Detective Blanchette Mysteries
Promised
Lies
A
Detective Blanchette Mystery Book 1
by
Marguerite Ashton
Genre:
Mystery, Thriller
Detective
Lily Blanchette has a lot on her plate…
Her
sister Celine has recently been murdered and her parents are on the
brink of divorce. Now she’s lead on a multiple murder
investigation.
Six
months after Lily’s sister’s death, the bodies of two young women
are discovered. One look at the way the bodies have been posed and
Lily knows her sister’s killer is back.
And
she’s determined to get him.
When
Lily visits the family of victim Tanya O’Neal, she learns the woman
had arranged to meet a man going by the handle CtryGeek23 on the
social networking site Scatter.
Lily
thinks finding the man behind the account is key to solving the
case.
But
CtryGeek23 is very clever, and Lily has her work cut out for her. As
she digs around, clues point her to a local brewery where she
discovers the body of another young woman.
The
more Lily digs, the more she thinks there is more than one murderer
at work, and CtryGeek23 is the mastermind.
But
who is he?
And
how will they catch him?
As
the investigation comes to life, death hits closer to home, and Lily
discovers she may not be who she thinks she is at all.
Filled
with plot turns, suspense and mystery, Promised Lies will leave you
wondering how well anybody knows anyone…
Her
Final Watch
A
Detective Blanchett Mystery Book 2
Speaking
second-hand truths can be deadly …
Detective
Lily Blanchette will stop at nothing to solve a murder. Her current
case involves the killing of an undercover cop working to bring down
the mob for prostitution and drugs.
But
Lily's usual laser-like focus on the case has been disrupted.
Two
weeks earlier, she learned she was pregnant by her murderous husband
whom she'd killed in self-defense. Unsure whether to keep her baby or
place the child of this cruel man up for adoption, Lily keeps the
pregnancy a secret from her colleagues.
Under
mounting pressure to solve the case, Lily arranges a sit-down with a
local mob boss only to find out her suspect is also wanted by them.
But before Lily can warn her team, she and her new partner, Jeremiah,
are shot at, and another body is found.
When
she discovers Jeremiah has a connection with the underworld, she is
pulled into a conflict that swirls around the boss's son who's
hell-bent on revenge.
To
add to the complexity of the situation, Lily learns that her victim
might still be alive if it wasn't for opportunistic Assistant
District Attorney, Ibee Walters, who has a twisted vision of
justice.
As
Lily gets closer to finding the killer, she unravels ugly secrets
that point to Ibee and Jeremiah - placing Lily's life and her unborn
child in danger.
What is something unique/quirky about
you?
That I love rewrites!
Rewrites- My writing mentor
taught me to take the good and improve it, polish and even surprise myself with
potential alternative endings.
What are your top 10 favorite
books/authors?
Absolute Power by David Baldacci
Under The Tuscan Sun by Frances
Mayes
Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou
The Life of Elizabeth I by Alison
Weir
The Amityville Horror by Jay
Anson
Ruby by V.C. Andrews
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
(I have two new favorite authors
that I can’t wait to read the complete series)
Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar
Children by Ransom Riggs
Catacomb by Madeleine Roux
What inspired you to write this book?
I came up with the idea to write Her
Final Watch as I finished the ending for Promised Lies. It went through
several rewrites until I was happy that this book would again, force Lily out
of her comfort zone.
Her Final Watch starts two weeks later.
When we meet Lily, we see a strong woman and a cop who prides herself on
balancing work and family. But underneath she's hiding a lot of emotional pain.
On top of everything else, Lily's learned that she's pregnant by her husband
whom she'd killed in self-defense. So, what's supposed to be a joyous occasion
has turned into a stressful situation. Now, Lily has a decision to make. Does
she keep her baby or place the child up for adoption?
Then there's the case involving the
murder of an undercover cop. That's when everything hits home for Lily. She's
the lead investigator. Her victim is a colleague and a mother.
