Releasing your baby into the world is one of the great joys in writing. Think years, months, and hours of writing, editing, and making suitable a manuscript you’ve wrapped your expectations, dreams, and hopes around, and you’ll understand the pride this day brings. For me, the day was Monday, January 17, 2022.
Happy Birthday, Gone Before!
Wahoo! Rory is back…. and this time with a murderer who doesn’t leave a clue.
Small-town detective, Rory Naysmith, thought he’d seen it all, but a young woman’s brutal murder is especially hard to stomach. Doubly so, when he recognizes the murder’s MO is identical to that of Tobias Snearl, the killer he put behind bars a decade before.
His frustration grows after a series of senseless accidents plague those dearest to him, and a second woman dies. Searching for answers, Rory races against time, plunging deep into the murder investigations, drawing ever closer to becoming a casualty of the dark, angry deeds himself, until he finds no one is who they pretend to be—and none are beyond evil’s reach.
Praise for Gone Before
“Often irascible but always dry-witted Rory Naysmith is back to please readers of this popular series. On his toes—so to speak—with the latest murder to hit Winterset, Nebraska, Rory battles bureaucracies both inside and out of this small mid-western town and it’s smaller police department. A reluctant transplant from the big city, with murder, this cop is in his element and the reader knows it from page one. Gone Before is loaded with a cast of diverse, quirky characters along with a budding love interest for the socially challenged Rory—and it’s so much fun to watch. Based on a scale of 1-5, Gone Before deserves a 7. Based on a scale of 1-5, Gone Before deserves a 7. ” Kat Henry Doran, Wild Women Reviews
“Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder and mystery. And a great who done it! I definitely recommend reading this book and series! It’s well worth reading!” -Debbie B., Reviewer
“Mysteries pile up, coincidences galore, missing persons, a stranger in town, one revelation after another and, in the end, a surprise that will please every reader!” – Dorothy Van Soest, author, Nuclear Option and other Sylvia Jensen mysteries
Excerpt, Gone Before:
The recovery crew was still working when Rory swapped worry for anxiety.
He’d always loved summer—heat, humidity, long days cooled by the night breeze. He’d been younger then and in top condition. His damn foot put him in an awkward position. He wasn’t tip-top, that was for sure. The endless day of inaction taunted him and wouldn’t allow him to shake the doubts running through his mind. Was he in shape to conduct an investigation? How long could he hide his condition from the chief? Would Mansfield push him into administrative leave?
He knew one thing. He wasn’t giving up his shield—even temporarily.
