"Beefed-up romantic thriller." Truth Kills by @NanciRathbun #thriller
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Truth Kills
An Angelina Bonaparte Mystery
Written by Nanci Rathbun
Genre: Mystery
Librarian-turned-private-investigator Angelina Bonaparte is a woman on a mission: to uncover deception.
Angie has plenty of experience with lying, cheating and cover-ups – and not just because of her former husband. Working as a P.I. means tracking down deadbeats and exposing unfaithful spouses. Now she’s been asked by a betrayed wife to prove her cheating husband innocent of the murder of his lover. Angie’s heart tells her to let the skunk rot in prison, but her head convinces her that adultery is not grounds for incarceration.
During the investigation, Angie encounters so many people who wished the victim dead that she has to develop a chart to keep track. She also encounters hunky police detective Ted Wukowski, who is still reeling from the death of his former MPD female partner at the hands of a narcotics gang and thinks women don’t belong in the path of danger.
As they work toward the same goal – discovering the truth – Angie and Detective Wukowski realize their attraction for each other and must decide whether they are strong enough as individuals to work through her lack of trust and his fear of loss.
Angie has plenty of experience with lying, cheating and cover-ups – and not just because of her former husband. Working as a P.I. means tracking down deadbeats and exposing unfaithful spouses. Now she’s been asked by a betrayed wife to prove her cheating husband innocent of the murder of his lover. Angie’s heart tells her to let the skunk rot in prison, but her head convinces her that adultery is not grounds for incarceration.
During the investigation, Angie encounters so many people who wished the victim dead that she has to develop a chart to keep track. She also encounters hunky police detective Ted Wukowski, who is still reeling from the death of his former MPD female partner at the hands of a narcotics gang and thinks women don’t belong in the path of danger.
As they work toward the same goal – discovering the truth – Angie and Detective Wukowski realize their attraction for each other and must decide whether they are strong enough as individuals to work through her lack of trust and his fear of loss.
An excerpt from
Truth Kills
Here's what
Fans are saying
This is a beefed-up romantic thriller. I like a mystery that introduces settings worthy of its interesting characters. Two thumbs up for Nanci Rathbun bringing Milwaukee out of the shadows of Chicago and creating a hip grandma P.I. whose heritage includes membership in The Family.
If I had a third thumb it would be straight up for the fascinating information the author provides about Catholic confession, the Mafia's origins, gay society, and features of the architecture and landscape of this once predominantly German town in beachfront Wisconsin (Lake Michigan).
On the way we are treated to the nuances of Angie's budding love affair, and a whole lot of wit and wisdom. Every chapter has a heading, quoting sages as diverse as John Lennon and Rochefoucauld.
More maxims come from Angelina's cultural experience: "Save your breath to cool your soup." And she comes out with some corkers all by herself through admissions ("Androgony makes me very uncomfortable....") and observations ("Sunday papers feel so substantial until you take out the employment section, the automotive section and all the ads and coupons").
This novel is very well-written. A bonus for me: I learned two new words: "borborygmi" and "gingillo."
If I had a third thumb it would be straight up for the fascinating information the author provides about Catholic confession, the Mafia's origins, gay society, and features of the architecture and landscape of this once predominantly German town in beachfront Wisconsin (Lake Michigan).
On the way we are treated to the nuances of Angie's budding love affair, and a whole lot of wit and wisdom. Every chapter has a heading, quoting sages as diverse as John Lennon and Rochefoucauld.
More maxims come from Angelina's cultural experience: "Save your breath to cool your soup." And she comes out with some corkers all by herself through admissions ("Androgony makes me very uncomfortable....") and observations ("Sunday papers feel so substantial until you take out the employment section, the automotive section and all the ads and coupons").
This novel is very well-written. A bonus for me: I learned two new words: "borborygmi" and "gingillo."
The new 50-something
I want to be Angie. She is confident, daring, smart, resourceful, empathetic, and 50-ish. So it’s okay for her to stumble a little and show us how real she is. Which she does. A romantic interest subplot flows along at a realistic pace, and casual sardonic side remarks will bring out many well-timed chuckles.
Secondary characters are not stock but intriguing and entertaining. The attention to investigative details will bring you closer to Angie as you sit alongside her and try to piece together motive, means and opportunity.
It is easy to see how the ‘family’ background provides the impetus for Angie’s actions. A good tense moment near the end provides satisfying justification to the prior build in action.
With everything tidied up at the end, I’m hoping book two will have an equally engaging subplot as I sneak along with Angie during her next assignment. This is a solid investigative mystery with a well-defined and pretty darn cool protagonist, clear obstacles, and an enjoyable read the whole way through.
Author Bio
Nanci Rathbun
Nanci Rathbun retired early from a career at AT&T to pursue her dream of writing. A short story with a romantic theme, What's in a Name?, was published in Woman's World magazine. She wanted to focus on the kind of book she loves to read - the mystery. Her first novel, Truth Kills: An Angelina Bonaparte Mystery, was published in 2013 by Cozy Cat Press, in both paperback and ebook formats. The second in the series is due in 2014.
Nanci is a longtime Wisconsin resident who relocated to Tennessee to be closer to her granddaughters - oh, and their parents. No matter where she lives, she will always be a Packers fan.
