Slightly Murderous Intent: A Southern California Mystery by Lida Sideris
About Slightly Murderous Intent
There's a shooter on the loose who keeps missing his target. But that doesn't stop him from trying again… and again. It's up to Corrie Locke, rookie lawyer and spunky sleuth, to find the gunman before he hits his mark, Assistant Deputy D.A. James Zachary, Corrie's hunky and complicated frenemy.
When Corrie is stuck with more questions than answers, she enlists a team with various strengths, from weapons to cooking skills, to help her find the shooter. Her computer whiz boyfriend Michael is onboard. So is former security guard Veera. Toss in an over-the-hill informant and a couple of feuding celebrity chefs, and Corrie's got her very own A-Team. Okay, maybe it's more like a B-Team.
Can Team Corrie hunt down the shooter before he scores a bulls-eye?
About the Character Guest Post
The Story of My Life
by Corrie Locke
Why is that when I go out to what should be an everyday activity, I end up giving a statement to the police? Does that ever happen to you? I didn’t think so. It happens to me on the regular.
For instance, one night, I had a craving for something sweet – an ice cream sandwich. Not unusual since I have a major sweet tooth. I jogged over to the neighborhood convenience store, headed for the freezer section, and froze. No, I didn’t freeze ‘cause I was cold. I froze because a guy with a gun walked in. It was a hold-up! I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. So when the thief wasn’t looking, I smacked him with the roll of quarters I kept in my pocket. Let’s just say, he was very cooperative ‘til the cops arrived.
Then I started a new job at a movie studio. For a rookie lawyer like me, landing that gig was major. Especially since I had zero experience. I had a lot to learn, but I’d manage. That was before I was blackmailed by the head of studio security. Has that ever happened to you? Blackmail? You don’t need to answer that. Why me? Well, I had a little blemish on my record that security had discovered, but it would remain our little secret if I did a side job. I was convinced to investigate a suspicious death at the studio. Which meant I gave another statement to the police… after I turned over the culprit. There’s a reason why this kind of stuff happens to me, but I’ll get to that later.
My life actually got a little less crazy for a while… until my very best friend, Michael, got himself into a tight spot. We’re happy to help friends, right? We let them borrow our cars or we cat-sit Fluffy. But what about when your friend is about to be accused of murder? That happened to me, too. Luckily, I found a way to solve the crime before the police even knew what happened. And I turned the real criminal over. Isn’t that what we’d all try to do?
After that little incident, I was so sure my life would become normal. In fact, I felt so relaxed, I moseyed on down from my office to the back lot of the studio and watched a mystery movie being filmed. Nothing much happened… until a phony murder attempt turned real… right before my eyes. Of course, I had to find out what really happened. I provided statements to the police a bunch of times during that investigation.
That’s when I got to thinking. I really like handing over criminals to law enforcement. It’s such a high. I’ve had a few close calls, but I’ve managed. So when I was having dinner with friends the other night, it seemed only natural that I hunt the shooter down. What? Oh, I forgot to mention that a shooter walked in during dinner and fired a shot. He missed and raced off, but I’m on hot on his trail. I’ll catch him. I have to. He was shooting at a friend of mine. Which means I’ll be giving another police statement again… very soon.
About Lida Sideris
Lida Sideris is an author, lawyer, and all-around book enthusiast. She writes soft-boiled mysteries and was a recipient of the Helen McCloy Mystery Writers of America scholarship award. Slightly Murderous Intent is #4 in her Southern California Mystery series, published by Level Best Books. Lida lives in the northern tip of SoCal with her family, rescue dogs, and a flock of uppity chickens. To learn more, please visit: www.LidaSideris.com
