Title: Chasing Favors
Author: Mark Love
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Inkspell Publishing
Book Blurb:
It was supposed to be one simple favor. Randy was the nice, charming guy who drew Jamie into a steamy romance, two years ago, during her vacation. Now he’s in town, nudging her curiosity with the request for some help. What could possibly go wrong?
Jamie’s skills as an investigative reporter made for a smooth transition to writing mysteries. And Randy’s request seemed harmless enough. Doing a favor for a friend is really no big deal. But things are rarely as they appear when Jamie starts digging. When she uncovers the answers for Randy, she’s faced with another request for a favor. Who knew she could be so popular? Now Jamie’s spending her time, chasing after favors.
While researching Randy’s situation, Jamie stumbles upon something that doesn’t seem quite right. Most people would just ignore it. Or chalk it up to a coincidence. But Jamie’s never been a believer in those. Sensing there is something more going on in the background, Jamie becomes determined to figure it out. And if she’s right, she intends on stopping the bad guys in their tracks.
CHASING FAVORS features the beautiful redhead whose nose for trouble has her stumbling into police business. Mark Love’s series is perfect for fans of the Temperance Brennan series by Kathy Reichs or Diane Capri’s Michael Flint series, where solving a mystery and danger abound. Even though you can read Chasing Favors as a standalone, why would you? Especially when following Jamie through her romance and adventures will entertain you through the night.
Excerpt:
“So this Randy guy wasn’t trying to rekindle any passionate moments from that summer vacation with you?” Malone asked while sliding one solitary fingertip down my neck to my collarbone. We were reclining on the sofa. I was still wearing the green silk blouse and the dress slacks.
“Not at all. I think the only memories that stuck with Randy were my stubbornness and the way I helped the cops figure out about the home invasions.”
Malone exhaled gently on my ear. “I’m willing to bet he remembers a lot more than that.”
“That’s ancient history in the land of dating. And it was one week.”
“Summer vacations are special. They deserve extra attention. He’s probably got pictures of you in a bikini.”
If it was his intention to drive me to distraction, Malone was doing a damn fine job of it. Now his lips were tickling a little spot at my collarbone.
There was no more conversation.
Now well fed and dressed in jeans and a hooded sweatshirt, after a good night’s sleep and a hot, steamy shower, I fired up the computer. Time to start digging into the life of Nicholas Bellamy.
A search of Bellamy’s name revealed multiple entries, some with photographs. It took a lot of time to narrow down the list. Fortunately, I had the pictures Randy had sent last night. I thought this would be the easy part. But none of the profiles listed were a match. Either they were in the wrong part of the country, too young or too old. I wondered if Randy had tried this himself.
I switched to some of the social media sites. On a hunch, I went to Facebook and pulled up Randy’s mother. Allison Brooks smiled back at me. She was a lovely lady. I realized that she and Randy had the same smile, the same gleam in the eyes.
There was no information on her relationship status. Not surprising. Many women preferred to leave that blank and avoid being bombarded with messages from men and women looking for an instant friendship. Or a sugar daddy. Or long-forgotten friends. Or distant relatives. Or…whatever. I noticed there were no pictures of Bellamy with Allison. Maybe he was camera shy.
I paced for a while, planning my next move. A cup of herbal tea was a good distraction. Reviewing my notes helped. Since Allison had met Bellamy at the fundraiser, that seemed like a good place to start. As with many nonprofit organizations, there was a listing on their website of recent events. Clicking on that gave me details, including the venue, and pictures.
The evening had been titled “Finding New Friends.” I scrolled to the agenda. Held at a country club out in Oakland County, there was a gourmet meal, a silent auction, dancing with a five-piece band and a live auction. The silent auction was where patrons could write their bids on a clipboard and at the end of a designated time, the winner was announced.
The live auction had fewer items. These were big-ticket prizes that would have drawn a lot of interest. There was a dinner cruise on Lake St. Clair for twenty people. Another opportunity was a private wine tasting event for ten. A dealership offered a two-year lease on a Tesla. A few more prizes were on the list. But the last one was a painting, a landscape signed by a local artist. I skimmed over the name, then jumped back.
“What the hell!”
Odon Krippendore had generously donated the painting.
Krip!
I’ve never believed in coincidences. Sure, they might happen on occasion, but what were the odds that Krip would be supporting the same charity at the same event where Allison would meet Nicholas Bellamy? Tingles of nervous energy shot through me. It was tempting to pursue this line of thought and track down Krippendore, but I only had a couple of hours left to dig up more on Bellamy. Because so far, I’d found absolutely nothing.
Randy didn’t know the name of the business Bellamy claimed to have sold. He didn’t even know what industry it was. There were too many possibilities. Bellamy could have been in real estate, he could have owned a restaurant, sold life insurance, been a stockbroker, an airline pilot or a record producer. Maybe he was a shoe salesman. Or a truck driver. Maybe he was the Wizard of Oz.
I tried variations on the spelling of his last name.
Nothing.
Flipped the last and the first names.
Nothing.
I checked every social media site that came to mind. He didn’t have his own Facebook page. There was nothing on LinkedIn, the site for business professionals. Not a single, freaking site had anything to show that matched the guy in the pictures with Randy’s mother.
So who the hell was Nicholas Bellamy?
Perhaps Randy was smart to be nervous about this guy. The more I dug, the more frustrated I became. It was possible that Bellamy hung out with a crowd who believed social media posts and such were beneath their status and were meant for other people to use. Or he could just be a guy who valued his privacy. His crowd could have preferred to stay in the shadows.
The alarm on my phone chimed. It was time to get ready for my quote-unquote dinner date with Randy. Earlier, he’d sent a text with the location and the time. The smartass had even included a picture of a young woman in a slinky little black dress with the notation “this would be good” followed by a bunch of smiley-face emoticons.
I checked the name of the restaurant and clicked on their website. He’d done well, picking a fancy place in Bloomfield Hills. I was tempted to go in my current attire but didn’t want to make the situation any more uncomfortable than it was going to be. After all, I was a surprise guest.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/chasing-favors-a-jamie-richmond-mystery-by-mark-love
Author Biography:
Mark Love lived for many years in the metropolitan Detroit area, where crime and corruption are always prevalent. A former freelance reporter, Love honed his writing skills covering features and hard news. He is the author of the Jamie Richmond romance mysteries, Devious,Vanishing Act, Fleeing Beauty, and the soon to be released, Chasing Favors, along with the novella Stealing Haven. His short story, Don’t Mess with the Gods, was written with Elle Nina Castle and included in the Magic & Mischief anthology. Love also writes the Jefferson Chene mystery series, WHY 319? Your Turn to Die and The Wayward Path.
Love resides in west Michigan with his wife, Kim. He enjoys a wide variety of music, books, travel, cooking and exploring the great outdoors.
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