Calculation by Steven P. Marini

NEW RELEASE MAY 1, 2014!

Calculation by Steven P. Marini

#gypsyshadow #mystery #thriller

http://www.amazon.com/Calculation-Jack-Contino-Crime-Stories-ebook/dp/B00K2E9G8G

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/calculation-steven-p-marini/1119394831

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/434193

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenPMarini.html#Calculation

A brutal serial killer is loose on Cape Cod and Jack’s wife is a possible target. He has to keep his wits about him to solve this. Calculation by Steven P. Marini. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenPMarini.html#Calculation

Is there a serial killer on the loose on Cape Cod?

Multiple, bizarre murders are taking place in Dennis, MA, Detective Jack Contino’s new town. But they all have different signatures. One looks like a MOB execution, another is a brutal knifing, yet another is the shooting of a businessman. The killer evens has his sights on Jack’s wife, Natalie. Somehow MOB boss Tommy Shea, Jack’s longtime nemesis, comes into the picture. He often does. What is his link to these events?

Jack can’t get rattled, but his nerves are getting frayed. He’s never had so much at stake in a case. He and his colleagues, including old pal Leo Barbado, get on the trail and must put the pieces of this puzzle together.

Word Count: 66000

Pages to Print: 217

File Format: PDF

Price: $4.99    /2.95    /3.60    //$13.99?

EXCERPT:

Chapter One

I hate these damn, freakin’ places, condos, condos, condos. The Cape is supposed to have quaint little cottages in quaint little villages, here and there. La,la,la. Saw the wife and kiddie leave, so now it’s just you and me, booze man.

I’d seen death like this before. Thirty plus years of police work in Boston gave me plenty of experience. Now I was with the police department in Dennis, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, the place Patti Page sang about, Old Cape Cod, quaint and quiet, with salt air everywhere. It was the late 1970s and I was still a cop, only now I was trying to take it slow and ease my way into retirement soon. This had all the markings of a Mob hit. They don’t get creative. When the Mob wants to execute somebody, they don’t have time to make a ceremony out of it. They usually have someone the victim trusts and lets the killer get close. Then, the killer turns the tables on the target, the ultimate betrayal of trust. This one fit the profile.

The guy took a single bullet to the back of the head in his West Dennis townhouse, shattering the peaceful October Sunday afternoon he was enjoying while his wife and small daughter were out. His body lay on the kitchen floor by the counter. It was a small kitchen, with yellow appliances against a light green wall. A guy could stand at the range and spin around to be at the sink. There was a bottle of Scotch and two glasses with ice on the counter near him, spoiled by blood spatter.

I got the call while off duty at home with my wife, Natalie. We were cleaning house when Sergeant Jim Pearson called me. My home is in West Yarmouth, so it took me about fifteen minutes to get to the scene. I looked around the kitchen and surrounding area with Jim while the forensic techs did their thing. Pearson was my right hand on the Dennis PD, a smart twenty-year man. He was about six foot-two and built like a linebacker, a good man to have beside you if things got rough.

“What have you got on him, Jim?”

“He’s Robert Schroeder, thirty-three years old, owner of West Dennis Liquors on Main Street. I’ve been in there myself and chatted with him a little. He’s owned the store outright for a couple of years, after buying out his partner. That’s what he told me once. His wife was out when it happened. She and her little girl came home and found him. Fortunately, she was able to block her daughter from seeing this. She’s with a neighbor next door. Mom is in the master bedroom with Officer Karen Orlando.”

“Speaking of neighbors . . .”

“Some officers are questioning people now,” said Pearson.

“Good. I’ll talk to the wife, if she’s up to it.”

“She’s okay with that, Jack. I spoke to her briefly and told her she’d have to talk to you, too.”

“Fine. While I see her, check on the officers canvassing the neighbors.”

“Got it.”

Anne Schroeder was sitting on the bed when I came in. She held a handkerchief to help her wipe back tears. I asked Officer Orlando to remain.

“Hello, Mrs. Schroeder, I’m Detective Jack Contino. I’m in charge of the investigation.”

She looked to be in her early thirties, a very good looking woman, and was well composed, considering what had just happened. She seemed small and frail, but when she spoke, there was strength in her surprisingly deep voice.

