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James L'Etoile

Biography

James L'Etoile

James L’Etoile is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, hostage negotiator, facility captain and director of California’s state parole system, and he uses his 29 years “behind bars” as an influence in his award-winning novels, short stories and screenplays. His novels include DEAD DROP, BLACK LABEL, AT WHAT COST, BURY THE PAST and LITTLE RIVER. FACE OF GREED is his latest novel and the first book in the Detective Emily Hunter mystery series. L’Etoile lives with his wife outside of Sacramento, California. When he’s not writing, you can find him working with his Corgi therapy dogs.

James L'Etoile

Books by James L'Etoile

by James L'Etoile - Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

The homeless camps spread throughout the city of Sacramento are a topic of heated debate among residents. But when the camps fall victim to a string of devastating arson attacks, Detective Emily Hunter and her partner, Javier Medina, dive into the investigation and become acquainted with the real people whose lives have been destroyed. The attacks only begin to draw attention when two of the victims are identified as the city’s former anti-homeless mayor and a camp social worker. The investigation becomes politically charged when Emily discovers who stands to gain from burning the homeless out of their shelters. The investigation uncovers an unlikely suspect and a reluctant witness standing between Emily and the shocking truth. Can Emily overcome resistance and her personal obstacles to halt the attacks?

by James L'Etoile - Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

When a prominent Sacramento businessman is killed and his wife injured in a brutal home invasion, Detective Emily Hunter and her partner, Javier Medina, are called to investigate. At first glance, it seems like a crime of opportunity gone horribly wrong, but Emily soon finds there might be more to both the crime and the dead man. The high-stakes investigation also comes at a time when Emily is caring for her mother, who has early-onset Alzheimer’s, and Emily struggles to balance her job with her personal life. The city’s political elite seem to want the case solved quickly, but darker forces want it buried. Could there have been a motive behind the attack, making it more than a random home invasion? Emily uncovers clues that cause her to reconsider her understanding of the crime.

by James L'Etoile - Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Detective John Penley and his new partner, Detective Paula Newberry, of the Sacramento Police Department are tasked with leading the investigation into a local serial killer who has dumped three bodies in the past six weeks --- and all of them are missing their internal organs. But while pursuing a lead, the detectives stumble upon a personal message the killer left behind for Penley. And it's attached to a human kidney. How could the killer know that Penley's son is on the kidney transplant waiting list? Now Penley is baited into an impossible trap that could jeopardize his entire career.