EPILOGUE
In The Tempest, Shakespeare wrote, “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.”
My association with Carmine Marchetti was a case in point.
As I mentioned previously, fate had thrown us together several times. I had saved his life and he mine. Now he had saved me again, and much to my dismay, I was once again in his debt. Not a comforting thought.
This was obviously the work of the Lady Justice of the dark side, the one in fish-net stockings and high heels.
In retrospect, I shuddered thinking that I had just witnessed a man being shot, then agreed with a plan to dispose of the body, and then go on as if the incident had never taken place.
How far I’ve strayed since my days serving the Lady Justice in the flowing white robe.
And yet, I still feel it was the right thing to do.
Carlos Moreno was a very bad man. He was a murderer, a drug lord, and the purveyor of Devil’s Breath. No one but us knew he was in the U.S. Now he was gone, and I had no doubt the world would be a better place without him.
That his remains are most likely at the bottom of the Missouri River instead of on a slab at the morgue seems inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.
The good news is that both Kristen and I are still alive.
Kristen boarded a plane to take her to St. Louis where she would continue her quest to get the legalization of medical marijuana on the ballot. Whether one supports her cause or not, it is an inspiration to see one so passionate about a cause that they are willing to risk their life.
Although Carlos Moreno is no longer a threat, I still fear she is in danger from Big Pharma. They sent one assassin to silence her and with the prospect of losing billions if medical marijuana is widely accepted, I have no doubt they will send someone else.
Greed is one of the seven deadly sins. The lust for wealth, and the power and influence that accompanies it, have led many astray. From giant pharmaceutical companies to individuals like Andre and Marcia Kepler, the glitter of gold has enticed them to commit unspeakable acts.
After seeing its effects, I could only hope that with Carlos Moreno out of the picture, Devil’s Breath would not find its way into Kansas City. The last thing we need is a drug so potent that it can take away a person’s will.
One thing is for sure; while most of us do our best to walk the straight and narrow, there will always be those who don’t.
My name is Walt Williams and as long as I’m still kicking, I’ll do my best to set them straight.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Award-winning author, Robert Thornhill, began writing at the age of sixty-six and in nine short years has penned thirty-one novels in the Lady Justice mystery/comedy series, the seven volume Rainbow Road series of chapter books for children, a cookbook and a mini-autobiography.
Lady Justice and the Sting, Lady Justice and Dr. Death, Lady Justice and the Vigilante, Lady Justice and the Candidate, Lady Justice and the Book Club Murders, Lady Justice and the Cruise Ship Murders and Lady Justice and the Vet won the Pinnacle Award for the best new mystery novels of Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Summer 2012, Fall 2012, Spring of 2013 and Summer 2014 from the National Association of Book Entrepreneurs.
Many of Walt’s adventures in the Lady Justice series are anecdotal and based on Robert’s real life.
Although Robert holds a master’s in psychology, he has never taken a course in writing and has never learned to type. All 41 of his published books were typed with one finger and a thumb!
His wit and insight come from his varied occupations, including thirty-three years as a real estate broker. He lives with his wife, Peg, in Independence, Missouri.
Visit him on the Web at: http://BooksByBob.com
LADY JUSTICE TAKES A C.R.A.P.
City Retiree Action Patrol
Third Edition
This is where it all began.
See how sixty-five-year-old Walt Williams became a cop and started the City Retiree Action Patrol.
Meet Maggie, Willie, Mary and the Professor, Walt’s sidekicks in all of the Lady Justice novels.
Laugh out loud as Walt and his band of Senior Scrappers capture the Realtor Rapist and take down the Russian Mob.
http://amzn.to/16lfjnY
LADY JUSTICE AND THE LOST TAPES
Second Edition
When corrupt politicians, the Italian mob and a dirty cop collude to take over a Northeast neighborhood, Walt is recruited for the most bizarre undercover assignments of his new career.
When conventional police work fails to solve the case, once again his band of scrappy seniors come to the rescue.
In the process, the amazing discovery of a previously unknown session by a deceased rock ‘n’ roll idol stuns the music industry. What should be a joyous occasion soon turns dark as lives are threatened.
All of your favorite characters, along with two lovable additions are back to help Walt in his quest for justice.
Their adventures and misadventures are sure to keep you captivated – and splitting your sides!
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LADY JUSTICE GETS LEI’D
Second Edition
In Lady Justice Gets Lei’d, Walt and Maggie plan a romantic honeymoon on the beautiful Hawaiian Islands, but ancient artifacts discovered in a cave in a dormant volcano and a surprising revelation about Maggie’s past, lead our lovers into the hands of Hawaiian zealots.
http://amzn.to/15P6bLg
LADY JUSTICE AND THE
AVENGING ANGELS
Second Edition
Lady Justice has unwittingly entered a religious war.
