Nestled in the foothills of West Virginia, Ron Earl Phillips lives with his wife, a daughter, a German Shepherd, and one too many cats.
Shotgun Honey it excited to share with our reading community the debut novel and series starter LOVE YOU TILL TUESDAY by M.E. Proctor. We hope you enjoy the first Declan Shaw mystery.
The death of April Easton makes no sense. She was a jazz singer working the clubs. Maybe the recording contract she just signed would have been her breakthrough. It certainly wasn’t a motive for murder. Steve Robledo, Houston PD, is on the scene. He’s known for working fast and closing cases. This one has all the markings of a head scratcher. And when witnesses and security cameras confirm Declan Shaw, a local P.I. with police connections, spent the night with the woman, it just makes everything more complicated.
Not that Declan has anything to do with the murder. He likes music and he liked April. He certainly didn’t kill her.
A collaboration, uneasy at first, is in the works. Declan can’t get April out of his head. Her memory is fading and he wants to hang on to it. What better way than to find more about her? Steve is running out of time, a few more days and he’ll have to turn his attention to other cases. They strike a mutually beneficial alliance.
For the powerful men behind April’s death, that alliance means trouble. Declan is stubborn and resourceful. He worries them a lot more than the police. There’s no telling what he could dig up. The stakes are high: a trial with the death penalty in play, cartel ties, money. Ultimately, it’s always about money.
Declan has to be stopped, incapacitated. He’s put under surveillance, a trap is set to ensnare him, a campaign is launched to discredit him—The P.I. and the Dead Jazz Singer. It’s a mistake. Declan will bite back.
Many will get hurt.
“Beautifully written and crafted, Love You Till Tuesday weaves a story akin to a complex jazz rhythm. At the center, a compelling P.I. named Declan Shaw supplies the beat. Proctor’s work sings with authenticity and grit.”
—Craig Terlson, author of the Luke Fischer series.
“M.E. Proctor is going to be the next BIG name in crime fiction. Her writing is intelligent, exciting, cool and slick as hell.”
—Punk Noir Magazine
“Strong narrative pulled me in, precision dialogue kept me tuned, and characters that surged from the page held me to the end.”
—David Cranmer, editor of BEAT to a PULP
“In a crime fiction universe overcrowded with cookie-cutter detectives, M.E. Proctor’s Love You Till Tuesday shows how to breathe originality into an investigation of the seamy underside. You won’t easily forget P.I. Declan Shaw’s witty, often dark pursuit of a killer.”
—Nick Kolakowski, author of Boise Longpig Hunting Club
“M.E. Proctor writes crime fiction that sits aside the masters of the craft whilst also standing alone in its pure originality and innovation to an often hackneyed genre. Elegant, flowing prose that tugs at your heartstrings whilst ramping up your heart beat.”
—Stephen J. Golds, author of a Say Goodbye When I’m Gone
“Make way for Declan Shaw, sharp as the edge of a knife, tough as a bucket of nails, emotionally damaged and irrepressibly charming, searching for truth in the mean streets of the modern American South—the neo-noir hero we need in these trying times!”
—Douglas Lumsden, author of A Troll Walks into a Bar
“For the numerous fans of M.E. Proctor’s short fiction, this debut novel is sure to be a revelatory delight. A sleek entry into the pantheon of detective fiction, Love You Till Tuesday keeps you guessing and holding your breath until the very end. You won’t look at other P.I. novels (or hammers for that matter) the same way again.”
—Mike McHone, crime fiction writer
M.E. Proctor was born in Brussels and lives in Texas. She’s currently working on a contemporary PI series. Her short fiction has appeared in Vautrin, Bristol Noir, Pulp Modern, Mystery Tribune, Reckon Review, Shotgun Honey, and Thriller Magazine among others. She’s a Derringer nominee. Her short story collection Family and Other Ailments (from Wordwooze Publishing) is available in all the usual places. Website: www.shawmystery.com
Comments are closed for this post.