“Yes, Detective, Sergeant Pearson said you’d need to talk to me. I understand. I want to help any way I can to catch whoever did this.”

“I’m very sorry for your loss, Mrs. Schroeder. I know this must be very hard for you, but I need to get as much information as I can quickly. If, however, you need some time, I understand.”

“No. That’s okay, Detective. Go ahead.”

I don’t know how people in her situation can do it. Somehow they pull it together, for a while, anyway.

“Did your husband have any enemies that you know of?”

Mrs. Schroeder took a breath and paused a moment before speaking. She looked at me, then diverted her eyes, gazing toward the window across the large bedroom. The room was nicely decorated with a king size bed and matching cherry wood dressers, all new. The tan wall-to-wall carpet felt like a cushion under my big feet.

“Detective, my husband had a partner when they bought the liquor store five years ago. He was an old high school friend of Bob’s. Bob worked very hard to make his business a success, since it was always his dream to own his own business. Well, George, that’s his friend, George Brady, didn’t have the same energy for work and they didn’t see eye to eye about how to grow the business. Bob wanted to open another store after a few years, but George didn’t want to do that. He just wanted to enjoy the profits from the current store and live like he was on a permanent vacation. I guess you could say they had a falling out.”

“Did it ever get violent?”

“No, but they had some real shouting matches. I thought once that they were going to fight, but George slammed his fist against a wall at the store and walked out. The only solution was to buy George out, which Bob did two years ago. It meant selling the ranch house we had to get the money, but as soon as we sold it, Bob did the buyout. It drained our savings almost to nothing, but it was the only way. It was worth it, though. Bob hired an assistant to help him and a couple of part timers. I work there, too, part time when Janie, that’s our daughter, is in school. It’s been paying off and we moved into this condo unit seven months ago.”

“Who was working the store today, the assistant?”

“Yes. My God, he doesn’t know what’s happened. I didn’t think to call him. I’d better do that now.”

“Relax, Mrs. Schroeder, I’ll have some officers go over there and tell him to close up. Does he lock up the cash in a safe?”

“Yes. There’s one in the back room.”

“We’ll have him do that and tell him you’ll have to close the store for a while.”

“Thank you, Detective.”

She gave me the name of the assistant and I passed that on to Pearson, who sent an officer to the store.

“Mrs. Schroeder, do you have George Brady’s address and phone number?”

“I have that information in our address book, but I don’t know if he still lives there. He was in Harwich.”

She started to get up, but I suggested that I could get that information in a minute. I wanted to keep her talking.

“Did Mr. Schroeder ever have any other business dealings with people who he didn’t see eye to eye with?”

“No. He got along fine with the owner of the building and everyone else I know of.”

“I’d like to get the building owner’s name and information, too. Did your husband have any hobbies or activities that might have involved large sums of money?”

“You mean, like gambling, Detective? It’s a fair question. I’m not offended that you asked. No, he didn’t gamble. His whole life was his family and the store.”

I didn’t mean to insult her and was relieved by her response. “Of course, Mrs. Schroeder. I didn’t mean to imply anything.” I took a breath. “Is there anything else that you can tell me? Is there anybody else who might have a grudge of some sort against your husband?”

She shook her head, holding it high as she spoke, despite the tears.

“No, Detective. Bob was a fine man. He was kind and gracious to everyone.”

“Okay, Mrs. Schroeder, you understand that you can’t stay here now. We have to secure the crime scene, probably for a few days. Is there anyone you can stay with? If not, we’ll take you and your daughter to a motel at the town’s expense.”

“My sister lives in Sandwich. I’ve already called her, and she’s on her way.”

“Fine. Pack some things. Officer Orlando will help you. Your sister won’t be able to enter, so we’ll let you know when she arrives.”

“That’s all right, Detective.”

She eased her petite body off the bed and walked over to a closet and started collecting clothes. She wore tan Capri pants and a pale blue T-shirt. With white tennis shoes, she seemed to float across the floor. She turned back toward me and I saw her beautiful blue eyes, now tinged with sadness.

