by Doward Wilson

This week in honor of Earth Day we are primarily featuring ebooks. Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of North of the Pier, and a link to purchase it from Amazon.

When Skylar Tirnov is found hanged in his ritzy Prohibition Era style Nightclub in Los Angeles, Detective Marcello Prado starts to investigate the murder only to be suspended for a twelve-month period without pay for a harassment suit. With no chance of being reinstated after the twelve month period, he is faced with starting over after eleven years on the job.

When FBI Agent, Marteen Shaw is handed Tirnov’s murder she asks Prado to join the case as a consultant. With the past history between the two of them in mind, he hangs up on her. Then another old friend, Connie Cane, approaches Prado about working the case with her under Shaw’s supervision. Against his better judgement, Prado agrees to the consultant arrangement.

A trip to Alaska to investigate Tirnov’s other business ventures and question his family members at their huge estate is the first step in their investigation. Tirnov’s sister now heads the family and runs the business interests, while his two brothers take care of the house and grounds. When Tirnov’s body was found, he had a huge blue diamond set in a necklace. Checking to see if it is real, brings the news that it is a manufactured diamond, rather than one created by nature. One lab responsible for manufacturing diamonds is in Russia where Tirnov had many business interests.

Next stop in the investigation is a side trip to Russia to investigate the theft of manufactured diamonds before they are marked as such. Things get strange while in Russia but it is soon apparent that the two cases are really one. Can Connie and Prado tie all the suspects and loose ends together to close the murder and theft cases? Will they discover the secret of the hidden treasure on the estate?

I found the characters and dialogue to be sharply written, making for very concise reading. The plot twists were well executed. This is one of four books in the series and well worth the time to read. Once started, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to absorb all the clues and adventures.

To enter to win an ebook copy of North of the Pier, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “pier,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen April 21, 2018. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

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Doward Wilson is a retired and avid cozy, paranormal, and adventure reader who can’t say no to most books. He recently moved from Independence, Missouri to Gladbrook, Iowa. Located in Central Iowa, Gladbrook (population 900+) is small town, rural farming at its best.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases using those links. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.