Date Published: December 2015 Second
Edition
One Cop, One Serial Killer, One Witness
Who Will Survive?
Who Will Survive?
Northern California’s elite Police K9 Units arrive at an
abandoned warehouse after a high-speed chase and apprehend two killers after
they have fled a grisly murder scene. This barely scratches the surface of a
bloody trail from a prolific serial killer that leads to unlocking the
insidious secrets of one family’s history, while tearing a police department
apart.
Jack Davis, a top K9 cop with an unprecedented integrity, finds
himself falling for a beautiful murder suspect and struggling with departmental
codes.
Megan O’Connell, suffering from agoraphobia, is the prime murder
suspect in her sister’s brutal murder.
Darrell Brooks, a psychopath who loves to kill, is on a quest to
drive Megan insane for profit.
Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has a secret. Someone else must
die to keep the truth buried forever. Silent Partner is a suspense ride along
that will keep you guessing until the bitter end.
EXCERPT
SILENT PARTNER
A California Police K9 Story
The city streets were quiet. It was
approaching 1 a.m. and most residents were fast asleep waiting for the next day
to begin. The sleeping neighborhoods were completely unaware of who and what
roamed the streets in the middle of the night.
Everyone had a story
to tell and those people out in the middle of the night were no different. What
made it unlike any other night was that there was a serial killer on the loose
and it didn’t seem like the police were close to catching him anytime soon. The
erratic murders didn’t seem to have any type of connection except for the
victims it left behind.
The sidewalks, along
with a few parked cars, were wet from a mild rain from a couple of hours ago.
Large droplets of water on the road reflected the approaching headlights of a
police cruiser.
The car idled as it
slowed near quick flashes of light. In the shadows, transients were lighting up
their scrounged cigarette butts in between quick swigs of cheap booze disguised
in brown paper bags.
The cruiser paused
for just a moment, then slowly moved on.
Deputy Jack Davis
surveyed the streets with intense, dark blue eyes, casually running his fingers
through his dark military haircut, looking for anything suspicious or out of
place. His well-seasoned cop instincts from the past ten years rarely failed
him.
Jack had many things
weighing heavy on his mind. One of those things he was going to have out right
now.
He vented to his
partner, “You’re such an adrenaline junkie. The end doesn’t justify the means.”
He sighed and continued, “I can’t even look at you right now. You have to start
following procedures otherwise Sarge is going to have both our asses on
suspension.”
It remained quiet
inside the cruiser.
Jack finally spoke
again. “Just because you sleep with me doesn’t make this any easier. Do you
have anything to say for yourself?”
A muscular
one-hundred-pound black Labrador Retriever stared at his partner from the back
seat. His large square head tilted slightly to one side, his black eyes fixed
at attention as he watched his handler with building curiosity.
Jack demanded. “Say
something. Anything.”
The dog barked twice
and stood up, pushing his wet canine nose toward Jack and giving him a sloppy
kiss on the side of his face, not forgetting the inside of his ear.
Jack smiled. For a
brief moment, his tension melted away. “Like I can stay mad at you.”
Jack roughly
scratched the big dog’s ears. He was rewarded with snorts and happy low-pitched
whines.
The police cruiser
took a turn down an alley between two closed businesses, their interiors lit
only by low emergency lighting illuminating a shadowy glow from the display
shelves.
Jack cut the engine
but kept the car lights shining so he could see down the long alley. There were
several dumpsters behind the electronics store and deli. The light bounced
peculiar shadows and distorted views from the sides of the buildings and off
barred security windows.
Jack’s military boots
hit the pavement as he got out of the car with purpose. He walked around the
cruiser to the trunk, popped it open, and pulled out three gray blankets. He
slammed the trunk closed, tucked the blankets under his right arm, and walked
around the car.
With eyes focused and
ears perked up, his four-legged partner never missed a single step or movement
that Jack made. The dog’s black eyes gave the canine an almost demonic
appearance.
A sign posted on the
side of the back window of the police car read boldly: CAUTION POLICE DOG—KENO.
Monterey County Sheriff was printed
down the side of the front doors.
Jack’s squeaky gun
belt echoed in unison with his footsteps while he walked down the alley as a
few suspicious eyes peered out at him from the deep shadows.
