Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours–Dying Declaration
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
Purchase Links – Amazon – B&N – Books-a-Million – Bookshop.org
I’m so excited to be a stop on the blog tour for author Solange Ritchie and her new book Dying Declaration. It is the third book in her Legal Thriller.
Dying Declaration: A Legal Thriller by Solange Ritchie
Dying Declaration is a gritty story with some truly scary characters. Some portions were hard to read but the book was almost impossible to put down. ~Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book
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.
“Ms.—oh, I mean Dr. Powers.” Thomas Pierce blushes just slightly. “It is lovely to see you again.” He says the word “lovely” in such a way that Cat knows there is nothing lovely about their meeting today. Thomas Pierce ushers her at once into his almost all-white office.
Once again, there is not a shred of paper on the man’s desk. This time, a small silver Dell laptop computer sits on the glass desktop, open, the screen facing Pierce’s chair. He lifts it and puts it to the side and closes the screen. He clasps his hands in front of him, bringing his two forefingers under his chin, elbows on the desk. He leans into Cat, trying to look interested in what she has to say.
“What can I do for you today?” comes out of his mouth, as he performs a fake smile for Cat. She is familiar with BS. She can smell it in this guy’s demeanor a mile away.
“Well, you said to see you if I had further questions related to Ms. Perez.” Cat sits straight in the same chair she sat in before, since she knows her height pisses off Pierce, even when she is seated. He shifts in his chair, straitening his spine, growing taller. He is trying to meet her gaze.
Little Napoléon Bonaparte complex.
“Yes. I’m not sure I can help you, but go ahead. What further questions do you have?” His coy smile goes away, replaced now by something less than a frown.
“What firm did she come from? May I see her employment file? There might be something there that could help us determine who killed and dumped her body. People she associated with before she came here.”
“Of course. I have your card. I can have copies made and sent to you.”
“I would like to see the actual file now, if you don’t mind. I don’t want to see copies and I don’t want to wait.”
“Well, we do have privacy concerns and there is HIPAA related to any of her confidential medical information that might be in the file. Sometimes, we get doctors’ notes and the like from employees that go into the file.”
“Mr. Pierce, may I call you Thomas?”
“Yes.”
“I’m a medical doctor very familiar with HIPAA and confidentiality concerns. But if I may make an observation, I don’t think Ms. Perez will be asserting any of those concerns because, the last time I checked, she is very dead.”
Pierce nods. His face grows sullen and his eyes dark. His demeanor suddenly appears defeated. He leans back in his chair, apparently less interested in what she is saying now that he has lost control of the game he was playing.
“And according to what you told me at our last meeting, there is no one who really cared about her. No family.”
Cat has him by the balls and she is enjoying it.
“But this firm has privacy concerns . . .”
“I don’t give a crap about the firm’s privacy concerns.”
Pierce’s face grows more concerned. His brow furrows. He slams his big fist on his glass-top desk. “I will not be spoken to like this.”
“I don’t give a crap about how you think you should be spoken to. I’m not one of your underlings or your associates.” Cat stands up so she is looking down at him. She knows this will piss him off even more. “So, look, asshole, unless you think one of her associate-level boyfriends that she used to run with is going to barge in here and object to me seeing her records, let me see the actual employment file now or I’ll have it subpoenaed up your ass and have you pulled in on an arrest warrant for obstruction of justice.” Cat tries to control her temper. “And I can get both the subpoena and an arrest warrant for you as quickly as you can say ‘billable hour.’”
Pierce considers the fact that he has just been checkmated. “You are correct.” Sweat is appearing again on Pierce’s forehead. He takes out his white cotton handkerchief and tries to dab it away.
Cat controls herself and sits down.
“And you yourself told me that there is no husband or steady boyfriend or children in the picture that you know of who would create a problem with me looking at her original employment file. Would it also contain her personnel information?”
“Yes, as far as I am aware.”
“So, you will let me see it?”
His frown deepens.
Checkmate.
He takes a quick breath and says, “Yes, that is fine. If I can have you wait in one of our small conference rooms on the forty-second floor, I will have Miss Jennings, my secretary, bring her employment file to you.” Pierce picks up the phone and buzzes Miss Jennings and tells her to pull the file and meet Cat in the associate conference room on the forty-second floor.
Thomas Pierce rises, puts his chubby hand out for a handshake as if the meeting is over. Cat does rise but she does not shake. They are back to pleasantries, if only for a short while.
She looks beyond Pierce to the back of his desk.
“If I may, who is the quite stunning redhead in the photo behind you?”
Pierce’s chest puffs up like a peacock with its feathers out for show.
“That is my beautiful Isabella. She is the love of my life.” The way that he says the word “love,” Cat can tell that whoever Isabella is, she has Pierce totally under her spell. The guy is whipped.
Cat inquires further, “And does Isabella have a last name?”
“Yes, her last name is Sudakova. Why do you ask?”
“Just wondering. She is quite impressive.”
Pierce’s face glows as he agrees, saying, “You have no idea.”
Something about the way he says it gives Cat the chills.
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, http://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: https://www.authorsolange.com/
Legal website: http://solangeritchielaw.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/solange.ritchie
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/solange-ritchie-5276486
Twitter: @solangeritchie and @solangeauthor
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TOUR PARTICIPANTS
May 8 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
May 8 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
May 9 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
May 9 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
May 10 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 10 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
May 11 – Indie Author Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH RECIPE
May 12 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
May 12 – MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
May 13 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
May 14 – Cassidy’s Bookshelves – CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 14 – Carla Loves To Read – REVIEW
May 15 – The Book’s the Thing – REVIEW
May 15 – StoreyBook Reviews – CHARACTER GUEST POST
May 16 – #BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee – SPOTLIGHT
May 16 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
May 17 – Guatemala Paula Loves to Read – REVIE W
