As a probation officer I’m supposed to help people turn their lives around. Yet, my clients are dropping like flies. My caseload numbers are plummeting, sure, but that’s not the preferred way to reduce recidivism. There are two ways to get off probation early, one way is to complete all the conditions imposed by the court, another way is to die. I much prefer congratulating my people for getting their act together, but here I am, attending funerals.
To make matters worse, Diablo, one of Phoenix’s most violent gangs, is mad at me. Most of them went to prison, giving me a little reprieve in their quest to bring me to their form of justice, but they are reorganizing, and they’ve let me know they haven’t forgotten their vendetta against me.
Other than being on my caseload, I can’t find anything tying my targeted clients together. Since I’m the common denominator, police are looking at me. And now I find out that Detective Ramsey who’s leading the investigation, has it in for my ex-husband, Betz. Not my cross to bear, but it does seem like he’s harder on me than he needs to be.
Speaking of Betz, he’s suggesting I remove the “ex” from his title. It’s tempting to get back together. I mean, he’s perfect. And by perfect, I mean he does everything right, which is not one of my personality traits. It’s a struggle to live up to his standards. He doesn’t seem to blame me for the mess that’s my life, but I feel pressure to get my ducks in a row. Like I know how to do that.
To complicate things, Marcus is back in my life. His standards are lower than mine, so no judgement from him. The fact that he’s hotter than a lit grill might have something to do with the attraction. I can’t let my loyalty to Betz stop me from seeing where things go with him, can I?
I’m not going to have to make that decision if I don’t find out who’s targeting my clients. Because Ramsey only seems to be looking at me. And I won’t be so attractive to either Marcus or Betz if they can only visit me at the county jail.
Early Termination, A Probation Case Files Mystery, Book 2
Genre: Traditional Mystery
Release: January 2025
Format: Digital (Print to follow)
Purchase Link
There are two ways to get off probation early. The first is to be a model citizen and complete all requirements imposed by the court. The second is to die. In Early Termination, Phoenix probation officer Casey Carson’s clients aren’t civic-minded, but they are dropping like flies.
She’s on a gang’s hit list, a detective’s suspect list, and is torn while two very hot men vie for her heart. As more clients die and a probationer accuses her of brutality, she becomes the focus of the investigation. Casey risks losing everything in her race to find the real killer but doing so will put the target squarely on her back. She will need to find the person responsible for lightening her workload before she’s the one terminated.
About the author
Cindy Goyette is a former probation officer who had a front row seat to the criminal justice system. She kept her sanity by finding humor in most situations. A mix of these things helped her create The Probation Case Files Mystery Series. Book one OBEY ALL LAWS won a Public Safety Writer’s Association award. EARLY TERMINATION, book two in the series, was released on 01/05/2025 and book three is in the works. Her cozy mystery series first book, DIAMOND IN THE RUFF, A Wiggle Butt Manor Mystery releases in May of 2025. And her first short story is published in the anthology, LOST AND LOADED, A Gun’s Tale. After spending over twenty years in Arizona, Cindy lives in Washington state with her husband and two Cocker Spaniels.