Thanks to Coffee Time Romance for inviting me to participate in the Book Brew today.  I’ve included another excerpt below.  You can find DIRTY WATER, and the previous Nick Sibelius crime thriller, TOXIC RELATIONSHIP at your favorite digital bookseller.  If you like your crime with quirky characters and some humor, check it out!

Blurb:

Nick, the protagonist of DIRTY WATER, came to the Austin suburb of Pflugerville, Texas from Houston.  After a murdered partner, a cheating wife and a lost job in Houston, Nick Sibelius sets up a private investigation business in a small Texas town hoping to find some peace and maybe, himself. In TOXIC RELATIONSHIP navigates the treacherous terrain of a beautiful Homeland Security Agent, a failed farmer whose best intentions seem to always result in a dead body, and a sociopathic dentist turned illegal toxic waste entrepreneur with visions of grandeur.  This time around,  an open and shut case of vandalism leaves more questions than answers for PI Nick Sibelius, as he untangles a knot of egomania, desire and greed. When entrepreneur Dan Hoyt makes a deal with virtual gaming icon, Izzy Zydeco, to partner in a desalination project Hoyt begins to count his money.  Unknown to Hoyt, his partner has bigger and more insidious plans, which involves betraying a major drug cartel and, in a twisted business strategy to build a customer base for desalinated water, contaminating the Austin water supply for the next century. Working with a covert Homeland Security agent and past love, MaryLou and his new partner, Theresa, Nick must thwart Izzy and ultimately choose between justice and saving Theresa’s life.   Water is up for grabs in Texas and Nick discovers that H2O is a dirty business.

Excerpt:

Nick pulled into a barbecue joint where they got a table and couple of Coronas.

Theresa lifted her bottle toward Nick. “To our new venture.”

After ordering some brisket and ribs, she excused herself, finding her way to the restroom. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about Nick. When he came to Pflugerville, an old friend of Quentin’s, she looked at the square jawed, broad shouldered man with the nice, tight ass as a possible presence in her life. Then he got wrapped up in MaryLou and she realized, once again, she had fallen into her usual trap “” tempted by a good looking guy slash jerk who would break her heart. She’d been down that road before and had no desire to take another trip. Now he says he’s over MaryLou, which given the woman is dead, shouldn’t be too difficult. But her intuition had no intention of letting down her guard so easily. Her intuition knew once he committed, Nick could not let go, which was a characteristic she loved about him and also one which worried her. Take Hoyt. Clearly the situation with Hoyt had moved beyond the realm of their small investigation firm, but Nick, having made an initial commitment to Hoyt and then sensing something amiss, would not, could not, turn away. And this thing about MaryLou. The woman lied to him and murdered two people. But all Nick could say was, “I guess I loved her, but we didn’t have much of a chance.” Maybe he just didn’t like to speak ill of the dead.

She checked her make up, ran a brush through her hair and then washed her hands. As she opened the door to return to dining room, she could see Nick’s blue jeaned nicely proportioned rear end poking out from under a table as he crawled around on his hands and knees. Did he drop his fork? Was he helping someone find a contact lens? She walked toward Nick and over the country music could hear him talking as if he were five years old.

“Where did Teddy go? I’m sure Teddy is around here somewhere? Wait. There he is! He was just playing hide and seek. There you go sweetie.”

He backed out from under the table, a little girl holding on to her fuzzy teddy bear with every inch of her being, in his arms.

“See? I told you Teddy was just hiding from us. Now let’s go back to Mommy.”

He moved over a couple of tables, handing the small child back to her mother. The hard, pragmatic, and she sensed, lonely man, apparently had another side. A softer, kinder, caring side. When Quentin first suggested she work with Nick, she knew Quentin was doing some matchmaking, in addition to supporting his friend’s business venture.

“He’s a good man, Theresa.”

“I’m sure he is Quentin, but I’m looking for a job, not a man. Besides, I think your Nick has too many dark corners to illuminate for a relationship to work.”

When Nick turned to see her looking at him, he half smiled with a shrug as if to apologize for not being the man he had been masquerading as in the past. She smiled. Seeing him on his hands and knees with the little girl might just be a game changer.

Theresa sat down with him. “Congratulations, Nick.”

“Congratulations? For what?”

She nodded, smiling at the little girl still hugging her Teddy tightly. “Looks to me like you have a very satisfied client of Sibelius Investigations.”

“Yes, I suppose she is.” He lifted his beer bottle in a toast. “To satisfied clients.”

After dinner he stopped in front of her house, a little 1950’s bungalow she bought when she had gotten out of the Army.

“You want to come in for a few minutes. I make a mean cup of coffee.”

“I’d love to come in.” He paused and Theresa imagined he was doing some calculus about getting involved with his business partner. So she relieved him of the burden.

“But you probably shouldn’t.”

He turned to speak to her. “I didn’t say that.”

“You don’t need to. It’s okay. I get it Nick.”

Theresa stepped out, keeping one hand on the truck as she came around to the other side. She had teased Nick in the past, partly because he fit the two dimensional stereotype of the kind of guy who found her attractive. All testosterone and no brains. She had the same problem in Iraq, until she busted a few heads. She also knew teasing Nick meant not having to let him near her heart. She thought she had him figured out. Now, Theresa wasn’t so sure anymore.

“Thanks for dinner and for hooking me up with your mechanic.” She gave him a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“You’re very welcome, Theresa. Just give Charlie a call in the morning and he’ll have one of his guys come by with the loaner for you.”

“Thanks, Nick. Good night.”

She stood on the sidewalk watching Nick’s pickup pull away, his tail lights finally disappearing into the darkness.

Yes, Nick Sibelius. Tonight was definitely a game changer.