The Tequila Promise

ETHAN PICKETT'S battered pickup truck is found in the valley of the Bluewater Ski Club, a four hundred foot drop, his broken and bloodied body trapped inside.

 

Ethan is a local hero, a retired rodeo cowboy, and self-made billionaire businessman. His death is big news...

When Charlie Beach hears the news, he's devastated. As a private investigator, he's had experience with death, but not with the death of someone as close to him as Ethan Pickett.

On the night of the funeral, Charlie and Cedar, Ethan's daughter, and Charlie's best and closest friend since JK, are sharing a few beers and trading stories. At one point, Cedar makes a casual comment about the irony of her father's accident, running his truck off a dark and deserted country road he had been driving his entire life.

Charlie didn't understand the concept of irony, but what he did understand was the bad feeling washing over him.

The OPP's top investigators ruled it an accident, but what if they missed something? What if it wasn't an accident? What if the accident was staged to cover up a murder?

With no evidence, no suspects, and no motive, Charlie wouldn't go hard at it, but he figured there was no harm in talking to a few people, asking some questions, see if anything popped.

Charlie would be happy if it turned out to be nothing. But, if it turned out to be something, then he'd make it his life's mission to track down the killer, and send his ass to prison.

My review...

Just my kind of mystery. I liked the small town setting, and I especially liked Charlie Beach. I have a penchant for good P.I.’s and their rough and ready, well, sweet too, personalities. Charlie Beach is one of those investigators that just doesn’t always believe the findings the police come up with. This time the deceased is a good friend; one Charlie knew very well. Once Charlie begins to doubt what’s happened, he’s like a dog with a bone and won’t let go.

The above description is, as I said, my kind of story. And this is one of those that really fits the bill. It has twists and turns, some action, even a couple of red herrings. I liked the guessing. I spent a lot of time trying to read really fast. I didn’t want the story to end, but I sure wanted to know what the end would be like.

This can be read as a stand-alone. It looks to me as if it is a debut novel. I most certainly hope it will be a series. I really like Charlie Beach and hope I get to meet him again.

read an excerpt...

“Charlie,” Ethan Pickett bellowed, his raspy blues singer baritone booming over the background music and din of conversation on the deck.

Ethan Pickett, a seventy-two-year-old ex-rodeo cowboy, was six feet, squared jawed, trim and fit, his hair and paintbrush-style mustache the colour of freshly fallen snow. He was casually dressed in a buttoned-down white cotton shirt, faded black Levi’s, and a black herringbone sports jacket. His belt buckle, a champion’s prize from a long-ago rodeo, was the size of a small hubcap. He stood, reached out a gnarled and weathered hand, and said, “How ya doing, Charlie,” the greeting accompanied by a warm charismatic smile.

Charlie looked at Ethan’s hand, at the thickness of his fingers, the knuckles that looked like railway spikes. At an inch taller, and a few pounds heavier and thicker across the chest, Charlie was no pushover. In a tough spot, he could handle himself, but shaking hands with Ethan Pickett was a different ball game. The man had a crushing grip and was so naturally enthusiastic, it was only a matter of time before he accidentally tore his arm loose from its socket. Take it like a man, Charlie thought, planting his weight on his right foot, flexing his arm muscles like he was about to lift a fifty-pound bag of potatoes, and said, “Hi, Ethan.”

Ethan grabbed Charlie’s hand with a vice-like grip, gave his arm a couple of piston-like pumps, pulled him in for a man-hug, patted him a couple of times on the back. “The meal was fabulous, just wonderful. Pass my compliments on to Lucy and the entire kitchen staff.”

The pain from the handshake shot through Charlie’s arm like a bullet. He made a face that he hoped no one else at the table noticed. “Sure, Ethan, I’ll do that.” In spite of the sudden shock of pain, Charlie turned, smiled, and said, “Hey, Cedar.”

about John MacGougan... 

John MacGougan, a Crime/Thriller author hailing from the picturesque town of Sarnia in Canada, weaves gripping tales of suspense and intrigue. With a passion for storytelling that ignites his narratives, MacGougan crafts thrilling mysteries that keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063651077313

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnmacgougan/

Website: https://www.johnmacgougan.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/john_macgougan

Amazon CA: https://www.amazon.ca/Tequila-Promise-John-MacGougan-ebook/dp/B07CKHYJCP/

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Tequila-Promise-John-MacGougan-ebook/dp/B07CKHYJCP/

a Rafflecopter giveaway