Dying Declaration: A Legal Thriller
by Solange Ritchie
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Dying Declaration: A Legal Thriller
3rd in Series
Setting – Florida
Stony Hill Publishers (November 30, 2019)
Paperback : 248 pages
ISBN-10 : 1670430324
ISBN-13 : 978-1670430328
Digital ASIN : B082733F4W
Dr. Catherine “Cat” Powers is FBI Forensic pathologist and special agent with an uncanny sixth sense for bringing murders to justice.
During a vacation in Belize with her young son, Joey, Cat gets a phone call from her boss. Young prostitutes are being picked up, murdered and left for dead in the Florida Everglades. The first victim does not fit the killer’s modus operandi. She was a legal secretary working for the Fort Lauderdale based international law firm, Black and Knight.
As Cat investigates this and other deaths, they lead back to the firm’s henchmen and to its partners. With the help of another firm employee, Cat discovers a secret web of murder, illicit drugs, prostitution, sex trafficking, corruption and more. The firm’s partners intend to kill anyone who can lead the law back to them, including Cat.
As the body count grows, powerful people will make decisions that will change lives. Decisions that will destroy families. As Cat uncovers the conspiracy, only one partner, the mastermind, will become Cat’s ally. She will walk away, after seeing that the others are brought to justice.
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Check out this excerpt from Chapter 10:
Cat can see Miss Jennings is nervous.
She is fidgeting in the seat, messing with things in her purse.
“What is going on?”
“I think I am being followed.”
“Yes, you already said that.” Cat does not want to seem impatient, but she is. “Who would be following you?”
“I don’t know who they are, but ever since Anna went missing, I feel like I am being watched. There has been a black sedan I have never seen that is parked on my street when I get home at night. The windows are tinted so dark, I can’t even tell if there is someone in the car. And when I am going to work and coming from work, a similar-looking car has been following me. Far enough behind that they do not think I can see them, but I know they are there.” Miss Jennings’ explanation comes rapid-fire. “I don’t know who they are, but I know they want to hurt me.” She perspires even though the AC is on full blast.
Cat wonders if this is all a figment of an overactive imagination, but she continues to listen.
“This all started after Anna went missing. At first, I just dismissed it. I figured I was imagining things. Maybe I was watching too many action movies late at night. Or someone new had moved into my neighborhood with the black car. I thought it was all in my mind. But then I started to think about it. No one has had a ‘For Sale’ sign up on any of the houses on my block. And I know all my neighbors. No one new has moved in. I don’t recall seeing anyone new when I take my dog for a walk. My neighbors would have told me if there was someone new or if a friend was visiting. I have lived in that neighborhood for over fifteen years. Everyone knows everyone.” She takes in a deep breath, exhaled and continued. “And even though I can’t see the face, I sense that there is someone sitting in that car watching when I leave for work and when I get home. It’s spooked me.”
Miss Jennings pauses long enough this time to allow Cat to ask some questions.
“You say this started after Anna went missing?”
“Yes, the very next day is when the black sedan showed up by my house.”
“I noticed in Ms. Perez’s file that it didn’t match what Mr. Pierce was telling me. Do you know anything about that?”
“Huh?” was all Miss Jennings could manage. “What?”
“Well, your boss, Mr. Pierce, seems to have a different story to tell about Ms. Perez. He said she was fired by her prior employer and he seemed to suggest it was because of sexual misconduct, but he didn’t say so. He said she was a flirt who liked to pal around with the firm’s young male associates and associate herself with them, if you know what I mean. He made a lot of disparaging remarks about a dead woman who could hardly defend herself. But when I looked at her employment file the other day, none of that appeared true.”
Miss Jennings’ face is flushed. “That’s ridiculous. It’s a lie. All of it.”
“Pierce is lying about it. Why would he do that?”
“I don’t know, but I can tell you something is not right at that law firm.”
“Why do you say that?” Cat asks.
“Well, for starters, Thomas Pierce never does a bit of legal work. You’ve seen the man’s office. Spotless. I’ve never seen him work on a client’s legal file. But there are files that he keeps locked in his office. No one is allowed to see them except him and the other partners and Isabella. And the only time those files ever see any action is when there is a partners’ meeting. The partners’ meetings happen once a month, behind locked doors. Always done on the last Friday of the month at ten a.m. and only in his office. That is the only time that those files ever come out. The only reason I know about them is that there is a vague reference to them in the partners’ meeting minutes, which I type up every Friday afternoon after the meeting is over.”
Cat says nothing.
“So, there is that.” Miss Jennings continues to spew information. “And there is the fact that Isabella Arsovska attends each of these meetings. She is not even a partner of the firm. Why is she even there?”
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About Solange Ritchie
BORN ON THE BEAUTIFUL TROPICAL ISLAND of Jamaica to a Jamaican father and a French mother, Solange Ritchie (then Solange Levy) immigrated to the United States at age eleven. Since then, she has become a dynamic force for change. Fed up with thrillers that start with a fizzle and longing to see more powerful women as lead characters, Solange decided to create her own characters. Despite the demands of a busy legal career, she accomplished her ambitious goal by rising each morning to write before work, dedicating her weekends to writing, and even spending her vacation time writing. Solange is fortunate to have traveled to over 19 countries in her lifetime.
Words have always been Solange’s passion – now so more than ever.
Solange achieved a successful writing career while doing “last minute trial,” mostly in Southern California. Dubbed “the Case Saver,” Solange handled intense legal motions that either make or break a case, especially in the areas of business, labor, and employment law. In 2014, she received the State Bar of California’s Solo and Small Firm’s Section’s highest award, the Myer J. Sankary Attorney of the Year Award. It is given to only one attorney each year in California.
When Solange was just thirty-seven years old, her first husband, John, died due to gross medical negligence at a leading Southern California hospital. This life-altering experience helped shape her into the person she is today. She began writing creatively to deal with the stress of his hospitalization and his death.
Solange’s first psychological thriller, The Burning Man, featuring FBI forensic pathologist Dr. Catherine “Cat” Powers was published in 2015. Her second novel in the series, Firestorm, was released to critical acclaim, on May 15, 2018. Dying Declaration is the third novel in the Dr. Catherine “Cat” Powers series. Bomb Blast is Solange’s fourth novel in the series. Solange plans at least two more books in the Dr. Catherine Powers series. A fan of things that go bump in the night, Solange has also penned a Southern Gothic novel called Fiona’s Box, which will be released shortly.
Solange lives in Southern Florida. She enjoys traveling, writing, gardening, time with her family, as well as good food and conversation. Solange is available for speaking engagements. She especially enjoys talking with book clubs. To receive her Sunday blog post, Notes from Solange, just go to her author website, www.solangeritchie.com, and leave your e-mail address. Nothing negative or political is ever posted. Her author website, www.authorsolange.com, includes a blog, reviews, recipes, events, and the latest on Solange’s adventures. Solange welcomes your comments, reviews, and suggestions, and invites you to contact her at:
Author website / Legal website / Facebook / LinkedIn / Twitter / Twitter
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Books-a-Million – Bookshop.org
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