In the Line of Duty
by Carolyn Arnold
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Mystery
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Her
fellow officer has made the ultimate sacrifice, and Detective Madison Knight
may have to lay it all on the line to bring his killer to justice. But with leads
pointing in several directions, she has to narrow them down—and quickly—if
she’s going to solve the case before anyone else gets hurt, including herself.
***
He devoted his life to seeking justice. But would
she get any for him?
It was an
ordinary day for police officer Barry Weir. It was the end of shift, he was
tired, and he just wanted to get home to his wife and kids. But someone had
other plans for him—shooting him down and forcing him to make the ultimate
sacrifice.
When news
of Weir’s murder reaches the precinct, it leaves Detective Madison Knight and
every cop in the Stiles PD itching for revenge. It cuts Madison’s boyfriend,
colleague, and Weir’s childhood friend, Troy Matthews, deepest of all, driving
him away from everyone he loves, just when they need one another the
most.
With
evidence pointing to a gang-related drive-by, Madison and her team investigate
the town’s seedy underbelly in search of justice for their fallen brother. But
the deeper they dig, the more convoluted the case becomes. Now they need to
figure out if this was a random shooting as part of a gang initiation, a
straight-up hate crime, or a targeted kill. But with the Stiles PD under
attack, they have to do it fast…before more people pay with their lives.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
Excerpt from Chapter 3
Troy gripped the sink in the men’s washroom at the
Stiles police station with both hands and stared at himself in the mirror. He’d
lost men close to him before. The last one was two years ago, and the officer
had been killed in a car accident while off duty. He’d left behind two kids and
a wife. But Barry…he was different. Life always equaled death, of course. It
was a simple equation to accept until it touched close to home. And that’s what
Barry’s death was for him—personal.
Losing Barry made it clear just how dangerous this
job could be and how fragile life was. One minute here, the next gone. Barry
had just been pumping gas, a routine thing, something people did all the time
without any thought to their safety. Those on the outside would say that’s the
risk he took being in law enforcement. Yes, there was the chance any one of
them wouldn’t return home from a shift, but it wasn’t something Troy
consciously thought about before heading to work.
In fact, when serving in a SWAT capacity, he’d say
it was one of the safest positions within the Stiles PD. SWAT had the toys, and
when they showed up to manage a situation, it was often brought under control
rather quickly. Even the majority of criminals didn’t want to tango with an
AR-15 and armored vehicles. Besides, dwelling on one’s mortality wasn’t
healthy. But when something like this happened to one of their own, it spurred
on such self-reflection. It could have easily been him in the morgue, or one of
his team members. Or Madison…
His insides quivered with rage as his heartbeat
slowed with his grief. He squeezed his eyes shut.
“I’ve got
Dad’s car tonight,” Barry says. “We’ll take it out on the back roads and see
what she’s really capable of.”
“Your dad’s a cop, Barry,” Troy reminds him.
“So? What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” Barry
takes a few steps down the hall of their high school but stops and spins when
Troy doesn’t follow. “Come on, man. Don’t make me take Lyman.”
Troy came back from his thoughts and opened his
eyes to find himself staring at his reflection.
That night had been one of the best ever. Barry had
sent the car airborne by racing over the railway tracks on the outskirts of the
city. They’d even conned some seniors into getting beer for them and drank it
by the tracks later that night.
Barry had made Troy feel alive…
Pain knotted in his chest, the regrets over
skipping drinks with Barry last week paired with losing a part of his childhood
somehow.
Troy pinched the bridge of his nose as the memories
continued to rush over him.
“I just got my acceptance letter.” Barry holds the
envelope in his hand. “This college has the hottest chicks… Not that it would
matter to you.”
“What does that mean?”
“It’s Lauren and Troy sitting in a tree…” Barry
sings.
“Seriously? You’re like a girl sometimes, you know
that? A big, emotional girl.”
“Hey!” Barry punches him playfully in the arm.
Madison punched him in the arm sometimes, too…
God, what would he have done if Madison were the one
who’d been killed?
MY REVIEW:
Anyone who loves police procedures will love this book. It takes you in a step by step sequence to show you how the police operate and how they conduct investigations. And in this book, the investigation is dear to the hearts of the entire police force as they hunt for a cop killer.
The plot of the story is complex with many layers which makes the investigation even more complicated. It's headed by Madison Knight and Troy Matthews who previously entered into a relationship that is complicated by past hurts and disappointments. Their fears are exacerbated by the loss of one of their own, and whether they'll survive as a couple is in some question.
The book is suspenseful as the investigation moves to its conclusion, and you find yourself hoping for a satisfactory ending. It's a good read that I enjoyed. 5 stars.
The plot of the story is complex with many layers which makes the investigation even more complicated. It's headed by Madison Knight and Troy Matthews who previously entered into a relationship that is complicated by past hurts and disappointments. Their fears are exacerbated by the loss of one of their own, and whether they'll survive as a couple is in some question.
The book is suspenseful as the investigation moves to its conclusion, and you find yourself hoping for a satisfactory ending. It's a good read that I enjoyed. 5 stars.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international best-selling
and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational
mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight,
Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has
written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything
from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.
Both her female detective and FBI profiler
series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and
entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED
BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys
spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded
by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that
she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her
books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.
She currently lives just west of Toronto with
her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada.
Connect with CAROLYN ARNOLD Online:
Website - http://carolynarnold.net/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/Carolyn_Arnold
Facebook -
https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynArnold
And don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter
for up-to-date information on release and special offers at
http://carolynarnold.net/newsletters.
Amazon
http://getbook.at/in-the-line-of-duty
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Google Play
https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=ZX-qDAAAQBAJ
http://carolynarnold.net/in-the-line-of-duty/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and
RAFFLECOPTER CODE
Carolyn will be awarding a
Paperback of Deadly Impulse US, Canada and UK Only ($25.00 USD PayPal
International) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Use the link below to enter.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteCongrats! Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the great review. I'm pleased that you really enjoyed IN THE LINE OF DUTY. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the book with your readers.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed following the tour for In the Line of Duty and I'm looking forward to reading it!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Carolyn. I did enjoy the book.
ReplyDeleteIf you could be anyone for one day, who would you be and why?
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