Who better to fight for her than Walt Williams?
The Avenging Angels believe that it’s their job to rain fire and brimstone on Kansas City, their Sodom and Gomorrah.
In this compelling addition to the Lady Justice series, Robert Thornhill brings back all the characters readers have come to love for more hilarity and higher stakes.
You’ll laugh and be on the edge of your seat until the big finish.
Don’t miss Lady Justice and the Avenging Angels!
http://amzn.to/1xXrYdY
LADY JUSTICE AND THE STING
BEST NEW MYSTERY NOVEL ---WINTER 2012
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
In Lady Justice and the Sting, a holistic physician is murdered and Walt becomes entangled in the high-powered world of pharmaceutical giants and corrupt politicians.
Maggie, Ox Willie, Mary and all your favorite characters are back to help Walt bring the criminals to justice in the most unorthodox ways.
A dead-serious mystery with hilarious twists
http://amzn.to/1gS4JMA
LADY JUSTICE AND DR. DEATH
BEST NEW MYSTERY NOVEL --- FALL 2011
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
In Lady Justice and Dr. Death, a series of terminally ill patients are found dead under circumstances that point to a new Dr. Death practicing euthanasia in the Kansas City area.
Walt and his entourage of scrappy seniors are dragged into the ‘right-to-die-with-dignity’ controversy.
The mystery provides a light-hearted look at this explosive topic and death in general.
You may see end-of-life issues in a whole new light after reading Lady Justice and Dr. Death!
http://amzn.to/H20Erx
LADY JUSTICE AND THE VIGILANTE
BEST NEW MYSTERY NOVEL – SUMMER 2012
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
A vigilante is stalking the streets of Kansas City administering his own brand of justice when the justice system fails.
Criminals are being executed right under the noses of the police department.
A new recruit to the City Retiree Action Patrol steps up to help Walt and Ox bring an end to his reign of terror.
But not everyone wants the vigilante stopped. His bold reprisals against the criminal element have inspired the average citizen to take up arms and defend themselves.
As the body count mounts, public opinion is split.
Is it justice or is it murder?
A moral dilemma that will leave you laughing and weeping!
http://amzn.to/1d3FLK6
LADY JUSTICE AND THE WATCHERS
Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games, Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World and George Orwell wrote 1984.
All three novels were about dystopian societies of the future.
In Lady Justice and the Watchers, Walt sees the world we live in today through the eyes of a group who call themselves ‘The Watchers’.
Oscar Levant said that there’s a fine line between genius and insanity.
After reading Lady Justice and the Watchers, you may realize as Walt did that there’s also a fine line separating the life of freedom that we enjoy today and the totalitarian society envisioned in these classic novels.
Quietly and without fanfare, powerful interests have instituted policies that have eroded our privacy, health and individual freedoms.
Is the dystopian society still a thing of the distant future or is it with us now disguised as a wolf in sheep’s clothing?
http://amzn.to/15P5LEE
LADY JUSTICE AND THE CANDIDATE
BEST NEW MYSTERY NOVEL – FALL 2012
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
Will American politics always be dominated by the two major political parties or are voters longing for an Independent candidate to challenge the establishment?
Everyone thought that the slate of candidates for the presidential election had been set until Benjamin Franklin Foster came on the scene capturing the hearts of American voters with his message of change and reform.
Powerful interests intent on preserving the status quo with their bought-and-paid-for politicians were determined to take Ben Foster out of the race.
The Secret Service comes up with a quirky plan to protect the Candidate and strike a blow for Lady Justice.
Join Walt on the campaign trail for an adventure full of surprises, mystery, intrigue and laughs!
http://amzn.to/19f3XVZ
LADY JUSTICE
AND THE
BOOK CLUB MURDERS
BEST NEW MYSTERY NOVEL – SPRING 2013
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
Members of the Midtown Book Club are found murdered.
It is just the beginning of a series of deaths that lead Walt and Ox into the twisted world of a serial killer.
In the late 1960's, the Zodiac Killer claimed to have killed 37 people and was never caught --- the perfect crime.
Oscar Roach, dreamed of being the next serial killer to commit the perfect crime.
He left a calling card with each of his victims --- a mystery novel, resting in their blood-soaked hands.
The media dubbed him 'The Librarian'.
Walt and the Kansas City Police are baffled by the cunning of this vicious killer and fear that he has indeed committed the perfect crime. Or did he?
Walt and his wacky senior cohorts prove, once again, that life goes on in spite of the carnage around them.