At this point, there's no turning back.
Lily has to find her killer.
What can we expect from you in the
future?
More
Lily Blanchette crime novels. At the moment, I’m working on the third book in
the Det. Blanchette series. The Parolee will be released in 2018.
I’m
also writing a young adult mystery series. The first two, Shadowed Seats and
Staged have been published. The third one, Cold Read will also be
released in 2018.
Also,
I just finished my first draft that introduces a new female detective who works
on cold cases.
Do you have any “side stories” about
the characters?
Yes, I do! I’m looking forward to
digging into their past and shaping them into what makes them the person they
are today.
Where were you born/grew up at?
Colorado – home of the Rocky Mountains.
It’s the one thing I miss.
I lived there for twenty-nine years
before moving to Wisconsin for a fresh start, meeting my husband, combining and
starting our new family. I am a stay at home mom this time around with
five kids.
If you knew you'd die tomorrow, how
would you spend your last day?
I’d spend it with family. Then enjoy
the rest of my time watching scary movies.
Who is your hero and why?
There are two women who’ve
made an impact in my life. My grandmother and my mom. It was my grandmother who
told me, “If you want to write books, then you go do it. Don’t let anyone tell
you that you can’t do something.”
My mom has been there for
me when I needed her the most. At times, she just listened. Other times, she
offered advice. No matter what, she stepped in to help me with my little ones
so I could write.
I’m grateful to have had
several personal talks with my grandmother before she passed away. This
year was rough as I dealt with almost losing my mom during her fight with
cancer.
As we get ready to
celebrate Thanksgiving, I’m thankful that Mom’s here with the family.
Tell us about a favorite character from
a book.
One of my favorite characters is
Detective Lily Blanchette in Promised Lies. She’s got a lot going on. So, I’d
like to think about what a day in Lily’s life would be like if her life weren’t
in so much chaos.
My main character Lily is a workaholic like her dad, Collin.
She works at a medium-sized police station in rural Wisconsin with her best
friend and partner, Morgan. Between chasing leads—the coffee shop and
McGinley’s Irish Pub is the local hangout for law enforcement professionals
when they need to relax and blow off steam.
At home, she wakes up with her new husband. They are still
getting to know each other’s personal spaces in their marriage. If her
husband has time in his schedule, he tries to impress his wife with his
culinary skills while she focuses on her latest remodeling idea for her
Victorian home.
On Lily’s day off, she enjoys time with her dad, which is
sometimes hard when their two schedules don’t match up. While enjoying
their favorite pastime together, fishing along the banks of the Rock River,
their conversation would be:
“Hey Dad, watch your pole you’ve got a nibbler.”
“Nah, the river is running fast near the bottom
so it just looks like it. Crank up 2 reels off the bottom and you’ll see.”
“There’s more to the Bagdenol case. That wasn’t
a suicide.”
“Lily, this is our time to relax our minds, and
put a filet in the skillet for supper tonight.”
“Sometimes it’s hard to relax.”
“I understand. Just remember one thing,
always go with your gut instinct. By the way, I agree with you about the
Bagdenol case.”
“Thanks.” As Lily adjusted her fishing pole, she
felt a firm tug. “Wait, get the net. I think I’ve got one.”
“Reel him in. I want fish tonight, not another
meatloaf.”
When
Marguerite Ashton was in her twenties, she took up acting but
realized she preferred to work behind the camera, writing crime
fiction. A few years later, she married an IT Geek and settled down
with her role as wife, mom, and writer. Five kids later, she founded
the Crime Writer’s Panel and began working with former law
enforcement investigators to create; Criminal Lines Blog, an online
library for crime writers who need help with their book
research.
She’s
a workaholic who hides in her writer’s attic, plotting out her next
book and stalking Pinterest for the next avocado recipe.
A
member of Sisters in Crime, Marguerite grew up in Colorado, but is
now happily living in Wisconsin and playing as much golf as possible.
She can be found on Twitter and Facebook.
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