Fancy
a murder mystery, spiced up with some MM romance? Here are two, by my
old friend J.P. Bowie! ~ Lisabet
Love
on the Rocks
Waking
up on a pile of rocks with a bullet in his shoulder isn’t something
Joe Brady saw coming, but perhaps the cute paramedic who finds him
can do more than just help heal his wound.
Detective
Joe Brady wakes up lying at the bottom of a cliff on a pile of rocks
with a blond-haired angel hovering over him. No, he’s not in
heaven. The blond is Riley Peterson, and his dog Champ is the one
responsible for finding Joe. Fortunately for Joe, Riley is a
paramedic and quickly gets him the emergency attention he sorely
needs.
Shot
by his rogue partner Bob Murdoch when Joe discovered Murdoch was
running a protection racket for drug pushers, Joe wants to find
Murdoch and bring him to justice, but he’s got a long road to
recovery in front of him. While Joe is recuperating, Murdoch is
arrested, giving Joe time to get to know Riley, the handsome
paramedic. The two quickly bond, but Riley has an ex-boyfriend who
wants back in Riley’s life and certainly has no qualms about
playing dirty to get what he wants.
Slashed
tires, an assault in a parking lot, and a prison break all seem set
to doom Joe and Riley’s budding relationship. And when the deranged
Murdoch determines to make them pay for his fall from grace—at
gunpoint—it seems their relationship isn’t the only thing in
danger…
Excerpt
Riley
Peterson and his dog, Champ are walking on the beach when…
“Let’s
go, boy!” Champ ran toward him, ball grasped in his mouth which he
dutifully dropped at Riley’s feet. “Think you’ve tired yourself
out? Let’s go home then.”
They
set off toward the steep steps that led to the clifftop when, without
warning, Champ veered away, running at a large group of rocks
cordoned off and displaying a sign saying Keep Out. Dangerous Rock
Slide Area.
He
must have seen a rabbit or a squirrel. The parkland at the top of
the cliffs teemed with the little critters and they’d often find
their way down onto the beach.
Champ
had disappeared and Riley sighed with impatience. “Champ!” The
dog whined then barked. What the hell? He ran to the rocks and
climbed over the makeshift rope fence. “Champ, what is it boy?”
He squeezed between two of the larger rocks, then froze. “Jesus…”
There
were two bodies, both men, one lying on his back, the other face
down. As a paramedic, Riley was used to seeing bodies, some dead,
some unconscious, and from the looks of things, the younger of the
two was most definitely dead. The back of his head was gone, and
despite the fresh salty air, the smell of death permeated the narrow
space.
He
knelt by the other man and felt his neck for a pulse. It was there,
but weak. How long has he been lying there? He pulled his cell
phone from his shorts and punched in the number for his field
station. “Hey, Val,” he said as soon as the operator answered,
“Riley. I’m on the beach near the steps that lead up to Cliffside
Drive. There’re two guys here, one dead, one badly injured.” He
eased the unconscious man’s jacket away from his chest. “Appears
as if he’s been shot just under his right shoulder. Lost a lot of
blood by the looks of it. Need a team here right away.”
“I’m
on it. We’ll have the guys there in a few.”
“Thanks.”
He shut his phone off and slipped it back into his shorts’ pocket.
He touched the man’s bruised face gently. “Hey, buddy, can you
hear me?”
The
man groaned. His eyes fluttered open and Riley’s breath hitched in
his chest. Pale gray eyes gazed at him from under thick, dark
eyelashes.
“Am
I dead?” His voice was thick and croaky.
“Not
yet.” Riley popped the top of his water bottle and held it to the
man’s cracked lips. “You’re super-dehydrated. Sip a little of
this. Not too much at first—that’s good…” He opened the man’s
jacket further and felt around for any other injuries. “You know
what happened?”
“I
was shot, then I think they must’ve thrown me over a cliff or
somethin’. Jeez, I hurt all over.”
“I
bet. Don’t try to move. The medics are on their way. Who’s the
other guy?”
“Other
guy?” He moved his head just enough to take a look.
“Son-of-a-bitch. That’s one of them. What are you doing?” he
asked as Riley unbuttoned his shirt.
“Checking
for injuries.” He couldn’t help but notice how fit the guy was.
He pressed with care on the sides of the man’s muscular torso.
“Sorry,” he said when the man winced, “but fortunately it looks
like just some massive bruising. I don’t feel any broken ribs.”
He ran his hands over the man’s legs. “Nothing broken there,
either, by the looks of it.”
“Feels
like every fucking thing is broken.”
“Have
some more water.” He waited until the man had sipped some more then
asked,
“What’s
your name?”
“Brady,
Joe… I’m a detective. The other guy’s Martin Boyd. Is he dead?”
“Yes.
A friend of yours?”
“No
way. Drug runner. I was arresting him when this happened.” He
squinted up at Riley. “You’re kinda cute. All that blond hair. I
thought you were an angel. What’s your name?”
Riley
chuckled. “Riley Peterson. I’m a medic, and this here’s Champ.
He found you.”
“Thanks,
Champ.”
Buy Links
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y43f4a67
Buy Links
Pride Publishing: https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/love-on-the-rocks
Murder
by Design
An
unexpected meeting in a bar gives Detective Sam Walker a real chance
of finding long-awaited happiness. All he has to do is stay alive.
