City of the Dead
Greg Jolley
(The Obscurité de Floride Trilogy, #3)
Publication date: October 1st 2021
Genres: Adult, Suspense
Jayden has just seven nights to rescue her ownership of the Cimetière du Dernier Vol. cemetery in the backwaters of Northern Florida, by any means necessary, including murder.
Welcome to her world, where life among the dead goes on forever.
Jayden has the means, and certainly knows the ways. But the clock is ticking. On the seventh night, the annual Grand Soirée is to be held. If she can pull it off, her future is secure. The problem is the four chairs that she must fill as her part of the event, a planned money-making scheme involving a grim act of necromancy. Four messengers will be put to death and sent over to acquire lucrative market knowledge for the attending gullible investors.
Can anyone stop her?
Two escaped victims are trying. April Danser and her twelve-year-old criminal partner Kazu, both mangled and frightened, have only a few nights to derail Jayden’s deadly train of murder and madness. At times teaming up with other residents of the cemetery – a ghastly cast of recluses – April and Kazu are in the fight of their lives, not only to end Jayden’s deadly plans, but also to survive her repeated attacks.
Taking place during seven nights in the once famous cemetery, City of the Dead is a dance between good and evil with everything at risk, including life and sanity.
—
EXCERPT:
“Nonsense, Reynard,” the officer leading him said as he led the man to the cruiser second in line. “You’ve got a mile of priors.” There was more back and forth until the car door was slammed.
Next to step into the courtyard was a tiny woman, maybe four feet tall. She looked skinny from illness, her face pasty. Her eyes belied her appearance. She was alert and grinning and talking up a storm. The sheriff at her side was nodding along to all she had to say, looking this way and that. She insisted on walking in front of him.
Eyes wide, April cracked the water bottle and drank.
“What next?” she whispered. The little woman was carrying a cage in both hands. Inside was a three-foot alligator, looking docile but teeth bared. The woman and her alligator passed by April, not noticing her, and stopped at the back of the second ambulance.
Next was an elderly woman on one of the gurneys. She also appeared to be seriously ill and weak. She didn’t speak or look up until she had been rolled by. Seeing the little woman at her side at the open doors of the ambulance, the elderly woman smiled, and life returned to her eyes.
“How’s my dear Eiffel?” she asked.
“Same as always. Short, fiery, horny. You?”
“Me? Just relief. You and I will have a party…” She paused to clear her throat. “Every day until…” she trailed off, coughing.
“You betcha. Gigolos and bubbly every night.” Eiffel took the woman’s hand as the paramedics locked the gurney wheels to glide it gently inside the ambulance.
April admired their caring and kindness, not having the slightest idea what they were talking about.
Author Bio:
Greg Jolley (also published under Gregory French) earned a master of art in writing from the University of San Francisco. He is the author of sixteen novels and one collection about the fictional, film industry-based Danser family. He currently lives in the Very Small town of Ormond Beach, Florida.
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