Tear Drop
by Joanne Clancy
Series: Detective Elizabeth Ireland, Book 1
Genre: Mystery/ Police Procedural
Release Date: August 27, 2015
The crimes of the past echo in the present...
Ross Campbell vanished almost a decade ago, and since then nothing has been heard from the serial killer known as Teardrop...until now.
An Irish newspaper receives a chilling letter claiming to be from Campbell, which promises a new reign of terror. As death stalks the dark streets of Cork City, it soon becomes clear to the police and the media that a serial killer is on the loose.
Elizabeth Ireland, a former detective with The Metropolitan Police, was the lead investigator on the original case when Campbell vanished. However, only she believes that Campbell didn’t send the letter.
She embarks upon a frightening psychological journey to uncover the killer's identity, where she's pulled into a lethal game in which the killer sets the rules and waits for her next move. With the crimes of the past echoing in the present, can she find the killer before he comes for her?
Chapter One
The cold rain fell relentlessly, shrouding Cork City in its misty veil. Elizabeth Ireland sat by the window of her favourite coffee shop, where the smell of fresh scones and strong coffee cocooned her from the encroaching winter. The place was quiet and rundown but it was the one place in the city that cherished silence as much as she did.
Elizabeth scanned BBC London's website for any news from home. She glanced up as the door chimed and watched the man violently shake off the rain. A moment before their eyes met, she averted her gaze, knowing he was looking for her; Brendan Mahon didn't have the intelligence or subtlety to feign an accidental meeting. She ignored him, hoping that he'd take the hint and leave her in peace, instead he headed straight for her table.
"Good morning, Elizabeth," he said, revealing a smile that didn't reach his hazel eyes.
"Morning," she said curtly. She watched him run his fingers through his dirty blond hair, in a way that someone with a cruel sense of humour must have told him was attractive.
"It's a day for the ducks," he said.
She shrugged and turned back to her iPad.
Brendan Mahon was a journalist with The Examiner, one of Ireland's leading newspapers. When his editor couldn't find anyone with anything more incisive to say, Brendan was handy to fill a column or two. Elizabeth had never liked him, and she had no problem making her feelings known.
"May I join you?" he asked.
"No.'' She sighed at his predictability.
He laughed and pulled up a chair anyway. It amazed her how he always took her blatant rudeness for sarcasm. He placed a brown envelope on the table between them. She didn't give him the satisfaction of looking at it. If he wanted something from her, he’d have to ask.
"Would you like anything?" he asked instead.
"I've been coming here most mornings for the past nine years, Brendan. I think I can order for myself."
"What did you have to eat?" he asked, ignoring her brusque tone. He picked up the menu, and she closed her iPad, already missing her lost solitude.
"Same again, please, Nora," Elizabeth said to the waitress.
"I haven't seen you in here before," Nora smiled down at him.
"This is Brendan, a reporter from The Examiner.''
Nora's tired eyes lit up. "A reporter? How exciting."
Brendan leaned back in his chair and basked in the unexpected attention.
"He'll have an Americano and a scone, please," Elizabeth interrupted, not in the mood for flirting at that hour of the morning.
"Coming right up." Nora scurried away.
"Let's skip the niceties and get straight to the point, shall we? What can I do for you, Brendan?"
"I need your help."
"What sort of help?"
"I have a story."
"It must be big news if you're talking to me."
"It's big."
She glanced at the envelope that sat tantalisingly between them, and silently cursed for showing an interest. "Spit it out!" she snapped.
"A letter was delivered to my office."
"For you?"
"Yes, for me; it happens, occasionally. It arrived a few days ago. Only my editor and I know about it. We want to publish it, but first we want to check the facts."
"And you'd like me to check them out?"
"Yes, if you're interested." He smirked.
"So I'd be a consultant?"
"You'd be our expert. You'd write a few background and follow-up pieces with your impressions and opinions. You'd be paid, of course."
Her books combine murder, mystery, and suspense with a twist of psychological drama.
Her crime books have consistently hit the Amazon paid bestseller lists in Crime, Thrillers & Mystery.
Joanne's latest release is TEAR DROP (Detective Elizabeth Ireland Crime Thriller Series, Book 1). She is currently working on her twenty-sixth book, INSINCERE (Detective Elizabeth Ireland Crime Thriller Series, Book 2) which is available to pre-order now at Amazon and will be released in October 2015.
Sign up for Joanne's mailing list at JoanneClancy.com to receive three best-selling mystery books for FREE!
BOOKS BY JOANNE CLANCY
**Crime Novels:
*Tear Drop (Detective Elizabeth Ireland, Book 1)
*Insincere (Detective Elizabeth Ireland, Book 2)
*Open Your Eyes
*Return to Me
*I Should Have Told You
*Before I'm Gone
*The Gift
*The Detective's Wife
*If You Tell Anyone
*Traceless
*Killing Time
*Watched
*A Daughter's Secret
*Killer Friends
*Shattered
*The Offering
**Romance Novels
*The Unfaithful Series:
*Unfaithfully Yours
*Revenge
*Web of Deceit
*The Secrets & Lies Trilogy:
*Secrets & Lies
*Aftermath
*Redemption
*Unforgettable Embrace
*The Wedding Day
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