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.







Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for visiting.
I love to hear comments
and like to visit you back.

Popular posts from this blog

Three Days To Forever ~ Lauren Carr

A Fanciful Twist's 8th Annual Virtual MAD TEA Party Extra special, as it is the 150th anniversary of Alice in Wonderland ♥

Alicia Connected: Tricked with Treats by Derek Fisher