Hey everyone! My name’s Lauren Riley. I have to admit, even though I’m a cold case homicide detective in Buffalo I feel a little awkward talking about myself. I’m an introvert by nature and some people take that to mean I’m cold and aloof. At work I play it off like I’m all business, but in my personal life, well, I’ve made some bad choices. Like getting involved with an abusive cop or marrying a rich, spoiled lawyer who knocked up his secretary. I won’t say my brief marriage to my first husband was a mistake because I was blessed with my two daughters, who were the center of my universe until they both left for college. Now I’m single, living in the house my rich ex-husband gave me in our divorce settlement, and waiting for the phone to ring from one of my daughters. I guess that’s why I throw myself into my job and do private investigations on the side. I’m a few months from turning forty and my neighbor and best friend Dayla says I need a boyfriend. I say I need a dog. Less complicated, more love.
I spend the vast majority of my time with my partner, Shane Reese. Dayla says I should snatch him up but she doesn’t understand how police partnerships work. Our lives literally depend on each other and romance is a distraction we can’t afford. Besides, he’s too young and too much of a playboy. I think I’d be better off adopting a puppy.
I’m not a morning person, but since I could care less about fashion it doesn’t take me long to change into one of my fifteen identical black suits every day. As long as I have copious amounts of black coffee I can function. I don’t eat much. Reese scolds me about it, saying I’m going to end up like my mom in Florida, living on coffee and toast. I tell him he eats enough for the both of us. Then he chews with his mouth open like the toddler he is.
My typical day starts at 8:00 a.m. at the Cold Case Unit inside the Buffalo Police Homicide Squad at police headquarters. I don’t have to respond to active scenes like the regular homicide guys unless we’re short-handed but the message box on my phone is full every morning: families calling about their murdered loved ones, attorneys calling about their clients, witnesses cancelling appointments, so Reese and I have to go track them down. I really care about my victim’s families. I see how much their loss haunts them and I try to get them some answers. It’s a heart-wrenching job. It keeps me awake at night, thinking about the cases and what can I uncover that the original detectives missed. I admit I can be a little obsessive sometimes. But that’s a good thing in a detective, right?
I don’t know if working cold cases equals more drama, more excitement and more danger or if our personalities attract those things, but Reese and I always seem to be neck-deep in some life-or-death situation. I might not be some hulking man with a five o’clock shadow and bulging biceps but when it hits the fan, I’ve proven I can hold my own as well as any guy. Reese says it’s me, that I’m a magnet for worst case scenarios. But when six o’clock comes around, on those days we get to leave on time, I’m tired and grateful he was the one watching my back. I’d never tell him this, because I wouldn’t want his giant ego to get any bigger, but there’s no one I trust more.
Unless I get a dog. Then I might have to rethink that.
Giveaway: Leave a comment below for your chance to win a cool murder book coffee mug and a copy of the first book in the series, A Cold Day in Hell. U.S. entries only, please. The giveaway ends February 11, 2019. Good luck everyone!
You can read about Lauren in The Murder Book, the second book in the “Cold Case Investigation” series, released February 8, 2019.
Cold case detective Lauren Riley wakes up in the hospital certain of two things: she was stabbed and left for dead. . .and the person who did it was a cop.
After being brutally stabbed at her desk late one night, Lauren Riley works her way backwards through the haze to piece together who attacked her and why. A mysterious phone message forces her to enlist the help of a retired lieutenant to track down a witness who is desperate not to be found. As she digs into the Buffalo Police Department’s hidden past she uncovers a terrible secret, one a fellow officer would kill to protect.
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About the author
Lissa Marie Redmond was born in Buffalo and grew up in a compact little neighborhood south of the city called Woodlawn, squashed between the massive Bethlehem Steel plant and Ford Stamping plant. During her days at the University of Buffalo, Redmond took the exam to be a city of Buffalo police officer and got the job. At the age of 22, they gave her a gun, a badge, a bulletproof vest, and put her on patrol. Twenty-two years, a detective’s badge, a fellow detective husband and two kids later, she retired to pursue a “normal” life.
Instead, she decided to become a writer.
Redmond lives in Buffalo with her husband and kids, writing about the things that keep her up at night, staring at the ceiling in the dark and asking herself, “What If?” She is a proud member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Murder on Ice. Visit Lissa at lissamarieredmond.com.
All comments are welcomed.
I agree it would be better to get a dog! Sounds like an interesting story.
This is a new-to-author. The series sounds good…I’m adding it to my TBR list. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of Book 1.
This sounds like a great read. Thanks for the chance!
What a really interesting book. A cold case thriller written by a real detective. This is a new authorfor me. But sounds very exciting. Look forward to reading and figuring out who did it.
I have always loved cold case mysteries. To delve into them and possibly find the answers and give families closure would be a good thing.
This book/series sounds very interesting. I can’t wait to read them. Thanks for the giveaway.
This book/series sounds great, can’t wait to read. Thanks for the giveaway. I vote for the dog.
Thank you for this chance.
This is a new author for me
First book was amazing…totally left me wanting more! Looking forward to the rest of the series!!
This sounds like a great book! I would love to read this! Happy Valentine’s Day❤️Thanks for a chance at winning❤️
This sounds like a great series and I enjoyed Getting to Know Lauren Riley. Thanks for featuring her on your blog, Dru Ann ~
This sounds like a great series from a “new to me author.” Thank you for this chance!
Not my usual fare of reading but boy does it sound intriguing. Definitely want to read. Thank you for bringing this author to our attention! Thanks to the author and you Dru for the giveaway.
I Am fascinated when cold cases get solved. This sounds like a series that will be a interesting change from regular police/murder procedurals. I am looking forward to reading the books thus far in the series. Thanks for the chance to win the first book!
This is delightful and interests me greatly. The dog is an integral part and needed. Thanks for this wonderful giveaway.
A new series is special to look forward to. Fascinating and intriguing introduction to a unique book.
def get the dog!!
Sounds super good! Thanks!
Wow! I would love to win this package. Sounds like a good read. A new author for me..Happy Valentine’s Day.
I definitely like the set up of this series! I can’t wait to learn more about these characters.
Sounds like a really good read. Thanks for the giveaway.
A new-to-me series. Thanks for once again bringing a new possibility to my TBR list! And it sure sounds like Lauren is going to get a dog..
I read the first book and just ordered the second. I can’t wait to delve into it. Also hoping to get it signed by Lissa. Please update on future places to meet her for a book signing. Thank you.
It sounds like a very interesting book with great characters. Thanks for this chance to read it.
I haven’t read this series yet, so sounds like a good one to add to my list–and Lauren definitely needs a dog.
Sounds like a great book. Always ready for a new series. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.
A new series for me – thanks for the chance.
New author to me. It sounds like a series I should be reading. Adding to my TBR list.
A new author for me to look for as it sounds like I’d like to read her books.
This one sounds like a sitting on the edge of my chair kind of story. Can’t wait to read it.
Sounds like my kind of book! Thanks for the chance!!
This sounds like a gripping read and Lauren Riley sounds like a hoot!
Sounds like a great read.
**** WINNER ****
A Cold Day in Hell and murder book coffee mug is Kimberley C
Congratulations!