Lies are Forever

by C. Jean Downer

Overview

Sloane West is an ex-New York City cop turned private investigator needing a distraction. She's grieving her secretive mother's death, and her ex-best friend and ex-lover have just sent her an invitation to their upcoming nuptials.

When a stranger arrives seeking her help, she receives a deadly diversion to the quiet Canadian village of Denwick. There, Sloane learns she's not the only target in a murderous plan--so is her long-lost cousin, the High Priestess of her family's coven.

To find the killer, Sloane must solve a murder while accepting a crash course in witchcraft. The choice is hers. Will she embrace her power as a protector--or flee from the birthright she's only beginning to understand?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781642474893
Publisher:	Bella Books
Publication date:	12/19/2023
Series:	Sloane West Mystery Series , #1
Pages:	300
Sales rank:	511,364
Product dimensions:	5.38(w) x 8.25(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

C. Jean Downer writes traditional whodunits with a magical twist. She's a self-proclaimed expert in the field, with thousands of mystery books, television episodes, and movies to her reading and viewing credit. Even her family refuses to watch mysteries with her because of her gifts of deduction unless she zips it.

If she was younger and braver, she'd trade her Ph.D. for a PI in a heartbeat! C'est la vie.

Downer is the author of Lies Are Forever, the first book of the Sloane West Mysteries, and a published poet. She lives in White Rock, British Columbia, with her wife of twenty-plus years, their two fabulous daughters, two lazy dogs, and three chill cats.

Editorial Reviews

2024-04-18
In Downer’s mystery, a no-nonsense private investigator must navigate a hidden world of magic to find a killer.

Former New York City police detective Sloane West is still grieving the death of her mother, Jane, who died in a violent car accident before the story opens. Now a private detective living on her own with a strangely humanlike cat named Bear, Sloane receives a surprise visit from Harold Huxham, a Canadian lawyer bearing news that she is about to inherit a large estate from grandparents she never knew existed. But just as Huxham is about to show her the papers, a gunman bursts into Sloane’s apartment, shoots Huxham in the head, and fails to kill Sloane—only because she kills him first. These bizarre events send Sloane on a voyage of investigation and discovery, taking her to the tiny community of Denwick on Vancouver Island. There, she finds a small number of tightly connected families who own the land in common and, it transpires, maintain a wiccan coven with abundant magical powers. She is told by her mysterious cousin, Dorathea, that Jane disappeared from their community just before Sloane was born, and that the coven had searched for her in vain. “You and your mum were both wrapped in spells strong enough to keep us from finding you. We are unaware of their source or how she accomplished them.” Shocked, Sloane soon realizes that dark magic was behind her mother’s and grandparents’ deaths. Thrust into a strange world of demons and talking cats, Sloane must plumb the secrets of the Denwick coven to expose the guilty party. This novel is well written and fast-paced, and the methodical process by which Sloan uncovers the secrets of the insular wiccan community will hold the reader’s attention throughout. Sloane West is a sharp, no-nonsense character whose skepticism about the supernatural elements of the story adds an element of realism to a narrative that is otherwise replete with otherworldly elements.

An engaging supernatural whodunit with a compelling lead and a magical setting.

Kirkus Reviews