Private Lie

By Phil Reade

The detective is fake. The danger is real.

Salesman, Doug Connor lies about many things; his job, his past and his skills. He longs for a life full of intrigue and excitement… just like his favorite books.

But when Connor meets Jade Murphy - a beautiful, mysterious woman with a dark past, he is pulled into a real case of mobsters, murder and crime. Suddenly he has more excitement than he counted on.

Out of his depth, out of time and with Jade’s life on the line, can Connor discover a way to save them both?

Find out in this thrilling short story, PRIVATE LIE.

If you like gripping mysteries, thrilling action and suspense, you’ll love the next installment in PT Reade’s BOOK HITS.

 

Click and get your copy of PRIVATE LIE.

 

Tags: Book hits, book shots, crime, hard boiled mysteries, mystery, mysteries, noir, private investigators, hard boiled thriller, hard boiled detective fiction, hard boiled private investigator mystery series, thriller.

• Language: English
• Publisher: PT Reade
• Release date: Jul 9, 2017
• ISBN: 9781537826257

Book preview

Reade

Chapter One

The wheels of the aircraft touched the runway with a cry of rubber on asphalt. The passengers breathed a collective sigh of relief. A gentle bump and it was over. It hadn’t been a long flight—a little over an hour—but there had been some nasty turbulence midway. Many of the passengers now slouched in relief, smiling and joking as the adrenaline of a bumpy flight faded. Some were already fidgeting, eager to leave the plane and head off. There was always something about turbulence, something that shook people.

But in seat 32F Doug Connor hadn’t even noticed.

In fact, Doug Connor barely even registered the landing. He was miles away, discovering new worlds and exciting new mysteries in one of his books. Many people swore by e-readers, the slim-line electronic devices allowing you to carry hundreds, if not thousands of books with you at any time, but for Connor, it just wasn’t the same. His sister had bought him a Kindle device a couple of Christmases ago—which now lay gathering dust on a shelf at home, resigned to be forgotten. No, for Connor ‘real’ books were where his heart lay. The physical act of touching the paper, the smell of a new print and the way each page gradually changed color as it collected the experiences around it. The hardback and the paperback were unmatched.

And Connor always had one with him, just like he did now.

This particular title was from a new author, one he hadn’t read before but it didn’t matter. A voracious reader, he plowed through books with the frenzy of a zealot and always had, his appetite fueled by the fear that one-day paperbacks might vanish completely.

Perhaps it was the lack of excitement in his own life or the fact that his job required a lot of travel, giving many opportunities to indulge his passion for books. Whatever the case, Connor now considered himself an expert in the world of mystery novels.

As the airplane began its taxi to the terminal, a couple of people started bustling to their feet, much to the chagrin of the cabin crew. Connor glanced up, frustrated by the distraction. It was only then that he noticed the attractive woman sitting next to him.

Has this dame been here the whole damn time?

Dressed in smart business attire, her tanned legs peeked out from beneath a pencil skirt. She wore a little too much make-up and her blonde hair, tied back in a ponytail, looked as though it probably came from a bottle, but still.

Not bad.

Connor slipped the paperback under the jacket draped over his knees and glanced at the woman. She looked nervous, like many of the other passengers.

Are you ok? he enquired, adding what his hoped was an engaging smile.

She glanced up, as if noticing him for the first time, too. Connor wasn’t unattractive. He was of average build with a welcoming, if forgettable face and close-cropped