Fatal Past: A Jess Kimball Thriller: The Jess Kimball Thrillers Series, #9

By Diane Capri

Exciting short read! Investigative Reporter Jess Kimball's impossible mission to find her son and help crime victims continues in this new short from New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Diane Capri.

Jess Kimball's past mingles with the past of those buried in the Paris catacombs.

Sam Sommers has just retired from the Denver PD and has a few weeks of R&R scheduled before he starts his new personal security firm.

His plans are derailed when he locates a long dead body of a young woman whose death was never solved in the catacombs beneath the city of Paris. Who is she?

When they return to the maze of tunnels beneath the cobblestoned streets, they race against the clock to stop a monster still hiding in the shadows.

For fans of Lee Child, Jack Reacher, John Grisham, and James Patterson's Women's Murder Club

"Full of thrills and tension – but smart and human too." — Lee Child, #1 World Wide Bestselling Author of Jack Reacher Thrillers

"Expertise shines on every page." -- Margaret Maron, Edgar, Anthony, Agatha and Macavity Award Winning MWA Past President

"Relentlessly determined to bring justice to an unjust world, Jess Kimball is like a female Jack Reacher, only nicer!" -- Martha Powers, award winning author of Conspiracy of Silence and Death Angel

Readers Love Jess Kimball and Clamor for More!

"Smart, fast-paced, personal and, dare I say, thrilling. It's the kind of "this could happen to me" thrill that really chills me to the bone if I think about it too much. I could not put this book down until I found out if everything was going to turn out okay. Does it? Well you'll have to read it and see!"

"Highly recommend-- kept me on the edge of my seat and I had a hard time putting it down-- Great characters and storyline-- can only hope Diane Capri will make a series out of Jess and Helen-- I do want more!"

"This thought-provoking novel is populated with strong women and likeable men. Ms. Capri fully develops these characters while maintaining a tension-filled pace that will keep you turning pages well into the wee hours of the morning."

Start reading now and you won't stop until you reach the end!

• Language: English
• Publisher: AugustBooks
• Release date: Dec 15, 2017
• ISBN: 9781940768953

Book preview

FATAL PAST

BY

DIANE CAPRI

Presented By:

AugustBooks

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Jessica Kimball

Sam Sommers

Melinda McAllister

Trina Rickland

CHAPTER ONE

Good thing I’m not claustrophobic, Sam Sommers thought again as he listened intently to the tour guide. The underground tunnel system of centuries-old stone corridors known as the Mines of Paris was damp and close, but also fascinating.

Sam shuffled along with the group, resisting the urge to explore on his own. The tour guide had warned them several times.

The tunnel system was complex, Pierre had said. It was easy to get lost, even in the subset of the network known as the Catacombs of Paris. Some passages were narrow and had low ceilings. Cave-ins weren’t common, but they weren’t rare, either. There were good reasons why wandering the tunnels without an official escort was illegal, and had been since 1955.

Not that Sam planned to wander around on his own. He wasn’t claustrophobic, but he had no desire to be lost underground forever, either. The mere thought of it sent a shot of electricity through his body. He grimaced. Maybe he was a touch claustrophobic after all.

A few feet ahead, the group had stopped to hear more of Pierre’s expertise.

Then, in the 1800s, the haphazard collection of bones was moved to the care of Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury. He was tasked with making the underground graveyard into a mausoleum that could be visited by the public. Pierre spoke in hushed tones, reverently, as a priest might describe the Holy land.

Pierre’s English was heavily accented, too. Sam had had trouble understanding him from the beginning of the tour. He squinted and leaned in as if those actions would improve Pierre’s delivery or Sam’s own comprehension. Nope.

As you can see, those nineteenth-century efforts resulted in the haunting walls made of skulls and femurs that you see today. The history in these walls is breathtaking, and this tour barely scratches the surface. Beneath the Paris streets run many more miles of twists and turns. Pierre swept his arm out wide with a flourish before dropping his voice to a near whisper. Who knows what secrets are hidden within the depths of the mines?

Spooky, said the man standing next to him.

Sam shot a grin to the fellow at his side and nodded in agreement. Yeah, Pierre’s really selling it, isn’t he?

Despite the guide’s over-the-top performance, Sam found the catacombs pretty amazing. He thought of the magnitude of the underground beneath the city and shook his head in awe.

See, this was what he’d come to France to do. Granted, he had started slowly. This was his first vacation in more than twenty years, not counting a couple of weekend trips to Vegas for one buddy or another’s bachelor party.

He’d planned a trip filled with exploration and new experiences, things he’d stubbornly resisted pretty much his whole life. Or, at least, that’s what his ex-wife said when she divorced him.

Once he’d made the long journey and settled into his swanky room, though, his adventurous spirit abandoned him.

He’d spent more time exploring the patisseries and sampling the cheeses than exploring the city. He already had an extra inch around