From NY Times and USA Today bestselling author Patricia Loofbourrow ...
"... a great mystery with lots of suspense ..." Reviews By Ang
Obsession. Blackmail. Betrayal.
What if your best friend was helping your worst enemy?
All is not well in the far future domed city of Bridges.
Tensions rise between the Families, who accuse each other of spying, while Red Dog attacks escalate. Aristocratic jewel merchant Anastasia Dame Louis, styling herself "The Queen of Diamonds," hires 22 year old private eye Jacqueline Spadros to collect from her debtors so she can leave the city.
But Jacqui can't leave David Bryce's kidnapping and the murders of her teenage informants unpunished. Convinced the madman "Black Jack" Diamond was behind the crimes, she pursues ways to prove it.
The scoundrel and his crew, however, seem to be one step ahead: the terrifying man in white is seen lurking outside David's home, forged letters appear across the city, and merchants in the Spadros quadrant report threats from a man who fits his description.
Jack's sister Gardena Diamond then asks Jacqui for help: someone is attempting to blackmail her. It is then that Jacqui learns Rachel Diamond's curious secret - and the truth behind her terrible condition.
When witnesses who can identify David's kidnappers begin dying and evidence emerges that Jacqui's mother is next on the list, Jacqui is forced to make a dreadful choice.
Dark, gritty, multi-layered Victorian-inspired detective neo-noir that keeps the reader guessing to the very end.
What readers say about The Queen of Diamonds
"... blackmail, murder plots and seemingly everyone with a secret!" - Diana Johnson
"... combines a fictional mob tale with a detective mystery for a darkly entertaining adventure." - Holly A. Lenz
"... action, conspiracies, mystery and danger ..." - Laura Furuta
"I could not put this book down." - Jacob Posey
Note: this is chapter 2 of a 13-part serial novel, the Red Dog Conspiracy. While it's not mandatory to have read chapter 1 (The Jacq of Spades), it's highly recommended to do so before venturing forth.
Patricia Loofbourrow, MD is a NY Times and USA Today best-selling SFF and non-fiction writer, PC gamer, ornamental food gardener, fiber artist, and wildcrafter who loves power tools, dancing, genetics and anything to do with outer space. She was born in southern California and has lived in Chicago and Tokyo. She currently lives in Oklahoma with her husband and three grown children.
