Murder in the Wind
Detective Joseph James is a newly promoted detective for the El Cannon Police Department. Three murders have Joe's attention. With the suspect list building up, Joe has to find the murder weapons to prove who killed the three victims. Are they related? Who's the killer and what is their motive? Is it one killer or multiple killers?
Will the detective find the killer or killers before there's a fourth murder?
Review by Pat Spencer (5 stars)
I received an advanced review copy (ARC) of Murder in the Wind by A.R. Grosjean for my honest review.
The author, A.R. Grosjean wove an interesting mystery with Murder in the Wind. I enjoyed how the clues emerged and led me to change my mind several times as to who I thought was the murderer. The plot is well-developed and gives the reader plenty to think about. The links between the cases assigned to the new detective were skillfully developed as were each character with his own problems and foibles.
I appreciated following the action and the detective's thought process through their dealing with police procedures. This novel is a quick read and a lovely way to spend the day.
--Pat Spencer, author of Story of a Stolen Girl.
Short Excerpt from Chapter 4 (part of the first murder)
“Got a case for you, Joe. Ready?” Sergeant Lewis Cooper asked.
“Sure. Where am I going?” Joe replied.
“Someone was killed last night. Name’s—,” he said as he opened the report. “Alex Ward. Here’s the address.” Lewis handed Joe a piece of paper.
Joe looked at the address written on the paper. Ward lived right behind him, a block away. He couldn’t believe one of his neighbors was killed. He always thought he lived in a safe neighborhood, but then something like this happens.
Joe drove to Ward’s house. During the drive, he thought about what the gypsy had told him during his fortune-telling. Tony, a friend from the police station, had taken him there to celebrate his promotion a week earlier. The gypsy had told him there was murder in the wind. Was this what she had meant?
A few officers and the coroner were at the crime scene when Joe pulled up. Two of the officers were in the process of roping the area off. As Joe approached the tape, a few of the neighbors Joe knew stopped him. “Joe, what’s going on?” Matt Jenkins asked. He lived five houses down from Joe.
“Matt, I haven’t gotten inside the yellow tape. I know as much as you do,” Joe lied.
Matt laughed. “Yeah, sorry bout that. Are you a detective now?”
“Yes. Hey, listen, I don’t have time for small talk. I need to get in there. Talk later?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Joe weaved through the crowd until he reached the tape, blocking the on-lookers from getting too close to the crime scene. One officer, Joe didn’t know his name, lifted the yellow tape so he could pass through. He felt proud to show his badge. Mark, his partner, was still off to heal, so Joe would run this case alone. He was nervous, but he wanted to solve it. He had to prove to himself that he could be a good detective.
Joe walked in through the front door as he slid on latex gloves. He made a mental note that the door didn’t appear damaged. He made his way to the kitchen where the body of his neighbor still lay. He could see the kitchen from the front door. The large kitchen had a country style with hardwood floors, paneling on the lower walls, and a wood block counter with a butcher’s block sitting by the sink. When Joe reached the kitchen’s entrance, he could tell one of the knives was missing. Joe pulled out his notebook and wrote it down.
There were a few officers there, checking for fingerprints. “Were there any signs of a break-in?” he asked as he entered the kitchen, not caring who answered.
A short man with a crew cut spoke up. “No, sir. Everything was still locked up except for the front door. It was open when my partner and I arrived. He’s outside gathering witnesses. Nothing was broken and it doesn’t appear anything is missing,” Officer Michael Green said.