A Deadly Ruse

A client hires Investigator Doug Conrad to find his elderly mother’s killer. It has been a difficult case for Conrad. A name on a Post-It seems to be his only lead. It leads nowhere until Eddie Flatt and Bobby Forwark walk into a ladies’ Bible study to steal their purses. Experts at pulling scams on elderly widows, they enter Gospel Bible Church and meet their first challenge. Surprised and surrounded by SWAT, they now have fifty hostages. One is Donna Gifford’s mother. Donna, a former SWAT agent and a detective for Conrad, disobeys Commander Bates, enters the church, but soon finds her life in jeopardy. Through fear and anxiety, one woman debilitates one of the hostage takers, but it instead creates a violent reaction. Meanwhile, the grandmother of Barnabus Johnson, another Conrad detective, dies. For over twenty years, she has held on to a secret that will be life-changing for him. On the first anniversary of her mother’s murder, Taylor Conrad returns to the murder site while it is still dark. Believing she is alone, she instead sees a large man with a weapon. She now finds herself fighting for her life. Despite the dangers innocent people find themselves in, Lonsdorf once again captures the spirit of people to survive and find hope.