he is doing something that will violate the prenuptial agreement.
Witness to Slaughter has some very surprising twists and turns that I never saw coming. Witness to Slaughter was so very unpredictable with a whole slew of characters whom I found to be very likable and memorable. While Jack is doing his sleuthing spying on Franklin he discovers a connection between the death of the lady he found in the alley and a few suicides or what the police are calling suicides.
As the plot thickens and the suspense builds, I am racing to the end to see whodunit. When it was finally revealed as to whodunit I was sort of surprised. I never would have guessed. Well, that is what part of me thinks but the other part of me is slapping myself on the forehead and thinking, dang, I should have known. I am looking forward to more of Jack’s mysteries.
If you are into murder mysteries and thrillers then I highly suggest that you grab yourself a copy of Witness to Slaughter today! Oh and don’t forget to check out the first Jack Slaughter Thriller, Slaughtered as well. While the Jack Slaughter Thrillers can be read as standalone I do suggest that you read Slaughtered first as it gives you more insight as to who Jack is and what happened to his wife and daughter.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
K.A. Lugo is a native Northern Californian who was raised near San Francisco. In 1997 she left the employ of Clint Eastwood to live in Ireland for six months. It was during this time she met the man she would marry and relocated to live in Ireland. Since 2005, K.A. has published fourteen titles in genres including romantic suspense, erotic romance, cozy mystery, and now thrillers. Slaughtered was the first in the new highly acclaimed Jack Slaughter Thriller series.
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Find K.A. Online:
Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Blog
Goodreads ~ BookBub ~ Tirgearr Publishing ~ Email
2 comments:
Thank you for hosting me today, and *thank you* for your lovely review. I'm so happy you enjoyed my story. Look out for Slaughterhouse later in the summer.
Beautiful cover. It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing :-)
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