just released!!
Suspicious Circumstances is a fantastic police procedural by debut author Sandra Ruttan.
my take:
"Secrets and lies, new murders and old, all unravel and unwind within the pages of SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES to create a complex and compelling crime-fiction debut. Sandra Ruttan has a keen eye for description, a wonderful ear for dialogue, and an acute instinct for the nuances of characterization."
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A suspicious death.
A missing baby.
A corrupt police department.
When a man shows up in reporter Lara Kelly's office with a video that
appears to show a woman falling to her death, Lara is intrigued but
suspicious. The man claims he went to the police, but that they refused to
investigate.
Under pressure from her editor to use the video to build a story about the
incompetence of the local police captain, Lara gathers enough evidence to
print a story about a suspected suicide.
Detective Tymen Farraday, the newest cop in a precinct plagued by scandal,
is ordered to investigate and discredit the reporter if necessary. When
potential evidence is stolen and Lara is attacked, Farraday is forced to put
his grudge against reporters aside and work with the journalist to solve the
murder while trying to protect her from the killer.
Just when they think they have the evidence to arrest a suspect, two more
murders turn the investigation in an unexpected direction.
The guilty have already shown that they'll stop at nothing to protect their
secrets.
In a town where one person holds all the power, not even the police can be
trusted.
And the prime suspect isn't the only person Lara and Farraday need to worry
about.
What People Are Saying
"SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES has to be one of the most satisfying mysteries going that grips the reader from beginning to end."
- Clive Cussler
"..there is never a dull moment. It's a hard book to put down."
- Tony Hillerman
"Sandra Ruttan's SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES is crime fiction with booster jets--a white-hot blazing ride sure to slam you down some of the darkest, twistiest back alleys that ever corrupted a small city's secret heart."
- Cornelia Read, author of A Field of Darkness
"Sandra Ruttan's Suspicious Circumstances soars. It is complex, exciting, and elegant. In musical terms, it's listening to Bach. I'm in love with Lara Kelly, the smart, strong, vulnerable protagonist. Her detective lover better move fast or I'm in there. A gripping adventure, a large cast of marvelous characters, and twists that follow turns. Read it. You'll love it too."
- Robert Fate, author of Baby Shark
"Sandra Ruttan has graced the world of psychological thrillers with this fast-paced, absorbing tale, fraught with corruption, murder, mistrust, a number of unconscionable villains and two exceptionally likable protagonists, all craftily entangled in a delightfully twisted plot. Sit back and be prepared to get lost in this riveting story, because you won't want to put it down until you've turned the very last page."
- JB Thompson, author of The Mozart Murders
"Suspicious Circumstances twists and turns and twists again, leaving the reader breathless and unsure which end is up. And that's just the beginning. Ruttan's deft touch intrigues and satisfies, making her a powerful new force in the mystery field."
- JT Ellison, author of ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS (Available Nov. 2007)
order from amazonsandra also has one of the coolest blogs. if you think i talk about anything, you haven't hung out at sandra's enough.
sandra's joint Sandra Ruttan had her first newspaper column at the age of thirteen. She studied journalism and communication theory before focusing on special education. She spent several years working with children with learning disabilities while completing a creative writing diploma. Sandra is co-founder and submissions director for Spinetingler Magazine. Her short fiction has appeared in Crimespree Magazine, Spinetingler, Demolition, The Cynic and Flashing in the Gutters. She lives in western Canada with her husband, two dogs and too many cats.