Title: Medium Rare: Dead Man Talking Book One
Author: Michelle Witvliet
Genre: Paranormal Mystery
Book Blurb:
Jennifer Flagg has never considered herself more than a mediocre medium. Even her family thinks her ability to talk to the recently deceased is nothing more than an annoying quirk.
Jen soon discovers the business of talking to the dead is a lot more complicated when there’s a body still attached.
Her detective boyfriend wants her to stay out of police business but the dead guy needs her help to find his killer. And the murderer wants to put Jennifer permanently out of business.
Can this amateur sleuth find a happy medium between her paranormal world and her personal life? The spirits on the Other Side might have the answers to her dilemma, but wouldn’t you know it, they’re the only ones staying out of her business.
Excerpt:
“What about the newspaper?”
“What newspaper?”
“The one stuck to the tree with a butcher knife. Surely one of you brilliant detectives noticed that.”
“There’s no evidence of it.”
“Evidence, schmevidence,” I sputtered. “That’s all you cops ever think about.”
“That’s because it’s how I do my job,” he said on a much too tolerant note. “Which, by the way, I can’t do when you’ve got me running to your rescue every time you imagine you’re being threatened.”
I gasped, shrilly and offended. He stood there and waited for me to let him have it. I had to give the man credit for that. Then of course, he had a gun and all I had was my indignation and a floral umbrella.
I was so angry I couldn’t see straight. Anything I said to him at that moment would come out sounding a lot worse than I intended so I struggled to keep my mouth shut and my thoughts in check until my initial anger subsided. No easy feat for this redhead, I might add. There was only one thing left for me to do.
I had to get out of there. It would be better for both of us.
Since I was standing right there anyway, I snatched my down jacket from the closet. As I swung it around to put it on, something fell out of the pocket. It was the smaller black pouch I’d picked up from Tony’s apartment. I reached for it.
Danny got to it first and pulled it open. A twist-tied baggie of what I could only guess was an illegal substance or Italian seasoning fell out as he picked it up. I had to go with the former since it was accompanied by a packet of rolling papers.
He opened the bag and held it to his nose. “I could arrest you for this.”
“That’s not mine,” I said, outraged that he even suggested it was. “You know I don’t use that stuff.”
He gave me that look. It’s not easy having friends who know Jennifer Flagg, the early years. “Oh, come on. You are not going to use that against me. That was a contact buzz, and you know it.”
“If it’s not yours, then whose is it?”
“It’s not mine,” I repeated. If Tony wasn’t already dead, I swear I’d hunt him down and kill him myself. I couldn’t’ believe it—marijuana in a cop’s apartment. Imagine that.
“Let me guess. You’re just holding it for a friend, right?”
That much sarcasm was uncalled for, even if he was spot on in his observation. “That’s right, I am,” I insisted. To get myself out of this mess I might have to give up Tony and the Griffith apartment. I weighed my options—a dead man who had nothing to lose or me? It wasn’t a choice I was thrilled about making, but the scales on who to save were tilting heavily in my favor.
“It’s Tony’s.” The decision was much more difficult than my immediate response indicated.
The look that crossed Danny’s face was a priceless mixture of surprise, bemusement, and disbelief. “Is this the same Tony who’s been making my life miserable since the day you found his body where you should never have been in the first place? Is that the Tony we’re talking about?”
I nodded. “Yep, that’s the guy.”
“That still doesn’t explain how the stuff wound up in your coat pocket?” He held it out as a visual reminder.
“I picked it up by mistake.”
“Where?”
He wasn’t going to relent until he dragged every detail out of me, that much was clear. “His apartment.”
“So you lied to me about being at his place on Saturday?”
“Not technically,” I said. “I was never at the Lake Shore apartment complex.”
“Damn it. There’s a second apartment.” This wasn’t presented as a question any more than he expected an answer from me to confirm it. “Where is it, Jen?” He was already reaching for his cell.
I was momentarily struck by a flash of moral conscience—even mediocre mediums were expected to follow a certain code of ethics—which might have caused me to hesitate for a fraction of a second longer than I should have with my response. If this were anyone else they wouldn’t have even noticed my reluctance. But like I’ve said before, Danny knows me better than my own family. He knew I was struggling with a no-win dilemma.
“I’ll try to make this easy for you, Jennifer,” he said.
I breathed a sigh of relief at that bit of good news. I knew Danny wouldn’t let me down.
“Either you tell me where the apartment is located or I bust you for possession.” He flipped open his phone. ‘’What’s it going to be?”
“That’s your idea of making this easy for me?” I gasped. “That’s blackmail,” I sputtered. “That’s what it is. You should be ashamed of yourself for resorting to such underhanded tactics.”
“Actually, it’s extortion, but if that’s what it takes to get your cooperation, so be it.”
I studied his rigid stance, the set of his clenched jaw, and I knew he wasn’t bluffing. “I’m not happy about this, Danny.”
“Duly noted,” he said.
“I’m doing this under protest,” I added.
“Also noted.”
“Griffith,” I told him as I gathered my jacket, purse and shoes, said goodbye to my cats, and got out of there before Danny could extort any more information out of me. It was only a matter of time before it dawned on him that I’d lifted more than the weed from Tony’s place. I didn’t want to be around when he did. Later would be soon enough for that conversation. Much later would be even better.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Books 1 & 2 are available through Amazon, Walmart, Target, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Google, and I Tunes. E-book and paperback are available.
Check out the trailer for Book 1, Medium Rare: Dead Man Talking posted here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxaX0_SvWWY&t=2s
What makes your featured book a must-read?
It’s not your normal paranormal. It’s Medium Rare—a little bloody with a side of humor and a touch of romance for dessert.
Book Three will be released soon. Time to catch up!
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $25 Amazon gift card:
Open Internationally.
Runs August 20 – August 27, 2024.
Winner will be drawn on August 28, 2024.
Author Biography:
As an only child, Michelle had many imaginary friends to keep her company and made-up stories about their adventures. Many years and a couple of lifetimes later, those imaginary friends are still bugging her to tell their stories. Michelle lives in Northwest Indiana, where her Medium Rare series is located in the imaginary town of Lake Ridge.
Social Media Links:
Book Trailer for Medium Rare: Dead Man Talking (book 1)
X/@micwit604
Instagram michellewitvliet