“Every Deadly Suspicion” by Janice Cantore … and a GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to Friday Reads!

 

 

Giveaway for a print copy of Every Deadly Suspicion by Janice Cantore, courtesy of the publisher. (US ONLY!) Enter by using the Rafflecopter link at the bottom of the post. (Contest ends March 7, 2025) If you’re the chosen winner, I’ll contact you for your information to pass along to the publisher.

 

About the book…

 

Thirty years after a federal agent and two suspects disappeared in the wilderness, the case is cold, and they’ve never been found. Now their suspected killer is about to go free. But is the truth really what it seems? 

In Dry Oaks, California, Chief of Police Hanna Keyes has long believed  her father, Joe, is a murderer, justly imprisoned. When she’s told he’s  dying and is being given compassionate release from prison, she wants nothing to do with him. But taking him in might be Hanna’s one shot at cracking the cold case, so she reluctantly agrees to oversee his care.

Joe’s arrival in Dry Oaks seems to set off a chain reaction of crimes. Then an infamous true-crime podcaster comes sniffing for information, and Hanna’s first love, Jared, shows up just when she least needs the distraction. As Hanna tries to convince Joe to reveal what he knows  about the missing persons, evidence in the cold case surfaces at a  suspiciously rapid pace . . . suggesting there’s more to the murders than people thought.

With Joe’s strength failing, Hanna and her colleagues look for answers, not only about the past but also about recent criminal dealings in Dry  Oaks. As the puzzle pieces start to fit together, it becomes clear that  there’s a sinister plot at work, far more wide-reaching than anyone suspected, and that someone is desperate to silence the truth at any cost.

 

Amazon purchase link

 

Sample…

 

PROLOGUE
December 1990

“Joe, I’m pregnant.”

Those three words had set Joe Keyes’s world spinning. The prospect of becoming a father changed his perspective on life. He and Paula had been married for two years and never talked about having kids. When she told him four days ago that she was pregnant, he’d fainted, cutting his head open when he fell.

Later at the hospital, while the doctor stitched him up, Joe felt as if the world had shifted, and he was leaning over the precipice of an abyss. If he pulled himself upright, he’d be the husband and father Paula needed. If he didn’t, if he went back to cooking meth, he’d fall straight down into the abyss. And the abyss was bottomless.

“You can’t go to jail again, Joe. What will I do with a baby if that happens?” Paula had pleaded with him. 

She was right. He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I do not want to go to jail again.”

It was a cold December in California, and Joe could see his breath as he hurried along the path. Around him loomed snow-covered pines,  branches drooping under the weight of new powder.

The place he and Paula rented sat at the edge of the forest, and his favorite shortcut wove through the trees. He was on his way home to give Paula some news. It was the classic good news/bad news. He had a plan, and once he explained, she’d have to see that it made sense.

Since Paula had told him about the baby, Joe did a lot of thinking. As he adjusted to the idea, he liked it. At first, Joe hoped for a boy. He’d be able to teach a boy to be a good man. He’d certainly make sure his son got  past the sixth grade. Yes, Joe would raise a good, strong boy who people would respect.

His stomach churned with butterflies when he considered the second option. What on earth could he teach a little girl? He considered a daughter. She’d be pretty, like Paula, with long, soft chestnut hair and warm green eyes the color of priceless emeralds. 

Eyes that would make a fella’s heart stop.

I’ll protect her, I’ll provide for her, and I’ll keep her safe. She’ll grow up smart and strong, and she’ll be a daddy’s girl. He smiled at the thought. He didn’t care if it was a boy or a girl. He just wanted to be a good dad, not like the man who’d raised him. That guy had been drunk all the time and rarely home. No, Joe would not be like his dad.

He arrived at home and hurried into the warmth, through the kitchen and into the living room. Paula sat on the couch with a book, bundled up in a blanket.

“I’ve got news.” He sat on the coffee table in front of her.

“You got a job?” Her eyes sparkled with hope.

He tilted his head. “Good news and bad news. Yes, I got a job.”

“What’s the bad news?”

“It won’t start full-time until spring. Ben Hodges hired me to do landscaping. It’s only odd jobs right now, like clearing driveways and  stuff.”

“What will we do until then?” Her gaze darkened. 

He held up both hands. “I’ve got a plan. Hear me out. I’ve still got the trailer. No one knows about it, not even Blake and Sophia.” He threw his partners into the mix because sometimes Paula complained to him that they got too big a cut when Joe did all the work. “I’ll cook one last batch of rocks. If it’s just us, and I don’t have to split anything with them, I should make enough money to tide us over.”

Surprisingly, Paula didn’t object right away. He could tell she seriously considered the idea, tapping on the book in her lap with a fingernail while she thought. “Promise you’ll quit for good?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die.”

 

About Janice…

Janice Cantore is a former Long Beach, California, police officer of twenty-two years. She worked a variety of assignments, including patrol,
administration, juvenile investigations, and training. She’s always  enjoyed writing and published two short articles on faith at work for Cop and Christ and Today’s Christian Woman before tackling novels. She now lives in Florida, where she enjoys ocean swimming, golfing, spending time on the beach, and going on long walks with her Labrador retrievers, Abbie and Tilly.

Janice writes suspense novels designed to keep readers engrossed and
leave them inspired. She has penned more than a dozen novels including the Line of Duty series, the Cold Case Justice series, Breach of Honor, Code of Courage, and One Final Target. Visit Janice’s website at  janicecantore.com and connect with her on Facebook at
facebook.com/JaniceCantore and at the Romantic Suspense A-TEAM group.

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