Stephen Greenleaf: Ellipsis (UK 2016)

From the Publisher:
When P.I. John Marshall Tanner is asked to act as bodyguard to glamorous novelist Chandelier Wells, he is initially hesitant. Tanner is inclined to think that Chandelier is exaggerating the danger posed by the anonymous death threats she has received.

But when a car bomb kills Chandelier's driver, Tanner soon regrets his laid-back approach to the case.

Chandelier writes romantic suspense novels, but her books take on tough issues; her new book attacks the cosmetics industry, and the next dissects the luxury cruise business. With an angry ex-husband, a jealous writer and a spurned lover added to the list of suspects, it's up to Tanner to discover whether Chandelier's research has made her dangerous enemies, or whether the threat lies much closer to home...

Stephen Greenleaf: Ellipsis. A John Marshall Tanner Mystery. Mulholland Books, ISBN: 9781473624139 (October, 2016), eBook, 415 KB (ca. 256 p.), £9.99.

Stephen Greenleaf: Ellipsis (USA 2016)

From the Publisher:
Against his better judgment, John Marshall Tanner takes a job as a writer's bodyguard
Somebody wants Chandelier Wells dead. After years churning out bestselling bodice-rippers, she's the best-known author in San Francisco, and she's no stranger to receiving threatening letters. But the most recent ones seem different. They feel real. Ms. Wells knows her life is in danger, and the only man capable of protecting her is John Marshall Tanner.

Tanner is a private detective, not a bodyguard, but at Ms. Wells's rates, he'll be anything she likes. He soon finds that her life is a chaotic one though. Between crazed fans, a jealous ex, and a scheming agent, Chandelier Wells has no one she can trust. When her chauffer is killed by a car bomb intended to erase her from the bestseller lists, Tanner knows that the life of this Chandelier is hanging precariously in the balance.

Ellipses is the 14th book in the John Marshall Tanner Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

"Greenleaf has fun picking apart the seamier aspects of the book trade." -- The New York Times
"The legitimate heir to the mantle of the late Ross MacDonald." -- Chicago Tribune

Stephen Greenleaf: Ellipsis. A John Marshall Tanner Mystery. MysteriousPress.com / Open Road Media, ISBN: 9781504027298 (February, 2016), eBook, 3.0 MB (ca. 302 p.), $7.99.

Stephen Greenleaf: Ellipsis (USA 2000)

From the Publisher:
"Greenleaf writes with both fists... A knowing craftsman." -- The Washington Post
Bodyguard to a glamorous, bestselling novelist? It's the last kind of case that San Francisco private investigator John Marshall Tanner would normally accept. But Chandelier Wells comes with a personal referral Tanner cannot refuse.

For all her money and fame, Chandelier is scared. Someone is sending anonymous notes: If you don't stop, you will die! Stop what? She says she doesn't know, and she has no time to find out before beginning the publicity tour for her new book, Shaloon.

Chandelier writes romantic suspense, but she takes on tough issues. Shaloon attacks the cosmetics industry, and next year's book, just finished in manuscript, dissects the luxury cruise business. Could the research for her books have made her the kind of enemies who would wish her bodily harm?

Tanner's inclined to think that the lady might exaggerate her peril, but when a car bomb explodes, leaving one person dead and another gravely injured, Tanner regrets he didn't take Chandelier's fears more seriously. She has annoyed many people over the years, but who would want her dead? As Tanner begins to probe Chandelier's background, he discovers many potential suspects, including her ex-husband, a spurned lover, and a jealous writer who accuses Chandelier of plagiarism. Is one of them behind the car bomb, or is the answer even more complex and frightening?

Drawn into the bizarre life of a superstar author and an investigation that threatens to go full circle and bring back demons from Tanner's past, Tanner must also deal with his own grief for a departed friend and his developing love for a very special assistant district attorney. His life is at a turning point. The future is vast and vitalizing. The present is poignant.

Recently nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award, mystery writing's highest honor, author Stephen Greenleaf with Ellipsis adds another mesmerizing chapter to one of the most intoxicatingly powerful series in all of crime fiction.

AN ALTERNATE SELECTION OF THE MYSTERY GUILD

STEPHEN GREENLEAF is the award-winning author of thirteen previous John Marshall Tanner novels, most recently Strawberry Sunday, for which he was nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award, and Past Tense. A graduate of Carleton College in Minnesota, he received his law degree from the University of California at Berkeley and attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop. He lives with his wife, Ann, in northern California.

Jacket Illustration and Design by Mark Burckhardt

Stephen Greenleaf: Ellipsis. A John Marshall Tanner Novel. Simon & Schuster, ISBN: 0684849550 (June, 2000), 265 p., $24.00.