Cutler's Cases (#4) - paperback
Cutler's Cases (#4) - paperback
John Cutler Investigations is open for business. Unfortunately, things aren't running smoothly.
Starting a private investigation business isn’t as easy as the movies make it seem. Former cop John Cutler is learning this the hard way. Soon after opening, he’s running afoul of local gangsters, crossing paths with jealous husbands, and searching for killers who don’t want to be found.
It’s all in a day’s work for Spokane’s newest private eye.
But did it have to be so damn hard?
Cutler’s Cases is a collection of five short stories from Colin Conway, the author of the John Cutler Mysteries and the 509 Crime Stories. If you like fast-paced crime fiction and heroes seeking redemption, then you’ll love John Cutler.
Grab Cutler’s Cases today and join the action!
(NOTE: The John Cutler Mysteries occur in the same world as the 509 Crime Stories. The first book in that series is The Side Hustle. The John Cutler stories begin fifteen years earlier so some of the officers in the 509 are seen at the beginning of their careers.)
Read a Sample
Cutler's Cases (#4) - paperback
Chapter 1
Manny Gorman clenched his fists and bared his teeth. A man acting like a crazed grizzly is a scary sight, especially when he stands six and a half feet tall and weighs three hundred pounds. Manny and I had fought for nearly ninety seconds which is a lifetime when throwing and taking punches. His face was bloodied. I imagined mine was more so.
We destroyed Manny’s living room in the process of our brawl. Once bright lamps were now shattered. Pictures lay on the ground with their frames busted. A crack ran through the middle of his TV.
Yet Manny remained on his feet, ready for more. The time to talk myself free from his violence had long passed.
The big man had come home early. He was supposed to be out drinking with his brother. “Letting off some steam,” according to his wife. Instead, he found me on the couch with her. Seeing Delores in my arms, Manny went crazy.
It would have been better for her to come to my place. Hindsight is a worthless thing in moments like this.
I punched Manny in the nose—the third time I’d done so. Unlike the others, this one barely staggered him. His eyes had stopped watering by now. He did, however, bring his hands closer to his face as he shook off the blow.
My window to win this fight was razor-thin, and I had no illusions about that. To survive the night—to survive Manny Gorman—I needed to get by him and escape the house. That was my only option.
Moving quickly, I grabbed Manny’s shoulders and jerked a knee into his groin. He grunted and reflexively snapped forward. Men respond in a predictable manner when struck in the testicles, but fights are messy, and they get uglier the longer they go on.
Manny’s head smashed into mine—an inadvertent strike caused by my leg thrusting into his groin. I stumbled backward. The room spun wickedly, and I reached out for anything to stop my fall. My legs buckled, and I grabbed onto the edge of a leather recliner—his favorite chair.
Delores shrieked as Manny advanced.
He jumped and tackled me—a linebacker punishing an unprotected punter. His considerable weight pinned me to the floor.
Disoriented now, I frantically wriggled to get free. Panic welled inside me.
Manny yelled, “My wife!”
He punched me in the cheek. A second strike swung in an arc and missed me entirely. This seemed to anger him further. He pounded straight down onto my chest—it felt like a jackhammer trying to reach my spine.
Manny fell forward until his face was inches from mine. His fingers slipped into my hair.
I wanted to holler, but there was no breath to do so.
“This’ll teach you,” he said. Spittle flew from his lips.
When my head bounced off the floor, the lights flicked off.
Meet the Author
Colin Conway writes in multiple crime fiction genres including cozy mysteries, police procedural, private detective, amateur sleuth, and thriller. He’s published over thirty books in a variety of series.
If you're a fan of crime fiction novels, we'll have something you'll like.
Colin's love for crime fiction started while serving in the U.S. Army. That’s when he discovered authors likes Lawrence Block, Andrew Vachss, and John D. MacDonald. Colin’s interest in writing developed while working as a police officer in Spokane, Washington.
His creative secret is Rose the Office Dog, his constant companion.