The Black Widow - Mark Kane Mysteries - Book Three: A Private Investigator Crime Series of Murder, Mystery, Suspense & Thriller Stories...with a dash of Romance
Page 19
“Looks like it’s out of our hands; so the fat lady has sung,” I said.
“There’s another verse,” Lucy said, placing the Fed-ex package on the table. “This one’s addressed to you. Coincidentally they both arrived at the office this morning. I’ve taken off the Customs declaration to increase the suspense.” She leaned forward in anticipation to watch me open it.
Inside the package was Larry’s gold Rolex, a photograph and a brief handwritten note which read:
‘Lest you forget. Don’t pawn it. Good on you, your mate Gary. P.S. You’ve got a goodun’ there mate, you ought to make an honest woman of her.’
The photograph was of our farewell supper at the Lighthouse, the night before we returned to Manila. It bore the legend: ‘We Love Lucy.’
I read the note to Lucy, minus the postscript, and tucked it in my pocket. I handed her the photograph and tried on the watch.
It was a perfect fit.
***
Follow the adventures of Kane & Lucy in
Book Four: Till Death. The story continues…See the next page
Don and Lisa Maddox’ idyllic marriage is threatened when Lisa is targeted by blackmailers, and Boston private detective Mark Kane is hired to investigate − but he soon realizes that he is investigating more than just blackmail, and finds himself searching for a serial killer as well; and with trouble at the office too it’s one headache after another. But who is responsible for the bizarre deaths? And what secret is Lisa so desperate to hide from her husband? Kane and his newly appointed assistant investigator Lucy head west to the Twin Cities to look for answers, but they are plagued by setbacks and are met with a wall of silence. As Lucy observes, “It’s as if some malign force keeps putting obstacles in our way.” But Kane and Lucy must find a way forward if they are to thwart the blackmailers and find the killer. (See it on Amazon)
To learn about all the books in the Mark Kane Mysteries Series please read on…
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The Mark Kane Mysteries Series
A short synopsis of each book in the series appears on the next few pages.
Feedback from my readers is important to me, so if you have any suggestions, comments or observations about any of the books in this series please contact me.
John Hemmings
July 2015
Book One: Forget Me Not
A devoted husband has planted a carpet of Forget-Me-Nots in memory of his wife who has recently died from complications following the rapid progression of Alzheimer's disease…Or has she?
Greg Philips’ wife, Gloria, has recently died after suffering from chronic dementia, leaving her long-lost illegitimate daughter, Susan, a large slice of her estate. But is Susan who she claims to be? And was Gloria mentally competent when she made her will or was she manipulated in some way? Boston Investigator Mark Kane is hired to discover the truth, but as the investigation proceeds he soon finds himself embroiled in a murder mystery; and as the suspects mount up he needs all his wits about him to find out the truth and prevent Greg’s adult sons from financial ruin or worse. As usual, Kane’s longtime companion Lucy is there to lend him a helping hand, but will she be able to help him solve the mystery? (See it on Amazon)
Book Two: Ice
Kane is on the trail of a gang of International drug smugglers who'll think nothing of murdering anyone who gets in their way.
Jenny Garcia has returned to Boston from a vacation overseas little knowing that her suitcase contained a valuable haul of illicit drugs hidden inside. When the bag is stolen from her at the airport Boston investigator Mark Kane is given the difficult job of retrieving the suitcase and finding out who is responsible for putting Jenny in such terrible danger. But when the two men who could have provided the answers are found dead, Kane has his work cut out for him. As Lucy stumbles upon a vital piece of evidence the case suddenly takes a new turn. Has Kane been looking in all the wrong places? And when a kidnapping puts the whole investigation on a different footing he needs to call on all his experience and cunning to save the victim from harm and bring the culprits to justice. (See it on Amazon)
Book Three: The Black Widow
Eight thousand miles from Boston the badly decomposed body of an American tourist has been found floating in the sea and Kane is about to get reluctantly involved in the case.
