Josh Aterovis

You guessed it!

Officer Marshall was sent to escort Ilana and me out. He offered me a small smile as he held the lobby door open for us. Adam and Micah leaped to their feet the moment we appeared. It was a race to see who could get to me first. Adam won by a hair, enveloping me in a huge hug. He gripped me tightly for a long time, then stepped back abruptly and shook me by the arms. "Don't you ever do something that stupid again!" After he let go of me, Micah quickly moved in for his hug. Ho

Thank you all for your comments! I love reading your theories, the wilder the better!

I staggered back in horror, barely making it to the trashcan before I lost the contents of my stomach. His wasn't the first dead body I'd seen, but apparently repetition didn't make it any easier. People with their brains blown out were officially out of my league. I pulled out my cell phone to call the police before I realized it might not be wise to have the call traced back to me. Still holding onto the idea that I might somehow find Jake and get him out of there before the police a

At least you only have to wait until Friday! It'll make you all the more thankful tomorrow...

A sharp knock jerked me awake. I jumped upright, briefly disoriented, not knowing where I was. Then I focused on Evans's sour mug glaring at me through the car window and realized what had happened. Glancing at my watch as I opened the door, I saw I'd been asleep for almost half an hour. "I hope you weren't waiting to bug me some more," he said. "No, actually I was just resting my eyes. I haven't been sleeping very much lately." "If you're that tired, are you sure you're

As soon as the detective was gone, the waitress's fake smile fell. "Don't let him get to you, hon," she said softly. "He's a real hard ass. From what I overheard, he's just mad because you've done a better job on this case. For a guy who's been at this game for as long as he has, that's a real kick in the gut. The other guys on the force are always ragging on him about losing his edge. He's trying to hold out a few more years till he can retire." "You know him?" "I ought to. He's

A lot.

Re-reading these books I wrote so long ago, I am really struck by all of the homophobic families. Of course, they were a direct product of my lived experience, but I am grateful that times have changed, at least somewhat, even if we do seem to be experiencing a bit of backslide currently. I'm glad many of us left that sort of life behind...

But is the smell just...a red herring?

I arrived at Chris's just before noon. I rang the bell and she answered the door almost immediately. "Wow, you made great time," she said, stepping aside to allow me in. She was in all black again, and it looked like she'd gone a little bolder with the eyeliner since the last time I saw her. I wasn’t convinced it did her any favors, but if she was into it, that was her business not mine. A small black-and-white dog came barreling down the hallway and skidded to a halt at my feet, looki

Some of you are dangerously close to solving the mystery...but no one has it exactly right so far...

My money is on Mrs. White...

I stayed hidden, crouched behind a bright red sports car, waiting for the limousine to come around the corner. It was a tense wait. I fully expected the security guards to return with reinforcements at any moment. I tried to remember if they carried guns. As soon as the limo appeared, I ran to the passenger side, yanked open the door, and leaped in. "Go!" I shouted. "Go where? What's happening?" Micah asked. "Just drive," I instructed the driver. Then to Micah, "I'll explain

I have been writing for over 25 years, and yet you have once again coined a new phrase that I have never heard in my entire career: aterovisian! I'm not sure whether I'm flattered or horrified. I think I'll go with flattered. You have such a way with words, my disco dancing feline friend. Congratulations!

You are not wrong/ Unfortunately, I think it is often easier to blame others than face the consequences of your own choices. And, to be fair, Jake hasn't had it easy.

I've always preferred complex, imperfect characters in the books and stories I consume. One of my favorite fictional characters in my teen years was Vanyel Ashkevron from Mercedes Lackey's Last Herald Mage trilogy, part of her Valdemar series (which I used to read voraciously). He was the first gay main character I'd ever encountered and possibly my first literary crush...and he was very imperfect. It had a big impact on me, the way he became a heroic, beloved character over time, but there was a lot of character growth to get there. In many ways, Lackey was one of my most influential writers, along with Marcia Muller, author of the Sharon McCone series, and a few others. Personally, I find perfect characters boring. I get why other people like them, especially if you are reading purely for escapism, which is absolutely valid, but just not my personal cup of tea. I think of Killian as a pretty typical (if very driven) teenager. I like him a lot. I would have to considering he's taken up considerable real estate in my head for the last 25 years! 🤣 He's pretty flawed, but then again, aren't we all? At his heart though, he's drawn to solve mysteries because he has a strong desire for justice...and because he likes to help people.

Micah blinked at me, astonishment flickering across his face. He glanced at the man I knew as Neal, then back at me, clearly deciding he must have misheard. “What did you say?” “That’s Neal,” I hissed, tugging at his arm. The last thing I wanted was to be spotted by either Neal or Jake. But Micah went stubborn on me, planting his feet like a mule. “Neal as in…?” “As in your old boss. As in the guy in the photo in Jake’s room. As in the man I had lunch with in D.C. on Monday.

There may be a few more twists in store...

I woke up the next morning when I felt Micah getting out of bed. The sky was just starting to brighten with the first light of day. I sat up and rubbed my bleary eyes. "What are you doing?" "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up. I was going to let you sleep in. I need to get back to work." "What time is it?" "It's like 6." "A.M.?" "Go back to sleep." He leaned over to give me a kiss. I tugged on his arm. "Come back to bed with me." "I can't, babe. I really

I adore you, my homicidal friend.