The Sacramento Police Department has hired Camacho and Associates for one specific reason: They need Lola Cruz to go undercover at The Broadway, a salsa club suspected of running a prostitution ring. She fits the description: Young, Latina, beautiful, and a PI. But the secrets at the club go much deeper than anyone thought, and Lola finds herself embroiled in a dangerous game she may not be able to win.
Going undercover is second nature for Private Investigator Lola Cruz, but she’s out of her league when the case of a murdered Royals Courtside Dancer leads her to a local nudist resort. Parading around the sidelines of Sacramento’s professional basketball scene in a barely there cheerleading outfit is one thing – but parading around in nothing but a smile? If she’s going to have any chance of hiding this from her traditional family and on-again, off-again boyfriend, Jack, she’s going to have to keep a lot more than her duct tape bra and killer dance moves under wraps.
When Lola comes home to her parents’ house to find a horde of relatives mourning her death, no one is more surprised than she is. The news had reported that one Lola Cruz, a private investigator, was found murdered in an alley, causing great alarm in the Cruz family. Before Lola can say “boo,” a cop comes to the house. It turns out the dead woman had a driver’s license with Lola’s information. Between avoiding an unsavory ex-boyfriend, sorting out mixed signals from the very interested but not yet committed Jack Callaghan, and filling in as a waitress at her parents’ Mexican restaurant, Lola tries to find out who the woman was and why she stole her identity. Was the woman hiding from someone who meant her harm, or is there someone out there who wants Lola dead?
Meet Lola Cruz. After paying her dues as an intern, she’s now a full-fledged detective at Camacho and Associates. Her boss is Manny Camacho, a muy caliente former cop with a mysterious ex-wife, a Lara Croft look-alike girlfriend, and a sudden personal interest in Lola. Her first big case? A missing mother who may not want to be found. And to make her already busy life even more complicated, Lola’s helping her cousin plan her quinceañera and battling her family and their old-fashioned views on women and careers. She’s also reunited with the gorgeous Jack Callaghan, her high school crush, whom she shamelessly tailed years ago and photographed doing the horizontal salsa with some other lucky girl. Lola takes it all in stride, but when the subject of her search ends up dead, she realizes she has a lot more to worry about. Soon she finds herself wrapped up in the possibly shady practices of a tattoo parlor, local politics, and someone with serious—maybe deadly—road rage. To top it all off, her treasured post-coital pictures of Jack are missing! Still, Lola is well-equipped to handle these challenges. She’s a black belt in kung fu, and her body isn’t her only weapon. She’s got smarts, sass, and more tenacity than her Mexican mafioso-wannabe grandfather. A few of her famous margaritas don’t hurt, either.
A story where the lines between myth and reality blur, and the fate of one family hangs in the balance. ‘Shadows on the Page’ is a thrilling blend of ancient mythology and modern-day mystery. It weaves a rich tapestry of suspense, magic, and the enduring power of family bonds. Pippin Lane Hawthorne must fight for her family’s future. An Ancient Legacy Armed with newfound revelations about her family’s mystical connections to Dagda and Morrighan of the Tuatha dé Danann, Pippin Lane Hawthorne must harness her gift of bibliomancy to confront and finally break the 2000-year-old Irish curse that has plagued her family for generations. Allies in the Fight Against Darkness With time running out, Pippin joins forces with her West Coast cousins, the resourceful bookshop owner Jamie McAdams, and her steadfast twin brother, Grey. Together, they navigate a treacherous path filled with secrets, ancient magic, and looming threats. The rumblings of the curse grow stronger, threatening the lives of those she loves most. A Race Against Time Pippin’s journey is fraught with peril as she uncovers long-hidden truths and battles dark forces determined to keep the curse intact. As the truth comes to light and the battle intensifies, Pippin must confront the darkest corners of her family’s past. Will she uncover the key to breaking the curse, or will the ancient powers that have haunted the Lane family for centuries finally prevail? Hailed as “impressively original” by Midwest Book Review, the Book Magic Mysteries celebrate the magic in books. In this enchanting new story, Pippin Lane Hawthorne hopes her gift of bibliomancy will be enough to finally stop the curse that has plagued her family for two thousand years. But for every question Pippin answers about the past, a new one arises…
A spellbinding blend of mystery and magic, weaving together the timeless allure of classic literature with the thrill of a modern-day mystery. Pippin’s quest is not only a fight against an ancient curse but also a journey of self-discovery and resilience, with a touch of romance adding warmth to the suspense. A Curse That Spans Centuries For generations, the Lane family has been ensnared by a dark and relentless curse. Desperate to end this ancient affliction, Pippin Lane Hawthorne has turned to the most unlikely of allies: the literary giants Tolkien, Homer, and Dickens. Through the mystical art of bibliomancy, Pippin can decipher cryptic messages hidden within the pages of classic literature, revealing secrets and guiding her toward her ultimate goal. A Message from the Past When Pippin discovers a mysterious note from her late mother within an old copy of The Secret Garden, hope flickers anew. Could this beloved book hold the key to unraveling the curse? The hidden message leads her to a vital clue, but just as she begins to piece together its meaning, she stumbles upon a chilling scene—a dead body. A Death Shrouded in Mystery Though the authorities quickly rule the death as natural, Pippin’s unique gift tells her otherwise. The books scattered around the corpse whisper a different tale—a tale of murder intricately linked to her family’s dark history. Determined to uncover the truth, Pippin must delve deeper into her family’s troubled past, unearthing secrets that have long been buried. An Intricate Web of Danger and Discovery As Pippin navigates this perilous journey, she finds herself entwined in a complex web of amateur sleuthing, multiple suspects, and the ever-present shadow of the curse. With each new discovery, the danger grows, and Pippin must summon all her courage to face the threats lurking in both the past and the present.
A gripping saga of mystery, magic, and resilience. Join Pippin Lane Hawthorne as she unravels the dark history of her lineage, where every page turned and every long-forgotten story brings her closer to the truth. Will she be able to save her brother and end the curse, or will the dark forces that have plagued her family for generations continue their reign of terror? A Curse For centuries, the Lane family has been tormented by a relentless curse: generation after generation, the women perish in childbirth, while the men are claimed by the unforgiving sea. Pippin Lane Hawthorne, determined to break free from this dark legacy, opens the Sea Captain’s Inn on the windswept shores of the Outer Banks. But as the grand opening approaches, a sinister shadow looms over her new beginning. A Murder The celebration is shattered when a renowned scholar, investigating the mystery of the Lost Colony of Roanoke, is found brutally murdered at the inn. This grisly event and the ominous presence of a black crow haunting the property signals a foreboding future. Is this death merely a coincidence, or a harbinger of the curse tightening its grip on the Lane family once more? A Brother’s Reckless Defiance As if the murder wasn’t enough, Pippin’s twin brother, Grey, defies their cursed fate by daring the treacherous waters of the Outer Banks. Pippin is paralyzed with fear that Grey will become the next Lane male to be swallowed by the sea’s merciless depths. Desperation and love drive her to confront the supernatural forces at play. Harnessing an Ancient Power To save her brother, solve the murder, and finally end the two-thousand-year-old pact that dooms her family, Pippin must embrace her gift of bibliomancy, uncovering hidden truths through the pages of books. With each revelation, she draws closer to the heart of the curse and the secrets that bind their fate.
Copyright 2019 Melissa Bourbon Ramirez. All rights reserved.