Lou Mason Mystery 03-Cold Truth (41 page)

"Don't make a promise you can't keep. It's who you are," she told him. "You can't be anyone else."

"I can be anyone I have to be for you," he answered.

"No you can't," Abby said, "because I can only love the one you are."

Their wounds healed faster than their souls, Abby trading her loft for an apartment, grieving privately for a child she never knew, Mason not pushing her, understanding the nightmares that shattered her sleep. Work provided an anchor, normal gradually feeling normal again, Mason turning down criminal cases, Mickey starting a pool betting on when he'd relent, Blues winning the pool a week before Thanksgiving, Mason telling Abby, Abby nodding.

"Be careful. Make the case about the client, not about you," she said, Mason trying to figure out how.

Mason bought the dining room table and the living room furniture after Abby explained that she could never be with a man that used his dining room as a dock for a rowing machine and his living room as a kennel for his dog. Mason moved the rowing machine to the basement and Tuffy's pillow to the master bedroom.

Mason looked around his new table, covered with a Thanksgiving spread. Mickey spun trash to the amusement of Rachel Firestone and her partner, Mickey's girlfriend sticking her finger in her mouth, pretending to be sick. Claire read Harry an article Rachel had written, Harry struggling with the small print, listening close, learning to accept Claire's eyes as his own. Blues came without a date, saying this was family time, talking jazz with Jordan. Tuffy roamed the room in table-scrap heaven. Mason's picture of his great grandparents hung on the wall, Mason sure they were smiling.

Each conversation rose from the table, punctuated by laughter and the clink and clang of crystal, china, and silver, verbal notes mixing, a beautiful noise. Mason reached for Abby's hand. She covered his with hers.

Thank you for adding Cold Truth to your library. This is an exciting time to be a writer and a reader. The indie revolution has given writers the chance to connect with readers in ways that were never imagined before.

I've included previews of the first two Lou Mason thrillers,
Motion To Kill
and
The Last Witness
plus a preview of the next novel in the series,
Deadlocked,
which will be available soon as an ebook and POD. Enjoy them all and stay in touch.

Find out more about Joel Goldman at
http://www.joelgoldman.com

Follow his blog at
http://www.joelgoldman.blogspot.com

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Thanks to my fellow writers,
Lee Goldberg
and
Paul Levine
, for their ongoing help guiding me on my self-publishing journey.

Thanks also to Steven W. Booth and Genius Book Services –
www.geniusbookservices.com
– for formatting this book and
Jeroen ten Berge
for designing the cover. I couldn't ask for better support.

Joel Goldman is an Edgar and Shamus nominated author who was a trial lawyer for twenty-eight years. He wrote his first thriller after one of his partners complained about another partner and he decided to write a mystery, kill the son-of-a-bitch off in the first chapter and spend the rest of the book figuring out who did it. No longer practicing law, he offices at Starbucks and lives in Kansas City with his wife and two dogs.

Lee Child and Michael Connelly recommend
Motion To Kill
! If you like the action, suspense and excitement in their books, you'll love
Motion To Kill
!

"The story line never skips a beat. Fans will set in motion a plea for Mr. Goldman to return with more Mason (Lou not Perry) legal thrillers."

—Harriett Klausner

"Lou Mason is still the sexy, brilliant but flawed counselor who is thrown into chaos and finds order. The plot leads you to the edge like the thrilling Yungas cliff road in Bolivia."

—Elizabeth Wenig

When two of his partners are killed, corruption, sex and murder fill trial lawyer Lou Mason's docket as he tracks the killer. Will Lou be the next victim? Found out in
Motion To Kill
, the action-packed, can't-put-it-down first book in the Lou Mason thriller series!

"Joel Goldman is the real deal!"

—John Lescroart, Bestselling author of the Dismas Hardy thriller series.

"A real page-turner with plenty of action and many surprising twists and turns along the way driven by the wise-cracking protagonist and a great supporting cast."

—David A. Berman

"The plot races forward."

—Amarillo Globe-News

If you like the knockout suspense of Michael Connelly and the gritty "who done its" by Linda Fairstein, you'll love Joel Goldman's
Shakedown
!

"Goldman tells a story at a breakneck pace…"

—Kansas City Star

"A killer identified via a fleeting facial expression and behavioral cues turns a middle-agend FBI agent dealing with a disruptive disability into an unexpected hero in Goldman's latest terrific thriller."

—Publisher's Weekly

When FBI Agent Jack Davis investigates a mass murder, a leak of crucial information and his imploding personal life throw him into the ultimate danger zone – where truth lies at the heart of betrayal.

Need a thrill pill? Take
Shakedown
and stay up all night!

"
Shakedown
is a really fine novel. Joel Goldman has got it locked and loaded and full of the blood of character and the gritty details that make up the truth. Page for page, I loved it."

—Michael Connelly, NYT Bestselling Author

"
Shakedown
is a chillingly realistic crime novel – it's fast-paced, smartly plotted, and a gripping read to the very last page. Joel Goldman explores – with an insider's eye – a dark tale of murder and betrayal."

—Linda Fairstein, NYT Bestselling Author

James Patterson fan's - take off on a rocket-fueled suspense ride with
Shakedown
, the first book in the Jack Davis Thriller series by Joel Goldman.

If you like John Grisham's twists and turns and James Patterson's page-turning thrills, you'll love Joel Goldman's
The Dead Man
, the second book in the Jack Davis Thriller series!

"A masterful blend of rock-solid detective work and escalating dread.
The Dead Man
is both a top-notch thriller and a heart-rending story of loss, courage and second chances. I loved it."

Robert Crais, NYT Best Selling Author

"
The Dead Man
is one of those rare novels you will be tempted to read twice: the first time to enjoy, and the second to appreciate how Goldman puts the pieces together. The hours spent on both will be more than worth it."

—Joe Hartlaub, Bookreporter.com

When FBI Agent Jack Davis investigates a mass murder, a leak of crucial information and his imploding personal life throw him into the ultimate danger zone – where truth lies at the heart of betrayal.

Think John Grisham meets James Patterson and you've got Joel Goldman in
The Dead Man
!

"Goldman's realistic setting, fast-paced dialogue and chilling plotting will have you wanting to read more in this gritty suspense series."

—Cindy Bauer, bookpleasures.com

"
The Dead Man
has all the plots and twists one may expect from a Grisham novel and the pace of a James Patterson crime story."

—Carolyn LeComte, Curledup.com

It doesn't get any better than that, so grab
The Dead Man
and don't let go!

Copyright © 2004 by Joel Goldman

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Author, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is entirely coincidental.