Narrators: Jaime Lincoln Smith,
Angel Pean
Simon & Schuster Audio
ISBN: 9781668024294
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: 07/09/2024
Format: Paperback My Rating: 5 Stars (ARC)
Reluctantly joining forces after discovering they’ve both been hired on the same missing person case, two rival Black private investigators find their mutual dislike evolves into an undeniable attraction in this rollicking, romantic thrill ride told in alternate perspectives from award-winning authors Dwayne Alexander Smith and Pamela Samuels Young.
Jackson Jones and Mackenzie Cunningham have a lot in common. They are both hard-working private investigators with their own firms in Los Angeles. They are both Black, happily single, and very good at their jobs. But when they’re together, they are like oil and water.
When they find themselves working the same missing persons case, the idea of collaborating seems about as likely as a blizzard in Beverly Hills. But once it’s clear that they have been set up to take the fall for a murder, they have no choice but to work together.
Bickering their way from Century City to Malibu and beyond, it becomes increasingly hard for them to deny the sparks flying between them. But with a small army of killers in hot pursuit, there’s no time to sort through their complicated feelings in this witty, fast-paced, and swoon-worthy mystery.
Praise
“This sexy, banter-filled mystery is so much fun you’ll lust after a sequel.”
—South Florida Sun Sentinel
“Two Black private investigators have to go on the run when a missing person case turns deadly…For readers who like their detective stories with a ‘will they or won’t they’ romantic dynamic.”
—Kirkus
About the Authors
Pamela Samuels Young
Pamela Samuels Young is an attorney and award-winning author of eight mystery novels. Her most recent courtroom drama, Abuse of Discretion, tackles a troubling sexting case that gives readers a shocking look inside the juvenile justice system.
Her thriller, Anybody’s Daughter, won the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Fiction and was a Top Ten pick by In the Margins, the best books for at-risk teens. Pamela formerly worked as Managing Counsel, Labor and Employment Law, for Toyota and spent several years as a television news writer and associate producer. The former journalist and retired lawyer is also a natural hair enthusiast and the author of Kinky Coily: A Natural Hair Resource Guide.
Pamela received her bachelor’s degree from USC and also earned graduate degrees from Northwestern University and UC Berkeley School of Law. The Compton native is a frequent speaker on the topics of sex trafficking, online safety, fiction writing, self-empowerment, and pursuing your passion.
For Pamela’s full bio and to read excerpts of her books, visit www.pamelasamuelsyoung.com. Pamela loves book clubs! To invite her to your book club meeting via Skype, Facebook Live, FaceTime, Zoom, speakerphone or in person, email her at authorpamelasamuelsyoung@gmail.com.
Connect with Pamela on Social Media!
YouTube.com/KinkyCoilyPamela (natural hair)
Dwayne Alexander Smith
Photograph by Gordon Chou
Born in Harlem. Raised in the South Bronx.
I decided that I wanted to make movies after seeing Star Wars. Clichéd but true.
My mother bought me a Super 8 camera. I made an animated short titled SHOES that won me a scholarship to a summer long filmmaking camp.
After film camp I went to college for electrical engineering but dropped out, against my mom's wishes, to pursue my dream of making movies. My first job in the industry was at Camera Service Center, a film equipment rental house in New York City.
While I was making 16mm shorts in my spare time I went on to work as a locations assistant on numerous feature films such as Money Train and HBO’s Subway Stories.
I started writing screenplays in an attempt to earn enough money to finish Doomsday Stew, my first feature film. I never did finish my feature but one of my screenplays, Joe’s Last Chance, sold to Intermedia. After that… doors in Hollywood began to open.
Today I earn a living as a professional screenwriter. I have sold or optioned six spec screenplays and I have been hired by studios for numerous rewrites.
About three years ago, between screenwriting jobs, I decided to write the novel Forty Acres. To my surprise and delight my first novel found a home at Atria Books.
In 2015 the NAACP awarded me an Image Award for Best Debut Author. https://www.etonline.com/awards/159356_46th_naacp_image_awards_winners_list
In June of 2018 I released my second novel, another thriller titled The Unkind Hours.
Dwayne currently resides in Culver City. When he's not writing his playing with his son, watching a classic movie, or playing poker. His upcoming novel Sounds Like a Plan to be released by Atria Books July 9, 2024 and co-written with author Pamela Samuels Young. READ MORE