Other novels by Steven P. Marini:

Connections

A Jack Contino Crime Story

This vigorous, well-plotted crime concoction takes a straight-on look at the tangles and snares involved in stepping outside the “social contract,” and it’s a kind of morality tale without the classroom lecture. It’s pretty well done, too. The author has wisely limited his word count, so it feels just about right, and we’re left with the sense of an inaugural job well done.

--The Barnstable Patriot

Aberration

A Jack Contino Crime Story

Author Marini again shows his mettle when it comes to creating a great storyline . . .”

--The Barnstable Patriot

Aberration takes off like a bullet with a cool hero: Jack Contino, a cop’s cop, who knows a thing or two about criminals, breaking cases and chasing down a cold one. You’ll find yourself rooting for him all the way. And if it’s the late 1970s you’re nostalgic for, you’ll feel right at home with this nifty mystery.

--Jordan Rich

Chart Productions, Inc.

WBZ Radio.

GSP's Book of the Day October 3

The Blood That Flows by Stephanie Van Orman

#gypsyshadow #darkfantasy #vampires

I just wanted to root through Marshall’s files. That was my only reason for getting a job in a Private Investigator’s office. If I didn’t figure out what was happening to my sister soon . . . No. That was a lie. I knew what was happening to London. She was looking for a human and when she found one that suited her tastes, she was going to drink the poor sucker’s blood. If things went bad, he’d drink hers and then I’d have another mess to clean up. The last mess was her previous boyfriend. Yeah, I killed him, but you should have seen what he was about to do to her. I’m lucky that hasn’t come back to bite me, because vampire revenge is uglier than sin.

Word Count: 47200

Pages to Print: 150 

Price: $4.99

http://www.amazon.com/The-Blood-That-Flows-ebook/dp/B005R3T5NS
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-blood-that-flows-stephanie-van-orman/1106031542
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/92728
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StephanieVanOrman.html#Blood

I’m a murderer, but I did it to save my sister from her sucky vampire boyfriend. I’d do it again . . . if she’d let me. The Blood That Flows by Stephanie Van Orman. Available from Amazon, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StephanieVanOrman.html#Blood

GSP's Book of the Day August 23

Postmarked for Death by Jonathan Lowe

#gypsyshadow #checkeditout #suspense

"A class performance, powerful and accomplished

. . . mystery at its best."

—Clive Cussler

"This gifted writer has given us a page turner that

affords a fascinating look inside the postal service.

Read this one, and dropping a letter in the

mailbox will never be the same."

—John Lutz

Meet Calvin Beach, a disturbed postal clerk with a grudge against illegal immigrants and welfare mothers. He plans to keep postal inspectors busy with homemade bombs. He will succeed, too, because he has a patsy chained in an abandoned Titan missile base in the desert. But Calvin is also being watched by a rookie postal inspector named Victor Kazy, the one person who suspects the police are looking for the wrong man. When Victor finally uncovers the truth about an abduction—that of his partner Maria—watch Calvin “go postal.”

Word Count: 85,500

Pages to Print: 291  /274 in print

Price: 5.99

http://www.amazon.com/Postmarked-for-Death-ebook/dp/B006H9OIM4
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/postmarked-for-death-jonathan-lowe/1000668000
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/109765
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/JonathanLowe.html#Postmarked

A bomber within the postal service uses his job to exact revenge on a system which rewards incompetence. Postmarked for Death by Jonathan Lowe. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/JonathanLowe.html#Postmarked

GSP's Book of the Day July 20

Aberration by Steven P.. Marini

#GypsyShadow #checkeditout

Jack Contino moves to Cape Cod, takes a job on the Dennis Police Department planning to live life in the slow lane, but things speed up when a black man is murdered. It’s similar to a killing in Needham, but the trail leads to a South Shore white supremacist group.

DeeDee O’Hare and Judy Black are twenty-somethings sharing a summer rental in Dennis. DeeDee worked in a restaurant with the victim and has a boyfriend, Jared Wilkes, a local bartender with a roving eye…for Judy. Jack checks them out and learns that Jared has a checkered past calling for close scrutiny. He finds that Jared and the hate group have a link.

Mob figure Tommy Shea, Jack’s old nemesis, is in the mix, but how is he involved? Jack has to find out. It’s hard to solve a local murder when the Boston Mob has it in for you.

Word Count: 56400
Pages to Print: 200 (ALSO in PRINT!)

