The Second Goodbye

by Patricia Smiley

Overview

Assume nothing—that's the touchstone for every homicide investigation Detective Davie Richards undertakes. She approaches her latest case the same way, determined to learn as much about the victim as she does about the killer. But there's nothing about thirty-four-year-old Sara Montaine or her death that makes sense.

Was Sara a saint caring for her dying husband or a gold-digger with a sketchy background? Did she commit suicide or was she murdered? Before her marriage, Sara lived comfortably without any obvious source of income, unusual for an orphan raised in foster care. As Davie digs deeper, she unearths Sara's troubled past and a viper's nest of villains who are willing to kill to keep their secrets hidden.

Praise:
"Sassy and analytical, L.A. Detective Davie Richards utilizes 'shoe leather and minutiae' to unravel a brilliantly staged fake suicide. Seamless prose, tightly crafted clues, and surprising twists make The Second Goodbye a memorable police procedural. Brew the coffee for the graveyard shift, as you'll be up all night reading."—K.J. Howe, best-selling author of The Freedom Broker and Skyjack

"Patricia Smiley tackles Michael Connelly territory and succeeds with a realistic, compelling police procedural in the badlands of contemporary Los Angeles. Detective Davie Richards is a smart, no-nonsense heroine, and the storytelling had me turning the pages at the expense of mundane activities like sleeping. The Second Goodbye is an intriguing mystery laced with well-researched law enforcement practices." —Raymond Benson, author of In the Hush of the Night and The Black Stiletto Serial

"The Second Goodbye is a straight ahead jolt of police procedural adrenaline! Like Michael Connelly, Patricia Smiley grabs a hold of you and pulls you into the story without tricks or gimmicks. Just a great story told by a great storyteller. The Second Goodbye catapults Smiley onto the top tier of crime writers!"— Matt Coyle, Anthony Award-winning author of the Rick Cahill crime series

"A thoroughly satisfying and well-crafted police procedural."—Bookreporter

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738752365
Publisher:	Llewellyn Worldwide, LTD.
Publication date:	12/08/2018
Series:	A Pacific Homicide , #3
Pages:	312
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Patricia Smiley is a bestselling mystery author whose short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine and Two of the Deadliest, an anthology edited by Elizabeth George. Patricia has taught writing classes at various conferences throughout the US and Canada, and she served on the board of directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and as president of Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles. Visit her online at www.PatriciaSmiley.com.

Editorial Reviews

10/01/2018
A couple of cold cases preoccupy spunky LAPD Det. Davie Richards in Smiley’s action-packed third Pacific Homicide novel (after 2017’s Outside the Wire). Davie efficiently nails the killer in the first case, the stabbing murder of a drug dealer, but the second one—the suspicious death of 34-year-old Sara Montaine—is less straightforward. Sara appears to have shot herself shortly after walking into a gun store and examining a gun while the store’s owner took a phone call in the back room. A photo that Davie examines shows Sara affixing a signature with her left hand, and the gun was found by her right hand where her body lay on the floor. Other evidence suggests it wasn’t a suicide. Davie displays her superior detective skills as she delves into Sara’s puzzling past, her family, and her interests. The suspense rises when an unknown party, fearful that Davie is learning too much, hires a hit man to follow her. A possible romance for Davie adds to the book’s appeal. Fans of realistic police procedurals with strong female leads will be satisfied. (Dec.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for the Pacific Homicide Novels

The Second Goodbye
"Sassy and analytical, L.A. Detective Davie Richards utilizes 'shoe leather and minutiae' to unravel a brilliantly staged fake suicide. Seamless prose, tightly crafted clues, and surprising twists make The Second Goodbye a memorable police procedural. Brew the coffee for the graveyard shift, as you'll be up all night reading."—K.J. Howe, best-selling author of The Freedom Broker and Skyjack

"Patricia Smiley tackles Michael Connelly territory and succeeds with a realistic, compelling police procedural in the badlands of contemporary Los Angeles. Detective Davie Richards is a smart, no-nonsense heroine, and the storytelling had me turning the pages at the expense of mundane activities like sleeping. The Second Goodbye is an intriguing mystery laced with well-researched law enforcement practices."—Raymond Benson, author of In the Hush of the Night and The Black Stiletto Serial

"The Second Goodbye is a straight ahead jolt of police procedural adrenaline! Like Michael Connelly, Patricia Smiley grabs a hold of you and pulls you into the story without tricks or gimmicks. Just a great story told by a great storyteller. The Second Goodbye catapults Smiley onto the top tier of crime writers!"— Matt Coyle, Anthony Award-winning author of the Rick Cahill crime series

"A thoroughly satisfying and well-crafted police procedural."—Bookreporter

Outside the Wire
"[Richards] makes a dogged and determined heroine...Readers will want to see a lot more of her."—Publishers Weekly

"[Smiley] moves the plot as deftly as she moves the reader, with lots of action and just enough heart."—Kirkus Reviews

Pacific Homicide 

"Smiley kicks off a hard-boiled series with a bang in this fast-paced novel that sweeps readers along quickly."—Library Journal

"An excellent book about the emotions that drive some of the best policemen and women to go after their own justice, no matter the cost."—Suspense Magazine

"Terrific! The classic cop story goes contemporary in this suspenseful, riveting thriller. Instantly cinematic and completely authentic—LAPD's tough and savvy Davie Richards will capture your heart. It's a page-turner from moment one."—Hank Phillippi Ryan, Agatha–, Anthony–, and Mary Higgins Clark Award–winning author

"Pacific Homicide combines an insider's knowledge of the LAPD with a clear-eyed, no-nonsense heroine and an entertaining dry wit. Davie Richards is easy to fall in love with and her story is full of surprising twists."—Matt Witten, writer and producer for Pretty Little Liars, House,Medium, Law & Order, and Homicide

"Patricia Smiley, at the top of her form in this multi-layered thriller...writes with the authenticity of Joseph Wambaugh."—Paul Levine, bestselling author of Bum Rap

"Crackling with wit and suspense, Patricia Smiley's Pacific Homicide is a classic police procedural told with flair, imagination and the deep authenticity of an author who knows the LAPD from firsthand experience."—Bonnie MacBird, author of Art in the Blood: A Sherlock Holmes Adventure

"Fans of the classic police procedural will love Davie Richards, the LAPD detective at the heart of this novel...Readers will discover Smiley's nimble talents for understated wit, unsentimental affection and the emotional wounds that drive the best of cops to buck the system in search of justice."—Kim Fay, Edgar Award finalist for The Map of Lost Memories

"With a taut style, unfailing ear, and unflinching honesty, Patricia Smiley's Pacific Homicide puts a fresh, deeply emotional spin on the police procedural."—Craig Faustus Buck, author of Go Down Hard

From the Publisher

12/01/2018

When there are no active homicide investigations, LAPD Homicide Detective Davie Richards, a member of the Pacific Area division, works on cold cases. One involves the shooting death of a gang member, another is the supposed suicide of 34-year-old Sara Montaine in a gun shop. The investigating officer didn't believe it was suicide, and neither does Davie. Sara had come out of nowhere, married a well-off man, whom she nursed through a final illness and died without anyone seeming to know who she was. When Davie discovers Sara's true identity, it only adds to the case's confusion. Who else uncovered Sara's secret? In order to hide the truth, someone is stalking Davie. VERDICT Smiley's third intricately plotted procedural (after Outside the Wire) features an intrepid female police officer who will appeal to readers drawn to the teamwork and careful step-by-step exposition in other procedurals with female protagonists, such as Vicki Delany's Molly Smith mysteries or Linda Castillo's Kate Burkholder novels.—Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

Library Journal