STARRED REVIEW from Booklist!
Face of Greed is here!
Detective Emily Hunter and her partner Javier Medina are called to the scene of a brutal home invasion and murder. At first glance, it appears a crime of opportunity gone horribly wrong. Emily soon finds there’s more to the crime and the dead man, uncovering a web of secrets, deceit, and corruption. The city’s political elite want a quick solve. Darker forces want the case buried. Torn between the high-stakes investigation and caring for her mother with early onset Alzheimer’s, Emily struggles to find a balance. Emily discovers the dead man blackmailed a federal prosecutor to turn over files on an organized crime investigation. When the files disappear, a grieving widow and a prison gang scramble to control the dead man’s secrets. A deadly game of greed and deception pulls Emily deeper into the shadowy world of gang violence and retribution. Emily walks the razor’s edge to identify the killer without becoming the next victim.
This is the first book in a new series set in Sacramento, California, a city not unfamiliar with violent crime. The story in Face of Greed draws inspiration from one of the first murder cases I worked.
What they’re saying about Face of Greed:
The award-winning James L’Etoile launches a compelling new series with a baffling home invasion mystery that packs an impressive one-two final punch! L’Etoile knows crime–and this gritty whodunnit bears testimony. I can’t wait for Book Two! — New York Times bestselling author Wendy Corsi Staub
In Face of Greed, James L’Etoile gives us a Sacramento rarely seen in crime fiction. In a city without an identity, L’Etoile’s Sacramento bursts with good cops and crooked cops, skinheads and tweakers, bad men and femme fatales. This helluva page turner has hella heart! — Rachel Howzell Hall, bestselling author of WE LIE HERE and THESE TOXIC THINGS
James L’Etoile’s FACE OF GREED is fantastic, one of the most engaging police procedurals I’ve ever read; a smart, twisty, multilayered story that features a detective who is utterly fearless in her quest for truth. Don’t even try to guess how this story ends—just put yourself in L’Etoile’s eminently capable hands and enjoy the ride! – Karen Dionne, author of the #1 international bestseller THE MARSH KING’S DAUGHTER and THE WICKED SISTER
Detective Emily Hunter is a sharp, compelling heroine with brains, heart and true grit — everything I’ve been looking for in a series character. I loved getting to know Emily — and I adored this tight, twisty and very suspenseful book. I could not put it down!– Alison Gaylin, USA Today and international bestselling author of THE COLLECTIVE
James L’Etoile is such a talented and terrific storyteller! His real-life experience in the criminal justice system gives his compelling, high-stakes thrillers an authenticity that only a savvy insider can provide. You’ll be turning the pages as fast as you can! Hank Phillippi Ryan. USA Today Bestselling Author of THE HOUSE GUEST
An incredible story that grabs you by the throat and tosses you across the room. L’Etoile is a gem. –J.T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of IT’S ONE OF US
“In FACE OF GREED, award-winning author James L’Etoile weaves a smooth, cool and compelling narrative that begins with a bang; a high-profile murder whose implications percolate through a labyrinth of avarice, where personal and political ambitions collide with far-reaching and deadly consequences. L’Etoile draws to his strengths as both a great storyteller, and a law-enforcement professional; and while the reader might expect a procedural slant from an author with this pedigree, what you find instead is that and much more: a first class suspense thriller drawn together by the threads of finely crafted intrigue. The dialogue practically buzzes with authenticity, and the twists, turns and pacing of the story will have you chewing your nails to the quick. In short, FACE OF GREED is yet another fantastic offering from James L’Etoile, thoroughly enjoyable, a true winner — Bravo!”–Baron Birtcher, LA Times bestselling author of Reckoning
The suspenseful, twist-a-minute, fast-moving plot, coupled with more human elements—make this an outstanding must-read. Booklist STARRED REVIEW
The pacing and realistic feel of the investigation will appeal to fans of Michael Connelly, who enjoy a baffling crime to solve. Readers will be anxious for Emily’s next case. First Clue reviews
Each link in the proverbial chain gang is attached to another. L’Etoile weaves these plot threads into a satisfying police procedural tapestry. BookReporter
James L'Etoile
James L'Etoile 