Trash and flattened
cardboard boxes littered the ground next to broken bottles that had been neatly
swept against the side of the building. Some care had been taken to keep the
glass from causing any injury to those who had to sleep there.
Upon closer inspection,
Jack could see several homeless people hidden beneath the city’s refuse cloaked
in several layers of clothing with a few precious personal belongings clutched
at their sides.
A young woman barely
in her twenties with short blonde hair and a five-year-old child huddled
together in their filthy clothing, shivering slightly from the damp evening.
The local homeless shelter had only a few beds even for women and children.
When they were already occupied, there was nothing else that they could do but find
the safest place to hide out for the night. For them, this was the next safest
place to be―away from the usual areas of downtown and under the bridge. It was
cold, but they would be safe for another night.
Jack slowed his pace
and with careful discretion he unfolded the blankets and gently wrapped them
around the woman and little girl. They didn’t say a word to him, but their eyes
conveyed gratitude. It was difficult for Jack to just leave the homeless behind
to shiver in the night, but he turned and kept his focus on the cruiser as he
walked back.
Jack didn’t raise his
eyes to look through the windshield until he was seated back inside his warm
cruiser. Several sets of eyes reflected from the harsh headlights, but they
seemed to be more curious than wary of his presence. Some nameless faces had
seen him before, especially on extreme cold nights and holidays. He resembled a
dark knight coming to the aid of his homeless kingdom.
The cruiser slowly
backed up and then disappeared into the night. The lights flashed like ghostly
shadows for two seconds and then vanished as quickly as they had appeared. Once
again, the alley was dark, quiet, and cold.
REVIEW
Hard driving,
fast-paced drama—and that’s just the dogs!
SILENT PARTNER by Jennifer Chase is an adrenalin rush of a story! For
those into police action and high-speed thrills, this one’s for you.
The book opens with a series of vignettes. These
disparate stories gradually converge until a connection between the past and
present emerges. I very much appreciated this unusual approach, and the effective
way it was handled. A strong backstory wends its way throughout, enhancing the
mystery of a prolific serial killer and a lot more.
The story centers around Jack Davis, a top K9 cop, and
his adorable, dependable, cutest-partner-ever dog named Keno. I gotta say I
have a soft spot in my heart for dogs, and, evidently, so does Ms. Chase. It’s
very apparent from the descriptions that she “gets” that bond between handlers
and their dogs. Because she does, the scenes centered around the K9 unit are
exceedingly well done and engaging. There’s one in particular (where they’re
searching an abandoned warehouse—yikes!) that had me holding my breath.
The plot was also very good. Complex and inventive, it
definitely held my interest and went in unexpected directions right up until
the end. I’d like to add that the bad guys are really, really, REALLY bad! Like
scum-sucking bad! It makes the doggies sinking their teeth into them and taking
them down very enjoyable! Take that and that and that! Good doggie!
Stylistically, Ms. Chase also delivered. I thought the
taut, no nonsense, driving kind of writing suited the story and advanced it
nicely. The elimination of a lot of white noise established a mood and
atmosphere that put you in the midst of the action. However, it was in the
arena of writing where I felt the story fell short. There were a number of
awkward sentences and instances where words like “with” were substituted for
“by”. This grammatical shortcoming could easily be cleaned up and didn’t hamper
my enjoyment, but it is a shame since it did affect the overall rating. While a
good book, it could be a great one.
I’m giving SILENT
PARTNER a final rating of 4.0. Ms. Chase possesses a unique perspective and
offers the reader something new. I love that she’s chosen the K-9 unit to write
about and look forward to more books from her. In closing, I have one more very
important thing to say, and that is, “Go team doggie, go!!!”
For the purposes of full disclosure, I received a free
copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
AUTHOR BIO
Jennifer holds a
Bachelor degree in police forensics and a Master's degree in criminology and
criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about
the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath,
providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In
addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She
is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic
Criminologists.
For more info: www.authorjenniferchase.com
Contact Information
Website: http://authorjenniferchase.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JChaseNovelist
Purchase Links
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/silent-partner-jennifer-chase/1028511362?ean=2940032893776
* A portion of the sales from Silent Partner
will be donated to purchase a new ballastic/stab proof police K9 vest*
Thank you so much for hosting my Silent Partner Tour today!
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome. I really enjoyed the book. Great job and much success.
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