Detective
Sam Walker gets a surprise phone call the day he wakes up with the
hangover from hell. The caller informs him that his name is Justin
and that they met the night before in a gay bar. Not only met, but
kissed and traded phone numbers and Sam has no memory of it at all.
Intrigued, Sam wants to meet Justin again, but any chance of that is
delayed when he and his partner are assigned a murder investigation
and told to take care of it ASAP.
Sam
has a problem, a deeply personal one that he doesn’t talk about,
but when he’s with Justin the problem seems to disappear and he’s
convinced he’s been given a new lease on life. His elation is
short-lived, however, when the case he and his partner are working on
takes a dark turn.
Justin
also has a problem…Maria Esteban, a fiery-tempered Puerto Rican who
owns the fashion company Justin designs for. Theirs is a volatile
relationship and when tragedy strikes, the finger of suspicion points
at him.
Can
Sam save Justin not only from a bigoted detective intent on cracking
the case quickly, but from a new and unexpected source, too? Or is
their love affair doomed before they can truly savor Sam’s newfound
freedom from the past?
Excerpt
Sam
is hungover after a night out with colleagues celebrating the taking
down of child slave trafficking gang…
His
cell buzzed and he reached for it. Not a number or name he
recognized. Robertson, Justin?
“Sam
Walker.”
“Hi,
Sam.” The voice was nice, but he didn’t recognize it…or did he?
“Hi…uh,
Justin? Do I know you?”
“Um,
well…uh, you did last night.”
“Last
night?” Sam searched his memory banks. I
met this guy last night?
Justin
laughed lightly. “Well you were kinda drunk, but I’m hurt you
don’t remember me. You kissed me. Guess you don’t remember that
either.”
I
kissed him? He thought harder. After
Martin had left—and he did remember that, some of the other guys
had split too and he—that was right, he’d taken a cab over to the
Blue Bar on Santa Monica.
“Uh…were
you at the Blue Bar?”
“Ah,
it’s starting to come back.” Justin laughed again…a nice laugh,
low and throaty. “I was sitting at the bar, you came in, smiled at
me, sat next to me, bought me a drink. We talked. You said you were a
cop. Or was that a come-on? Are you a cop?”
“Uh,
no, not a come-on. Uh, yeah I’m a cop…detective.”
“Okay,
so we talked for some time. I figured at some point it was getting
late and when I looked at my watch you said, ‘don’t go’,
and you kissed me.”
Shit.
Why couldn’t he remember? And what the hell else did he do—or
rather, try to do? “Uh, wow, I’m sorry.”
“Sorry
you don’t remember me or sorry you kissed me?”
“Both,
I guess. Hope I didn’t come on too obnoxious.”
That
laugh again…so sexy. Why can’t I put
a face to it? “No, you didn’t. I
said I had to go and you wanted my phone number, so we traded. After
you kissed me you said, ‘call me’. So here I am, calling you.”
“And
I bet you didn’t expect this kind of response. I’m sorry,
Justin.”
“Don’t
be, it’s okay.” His voice was gentle along with that trace of
laughter. “You were kinda drunk, so…”
Sam
groaned. “I’d like to make it up to you. Maybe meet for a drink
sometime? I won’t put any moves on you, promise.”
“Well,
where’s the fun in that?” Justin’s tone was a definite tease.
“Now that you’ve offered, I would like to see you again…tonight?
If that doesn’t sound too pushy.”
“Uh,
can’t tonight. I’m having dinner with my partner and his family.”
“Oh,
you have a partner?” Justin’s chirpy voice sounded suddenly
deflated. “Then I guess this isn’t a good idea.”
“No,
no…not a partner
partner. Working partner.”
“Oh,
okay. So what’s good for you?”
“Well,
I’d like to say tomorrow night, but I’d have to call you once I
know what my schedule looks like.”
“Sounds
good.”
“Uh,
this is going to sound crass, I know, but can you describe yourself
so I know who to look for when we fix a time and place?”
Justin’s
laughter was contagious. “Look in your phone, Detective. You took a
selfie of us last night.”
I
did? “I did?” Shit.
This is beyond embarrassing. Just how
hammered was I? He stared at the
photograph of himself and Justin. How
could I have forgotten what this hottie looks like?
Curly auburn hair and a smile that would light up the darkest room…or
heart.
“Wow.”
“Was
that a good wow or a what-was-I-thinking wow?”
“That
was a very good wow. And I look like a moron. What in hell were you
thinking talking to me, anyway?”
“I
thought you were cute.”
Sam
laughed. “Your powers of observation are a mite faulty. Sad thing
is I look even worse today.”
“How’s
that possible?”
“Hey!”
He laughed again. “You’re right. I promise to clean up my act for
when we meet.”
“I
liked what I saw the first time around and I’m looking forward to
seeing you again. Oops, gotta go, Sam. Duty calls. Bye.”
“Oh,
okay, bye.” Duty calls? What’s that
about?
Buy Links
Buy Links
Pride Publishing: https://www.pride-publishing.com/book/murder-by-design
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/y4whpo3g
About
the Author
J.P.
Bowie was born in Scotland and toured British theatres in numerous
musical shows including Stephen Sondheim’s Company.
After
emigrating to the States he worked in Las Vegas, Nevada for the
magicians Siegfried and Roy as their Head of Wardrobe at the Mirage
Hotel. He is currently living with his husband in sunny San Diego,
California, where he spends his time writing and writing…
Email:
jpbowie [at] att [dot] net
Website:
www.jpbowie.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/jp.bowie.1
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/jpbowie