Price: $3.99

http://www.amazon.com/Aberration-Contino-Crime-Stories-ebook/dp/B00DSXJ00W
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/aberration-steven-p-marini/1115951531
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333483
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenPMarini.html#Aberration

A murder case for Jack at his new job. This one involves young people looking for summer fun, white supremacists, and the Boston Mob. Aberration, Book 2 of the Jack Contino Crime Stories by Steven P. Marini. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at:
http://www.gypsyshadow.com/StevenPMarini.html#Aberration

Book of the Day April 27

All Expenses Paid by Jeffery Scott Sims

Martin Cravitt thought it a fantastic deal:  an all expenses paid vacation to a seaside resort, offered to him out of the blue.  Fine accommodations, the best food, new companions; too good to be true?  The resort was strange, oddly isolated, old and a bit run down.  There were only two other guests in that big place, winners of the same offer Martin received, catered to by a small staff who certainly seemed eager to please.  Or could it be, as Martin began to suspect, that they were keen to kill?  Slowly he uncovers the truth, so incredible that he scarcely believes in the reality of the danger closing in on him.

"All Expenses Paid" is the story of a man, Martin Cravitt, a born loser, who out of the blue wins a dream vacation at a seaside resort, supposedly due to a contest he entered, although he remembers no such thing. Driven there by a resort staffer, he arrives at an old, amazingly isolated property with, counting himself, only three guests, all there as a result of the contest.  It seems they have much in common; all three are without family, all rather pathetic loners. Here, then, they will be paid back for their miserable lives.

It turns out they are in big trouble. Something sinister is going on there. Martin stumbles across certain clues, laid out so obviously that it's as if his hosts want him to suspect. Could it be? Then the third guest, the elderly Wallis Morton, disappears in the night. Martin and his remaining companion, Diana Carswell, start to believe the unbelievable: they are prisoners of a group of ritual cannibals, operating with genteel manner in the modern world. As their hosts grow ever more brazen the pair plan their escape.)

Word Count: 31800
Pages to Print: 96
Price: $4.99

http://www.amazon.com/All-Expenses-Paid-ebook/dp/B004UN5ODQ

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-expenses-paid-jeffery-scott-sims/1029271326

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/32932

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/JefferySims.html#ExpensesPaid

We are pleased to announce that you are a winner. Your entry has been selected as one of our grand prizes. You will receive an all expenses paid, five day vacation for one at the exclusive Caltel Ocean Resort. Enjoy your holiday in elegant, old-fashioned surroundings . . . All Expenses Paid by Jeffery Scott Sims. Available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, other fine eBook vendors and Gypsy Shadow Publishing at: 

http://www.gypsyshadow.com/JefferySims.html#ExpensesPaid

Book of the Day January 12

The Blood That Flows by Stephanie Van Orman

I just wanted to root through Marshall’s files. That was my only reason for getting a job in a Private Investigator’s office. If I didn’t figure out what was happening to my sister soon . . . No. That was a lie. I knew what was happening to London. She was looking for a human and when she found one that suited her tastes, she was going to drink the poor sucker’s blood. If things went bad, he’d drink hers and then I’d have another mess to clean up. The last mess was her previous boyfriend. Yeah, I killed him, but you should have seen what he was about to do to her. I’m lucky that hasn’t come back to bite me, because vampire revenge is uglier than sin.

Word Count: 47200
Pages to Print: 150 
Price: $4.99

Here's what we need you to do (Thanks in Advance!):

1. Login to Amazon
2. Click the link (under the picture)
3. By the title on Amazon there is a "like" button, click it. if you wish you can stop there, but if you want to help even more . . .
4. When you click and hover over the like button it says "share this link: via Email, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest." Click one (two or all) of them and hit share, it should only take a couple of minutes.
5. Page down to the visible tags (Tags Customers Associate with This Product) and either click on the tags you agree with, agree with all the tags or, if you've read the book, add some tags of your own. The fastest way, of course is to click on the link that says "Agree with these tags?"
6. If you have read the book, please leave a brief review!

