Angelina Bonaparte Mysteries Collection
Truth Kills
Cash Kills
Honor Kills
by
Nanci Rathbun
Published by Dark Chocolate Press LLC
http://darkchocolatepress.com
Praise for Truth Kills
“… an impressive debut and a promising start to a smart new mystery series.” — Kirkus Reviews
“If you’ve ever wondered what Stephanie Plum would be like with a little experience in life under her belt, Nanci Rathbun has the answer. … Her heroine is flawed and complex, her plot perfectly constructed to bring out all of the facets she's created. For mystery lovers, or fans of romantic suspense, Nanci Rathbun is one to watch.” — Shelf Awareness, October 8, 2013
Praise for Cash Kills
PI Angelina Bonaparte "reminded me at times of Parker’s Spenser in her detecting, her sense of humor, and her flamboyant sartorial style. … Cash Kills is a first-rate mystery that combines police procedural with private detection and it features a compelling lead character and a marvelous cast. It’s entertaining, fast-paced and suspenseful, and is highly recommended." — Reviewed By Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite
“To find justice in the midst of lies and cover-ups, Angie must face her own fear of trusting another. Readers will relate to her humor, vulnerability and dedication to the truth.” - IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Honoree for digital ebook excellence — September 2014
Praise for Honor Kills
“I found Honor Kills an extremely satisfying read. It ticks all the boxes of a good detective mystery, and the lead character Angie is extremely easy to empathize with. It's not often you come across a middle-aged PI hero, who is also female. The plot was intricate and full of twists and turns as befits such a mystery story. Having read Honor Kills, I am motivated to read the other books in Rathbun's series, which is probably as high a praise as a reviewer can give an author. – 5* Review by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite
“Nanci Rathbun takes the time to explore why her characters doggedly pursue their objectives; and this too makes Honor Kills a superior read in a genre that too often focuses on the 'whodunnit' over the 'why pursue this inquiry' question. The result is another spirited Angelina Bonaparte mystery that requires no special familiarity with predecessors in the series in order to prove satisfying to newcomers and prior fans alike.” – Reviewed by Diane Donovan for Midwest Book Review, April 2018
Truth Kills
Angelina Bonaparte Mysteries #1
Truth Kills—An Angelina Bonaparte Mystery Copyright ©2013 by Nancianne Rathbun. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher / copyright owner / author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in critical articles or reviews. For information, please contact: [email protected].
This book is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and organizations portrayed in this novel are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Second Edition
ISBN: 978-1-9867626-2-5 (Print)
ISBN: 978-0-9987557-1-7 (Digital E-book)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017903141
Rathbun, Nancianne.
Truth Kills / Nanci Rathbun
FICTION: Mystery/Suspense
Cover design by Nathaniel Dasco
http://BookCoverMall.com
Formatting by Polgarus Studio
http://www.polgarusstudio.com
Author photo by Michele Rene Chillook, Dubuque, Iowa
Published by Dark Chocolate Press
www.darkchocolatepress.com
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I wish to thank the following persons: Rev. Barry W. Szymanski, who read the draft from the point of view of a former police officer and provided me with valuable insights into police procedure and weapons use; Michael Giorgio, who taught me the basics of the mystery genre at AllWriters’ and who also coached me through one of my many drafts; Robert McGee, who read the final draft and gave me valuable feedback; and all my fellow workshoppers at AllWriters’—I hesitate to name you lest I forget someone—who encouraged, critiqued and laughed with me. Any mistakes are my own.
Chapter 1
Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles.
—Analects of Confucius
I’m a professional snoop and I’m good at it. While on the job, I can look like the senior partner of an accountancy firm in my pinstriped navy business suit, or the neighborhood white-haired old-lady gossip. Off the job, I’m a fifty-something hottie—white hair gelled back, dramatic eye make-up, toned body encased in designer duds. Gravity has taken a small toll, but who notices in candlelight?
As I rubbed potting soil into the cooking oil that I’d already smeared on my Salvation Army second-hand clothes, I examined myself in the mirror. A short, plain woman (five foot, three inches) with choppy white hair and no make-up, wearing dirty, baggy clothes, looked back at me. A homeless person. I nodded and headed down the fire stairs to the parking garage, trying to avoid meeting any of my neighbors.
The beauty of being a woman, as the French say, “of a certain age,” is that I can be invisible. Young people, both men and women, look right through me, unless I make the effort to be noticed. Older men look past me, too, to gaze upon the tight, toned, tanned bodies that they wish they could possess. Only older women seem to notice me, because they’re judging me against some invisible standard and wondering how I measure up compared to them. It’s not usually malicious, it’s just how we were raised. Believe me, I do it myself. Is her ass tighter than mine? Are her boobs perkier? Any cellulite on those thighs? It’s competition at the most primitive level, the female equivalent of two silver-backed gorillas thumping chests and roaring at each other.
Today, however, wasn’t a hottie day. Elisa Morano, one of the aforementioned tight, toned and tanned, was suspected of playing house with my client’s husband, Anthony Belloni, a.k.a. Tony Baloney. Tony’s cellular phone bill listed lots of calls to Ms. Morano’s apartment, coincidentally located in one of Tony’s many real estate holdings.
