It’s been said that diamond cutters and safecrackers have nerves of steel and hearts of stone. That described me, until the Houston Police Department dragged me into a murder investigation and chose someone I care about for the number one suspect.

Let’s back up a second. My name is Gene Jacks, and I’m an old-time safecracker and legitimate owner of a lock shop here in Houston. When I started working in the safecracking biz, more than forty years ago, people took pride in their work. If it took us five, six, or even seven hours to crack a safe, so be it. We never used high-tech computer programs like kids have nowadays. And we wouldn’t be caught dead drilling into a safe to get inside. No, siree. All we had were our eyes, our ears and the most highly trained fingers imaginable.

That’s why the HPD paid me to moonlight as a safecracker and break into safes left behind by drug dealers, embezzlers, and worse. Which was all well and good, until police discovered a dead body during one particular bust and decided the newest hire at my lock shop was their prime suspect.

Which I can’t imagine, because Skye is everyone’s idea of a good kid. To be honest, I never expected to become a father figure to her. Especially after I made it a point to stop caring about people once Marilyn passed away. I figured no one could fill the gaping hole left in my heart after she died, and I wasn’t about to let anyone try.

And then Skye came along. Now we have a wisecracking, whip-smart gal behind the counter who can hold her own with the rest of us. Don’t tell Skye this, but it feels nice to have a female at the shop again, and I’m not about to let the Houston PD ruin that.

Like I said, I never expected to be roped into a murder investigation. But now that I am, I’ll use every trick in the book to prove Skye’s innocence. Because she has to be innocent. Right?

The Safecracker’s Secret
Genre: Traditional
Release: August 2021
Purchase Link

A tragic death, an old-time safecracker, and his young protégé. By the time Gene Jacks gets called into a murder investigation by the Houston P.D., it’s anyone’s guess who’s conning whom.

When police summon Jacks to the scene of a crime one steamy summer night, he knows the drill: he’ll be asked to crack a safe left behind by a drug dealer, Mob embezzler, or worse.

He doesn’t expect to waltz into a murder investigation. Especially when police target his young protégé as one of their chief suspects.

Can Gene protect the girl, who’s become like a daughter to him, while there’s still time?

About the author
Sandra Bretting is the author of the bestselling cozy mystery series, The Missy DuBois Mystery Series. The series ran from 2015-2020 with Kensington Publishing, and the fourth book in the series earned the rank of Amazon bestseller. A graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, Sandra began her career writing for the Los Angeles Times, Orange Coast Magazine, and others. From 2006 until 2016, she wrote feature stories for the award-winning business section of the Houston Chronicle.

In addition to The Missy DuBois Mystery Series, Sandra wrote two standalone mysteries and a Christian memoir, Shameless Persistence, which was featured on The 700 Club and Cornerstone Broadcasting Network. Her ninth novel, The Safecracker’s Secret, debuts August 31. The book is based on a feature story Sandra wrote for the Houston Chronicle about a bona fide safecracker.

A resident of Houston and Colorado Springs, she also serves on the board of directors for Houston Methodist Hospital West and the Houston chapter of Sisters in Crime. She invites readers to connect with her at sandrabretting.com.

All comments are welcomed.