Cassandra Raines first appeared in Broken Places and one of the best ways to learn about a person is by asking questions, so let’s get to know Cass.

What is your name?
Cassandra Raines. My friends call me Cass.

How old are you?
I turned 36 on March 2. Unfortunately, I spent the day staking out a numbers runner. The next day, though, was golden—cake, candles, my friends, the whole nine.

What is your profession?
I’m a private investigator.

Do you have a significant other?
Boy, someone got nosy quick. I’m seeing someone. A cop. It’s new. Move on.

What is his name and profession?
Really? Wow. OK. He’s Detective Eli Weber, Chicago Police Department. He does this funny thing where . . . never mind.

Any children?
He has one. I have none.

Do you have any sibling(s)?
I didn’t grow up with any, but I recently discovered that I have a half-brother, Whitford. He’s twelve. Ironically, that’s the same age I was when my mother died and my father took off leaving me behind. My father came back recently wanting to reconnect. He’d remarried and started a whole new life. It’s not going well.

Do your parents live near you?
My father settled in St. Louis. I assume his new family lives there too.

Who is your best friend?
I have two–Barb Covey and Whip. His real name is Charles Mingo. We grew up in the same neighborhood. I went into law enforcement, Whip spent the bulk of his twenties in prison and Barb, the youngest in a family of nine battling Irish, became a nun. But don’t let that fool you. She’s as tough as nine-inch nails.

Cats, dogs or other pets?
No pets. No plants. I’m never home long enough to care for anything that requires sustenance.

What town do you live in?
Chicago. South Side. Hyde Park, specifically.

House or building complex? Own or Rent?
I own a three-flat building my grandparents left me. They worked hard for it, so I do my best to keep it up. I paint; I mow the lawn; I plaster the cracks; I work on the plumbing. I’ll sell a kidney before I let that building go.

What is your favorite spot in your house?
The kitchen, though I don’t do much in terms of food preparation when I’m in there. I sit at the center island and read the paper; I grab something quick from the fridge and wait for the pizza delivery guy to show up with something I can eat. My milk might be expired. I’d have to check. At least I think I have milk. . .

Favorite meal? Favorite dessert?
I’m a breakfast gal, mainly because when I’m working, it’s likely the only real meal I get the entire day. I prefer the pancakes at Deek’s, my favorite diner. Blueberry. And sausage. I’m partial to cheeseburgers and fries, too. Huh. I just realized I eat like a five-year-old.

Favorite hobby?
When I need to think and when I have the time, I ride my bike up and down the Lakefront. On a typical ride, I go as far as Lincoln Park Zoo before turning around and heading back south. It’s twenty-two miles of sweat and constant leg action. (My legs look great, just saying.) And riding works off the pancakes and cheeseburgers.

Favorite color?
Blue

Favorite author?
I have two—Toni Morrison and Stephen King. Morrison for her lyricism and intelligence, King for the twisted creepiness.

Favorite vacation spot?
Anywhere no one’s chasing me or trying to shoot me. I’d vacation in a clothes closet if I was the only one in there.

Favorite sports team?
I’m not really a big sports person, even though Chicago’s a big sports town. Just to be fair, let’s say I root for everybody. Go Cubs-Sox-Bears-Blackhawks-Bulls-Fire-Sky!

Movies or Broadway?
Movies. Horror films, the scarier the better. A big bowl of popcorn, some deranged maniac with a power saw or baby ghosts hiding under the bed, and I’m all in. I don’t know what that says about me, but there you have it.

Are you a morning or a night person?
I’m a 24/7 person. I’m up when I need to be up for as long as I need to be up. Day is night, night is day. When I eventually crash, I can sleep an entire day away.

Amateur sleuth or professional?
Professional. I’m a former detective with the Chicago Police Department, homicide. I’m now approaching year three as the owner and sole operative of my own agency, Raines Investigations. Amateur, my tookus.

Whom do you work with when sleuthing?
I work alone but often tag my ex-partner, Detective Ben Mickerson or Eli, the new other I mentioned earlier, when I need information or CPD access. It never hurts to have a cop or two on your side. I occasionally have to shoo my friends out of my business, though. They try to help, Scooby gang-like.

In a few sentences, what is a typical day in your life like?
Nothing’s typical for me. I just finished an insurance case that was a real trip, and now I’ve been hired to track down a 16-year-old runaway. I found old train tickets hidden in her room, all the tickets for the same train, at the same departure time to the same place, Milwaukee. Her mother’s worried sick not knowing what she’s up to. Right now I’m surveilling the ticket window at Union Station, waiting to see if she walks up for the 4:05. If she does, we’ll have a little talk. If she doesn’t . . . wait . . . there she is. I gotta go.

You can read about Cass in Borrowed Time, the second book in the “Chicago” traditional mystery series, released May 28, 2019.

In Tracy Clark’s electrifying new mystery featuring Cassandra Raines, the former Chicago cop turned private investigator looks into a suspicious death as a favor to a friend—and makes some powerful enemies . . .

Sitting in cold cars for hours, serving lowlifes with summonses . . . being a P.I. means riding out a lot of slow patches. But sometimes the most familiar paths can lead straight to danger—like at Cass’s go-to diner, where new delivery guy Jung Byson wants to enlist her expertise. Jung’s friend, Tim Ayers, scion of a wealthy Chicago family, has been found dead, floating in Lake Michigan near his luxury boat. And Jung is convinced there’s a murderer on the loose . . .

Cass reluctantly begins digging only to discover that Jung neglected to mention one crucial fact: Tim Ayers was terminally ill. Given the large quantities of alcohol and drugs found in his body, Ayers’ death appears to be either an accident or suicide. Yet as much as Cass would like to dismiss Jung’s suspicions, there are too many unanswered questions and unexplained coincidences.

Why would anyone kill a dying man? Working her connections on both sides of the law, Cass tries to point the police in the right direction. But violence is escalating around her, and Cass’s persistence has already attracted unwanted attention, uncovering sinister secrets that Cass may end up taking to her grave.

Purchase Link
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About the author
Tracy Clark, author of the Cass Raines mystery series, lives in Chicago. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Chicagoland Chapter, PI Writers of America, International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America-Midwest. Her debut novel Broken Places earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly, was named Best New PI of 2018 by CrimeReads, and was listed as one of Library Journal’s Best Books of 2018, in the Crime Fiction category. Broken Places was also short-listed in the mystery category on the American Library Association’s 2019 Reading List and was nominated for a 2018 Lefty Award for Best Debut Novel. Book two in her Chicago series, Borrowed Time, releases May 28, 2019.

You can visit Tracy on Twitter, Facebookor go to her author website at tracyclarkbooks.com.

All comments are welcomed.

Thanks to Tracy Clark for donating a print copy of Borrowed Time. Giveaway ends June 3, 2019 and is limited to U.S. residents. Please leave comment in box below. The winner will be notified by email (so check your spam folder). Good luck everyone!