The perfect blend of murder, mayhem and merriment.
http://amzn.to/1aWGg3K
LADY JUSTICE
AND THE
CRUISE SHIP MURDERS
Best New Mystery Novel – Summer 2013
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
Ox and Judy are off to Alaska on a honeymoon cruise and invite Walt and Maggie to tag along.
Their peaceful plans are soon shipwrecked by the murder of two fellow passengers.
The murders appear to be linked to a century-old legend involving a cache of gold stolen from a prospector and buried by two thieves.
Their seven-day cruise is spent hunting for the gold and eluding the modern day thieves intent on possessing it at any cost.
Another nail-biting mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat one minute and laughing out loud the next.
http://amzn.to/16VjURw
LADY JUSTICE
AND THE
CLASS REUNION
For most people, a 50th class reunion is a time to party and renew old acquaintances, but Walt Williams isn't an ordinary guy --- he's a cop, and trouble seems to follow him everywhere he goes.
The Mexican drug cartel is recruiting young Latino girls as drug mules and the Kansas City Police have hit a brick wall until Walt is given a lead by an old classmate.
Even then, it takes three unlikely heroes from the Whispering Hills Retirement Village to help Walt and Ox end the cartel's reign of terror.
Join Walt in a class reunion filled with mystery, intrigue, jealousy and a belly-full of laughs!
http://amzn.to/17S9YE0
LADY JUSTICE AND THE ASSASSIN
Two radical groups have joined together for a common purpose --- to kill the President of the United States, and they're looking for the perfect person to do the job.
Not a cold-blooded killer or a vicious assassin, but a model citizen, far removed from the watchful eyes of Homeland Security.
When the president comes to Kansas City, the unlikely trio of Walt, Willie and Louie the Lip find themselves knee-deep in the planned assassination.
Join our heroes for another suspenseful mystery and lots of laughs!
http://amzn.to/1bDdrKJ
LADY JUSTICE AND THE LOTTERY
Two septuagenarians win the lottery's biggest prize, dragging Walt and Ox into the most bizarre cases of their career.
The two 'oldies' are determined to use their new found wealth to re-create the past but instead propel Walt into the future where he must use drones and Star Trek phasers to balance the scales of justice.
When an extortion plot turns into kidnapping, Walt must boldly go where no cop has gone before to save himself and the millionaire.
Come along for another hilarious ride with the world's oldest and most lovable cop!
http://amzn.to/1exhji6
LADY JUSTICE AND THE VET
Best New Mystery Novel – Spring 2014
National Association of Book Entrepreneurs
Ben Singleton, a Marine veteran, had returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan and was having difficulty adjusting to civilian life.
Fate, coincidence, or something else thrust him right into the heart of some of Walt and Ox’s most difficult cases.
Our heroes find themselves knee-deep in trouble as they go undercover in a nursing home to smoke out practitioners of Medicaid fraud, meanwhile, Islamic terrorists with ties to the Taliban are plotting to attack one of Kansas City’s most cherished institutions.
Join Walt and his band of senior sidekicks on another emotional roller coaster ride that will have you shedding tears of laughter one minute and sorrow the next.
http://amzn.to/17GyE3n
LADY JUSTICE
AND THE
ORGAN TRADERS
A badly burned body with a fresh incision and a missing kidney leads Walt into the clandestine world of an organ trader ring that has set up shop in Kansas City.
Walt is determined to bring to justice the bootleggers, who purchase body parts from the disadvantaged and sell them to people with means, until a relative from Maggie’s past turns up needing a kidney to survive.
Once again, Walt discovers that very little in his world is black and white.
amzn.to/1jmde5S
LADY JUSTICE
AND THE
PHARAOH’S CURSE
An artifact is stolen from the King Tut exhibit, setting in motion a string of bizarre murders that baffle the Kansas City Police Department.
A local author simultaneously releases his novel, The Curse of the Pharaohs, attributing the deaths to an ancient prophesy, ‘Death shall come on swift wings to him who disturbs the peace of the King.’
Are the deaths the result of an ancient curse or modern day mayhem?
Follow the clues with Walt and decide for yourself!
http://amzn.to/1yHlnGE
LADY JUSTICE
IN THE EYE OF THE STORM
With the death of a young black man, Walt and Ox are dragged into the eye of a storm as Kansas City erupts in violence and demonstrations.
Fearing for their lives, Captain Short sends them on assignment to Cabo San Lucas where they find themselves in the eye of a very different and even more dangerous storm --- Hurricane Odile.
Surviving these ordeals pushes both men beyond the limits of anything they have experienced, and leaves Walt facing one of the most important decisions of his life.
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LADY JUSTICE ON THE DARK SIDE
After five years on the police force, a bullet in the kiester from a vengeful gangbanger convinces Walt that it’s time to turn in his badge.
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