#MTW continues w/a spotlight on Patricia Loofbourrow, author of The Red Dog Conspiracy serial
Mystery Thriller Week continues with a spotlight on Patricia Loofbourrow, author of The Red Dog Conspiracy serial
Book title: The Jacq of Spades
Series: The Red Dog Conspiracy, Volume 1
Author: Patricia Loofbourrow
Genre: Steampunk
Published: November 12, 2015
Synopsis
Kidnapping. Murder. Betrayal.
Would you put your life at risk for a child you barely know?
In a far future US, the once-beautiful domed neo-Victorian city of Bridges is now split between four crime families in an uneasy cease-fire. Social disparity increasing and its steam-driven infrastructure failing, a new faction is on the rise: the Red Dogs.
22 year old Jacqueline Spadros was kidnapped from her mother’s brothel and sold to the Spadros syndicate ten years ago. The murder of her best friend Air as he tried to save her from them haunts her nightmares. Now unwillingly married to one of the city’s biggest drug lords, she finds moments of freedom in a small-time private eye business, which she hides in fear of her sadistic father-in-law.
Air’s little brother disappears off his back porch and the Red Dogs are framed for it. With the help of a mysterious gentleman investigator hired by the Red Dogs to learn the truth, Jacqui pushes her abilities to their limits in hope of rescuing the child before the kidnapper disposes of him.
Dark, gritty, multi-layered Victorian-inspired detective neo-noir that keeps the reader guessing to the very end.
Grab a copy!
Book title: The Queen of Diamonds
Series: The Red Dog Conspiracy, Volume 2
Synopsis
A job gone wrong. A blackmailed friend. A city in turmoil. An obsession leading down a sinister path.
NO ONE IS AS THEY SEEM …
The Queen of Diamonds brings you the second action-packed chapter of the Red Dog Conspiracy.
While the villain Frank Pagliacci is defeated, all is not well in 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 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 the kidnappers begin dying and evidence emerges that Jacqui’s mother is next on the list, Jacqui is forced to make a dreadful choice.
Someone will surely die. Will it be Jacqui, or her mother?
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.
About the Author
Patricia Loofbourrow was born in southern California and currently lives in Oklahoma. Learning to read at the age of three, she grew up on Heinlein, Bradbury, and Asimov, and found at an early age that she loved science.
Earning a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology with a minor in Chemistry from Cal Poly Pomona then an MD from Rush University, Dr. Loofbourrow practiced family medicine for ten years before changing careers in 2000 due to disability to become a stay at home mother to her three small children. After leaving medicine, Patricia Loofbourrow ran one of the first “ask a doctor” patient education websites from 2000-2004.
Patty began writing poetry in her teen years. She wrote her first novel during the 2005 National Novel Writing Month, going on to write ten novels, four novellas, and well over 100 short stories, mostly speculative fiction. She has been a long-time member of the Forward Motion Forums, and was the founder of Fifty Word Fiction on DeviantArt. She has also worked as a freelance non-fiction writer and editor since 2000, and currently has an educational website on home edible landscaping.