City of Lies
by January Bain
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GENRE: Hard-Boiled Crime Mystery
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BOOK BLURB:
A Gripping Tale of Identity, Crime, and Survival… Claire Preston, a script reader for a Hollywood movie studio, has recently lost her mother. Discovering she was adopted as a baby, she goes on a perilous quest for her true identity.
Assisted by her mentor, the seasoned private investigator, Jake Sterling, Claire delves deeper into her past, only to unearth a labyrinth of secrets more daunting than she ever envisioned. Soon, she finds herself in the crosshairs of a ruthless serial killer—an ex-Nazi fugitive evading justice for decades.
As Claire confronts her heritage, grapples with danger, and races against time to evade the clutches of a deadly predator, she finds herself wondering: Is uncovering the truth in a city of lies even possible?
Experience the chilling twists and turns of a tale where identity, mystery, and survival converge in the heart of 1968 Los Angeles.
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EXCERPT THREE:
She smiled that Mona Lisa smile again before efficiently tapping the end of her Salem twice against the huge glass ashtray still sparkling from a recent cleaning. When she sat back, her brown suede mini skirt rose another half inch, making him sweat in the air conditioning he’d cranked up to maximum setting before Mae Dixon, his bossy and essential secretary, had ushered in his last client of the day. The small rose tattoo peeking at him was the final coup de grâce. He yanked at his tie, releasing its stranglehold.
“You read a lot, Mr. Sterling?”
“Please, call me Jake. Guilty. You?”
“It’s what I do daily to keep body and soul intact.” She gave a grimace, quirking red-rouged lips downward at the corners like she’d just eaten something unagreeable. Picking up the glass of whiskey, she took a large gulp, the liquid working its way sensuously down her creamy white throat. His best guess, a real redhead. The conveniently located beauty mark near the edge of her mouth sealed the siren deal.
He looked into her arresting green eyes shining like an alley cat’s in the streetlight before taking a good slug of his own Jim Beam. “Doesn’t appear to be agreeing with you. And here I was betting on your being an actress. An even less agreeable occupation.”
“Good place to learn the lying, stealing, mannerisms of Hollywood as anywhere—reading scripts. And I leave the acting profession to my friend, Serena Sands.”
“You want to become a mystery writer exposing the underbelly of Hollywood? Come work for me. Nothing like the real world to give a writer excellent fodder. In fact, you’ll need to work hard to make your book more plausible than what truly goes down in this city of lies.”
She stubbed out the cigarette, then immediately lit another before he could lean forward to assist. He noted her fingers trembled ever so slightly. She blew another perfect smoke ring. Impressive. She was the kind of female he almost hoped would say she needed his help to kill someone, and to bury the body in the desert, so she’d be in his debt forever. Not that he would do it, of course, though he had never been properly tested. Until now.
“Maybe I will. Do you believe in fate, Jake?”
The rebel song still high jacking his brain slowed down a bit. “I like to think I have a hand in my own destiny, that if I don’t care for the cards dealt, I can reshuffle the deck. Helps me sleep at night.”
She gave him a slight nod, her glittering Veronica Lake pageboy swinging forward against her shoulder, shadowing half her face. Too bad she was a decade younger and a ten. On a good day he might be a solid six—six and a half.
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AUTHOR BIO:
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January Bain firmly believes that stories unite us, that good stories help us to discover the commonality of the human experience by supporting values, empathy and understanding. January writes with her heart, mind, and soul, hoping that her novels will touch your life, giving you moments of freedom as you fly with her to other worlds.
The award-winning author has had the pleasure of select novels being turned into games, while her work is also available in different languages.
January and her husband live in rural Canada on peaceful acreage where a variety of wildlife comes to visit regularly and expects to be fed and paid attention to.
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
January will award a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
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