Deceit, Jelly Bellies, and a Billy Bass Fish

My latest novel, Deceit begins shipping today and will soon be showing up on shelves. I'm excited for my readers to get their hands on this book. I predict you'll like it very much.

As I began to craft Deceit I knew only four things about my protagonist, Joanne Weeks. (1) She's a skip tracer--someone who finds people who have "skipped" out, or disappeared, due to crimes committed or debts owed, etc. (2) She is a Jelly Belly addict, even eating certain flavors to match certain moods. (3) She owns a "Billy Bass Singing Fish," a craze from years ago. (4) She is a widow.

Oh, yes--and I knew she'd be fighting for the truth--against some very bad people and an entire town.

Deceit is garnering some very nice reviews:

"Good storytelling and notable mystery ... An enticing read while posing tough questions about truth and lies, power and control, faith and forgiveness." -- Publishers Weekly

"Solidly constructed mystery. Joanne is a strong and immediately likable protagonist, and the book's ending leaves plenty of room for a sequel, which wouldn't be a bad idea at all." -- Booklist

Filled with excitement and intrigue, Collin's latest will keep the reader quickly turning pages ... This tightly plotted mystery, filled with quirky characters, will appeal to suspense lovers everywhere." --RT Book Reviews, 4 1/2 stars.

"... takes the reader for a heart-pounding, knuckle-whitening ride on a rollercoaster riddled with suspense ... The entire plot of the book revolves around the practice of deceit in different contexts. Some socially acceptable and even legal. Others not so much ... The question posed is whether or not deceit is ever okay in God's eyes." --TitleTrakk

Deceit opening lines:

Some evil shouts from rooftops; some scuttles in the dark. The worst evil tips its face toward light with shining innocence.

Baxter Jackson shone with the worst of them.

Back cover copy:

Joanne Weeks knows Baxter Jackson killed Linda--his second wife and Joanne's best friend--six years ago. But Jackson, a church elder and beloved member of the town, walks the streets a free man.

Joanne is determined to bring Jackson down, no matter what the police say. Using her skills as a professional skip tracer, she sets out to locate the only person who can put Jackson behind bars. Melissa Harkoff was a traumatized sixteen-year-old foster child in the Jackson household when Linda disappeared. At the time Melissa claimed to know nothing of Linda's whereabouts ... but was she lying?

In relentless style, Deceit careens between Joanne's pursuit of the truth and the events of six years past, when Melissa came to live with the Jacksons. What really happened in that household? Beneath the veneer of perfection lies a story of shakable faith, choices, and the lure of deceit.

Buy Deceit in paperback on Amazon, $10.11

Kindle Version, $9.99
Christianbook.com, $11.99
Barnes and Noble, $10.11