RIGGED, Jake Longly #4, is a Kindle Book Deal $1.99 October 26 thru November 1.
First loves are never forgotten. Ever. Certainly not for Tommy "Pancake" Jeffers. His first-kiss, sixth-grade love Emily, who he has not seen since grammar school, is sliding toward divorce in the artsy Gulf Coast town of Fairhope. Alabama. Longly Investigations has been charged with looking into the finances involved. But, when Emily doesn't appear for their nervously anticipated meeting, Pancake's radar goes on high alert. When her body, along with that of Jason, one of two guys she has been dating, are found murdered, Pancake calls in Jake, Nicole, and Ray and the pursuit begins. Who would have done this? The soon-to-be ex, who has an ironclad alibi, the other guy Emily is seeing-jealousy being a motive for harm, or do the drugs found in Jason's pocket indicate a drug-related hit? That world yields a host of suspects. As they peel back the layers of this idyllic community, dark secrets come to light and convoluted motives and methods of murder are revealed.
Publishers Weekly:In Lyle's fast, fun fourth Jake Longly thriller (after 2019's Sunshine State), Longly describes himself as an "ex-major league baseball stud, restaurateur, defender of frivolous lawsuits, lover of women, well, one in particular, and for sure a world-class avoider of work." He reluctantly helps out at his father's Alabama PI firm, where his girlfriend, Nicole Jamison, and his best friend, Tommy "Pancake" Jeffers, work as operatives. Pancake is assigned to the financial side of the divorce of a woman he last saw in grade school, Emily Patterson. He's looking forward to meeting Emily again, but she fails to turn up for their appointment and is later found murdered, along with her friend Jason Collins. Drugs found in Jason's pocket and the gangland-style killings lead the local police chief to suspect a turf war between rival dealers. Emily's brother hires the Longly team to bring her killer to justice. The characters are fresh and well-defined, but it's Jake's snappy patter and amusing riffs, often focusing on his monumentally annoying ex-wife, that drive the narrative to its Glock-blazing conclusion. This series just keeps getting better.
