Murder in Retribution

June 9, 2014
Romantic suspense fans will welcome Cleeland’s second New Scotland Yard mystery (after 2013’s Murder in Thrall). The beguiling Det. Constable Kathleen Doyle must adjust to life as a new bride while fighting hostility and gossip about her sudden marriage to the Yard’s most eligible bachelor and top cop, Det. Chief Insp. Michael Acton. Members of Acton’s aristocratic family and his closest friends regard the nuptials with shock and dismay. To cope, Doyle buries herself in work, investigating two homicides that appear to be related to turf battles in London between crime syndicates from Russia and Ireland. As she zeroes in on possible suspects, she becomes increasingly ill and fears someone is out to do her harm. Distinctive characters, including Aiki, a friendly Rwandan cab driver who acts as Doyle’s self-appointed protector, compliment the finely wrought, highly charged plot. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

August 1, 2014
Book two in the New Scotland Yard series (Murder in Thrall, 2013) builds on the romantic relationship between DI Kathleen Doyle and her new husband, Chief Inspector Michael Sinclair, Lord Acton. Doyle is investigating a series of killings that seem linked to the London underworld. Is one person behind the murders, or are members of rival gangs taking each other out? From Irish terrorists to Russian mobsters, the only thing that seems to connect the victims is crime. As the body count rises, so does Acton's interest. Why would the chief inspector care about these low-level hits? Does he know something he's not sharing with his wife? The main characters are a huge part of the appeal of this book. Doyle could easily be a stereotypical feisty, Irish redhead, and Acton could be another bored lord detecting as a hobby. Instead, the humor and passion and tenderness they bring out in one another add a delightful layer to this likable series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)