Series: Camden Point Mystery #1
Publication date: September 15th, 2020
Synopsis:
You'd think with a guardian who's a ghost, she'd see everything coming. But nope, that's not how it works. That's not how any of this works.
Private investigator Lexie Smith has a mostly perfect--okay, satisfying life. A successful, if not super lucrative business with her best friend. A wonderful, loving companion named Bear--sure, he's a little furry and he drools, but nobody's perfect. A house on the beach and a wisecracking supernatural "intern" named Vinnie, who knows everything there is to know about crime and her nonexistent love life. Things are good, even if the cases are somewhat tame, until a dangerous assignment forces her to turn to the last man she can trust: Rafe Barandas, local police detective and the man who broke her heart years before.
After a decade in New York, Rafe has returned to his small hometown, burned out on big-city politics and crime. He's looking forward to the quiet life, until he's thrown together with Lexie (and, unknown to him, her phantom familiar) to solve what starts out as a simple B&E but quickly escalates. Leaving Lexie the first time was a huge mistake. Now that he's got another chance, he's determined not to blow it, so long as the job doesn't get in the way.
As Lexie and Rafe get closer to solving one case, old hurts come back to haunt them and a new threat emerges. Can they put past lies and mistrust behind them long enough to thwart a cunning foe who seems to know every step they take and will stop at nothing, even murder? Or will one of them pay the ultimate price before they take their second shot at love?
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Praise for Tell Me Lies
"Gail Chianese explodes onto the paranormal romantic mystery scene with a slow-burn, second-chance romance that readers of the genre are sure to love!" -- Elicia Hyder, bestselling author of The Soul Summoner series
"In Tell Me Lies, the characters are fresh, the plot is complex, and the readers will definitely savor the piquantly sweet sex scenes. But it's the side-splittingly hilarious banter that is the frothy icing on the multi-layered whodunit." -- Josie Brown, author The Housewife Assassin's Handbook series
Excerpt
A low wolf whistle pierced the quiet night air of the Buon Appetito parking lot. Lexie whirled around and came face-to-face with Rafe. She closed the car door and leaned back against it. Relaly, she wasn't in the mood. She just wanted to get home and enjoy her pizza that was now filling her car with the wonderful smell of melted cheese and garlic.
"Who's the lucky guy?" he asked, skimming her from head to toe, only lingering for a second or five too long at her exposed legs and neckline.
"No one. Dinner at the club with my parents."
The corners of his mouth raised, he leaned forward, placing his face next to her ear. Inhaled.
"Either you're wearing a mouth-watering perfume or you just picked up pizza. Club food not to your standards these days?"
"It was a tough call, liver and onions or authentic Italian food on my way home."
A memory of shared pizza and sunsets on the beach flashed through her mind. She let the emotions of the long-ago night fill her with warmth before shoving them back in the box.
"Any progress on the case?" she asked.
"Made some calls, so far, all's quiet on the black market."
"Small town police work must seem pretty boring after working in New York City. Why'd you come back? As I recall you couldn't beat feet fast enough to get out of here. You left, what, the day after graduation?"
"I got tired of politics, and in the city you don't get home baked cookies for rescuing cats from a tree. What about you princess? I heard you were rapidly climbing the corporate ladder of some big investigation firm in Hartford. Couldn't reach the top fast enough?"
"Like you, I'm not much of a politician, besides I'd always wanted my own place. Live by my rules, my choices."
He stood with his thumb hooked into the front pocket of his worn jeans. Eyes as black as the night bore into her core as they could ferret out all her secrets. He always was too perceptive.
"What's bugging you, Lexie? You've got storm clouds filling those sky-blue eyes of yours. Something happen with your parents tonight or is it the case?"
Too many things about tonight bugged her--Benjamin's odd behavior, Alan's strange phone call, not to mention the way she felt when she was around Rafe.
She looked away, shook her head, pulling her emotions in before turning back to face him. "It's nothing. Just a little tired. Think I'll head home and save the pizza for breakfast."
Rafe stepped forward, filling her personal space with the spicy, warm scents of mandarin, musk, sandalwood, and amber. Woodsy. Intoxicating. Pure sex. His hand slid up her neck into her hair, cupping the base of her head. Holding her in place. His eyes searched hers. For what she wasn't sure. Her breath caught deep inside. The headache, which had been brewing all night, faded away, replaced by the beating drum in her chest. Rafe's look lowered to her mouth. A wisp of a kiss assaulted her senses.
"Sleep well, Lex."
Gail currently lives in beautiful Connecticut, but originally hails from sunny California. She is the mom of three amazing kids, the wife of a 27 year Naval officer and the rescuer of three furbabies.
In her spare time (what little of it there is), she likes to ghost hunt with her hubby, geocache with her family and lock herself away with a great book. Currently, she's attempting (keyword there) to learn to knit. Wish her luck, she'll need it. And, she's dreaming of the day when she can take her next trip. Where will it be? Only time will tell. Check her out on Instagram to see her words of wisdom, her travel destinations (past and future), what she's read, and maybe enjoy a chuckle or two on her instagram.
Her books have been nominated for the National Readers Choice Award and EPIC eBook Awards.
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