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5/5 Stars!
When called to an accident scene in the middle of the day, Detective Jesus De La Cruz’s gut instincts tell him the jogger’s death was no simple hit and run. Proving it will lead Cruz to jealousy and betrayal in the workplace, the world of the privileged, and a close connection to his girlfriend, Aurora Williams.
Cruz is also tasked with investigating a series of attacks on employees of the city’s water department that will have consequences no one sees coming.
A likable character, Cruz doesn’t have the savvy of Joe Fontana or grumpiness of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He does, however, have an everyman quality that keeps him balanced as he deals with his demons from his undercover days, alcoholism, taking the next step with Aurora, and realizing his widowed mother has a sex life.
Third in the De La Cruz Case Files, Razing Stakes is my first read from the series. With plenty of spins and twists, it’s an engrossing page-turner right up to the end.
Enjoy!
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April 1-30, 2022 Virtual Book Tour
Synopsis:
The first day of summer is the last day of a young accountant’s life. Colin McHenry is out for his regular run when an SUV crosses into his path, crushing him. Within hours of the hit-skip, Cleveland Homicide Detective Jesus De La Cruz finds the vehicle in the owner’s garage, who’s on vacation three time zones away. The setup is obvious, but not the hand behind it. The suspects read like a list out of a textbook: the jilted fiancée, the jealous coworker, the overlooked subordinate, the dirty client.
His plate already full, Cruz is assigned to a “special project,” a case needing to be solved quickly and quietly. Cleveland Water technicians are the targets of focused attacks. The crimes range from intimidation to assault. The locations swing between the east, west, and south sides of the city. This is definitely madness, but there is a method behind it.
The two cases are different and yet the same. Motives, opportunities, and alibis don’t point in a single direction. In these mysteries, Cruz has to think laterally, yanking down the curtain to expose the master minding the strings.
Book Details:
Genre: Mystery
Published by: Down & Out Books
Publication Date: February 14, 2022
Number of Pages: 294
ISBN: 978-1-64396-245-0
Series: The De La Cruz Case Files, 3rd in series
Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Down & Out Books
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Nesie's Place 
Thanks so much for the great review! Sounds like an interesting read!
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