Secret
Investigation
by Elizabeth Heiter (on-sale April 21, 2020)
Book
description: In the wake of a tragedy,the Tactical Crime Division is the first
call.When ironclad body armor inexplicably fails and soldiers perish, the
Tactical Crime Division jumps into action. Agent and former ranger Davis Rogers
asks to go undercover to find the traitor responsible for the death of one of
his friends, and Petrov Armor CEO Leila Petrov is happy to provide access to
her company…especially once she discovers she’s being framed. But will their joint
efforts be enough to uncover the truth?
Excerpt
A new
miniseries from Harlequin Intrigue.
Welcome
to the Tactical Crime Division, a rapid-deployment
joint team of FBI agents specializing in hostage negotiation, missing persons,
IT, profiling, shootings and terrorism, with Director Jill Pembrook at the
head.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Leila Petrov—When
defective bulletproof vests cause the deaths of an army unit, Petrov Armor’s
CEO is determined to find the person responsible. But her search makes her a
liability to a killer, someone who’s closer than she ever expected.
Davis Rogers—The
former army ranger thinks going undercover in Petrov Armor is his chance
to prove himself in the FBI’s elite
Tactical Crime Division (TCD). But it’s also deeply personal. One of the
soldiers killed was a friend, and Davis won’t stop until he’s gotten justice.
MelindaLarsen—The deeper this profiler digs into the Petrov Armor case, the more
unexpected threats she uncovers—putting her directly in the line of fire.
Kane Bradshaw—Ever since his last partner died on the job, the TCD agent prefers
to work alone. But as he’s forced to work with Melinda, he fears history will repeat
itself.
Eric Ross—Petrov
Armor’s head of sales was Leila’s first love. He’s jealous of Leila’s obvious
interest in her new “assistant,” Davis, but is there something more sinister
behind his constant appearances?
Joel Petrov—Leila’s
uncle has been an integral part of the company since Leila was a child. But is
his involvement too convenient?
As in the Bureau, dying in the
field was a possibility you accepted. You did whatever you could to pre-vent
it, but if it happened, you knew you’d be going out doing something you
believed in. But not like this. Not the way Jessica had died, trusting the
military, trusting her training, trusting her equipment.
“I want to take the lead on this
case,” Davis blurted. Gazes darted to him: from profiler Dr. Melinda Larsen,
silently assessing, suspicion in her eyes, as if she somehow knew he had a
history with one of the victims. Always buttoned-up Laura Smith was quiet and
unreadable, but her Ivy League brain was probably processing every nuance of
his words. JC, staring at him with understanding, even though he didn’t realize
Davis knew Jessica personally. No one on the team did. “Is your personal
investment in this case going to be a hindrance or a help?” Pembrook asked,
voice and gaze steady.
Davis’s spine stiffened even more.
She was talking about his army background. She had to be. But if she thought he
was going to fidget, she underestimated the hell he’d gone through training to
be a ranger for the army. “A help. I’m familiar with how the army works. And
I’m familiar with the product. I’ve worn Petrov Armor vests.”
Petrov Armor had supplied the body
armor Jessica and her team had been wearing during the ambush. That
armor—supposedly the newest and best technology—had failed spectacularly,
resulting in the deaths of all but three of the soldiers and one of the locals.
Inhis mind it wasn’t the insurgents who had killed Jessica and her team. It was
Petrov Armor.
He didn’t mention the rest. He’d
more than just worn the vests. He’d had a chance to be an early tester of their
body armor, back when he was an elite ranger and Petrov Armor was better known
for the pistols they made than their armor. He’d given the thumbs-up, raving
about the vest’s bullet-stopping power and comfort in his report. He’d given
the army an enthusiastic endorsement to start using Petrov Armor’s products
more broadly. And they had.
“I’m not talking about the armor,”
Pembrook re-plied, her gaze still laser-locked on his, even as agent-at-large
Kane Bradshaw slipped into the meeting late and leaned against the doorway.
“I’m talking about Jessica Carpenter.” Her voice softened. “I’m sorry for your
loss.”
The gazes on him seemed to
intensify, but Davis didn’t shift his from Pembrook’s. “Thank you. And no, it
won’t affect my judgment in the case.”
Pembrook nodded, but he wasn’t sure
if she believed him as she looked back at the rest of the group and continued
her briefing. “Petrov Armor won a big contract with the military five years
ago. The armor this team was wearing is their latest and greatest. It’s not
worn widely yet, but their earlier version armor is commonly used. The military
is doing a full round of testing across all their branches. They’ve never had a
problem with Petrov Armor before, and they don’t intend to have another.
“Meanwhile, they’ve asked us to
investigate at home. We got lucky with the news coverage. We’restill not sure
how it was leaked, but not all of it got out. Or if it did, the news station
only played a small part. And somehow they don’t have the name of the body
armor supplier. Not yet,” she said emphatically. “Rowan, we don’t have to worry
about PD this time. I’m putting you on the media. Hendrick can lend computer
support if you need it.”
Rowan Cooper nodded, looking a
little paler than usual, but sitting straighter.
***
About
Elizabeth Heiter: Publishers Weekly bestselling and
award-winning author ELIZABETH HEITER likes her suspense to feature strong
heroines, chilling villains, psychological twists and a little romance. Her research
has taken her into the minds of serial killers, through murder investigations,
and onto the FBI Academy’s shooting range. Her novels have been published in
more than a dozen countries and translated into eight languages.
Visit her at www.elizabethheiter.com.
Purchase links:
·
Barnes
& Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secret-investigation-elizabeth-heiter/1133974152?ean=9781335136459
Harlequin.com: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335136459_secret-investigation.html
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