My name is Mac Sullivan. I’m a detective. Private now. Tired of dealing with people and bureaucracy, I retired from the DC Police Department and opened my own office. I was ready for something new. I wanted to be on my own. Bring my dog to work. Pick my own cases. Set my own schedules.
Things haven’t worked out exactly as I envisioned. Well, except for the bringing my dog to work part. Whiskey, my Irish wolfhound, enjoys the change, if not the long hours. But she manages to sleep through most of my stakeouts and fast food is her favorite.
Paying jobs are slow coming. At least the ones I want to accept. The odd thing was that my plan was to have fewer responsibilities in my new career. But somehow, despite my best efforts, I’ve managed to accumulate a small staff. They like getting a paycheck. So I’m doing a mix of the very jobs I wanted to stay away from at all costs; the ones dealing with lowlife criminals, messy emotions, and cheating spouses.
My current workload is very similar to when I was a cop.
I guess you can start over, but the past comes with you; or maybe the past just doubles back to bite you in the behind.
I’ve never forgotten the biggest failure of my career as a cop. I really didn’t need the annual postcard reminder.
I scanned the message. Same scratchy handwriting. For 10 years I’d received a similar card every December. They had arrived along with the holiday cards at the police station. But this year was different; the postcard was addressed care of Sullivan Investigations. Someone’s address book had been updated.
The picture on the front of the card varied, seemingly random tourist locations – around the DC and Virginia area. No pattern other than all depicting famous family vacation spots. The postmarks were all from Virginia. This year’s card featured the Smithsonian.
The mystery had come full circle—back to where it had all begun.
The message on the postcard was the same as it always was. Block printing. A simple question. “Where’s Amanda Norman?”
My first thought was always, “Dead.” But I caught myself. I couldn’t say the word aloud. Technically Amanda was only missing. The fourteen-year-old went on a class trip to the Smithsonian and didn’t come home again.
Some cases get to you. I don’t really know why this one did. Maybe part of it was that I’d retired without ever finding the answer, finding a young kid who seemed to have disappeared into thin air. So there was professional pride at stake.
But it was something more. I’d been a cop for 25 years. I’d seen it all and much of it wasn’t pretty. If Amanda Norman wasn’t dead, she might wish she were.
Check out Mac Sullivan and his team in MURDER DOUBLES BACK, book 3 of the Sullivan Investigations Mystery series.
If you’d like to start at the beginning, the series starts with Murder Off The Books, followed by Murder Takes The Cake.
Evelyn David is offering a (1) Smashwords 100% off coupon for MURDER OFF THE BOOKS, the first book in the “Mac Sullivan” series. The ebook – free with coupon – can be downloaded by winner. Leave a comment to be included in the giveaway. Contest ends June 20.
Meet the author
Evelyn David is the pseudonym for a pair of mystery writers, Marian Borden and Rhonda Dossett.
Marian lives in New York and is the author of ten nonfiction books on a wide variety of topics ranging from veterans benefits to playgroups for toddlers! For more information on these books, please visit her web site at www.marianedelmanborden.com
Rhonda lives in Muskogee, Oklahoma, is the director of the coal program for the state, and in her spare time enjoys imagining and writing funny, scary mysteries. Marian and Rhonda write their mystery series via the internet. While many fans who attend mystery conventions have now chatted with both halves of Evelyn David, Marian and Rhonda have yet to meet in person.
Evelyn David is the author of the Brianna Sullivan Mysteries (9 to date), The Sullivan Investigations Mystery series (3 novels plus two short stories) and the stand-alone mystery, Zoned for Murder.
Please check out Evelyn’s website at www.evelyndavid.com for information about Evelyn David’s appearance schedule and writing projects.
All are available in both ebook and print formats at Amazon, BN.com, and Smashwords.
this series has been on my WishList!!!
thanx for the giveaway!!
I have been wanting to read this book. Would be so wonderful to win it
I would love to win this e book, thanks for the contest !
Mac & Whiskey are great to spend time with on any afternoon you choose!
Love this series!
The Mac Sullivan series has been on my book list for a long time. It sounds like a great read. Thanks for the review!
I’d love this!
Have been looking at this series for a while now. Have not gotten any of the books, wanting to read them.
I would love to start this series.
This seems to be a great series to read. I can see myself, curl up on the sofa with my ereader, reading ” Murder Off The Books”. Thanks, for doing the giveaway.
Since mysteries are my very favorite genre this new series from Evelyn David, (et al :)) truly interests me. I have read a few other books by Evelyn and thought the writing was very easy to follow and held my interest throughout the entire book, which is not always the way with some books. I especially like police and legal mysteries so Mac Sullivan seems to be just what I enjoy in a mystery. I would very much like to be the recipient of this giveaway to get me back into Evelyn David’s books. There are so many authors out in “book land” and there are not enough free hours in the day so we all want to read our favorite authors first, and I think this series will be on my prime list. Thank you; keep up the great writing ladies.
Woo hoo looks great!!!!!!!!!!!!
I would love to start this series! Thanks for offering the first book in the series!
This series is on my to read list!
Series sounds wonderful.
Can’t wait to read it and then the other books in the series.
Ah, yes. Wherever you go, there you are.
I just ordered the first in this series! I can’t wait to read it..from the write-up, it sounds similar to Spencer Quinn’s Chet & Bernie series which I ADORE! Thanks for the heads up on this one!
This is a series I’ve meant to start reading for some time now. I’d love to win.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
Added this series to my tbr list. Eager to get started.
Thanks so much for hosting us. We are sooooo delighted that people like our mysteries. We are honored.
Thanks Evelyn for giving Mac the floor. I love this series and I hope there’s more to follow.
I’m adding this to my tbr list. Thank you for the giveaway.
Love the cadence. I’d like to read the series.
Contest is closed.