Title: Dead Spaces: The Big Uneasy 2
Author: Pauline Baird Jones
Genre: Humorous Romantic Suspense
Book Blurb:
A Humorous New Orleans Romantic Suspense Series from USA Today Bestselling author Pauline Baird Jones.
Unearth secrets and unravel mysteries with forensic surgeon Hannah Baker in this exciting sequel in The Big Easy series. Just when she thought she had it all figured out, a couple of ancient coffins are about to show her just how complex the past can be.
Working in the New Orleans Coroner's Office, Hannah Baker has mastered the art of slicing into the secrets of the deceased. But when her brother enlists her help to exhume a pair of old coffins, she is drawn into a whirlpool of the city's darkest past, proving that some secrets refuse to stay buried.
This quintessentially New Orleans narrative serves up a spicy gumbo of mob connections, shadowy figures from the past, persistent annoyances from the present, murders, attempted assassinations, and a charming detective, Logan Ferris, who appears to disregard the term "off limits."
Navigating her brother's partner, Detective Logan Ferris, might be trickier than dissecting the city's past. But he's about to prove that in New Orleans, the boundaries are as blurry as the line between the living and the dead.
As the Big Easy's tranquility is once again threatened, dive headfirst into this action-packed and intriguing, humorous suspense tale. Experience the allure of a series that reviewers have acclaimed as "thrillingly unpredictable" and "absolutely addictive."
Purchase your copy today and delve into a mystery that only The Big Easy could produce!
Excerpt:
When Alex Baker felt the cold gun barrel press against the back of his neck he knew a bad night had just gotten worse. New Orleans at night was always a walk on the wild side, but when the moon was full, wild got super sized. The crazies came out, the bullets flew, and the emergency rooms filled up with the bloodied and the bowed.
When he already had the best view of the city’s worst, working Homicide for the New Orleans Police Department, it wasn’t a good idea to piss off a mayoral aide, cuz the view was worse at night. Thank goodness it was his last night shift, at least until he pissed off someone else. It had felt like everyone was taking potshots at everyone else the whole damn night. The homicide rate had never been great, but it had gotten worse since Katrina. If something didn’t change, the City Council really would move to reclassify bullet holes as a natural cause of death, just to improve the stats for tourists. Starting to feel like it didn’t matter how many people lived in New Orleans, just how many died.
Nights like this, he wondered why he didn’t find some quiet little town where only wildlife got shot at. But the Big Easy had moved into his head and his heart and worse, it set a good table. His stomach rumbled a reminder that it had been a long time since its last feeding. No question the food wooed the taste buds, wined, dined, and entertained them. Lured a body like those sirens in the legends. Even when he hated the city, he loved it. If the devil had a home here and in hell, he’d live here, no question about it. Except in August, when hell was cooler.
In the quiet semi-dark, with morning just starting to lighten the horizon, he’d turned onto the narrow street where home, breakfast and bed waited. As usual, cars haphazardly crowded both sides of the street, fitting in where they could and where they shouldn’t. Parking in New Orleans required patience, ingenuity and a huge pile of luck. Sometimes he’d be driving along, spot a great parking place, and feel this overwhelming urge to grab it because it was there. Alex had known he was running out of patience, was probably out of luck. This time of the morning no one was likely to clear as space just because he needed it. They were all sleeping something off in their beds. He should have taken the front fence down a long time ago so he could park on the lawn, but Zach insisted a white picket fence was a chick magnet. A guy really didn’t want his dad saying chick magnet, let alone having one in the yard.
He’d passed his house, wondering if he was going to be doomed to drive around until one of the college students across the street had to go to class, but as he passed a cross street, he’d spotted half a space just around the corner. It was by a hydrant, but the parking Nazis weren’t out this early, and he could get his dad to move his truck later. He pulled in, got most of his truck off the street, if he didn’t mind blocking the sidewalk. He didn’t. The dividing line between street and sidewalk was more imagined than real anyway. He’d shut off the engine and thrust open the door, anxious to get unconscious as soon as possible. Should have known better. Should have kept an eye on his surroundings. Which was why the stinking little piece of crap got the drop on him, down shifting his night from bad to worse.
“Get out real slow with your hands where I can see ‘em, mother—” The pressure of the gun against his neck eased some, as if the perp couldn’t point and talk at the same time.
Alex rolled his eyes at the spate of unoriginal swearing. The education system was so screwed up, it was depressing. Kids couldn’t even swear good and had nothing better to do than try to jack a detective who’d spent the night knee deep in bodies.
“Keep your cool,” Alex said, more for himself than the kid, as his temper tried to slip tired’s leash. Making sure both hands were visible, he slid out and turned around. The kid was as small as he sounded and looked like he was on the downside of a high. Probably looking to trade Alex’s wheels for a trip back up. Man, the guys’d really roast him if he got jacked by a kid too young to shave.
“Shut up and give me your wallet and keys!” The kid practically foamed at the mouth as another round of filth poured out.
At his age, Alex hadn’t known half that many cuss words. And when he got caught saying the ones he knew, his head had been down in the sink eating soap. If he shoved a bar down the kid’s throat? Probably be called police brutality and get him a sit down with IAD.
“Life’s not fair,” his dad would say about now. “But it’s always interesting, bubba.”
And about to get more so, Alex realized. The swearing, while tiresome, had drowned out the unlikely figure on a bicycle bearing down on them both. She was hunched over the handles, an intent scowl on a face that was ordinary, but not in a bad way. Her feet pumped hard on the pedals, as she steered around the numerous potholes and bumps that pockmarked the street. Her eyes were narrow slits and her hair stuck out around her head like a ragged, brown halo.
Alex sure hoped she didn’t plan to ram the little crap while he had a gun pointed at him—oh yeah, she meant to.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Author Store eBook: https://payhip.com/b/lao9
Author store Audiobook: https://payhip.com/b/kbDUW
Universal Link: https://books2read.com/DeadSpaces
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Pauline_Baird_Jones_Dead_Spaces?id=XCq3CQAAQBAJ&hl=en
smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1197871
What makes your featured book a must-read?
One of the things that fascinated me after we moved to New Orleans were the cemeteries. I know, weird, but they were above ground, both creepy and magical. They called them “dead spaces,” and that’s where I got the title for the book. But the weird and wonderful (and true) about New Orleans takes some strange turns in this book. You need to read it to find out why!
Giveaway –
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Author Biography:
USA Today Bestselling Author, Pauline never liked reality, so she writes books. She likes to wander among the genres, rampaging like Godzilla, because she does love peril mixed in her romance.
Social Media Links:
Website: https://paulinebjones.com
Website: https://paulinebairdjones.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/paulinebjones
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Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/paulinebjones