Book of the Day December 15

Postmarked for Death by Jonathan Lowe

Meet Calvin Beach, a disturbed postal clerk with a grudge against illegal immigrants and welfare mothers. He plans to keep postal inspectors busy with homemade bombs. He will succeed, too, because he has a patsy chained in an abandoned Titan missile base in the desert. But Calvin is also being watched by a rookie postal inspector named Victor Kazy, the one person who suspects the police are looking for the wrong man. When Victor finally uncovers the truth about an abduction—that of his partner Maria—watch Calvin “go postal.”

Word Count: 85,500
Pages to Print: 291  
Price: 5.99

Here's what we need you to do (Thanks in Advance!):

1. Login to Amazon
2. Click the link (under the picture)
3. By the title on Amazon there is a "like" button, click it. if you wish you can stop there, but if you want to help even more . . .
4. When you click and hover over the like button it says "share this link: via Email, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest." Click one (two or all) of them and hit share, it should only take a couple of minutes.
5. Page down to the visible tags (Tags Customers Associate with This Product) and either click on the tags you agree with, agree with all the tags or, if you've read the book, add some tags of your own. The fastest way, of course is to click on the link that says "Agree with these tags?"
6. If you have read the book, please leave a brief review!

Book of the Day October 29

Jason and the Corner Shop Mystery by Violetta Antcliff

The abrasive love-hate between siblings eventually leads to trouble when Jason and his friend Wayne, go to the rescue of the owner of the corner shop. Unable to convince relatives and friends that Mr. Kashmir Singh is in danger, they decide to take things into their own hands. The result is a hair-raising chase round a deserted airfield in a stolen co-op hearse before the kidnap plot is foiled.

 

Here's what we need you to do (Thanks in Advance!):

1. Login to Amazon
2. Click the link (under the picture)
3. By the title on Amazon there is a "like" button, click it. if you wish you can stop there, but if you want to help even more . . .
4. When you click and hover over the like button it says "share this link: via Email, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest." Click one (two or all) of them and hit share, it should only take a couple of minutes.
5. Page down to the visible tags (Tags Customers Associate with This Product) and either click on the tags you agree with, agree with all the tags or, if you've read the book, add some tags of your own. The fastest way, of course is to click on the link that says "Agree with these tags?"
6. If you have read the book, please leave a brief review!

Book of the Day September 5

All Expenses Paid by Jeffery Scott Sims

Martin Cravitt thought it a fantastic deal: an all expenses paid vacation to a seaside resort, offered to him out of the blue. Fine accommodations, the best food, new companions; too good to be true? The resort was strange, oddly isolated, old and a bit run down. There were only two other guests in that big place, winners of the same offer Martin received, catered to by a small staff who certainly seemed eager to please. Or could it be, as Martin began to suspect, that they were keen to kill? Slowly he uncovers the truth, so incredible that he scarcely believes in the reality of the danger closing in on him.

"All Expenses Paid" is the story of a man, Martin Cravitt, a born loser, who out of the blue wins a dream vacation at a seaside resort, supposedly due to a contest he entered, although he remembers no such thing. Driven there by a resort staffer, he arrives at an old, amazingly isolated property with, counting himself, only three guests, all there as a result of the contest. It seems they have much in common; all three are without family, all rather pathetic loners. Here, then, they will be paid back for their miserable lives.

It turns out they are in big trouble. Something sinister is going on there. Martin stumbles across certain clues, laid out so obviously that it's as if his hosts want him to suspect. Could it be? Then the third guest, the elderly Wallis Morton, disappears in the night. Martin and his remaining companion, Diana Carswell, start to believe the unbelievable: they are prisoners of a group of ritual cannibals, operating with genteel manner in the modern world. As their hosts grow ever more brazen the pair plan their escape.)

 

Here's what we need you to do (Thanks in advance!):

1. Login to Amazon
2. Click the link (under the picture)
3. By the title on Amazon there is a "like" button, click it. if you wish you can stop there, if you want to help even more.....
4. When you click and hover over the like button it says "share this link: via email, facebook, twitter or pinterest." Click one (two or all) of them and hit share, it should only take a couple seconds.
5. Page down to the visible tags (Tags Customers Associate with This Product) and either click on the tags you agree with, agree with all the tags or, if you've read the book, add some tags of your own. The fastest way, of course is to click on the link that says "Agree with these tags?"
6. If you have read the book, please leave a brief review!