Title: Changing Directions, Book II, Roni’s Investigation Files
Author: Mary Martinez
Genre: Mystery, Romantic Suspense
Book Blurb:
A call no parent should ever receive is that their child has been hurt. Or worse, missing.
When Sebastian Sosa receives the call that his daughter, Cammy, disappeared while shopping with his ex-wife at Manhattan’s Bryant Park, his heart stops. Miles away in Denning, Tennessee, he doesn’t know what the police are doing so he calls on the one person who can help: the woman P.I. he fell for when he assisted her on a case.
Roni Staples is shocked when a disheveled and desperate Sebastian shows up at her door asking for help to find his missing daughter. She’s been keeping her uncomfortable attraction for him at arm’s length, but she can’t refuse to help him.
How will they be able to find Cammy when the bizarre clues keep changing directions?
Excerpt
Frustration riddled her drive to Nashville. Traffic, construction, and weather. She was not in a warm and fuzzy mood when she arrived at her meeting with her potential future client. Being a professional, she delegated her mood to the corner of her mind.
Two hours later, she had a new client. An easy peasy one. A case of cheating, but not in the sense she anticipated. A successful singer song writer, Nia Baker, was cheating on her manager. Meaning she was looking for other representation. With none other than her former case. Finlay Denning. It was an artist’s right to pick her manager. Unfortunately, her current manager felt he owned her. Roni didn’t like the misogynistic man. The client and the singer song writer had a contract. Which was in her big bag for her reading pleasure later.
Her mood had swung to anticipation, as always, with something new to work on. She glanced at her phone for the time and found she’d better get to her hotel.
As soon as she opened the door, she tossed her things onto the bed. There was one phone call she needed to make while she was getting ready.
Only two tones before Finlay Denning answered.
“Hey Finlay, how are you doing?”
He was doing fine, or so he said.
“I am running late. Do you mind if I put you on speaker?”
She tapped the speaker when he agreed.
“I understand you know Nia Baker.”
There was a pause before he answered. “She has called me a few times. What’s up?”
“I don’t usually… I’ve never done this before. I shouldn’t be doing it now.”
Damn, as much as she didn’t like her big client. It was hate at first sight, on her part. She didn’t even think of him by his name. Dirtbag would do. She was conflicted about her decision, as it went against her values. She may be on her own now with only her rules to break.
“Hey, Roni, are you still there?”
“Sorry, having an inner battle on ethics here.”
“While you’ve been having your little tussle with yourself, I’ve pulled up her file. I can help with your ethical side. Just nod, or in this case say yup or naw to my question.”
She laughed. “You bet.”
“She told me she is trying to get out of her contract with her tyrannical manager.”
He mentioned one of the top talent managers in the industries.
“Yup.”
“Putting two things together. One, you’re calling me about one of his artists. Two, you’re battling your ethical self. I’d say he hired you to find out what she’s up to?”
“Yup. Well, that was easy. Still on the unethical side.”
“Why did you take the case?”
“Because like any good misogynist when I first arrived, he was all charm and worried about his darling Nia. ‘She was so naïve, and what would she get herself into?’ Of course, I took the case. Then he did a complete one eighty. It was kinda amazing to watch. And here I am doing something I never thought I’d do.”
“I know him, strictly business only. He charms the women when they are around, but sneers at them behind their backs. I don’t think he’ll harm Nia. I’ve heard several rumors about him, but nothing leads me to believe he’d be violent.”
“My belief is the young woman would be much better off with you. Sebastian has done nothing but sing your praises.”
“Aw shucks.”
“I have a soft spot for you, one of my victories. Besides, you’ve heard the old magical quote ‘once you’ve saved a life you’re responsible for it. Or something like that. Look at it as helping you get a young up-and-coming artist. What I’m going to do is watch and see what she does. Who she visits, meanwhile could you have your attorneys look at her contract?”
“Nia didn’t give me a copy. She said that he keeps it in his vault with his other files, you know, for safekeeping. Talk about controlling.”
“Exactly. But the contract is not a problem. He gave me a copy. I’ll message it over.”
“Thanks, I’ll keep you posted. What is this I hear about a date with Sebastian and Cammy?”
Surprise washed over her. “He told you?”
“Yes, he was like a school kid waiting for Christmas.” She could hear voices in the background. “He’s a good man, Roni. He loves you.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub)
Amazon: Amazon.com: Changing Directions (Roni's Investigation Files Book 2) eBook : Martinez, Mary: Books
Giveaway:
Enter to win two print copies of Chasing the Diamonds book I (US only) and two eBook copies.
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Author Biography
Mary lives in Magna, a little town west of Salt Lake City, Utah. Together with her husband, she has six grown children, six wonderful grandsons, and five beautiful granddaughters. She loves to spend time with family and friends--she includes good books as friends!
Mary and her husband love to travel, especially to the Caribbean for relaxing, and Italy for the wine. And most recently she discovered she was Irish and Scottish, of course, they had to visit Ireland and Scotland. Mary fell in love with both, but the green hills of Ireland felt like home. With the experience from the exotic places she has visited, she is able to fill her books with colorful descriptions of cities, painting a colorful backdrop for her characters. One of her favorite US destinations is New York/Brooklyn, where her beloved Beckett's live. When she visits, she can wander their neighborhoods, favorite parks, and visit their favorite pub, Putnam's.
Mary writes mostly romantic suspense, romance, women's fiction, and she has just begun to dabble in young adult mystery. During her writing career she has been a conference coordinator, workshop presenter, and chapter president for the Utah Chapter of RWA. In 2007 she was presented with the Utah RWA service award in acknowledgment and appreciation for outstanding service. Mary has participated in numerous library panels on writing and co-presented a workshop on writing a series at the League of Utah Writers conference. She was awarded the 2021 N. N. Light Book Award winner for best book in two categories: Four Sisters for Women's fiction and Celtic Myst by M. L. Foxx for Fantasy.
Mary also writes as ML Foxx. This is her first jaunt into Fantasy and Sci-Fi, she loves it. It gives her freedom of choice. In her ML persona she also loves to go to the movies, and you got it… Watch the Avengers, Dead Pool, among others. Something her hubby doesn't really enjoy but humors her fantasy side. You’ll see more books soon…
Mary and her husband are also enthusiastic college football fans. They have season tickets to the UTES; University of Utah Football and they tailgate every game. They love tailgating so much, that they were married at a tailgating in 1999.
GO UTES!
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