City of Deadly Dreams by Elyse Douglas Book Tour with Guest Review

 

City of Deadly Dreams: Mystery by Elyse Douglas 

 Publisher:  Broadback (May 1, 2021) 

Category: Hard-Boiled Mystery, Private Investigator Mystery 

Tour dates: May 31-June 30, 2021 

ISBN: TBA 

Available in ebook,  250 pages 

Description City of Deadly Dreams by Elyse Douglas

Dane Cooper, an NYC Hell's Kitchen private detective, is hired by a Tennessee man to find his handsome, 20-year-old son named Elvis, who has been missing for several months. Though hesitant at first, Dane takes the case because he needs the money.  Dane soon learns that the case centers around a beautiful, mysterious blonde, named Darcy. Against his better judgment, he falls for her, believing she might lead him to Elvis.  Her dangerous secrets trouble him, and he realizes he can’t trust her. Dane’s investigation turns deadly when he learns that Elvis has left a trail of pregnant young girls, unhappy husbands, and vengeful women.  Dane becomes a target as he struggles to find Elvis and save him from the killers who are closing in. Can Dane save Elvis and himself, or will Darcy's secrets get them all killed?

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  Praise Daring Summer by Elyse Douglas 

 “Daring Summer by Elyse Douglas is a well-crafted tale that will keep you reading as you need to know the outcome. This story aptly epitomizes the saying by Confucius, ‘’before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves’’. An interesting cast of characters that helped to drive the plot. It was fun getting to know each of them. Their thoughts and the events that drove their actions stood out making it easy to connect to them. Daring Summer was an interesting and riveting read. I enjoyed the courtroom drama and loved how the events in that regard that unfolded. The story delivered a perfect blend of romance and suspense. The story had depth and was well developed.”-Nadene, Totally Addicted To Reading 

 “Oooo romantic AND suspenseful! A very exciting, emotional, twisty, and a little scary story line. The thing is. You really do know "who done it" kind of right from the beginning. But, even with that knowing - Did I have doubts? yep. Did I want to believe it might be someone else? well... kind of. And I just kept wondering - Are they going to catch him? Wait... wasn't it him? Maybe. All those twists and turns is what makes this a great book and loads of fun to read. Seriously, right up until the end I was unsure if they were going to be able to prove it! It ended up being one of my favorite books of the year!”-Wall-To-Wall Books 

 “Daring Summer is a very well written book.  Although you pretty much know how it’s going to end the author still manages to keep you thoroughly captivated. The characters are well developed and interesting. Overall I really enjoyed this book. 5 Stars”- J. George, Amazon: Vine Voice 

 “Emotional, exciting, sexual, and suspenseful! Exceptional characters that will have you on the edge of your seat and best of all the ending is one that you will never see coming.  A great read any time of the year, just be sure to make time because you will not be able to put this down.”-Dee, Donadee’s Corner

City of Deadly Dreams

Elyse Douglas

Excerpt 

THE DELI HAD TABLES AND PLASTIC CHAIRS, and Ruth and I found one.  It was swarming with the hungry and impatient.  The Asian women behind the cash registers had quick hands, focused eyes, and no smiles.

To Ruth, I said, “I’m Dane Cooper, a private investigator.  I’m trying to locate Elvis Lipps and I thought maybe you could help me.”

Ruth bit into a ham and cheese and I, a pastrami on rye, with extra mustard.  We both had sodas nearby and pickles.

“Do you eat pickles?” I asked.

“Don’t even think about askin’ me for my pickle,” she said, snappily.

“Some people don’t eat them.”

“I do eat them!” 

“Do you keep a database of names and addresses that you send correspondence to?”  I asked.

“Sure.  I had to address all the Christmas cards.  Hard copy Christmas cards, not electronic ones.  It was a bitch!  My hand got all cramped up and sore.”

“Did you send a Christmas card to Mrs. Johnson?”

“No.  How much money do I get if I give you the right information?”

“That depends on the information.  So, you’ve never heard of a Mrs. Johnson?”

