Jackpot Justice
A Mystery
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Winner of the St. Martin's Malice Domestic First Novel Award
When Cassandra Ringwald, a psychologist, accepts an offer from an attorney to do a psychological evaluation on one of his clients, she thinks it will be good for her budding career. Cassie has no idea that she might end up nearly paying with her life.
Cassie is hired to evaluate Homer Johnson, a young Native American man who has been brought up on kidnapping charges. The first time that Cassie meets with him, she is repulsed by his attitude and also by the swastikas that he has on his shoes. She is also semi intrigued by his character--he is clearly more intelligent than the skinheads that he hangs out with, but he seems to want to protect them.
As the story of what happened the night Anerd Woods disappeared continues to unravel, with little help from Homer, Cassie becomes even more determined to find the truth. She wants to know why Homer is staying so quiet when his whole life is hanging on the line.
Cassie sets out on her journey to find more answers. The deeper she digs, the more she learns that there are many hidden aspects of this case--greed, self-interest, private agendas and danger to her and those around her.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This winner of the 1999 St. Martin's Malice Domestic First Novel Award marks the debut of an appealing new sleuth, Cassandra Ringwald--who, like the author, is a California clinical psychologist. Cassie must evaluate part-Native American Homer Johnson, who stands accused of kidnapping Anerd Woods, the owner of Jackpot's, a used auto-parts lot, in a seemingly cut-and-dried case. To her surprise, Cassie discovers Homer to be a complex young man, a basically gentle soul enamored of Anerd's daughter, who with her boyfriend has been jailed as an accomplice. In particular, Cassie can't understand why Homer, who's one-quarter Jewish, would belong to the White People's Brigade, a local skinhead group. Since he won't talk about the kidnapping, Cassie has to figure out why he did or didn't take part in it. Before she gets very far, however, Homer is released on bail; when the used auto-parts king goes missing, Homer is charged with his murder. Balancing the care of the 80-year-old great-aunt in whose house she lives and the pursuit of two eligible bachelors, gutsy, charming Cassie eventually works her way through Homer's defenses to find out why he acts the way he does--and who really killed Anerd. With so much suspense and emotion packed into this first effort, Wooley is sure to win fans.
