Lisa Jackson's Bentz And Montoya Bundle Part 32

"The case is closed." "There're a few loose ends," Bentz allowed. "I still want to talk to some people who conveniently dropped out of sight when the bodies started piling up. Roommates, exes, pimps and the like, but I think they're all clean, probably just had other issues with the law that they didn't want to go into and decided it was time to disappear." He thought of Marc Duvall, the pimp and Sweet Cindy AKA Sweet Sin, to name a couple persons of interest who had conveniently turned up missing. Sooner or later he'd track them down. Especially Duvall. "But yeah, for all intents and purposes it's over."

"Good." Reuben snapped to attention. "Then we're done. Right? Maybe you should celebrate with one of those near-beers."

"We still have a couple of murders that haven't been solved," Bentz reminded him, and glanced at the computer screen where images of two dead women, one Jane Doe burned and left in front of the statue of Joan of Arc, the other, Cathy Adams, the stripper/student/prost.i.tute who had been found with her head shaved in her apartment.

So close in age to his own daughter. The only kid he'd ever raise. That thought bothered him, but, h.e.l.l, it was working out. She was a great kid. A great kid.

"We'll figure the other murders out," Montoya said, never doubting himself for a minute.

"I hope so." But Bentz wasn't convinced. In his gut he knew another serial killer was stalking the streets of his city. Another sick b.a.s.t.a.r.d with strange rituals. A signature? G.o.d,he hoped not. Maybe the two cases on his desk weren't related. And yet...he sensed they were.

d.a.m.n it all to h.e.l.l.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm definitely celebrating tonight. Definitely."

"Probably a good idea," Montoya agreed.

"A d.a.m.ned good one. Hey-what time is it?" He looked at his watch, a knock off of a Rolex, then walked over to the file cabinet and switched on the radio just as the first few strains of "A Hard Day's Night" faded away and Samantha Leeds's sultry voice floated from the speakers.

"Good evening New Orleans, this is Dr. Sam at WSLJ. You're listening to Midnight Confessions, Midnight Confessions, and tonight we're going to be talking about luck..." and tonight we're going to be talking about luck..."

Dear Reader, Okay, the truth of the matter is that I loved writing HOT BLOODED. I mean, I really loved it! Maybe it was the romance and the intrigue of the city of New Orleans, or maybe it was the characters who became a part of my life for so many months, or maybe I just can't let go. Whatever the reason is I decided to write a companion book to the first story. And that was just the beginning.

COLD BLOODED is the next thriller in what has become a series of books surrounding the characters of Detective Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya of the New Orleans Police Department. Once again, I adored writing it. Basically COLD BLOODED picks up where HOT BLOODED left off.

Remember the murders that Bentz and Montoya hadn't quite figured out at the end of HOT BLOODED? Well, they get their chance in COLD BLOODED, and boy, do they have their work cut out for them.

Another signature killer is on the loose in New Orleans. Women from all walks of life are being stalked, then ritualistically killed. This time the killer is very clever, leaving behind few clues. For some reason the victims seem to trust or know the man who cruelly takes their lives.

The press is going wild with the story and some of the people you met in HOT BLOODED reappear. There are a host of new characters as well, including Olivia Benchet, a woman whose dreams remarkably re-create the murders. The police write her off as a nut case, but Rick Bentz sees a connection. Not only does Olivia, a descendent of a voodoo priestess, have incredible insight into the murders, she also is the first woman in a long time who has interested Bentz. Pretty, smart, and outspoken, she's obviously terrified of her visions.

The story really heats up when Olivia turns to a local priest for comfort, and an old secret that has plagued Bentz for years resurfaces.

Everything Rick Bentz believes in, everything he holds dear is suddenly at risk, thrust into horrifying, mind-numbing danger. Olivia Benchet and his own daughter, Kristi, become targets, and he has to face the toughest, most diabolical adversary of his career. It's up to him to stop a COLD-BLOODED killer.

Putting an end to the terror running through the narrow streets of the city becomes Bentz's personal mission. Even if it means compromising his career.

I hope you pick up a copy of COLD BLOODED and the other books in the series. They are, in sequence, HOT BLOODED, COLD BLOODED, SHIVER, ABSOLUTE FEAR, LOST SOULS, MALICE, and DEVIOUS, which is scheduled to be released in April of 2011! Each of the books brings Montoya and Bentz face to face with twisted killers bent on destruction. In SHIVER, Montoya meets Abby Chastain, the one woman who turns his world around. The mystery surrounding her and her mother's death draw him into a world of smoke and mirrors.

Each book has its own story and DEVIOUS, the most recent, is not only set in New Orleans, but has roots deep into the heart of the history and culture of the city where a young, beautiful novitiate who is about to take her vows at St. Marguerite's Cathedral is brutally murdered. At the stroke of midnight, as Sister Camille takes her last dying breath, she prays for forgiveness, and knows the sins of her past will come back to haunt all those she holds dear.

DEVIOUS is a story where nothing appears as it should, and once again Detectives Montoya and Bentz must solve the crime and understand the twisted, vile mind of a killer whose crimes seem all too familiar. To learn more, just turn the page to an excerpt from DEVIOUS!

As I said, I hope you like HOT BLOODED and all the books in the Montoya/Bentz series. You can read excerpts and learn more about the books through my Web site at www.lisajackson.com or through facebook, where I have a fan page that keeps everyone up to date on upcoming books, contests, and events.

Keep Reading!

Lisa Jackson

LISA JACKSON.

COLD BLOODED.

IN SEARCH OF A KILLER"I thought I explained all this," Olivia said. "I've been in to the police department before. No one took me seriously. Just like you.""Try me," Bentz suggested. "Just tell me what you saw."'Well ... where to begin? I'd have these nightmares, more fragmented than this last one, but intense. It wasn't a vision of someone being violently murdered like last night ... but rather short images, every other day or so, of a victim being left to starve to death. She ... she was trapped somewhere like a crypt of some kind and she was screaming and crying. And I felt him. His presence.""The killer?""Yes. Whoever abducted her and left her to die would come and visit her, shine a flashlight into her terrified eyes, then leave. So I only got glimpses of where she was being held, only quick images of the surroundings. Anything else?" she asked."Yeah, a couple of things. I'll want a list of everyone you know. Family, friends, anyone you work with or see at school.""You think my friends are involved.""That's the problem. I don't know who is, but if I take what you're telling me at face value, then somehow you're connected with the killer ... right? There's something between the two of you ... I mean, I a.s.sume that's the way it works."She nodded. "Sometimes ..." She let her voice fade away and didn't go on."Sometimes what?""It sounds so crazy, but sometimes I get this feeling ... it's like crystals of ice over the back of my neck, and I feel that he's close ... closer than I ever imagined ..."

Books by Lisa Jackson

SEE HOW SHE DIES.

FINAL SCREAM.

WISHES.

WHISPERS.

TWICE KISSED.

UNSPOKEN.

IF SHE ONLY KNEW.

HOT BLOODED.

COLD BLOODED.

THE NIGHT BEFORE.

THE MORNING AFTER.

DEEP FREEZE.

FATAL BURN.

SHIVER.

MOST LIKELY TO DIE.

ABSOLUTE FEAR.

ALMOST DEAD.

LOST SOULS.

LEFT TO DIE.

WICKED GAME.

MALICE.

CHOSEN TO DIE.

Published by Zebra Books

CONTENTS.

In Search of a Killer Books by Lisa Jackson

Acknowledgments.

Prologue.

Chapter One.

Chapter Two.

Chapter Three.

Chapter Four.

Chapter Five.

Chapter Six.

Chapter Seven.