Grand Jury Testimony by W. S. Gager, author of A Case of Volatile Deeds





Grand Jury Testimony. W.S. Gager, author,  for the prosecution. Docket number 12-3-2012 for A CASE OF VOLATILE DEEDS. The launch date of this proceeding is February, 2013.
WSG:  For the record, please state your name.

PP: Patrenka Peterson.

WSG: Your occupation?

PP: I’ve been many things, a reporter, mistress, cat burglar, take your pick.

WSG: Don’t you have a more official capacity in this matter of an explosion at All Star Realty? Someone died in the blast. Doesn’t that deserve a straight answer?

PP: I knew the dead woman. Gave her instruction and tried to keep her safe. It didn’t work and she didn’t follow my advice.

WSG: Is it true that you helped her get the job at All Star Realty?

PP:  Yes. But she didn’t follow the plan.

WSG: What plan?

PP: She was supposed to get the goods on her boss. Instead she got herself killed.

WSG: You are not being very forthcoming with information Ms. Peterson. Can you tell me about your relationship with Mitch Malone, crime beat reporter for the Grand River Journal

PP:  He has some useful investigative skills and we have worked together on a previous case.

WSG: But what do you think about him personally.

PP: What does this have to do with the proceedings at hand?

WSG: I’ll ask the questions. You and Mitch Malone appear pretty cozy at times.

PP: Your honor, I’d like to plead the fifth. Any information might jeopardize and pending investigation.

WSG: Fine. Take your secrets. Readers will find out the real you. They will just have to wait until A CASE OF VOLATILE DEEDS comes out in February. Then we will see who has the last word.



Book Blurb:

“A Case of Hometown Blues” Synopsis
When Pulitzer-winning reporter Mitch Malone's editor presses him for a favor, Malone breaks his vow to never return to his hometown. It seemed simple enough--lead a seminar for Flatville, MI's newspaper, keep a low profile and get back to the city post haste. But memories of his parents' death swarm him, and, to avoid solitude, he stops for a beer. In the crowded bar, Mitch is dismayed to see many of his former classmates--including the still-lovely Homecoming Queen, Trudy. Once the object of his teenage crush, Trudy joins Mitch. He quickly realizes she is upset and inebriated. Always the gentleman, Mitch sees her safely home, and returns to his B&B, still trying to shake memories of his parents' sad demise. The next day, he is stunned to learn Trudy was murdered and he is the prime suspect. The locals treat the murder charge as a slam dunk, and Mitch realizes he must track down the real killer to keep his butt out of jail. As he investigates, facts he thought he knew about his family unravel, and danger ratchets up. Can Mitch discover the truth that will allow his parents to rest in peace, or will he be resting with them?



Author Bio:

Award winning mystery author W.S. Gager has lived in Michigan for most of her life except when she was interviewing race car drivers or professional woman's golfers. She enjoyed the fast-paced life of a newspaper reporter until deciding to settle down and realized babies didn't adapt well to running down story details on deadline. Since then she honed her skills on other forms of writing before deciding to do what she always wanted with her life and that was to write mystery novels. Her main character is Mitch Malone who is an edgy crime-beat reporter always on the hunt for the next Pulitzer and won't let anyone stop him. Her third book, A CASE OF HOMETOWN BLUES, was a finalist in the 2012 Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. A CASE OF VOLATILE DEEDS, her fourth in the Mitch series will be out this February.

Contest Info:

W.S. Gager will be giving away a single copy of each of the first three books in the Mitch Malone Mystery series: A CASE OF INFATUATION, A CASE OF ACCIDENTAL INTERSECTION, and A CASE OF HOMETOWN BLUES from comments made on her blog: http://wsgager.blogspot.com or on her guest blogs from the Murder We Write Mystery Tour.

Coming soon:

A CASE OF VOLATILE DEEDS

Book Blurb:

Mitch finally scores a weekend dinner with a cute receptionist, but true to his reporter instincts an explosion in a high rise office building makes him stand up his date as he runs for an exclusive.  When he investigates, he learns his date is the only casualty in a botched robbery at a real estate office. When femme fatale Patrenka Petersen returns, Mitch learns that much of what he knows about his date and her work aren’t what they seem. His world continues to twist when the police captain asks for his help and a city hall informant is found floating in the river. Mitch must keep his head down or a cute dog with a knack for finding dead bodies will be sniffing out his corpse. 

And just for fun, here's a photo of W. S. (Wendy) Gager and me together on a panel at a PSWA conference.



Comments

Earl Staggs said…
Very clever, Wendy. Patrenka is a tough broad. I'm sure she and Mitch make a heckuva team.
Earl Staggs said…
Very clever, Wendy. Patrenka is a tough broad. I'm sure she and Mitch make a heckuva team.
I'm so glad you came to visit, Wendy, with the most interesting Patrenka.
M.M. Gornell said…
Love the PSWA picture! Wendy and Marilyn, you both look great. Patrenka(the cat burglar, you say!) sounds like a very interesting character. Loved the interview.

Madeline
Cute testimony! Love the cat burglar character. She sounds like fun!
Wendy,
I ordered "A Case of Infatuation" yesterday and I'm looking forward to reading it. Then, on to other Mitch Malone mysteries!
Jake said…
Grand jury testimony looks like a fun way into your story. Will watch for publication. Have on TBR list.
Unknown said…
Great blog post, W.S. Count me in as a new Mitch Malone fan!

Unknown said…
Great blog post, W.S. Count me in as a new Mitch Malone fan!

Marja said…
Can't wait for the new Mitch Malone book, and I like that you're bringing Petrenka back. Loved the interview, er, questioning.
Marja McGraw
Morgan Mandel said…
When the characters start talking, the book is for real! Thanks for sharing.

Morgan Mandel
http://www.morganmandel.com
WS Gager said…
Earl: I don't know if they have that teamwork concept worked out. Let's just say sparks fly!
Wendy
W.S. Gager on Writing
WS Gager said…
Marilyn: Thank you so much for hosting me. I didn't think I would like interviewing a character. Go figure with that and all the Mitch Malone posts but this worked out really well. Thanks, Wendy
W.S. Gager on Writing
WS Gager said…
Madeline: Glad you liked the interview. These posts are so much fun to do but do take a lot of work.
Wendy
W.S. Gager on Writing
WS Gager said…
Larissa: I should have used the cat burglar scene as an excerpt. That is such a funny one when she is caught and how she turns the tables on Mitch.
Wendy
W.S. Gager on Writing
WS Gager said…
Pat: Thanks so much for ordering the book. In A Case of Infatuation is where Mitch first meets Patrenka. This is one woman with a lot of secrets.
Wendy
W.S. Gager on Writing
WS Gager said…
Jake: Patrenka first found Mitch in A Case of Infatuation. She returns in A Case of Volatile Deeds. Don't want to spoil the ending of either book. Let's just say they have a lot of disagreements because of a huge attraction.
Wendy
W.S. Gager on Writing
WS Gager said…
Susan: So good to see you here. I'm so glad you are a Mitch fan. You either love him or hate him. No in between!
Wendy
W.S. Gager on Writing
WS Gager said…
Marja: So glad to see your comments. I get over to your blog but am horrible about leaving comments. Will have to fix that. I do love so many of your posts.
Wendy
W.S. Gager on Writing
WS Gager said…
Morgan: Thanks for stopping by. You are so correct about the characters talking.
Wendy
W.S. Gager on Writing
Collin Kelley said…
Very clever. Love the testimony idea.
WS Gager said…
Collin and Monti: Thanks for stopping by.
Wendy
W.S. Gager on Writing

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