“I didn’t say that.  I just said I didn’t send her a company Christmas card.”

I liked her smart-alecky approach.  “Have you ever sent her anything—tweets, cards, email, packages, flowers?”

Ruth chewed and nodded.  She waited until she swallowed down the bite before she spoke.  “He, that is Mr. Papania, sends her flowers.  Once a week.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Do you have her full name, address and phone number?”

“Yep.”

“How much?”

“What are you going to do with it?” Ruth asked, chewing slowly and avoiding my eyes.

“You messin’ with me, Ruth?”

She sipped her soda through a straw.  “I don’t want to be responsible for somebody catchin’ shit who doesn’t deserve it.”

“I like your ethics, Ruth.  Have you ever spoken to Mrs. Johnson?”

“No.  What’s she to you?”

“My client is a father looking for his lost son.  I believe she knows where the son is.”

That did it.  She licked her lips and looked at her watch.  “Three hundred bucks.  That’s how much.  I’ll email you the info.”

“That’s a lot of pickles, Ruth.”

“A hundred to my church; two hundred to school.”

“What are you studying?”

“Paralegal.”

“I can do a hundred fifty.”

“Then I can’t do nothin’.”

“Two hundred.  Max.”

“Three hundred.”

“Do you like legal work?”

“I like making money.”

“Try accounting.”

“Don’t like counting numbers.  Don’t like those people.  Don’t trust those people.  Three hundred or nothing.”

I took a bite of my sandwich, knowing full-well that I had little choice but to give her what she wanted.  Ruth wore a confident face—the face of a victor who was showing no mercy.  

“… All right.  One fifty now.  I’ll give you the rest when I get your email.  Use your personal email account and not the company’s.” 

“I want all the money.  Now!” she demanded.

“Nope.  It’s my way, or no church tax write-off and no scholarship fund,” I said.

She snatched her pickle and snapped off the head.  “Okay.  Gimme the money.”

  

Guest Review by Gracie S.

Rather than tell you too much and give away the ending to this compelling mystery (something that reviewers are sworn never to do) I'm going to give you a basic rundown of the characters in 'City Of Deadly Dreams: A Mystery.” 

First up we have Dane Cooper, a curmudgeonly private detective and former NYPD cop. Dane lost both his wife and young daughter in a car accident years before the novel takes place and this loss obviously affected him greatly. Now he does his best to solve his cases while resisting the urge to take out his frustration on everyone around him. 

Then there's Elvis Lipps, although his is a character whose absence is the point of the book. See, Elvis is missing and his parents are desperate for Dane's help to find him. The young man left Tennessee to move to the Big Apple in order to chase after a girl. 

Elvis' parents believe that he is the reincarnation of Elvis Presley and his father thinks that his connections can help Elvis break into the music industry. Dane doesn't buy the reincarnation theory, but he agrees to help the Lipps' find their son. 

Now, last of all we have Darcy-Lynn Roberts, a former teacher of Elvis Lipps. When Elvis was in high school, a rumor was spread that he and Darcy were sleeping together and this rumor lost her the teaching job and her husband. This rumor was true. When Dane meets Darcy, she seems to be in even worse trouble and in trying to care of her he begins to fall in love with her. 

This is all I will tell you in order to whet your appetite for 'City of Deadly Dreams.' But, of course, you have to read the book yourself to find out where it goes next. 

I highly recommend this lively noir style detective mystery! You won't want to put it down! I hope there will be future cases for Dane to solve!

  About Elyse Douglas

Elyse Douglas is the pen name for the married writing team Elyse Parmentier and Douglas Pennington. Elyse grew up near the sea, roaming the beaches, reading and writing stories and poetry, receiving a master’s degree in English Literature.  She has enjoyed careers as an English teacher, an actress and a speech-language pathologist. Douglas has worked as a graphic designer, a corporate manager and an equities trader.  He attended the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and played the piano professionally for many years. 

 Website: www.elysedouglas.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/douglaselyse 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/elyse.authorsdouglas 

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