Saturday, January 3, 2015

Lane Changes by S.L. Ellis


Title: Lane Changes
Author: S.L. Ellis
Date of Publication: December 20th 2014


About LANE CHANGES
CASSIE CRUISE wants her life back as a kick-ass P. I.
Trouble is, she has zero credibility since bungling a case on reality TV. After a public tantrum, she slinks off to bury her head in the sandy beaches of Southwest Florida.
Just as she starts over as the owner of The Big Prick tattoo shop, a body is discovered in the trunk of her burning car. Cassie’s aware there are those who’d get in line for their turn to torch her car. But murder?

You don’t have to like her, but you damn well better respect her. And get out of her way—this is one case she intends to solve, with or without an audience.


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About S.L. Ellis

S.L. Ellis came from a small town in Michigan, and after a few decades of winter she was ready for a fresh start. A move to Florida and a few days on the beach improved her disposition a hundred-fold, and it was here that writing became more than a thought. Classes were taken, workshops worked, and a few books written.

Ellis's short story "A Brush With Death" was published in Vol. 12 DARK TALES, a UK magazine and reviewed by: Vince A. Liaguno, Dark Scribe Magazine, Anthology Reviews: "A Brush with Death is a solid, at times poignant, chiller in which a dying woman--who knows death well after a lifetime of obsession--makes a deal with the Grim Reaper. Ellis's keen observations on aging and death are spot-on." Her short story "If the Shoe Fits" was accepted for publication in HARDLUCK STORIES for its final issue. She is a member of Sisters in Crime and ITW.



Excerpt:


Maybe I wasn’t the best PI around, but none of my cases had been likely to get me killed—until now…

Lane grabbed my arm, pulled me in front of her, and shoved me toward the hallway.
“I can walk on my own.” I shrugged her hand off my shoulder. Everything my eyes landed on I measured for use as a weapon.
“Go sit.”
I walked to the lanai and flipped the light on. She flipped the light off and grabbed my hair to steer me toward the chair. The moon was huge, white, and in position with the tops of the palm trees. I blinked and slid my eyes toward the closed and barred sliding doors. 
“How’d you get in?” I asked.
“Jimmied your side garage door. You really need a deadbolt on that if you’re not going to lock the inside door.” 
“Well, shit.” I couldn’t believe I’d been so concerned with the sliding doors and not the side door. After all, it’s how I got in to her house.
“I’m sorry to have to do this,” she said and gave my hair an extra twist. “I just couldn’t think of a cleaner plan.”
“I could help. There are nicer plans. Maybe you didn’t give it enough thought?”
“You’re so weird all the time,” she said. 
Moonlight radiated from the barrel of the revolver, a Ruger Single Six. I hid my panic while Lane backed in to the chair next to mine. She still had my hair in her hand, pulling out hair and stretching my scalp with each inch she moved. Tears came to my eyes, and then she let go of my hair.
“Do you think anyone would be surprised if you’re found floating in the pool?” Lane asked, once she situated in the chair and had the revolver aimed at me just so.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Christy:
    Thanks for the great write up on Lane Changes! However, I wonder if you would be so kind as to fix the title where you listed it as Changing Lanes. I appreciate it.

    S.L.

    ReplyDelete

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