Action/Adventure

Date Published: November 30, 2022

Publisher: Acorn Publishing

photo add-to-goodreads-button_zpsc7b3c634.png

On a routine delivery, courier Jaxy Thrie must ferry a priceless item—a Fabergé guardian angel once worn by the Empress Maria Feodorovna—to a Russian heiress in British Columbia. Things get out of hand when Jaxy loses the valuable medallion. He finds himself in fast trouble with the Romanov Guild, who accuses him of theft. It falls on Jaxy to restore the national treasure to the Royal Museum while dodging bullets from a greedy band of robbers, the Mounties, and the Canadian Beaver Lodge Assassins Association.

Amazon ~~ Barnes & Noble

Excerpt

Where Golly Gee dwelled, few could tell. Still fewer knew what she looked like. Those who did know let her get away with murder and other knavish things, on the conditions that, one, she honor a list of high-value parliamentary officials; two, she donate obscene amounts of money to charities; and three, she shut down the music and clear the island of cars by ten.

But tonight, on New Year’s Eve, the shadowy scofflaw could go and go until the last ember of the pyrotechnic show sizzled in the sea. So, for her final blowout in the western hemisphere before launching the career move of a lifetime, Golly Gee wanted a guardian angel to wear to the ball—plus a dance partner not afraid of stepping on her touchy toes. Was this too much to ask for? The five-foot, filthy-rich Russian duchess frowned at feet fated to waltz the night alone.

Golly Gee was tempted to call off the Canadian Beaver Lodge Assassins Association year-end banquet and send each employee home with a party plate and a prize. Her unseasonal funk went well beyond the invitation’s hackneyed border trim of silver bells and holly berries. The twelve days of Christmas were slipping by without a shipment from her jeweler, and no four-eyed fool would make the run to Beaver Island on the last day of December, even for her.

Or would he?

From her treetop minaret, Golly trained a monocular on someone attired in festive eggplant purple and jade green who claimed the fifteen-minute “Pick-Up and Drop-Off” space at the end of her ice-puddled, fir-lined drive. With a touch of the send key, out went the announcement. She hit print and splashed a hardcopy with eau de parfum to stash behind her medaled sash. Then, masking her face with a muskox toque, herringbone bandana, and orange, reflective goggles, she pumped her nine-millimeter summertime carry and, with a “Whooo!” down the beavertail escape hatch, chuted to see what fate had sent her way.

About the Author

A lifetime resident of California, Jerry moved to Santa Barbara after graduating from USC to work in the aerospace industry. Today, he designs night-vision cameras for everyday use. In his free time, Jerry likes to write and use his musical talent to compose original scores for piano and guitar. After his first loves—song and storytelling—Jerry enjoys hiking, spending time in the garden, and baking sourdough bread.

Website

Instagram: @jerrycripewriter