On vacation in Thailand Lucy befriends Dale Porter, a fellow American, but her idyllic break is cut short when Dale is arrested for murder. She enlists Kane’s assistance and they head to the Philippines to look for answers. Kane deputizes Lucy as his temporary assistant investigator and together they set out to solve the mystery of a body found floating in the sea and to try to prove that Dale was not responsible for his death. They travel from Manila to Subic Bay in their quest for the truth and identify several suspects along the way − including the dead man’s widow. But the victim had many enemies too. And why had Dale disguised the victim’s boat and concealed it in a secret location? As they struggle to unravel the victim’s complicated life Kane is finally driven to an unexpected and shocking conclusion.
Book Four: Till Death
A young woman is nursing a dark secret. A serial killer is on the loose. What is the connection? The answer lies in a frozen backwater in small-town Minnesota.
Don and Lisa Maddox’ idyllic marriage is threatened when Lisa is targeted by blackmailers, and Boston private detective Mark Kane is hired to investigate − but he soon realizes that he is investigating more than just blackmail, and finds himself searching for a serial killer as well; and with trouble at the office too it’s one headache after another. But who is responsible for the bizarre deaths? And what secret is Lisa so desperate to hide from her husband? Kane and his newly appointed assistant investigator Lucy head west to the Twin Cities to look for answers, but they are plagued with setbacks and are met with a wall of silence. As Lucy observes, “It’s as if some malign force keeps putting obstacles in our way.” But Kane and Lucy must find a way forward if they are to thwart the blackmailers and find the killer. (See it on Amazon)
Book Five: Missing
Dean Roberts is a sick elderly man with just one precious thing in his life -- his teenage daughter Marisa. When she mysteriously disappears in Springfield, Missouri on a road trip across America the police draw a blank, so Dean hires Kane and Lucy to find her and bring her home.
When Kane and Lucy set out for Missouri to find a teenager who has gone missing whilst on a road trip across the States, they soon realize that she and her traveling companion have been abducted by a sinister group whose victims are turning up dead – real dead. But what is the motive for her abduction? Nothing has been stolen from her bank account, no demand for a ransom has been made and a telephone call from the missing girl a few days after her abduction only adds to the mystery. In a race against time they enlist the assistance of local law enforcement officers and friends of the pair in a desperate attempt to find the two girls before it’s too late. (See it on Amazon)
Book Six: I Spy
Kane and Lucy find themselves with two cases to investigate: one an apparent murder/suicide and the other a tragic accident – or was it? As they struggle to make sense of the apparently contradictory evidence they discover that neither case is as straightforward as it appears.
When the police discover the body of Cynthia Hughes in the kitchen floor and her husband Bob hanged in the garage it seems like an open-and-shut case – but Bob’s mistress, Angela, doesn’t buy it and she hires Kane and Lucy to find the real killer. Meanwhile Mike Kingsley’s son has died after being struck by a train and the police have ruled i
t an accidental death. But was it? As Kane and Lucy struggle with the two cases simultaneously they discover that they have something in common – neither case is quite what it seems to be… (See it on Amazon)
Book Seven: A Tangled Web
When Marjorie Griffiths learns that her husband has had a clandestine meeting in an attractive young woman at local motel she hires private investigator Dick Hampton to keep him under surveillance.
When Hampton informs her that her husband is in a room at the motel with the same woman, she hurries over there; and when sees her husband leave and drive away, she decides to confront the woman.
But then she vanishes, without a trace.
When Marjorie’s husband, Chuck, reports her missing, he becomes an immediate suspect in her disappearance, so he hires attorney Oliver Davies to advise him, and Davies recommends Kane & Lucy to investigate Marjorie’s mysterious disappearance. But when traces of Marjorie’s blood are found in the matrimonial home and in her abandoned car, Chuck is arrested; and this is only the beginning of his nightmare, as demons from his past return to threaten and even destroy him.