Officer Darby Shaw, Kansas City Bendex Police Department, is a good cop. Reliable, mostly level-headed, she's the backup everyone wants. But she longs to be a detective. While she waits for her exam results, Officer Shaw arrives at the scene of what should be a domestic disturbance. Instead, she finds the common law wife dead—and her killer husband not twenty feet away.
Taking the suspect into custody turns into a life and death struggle for Darby, and for the dead woman who returns to life with no apparent explanation other than Darby's touch. Sequestered in a hospital room, cut-off from colleagues, friends, and family, Darby learns that several government agencies are vying to take her into custody.
Can Darby fight the law she's devoted her life to when it's her freedom on the line? But the bigger question hanging over her head: Can she resurrect the dead again?
Genre: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / GeneralEmergence debuted in July 2014 and has seen steady English-language sales, especially since the sequel, Retaliation, was released in November 2014. I expect sales to pick up further when the 3rd novella is released in early 2015. Emergence averages a sales ranking on Amazon of higher in the 80,000s, and has an international readership. It will be published in an omnibus with its two sequel novellas in the 2nd quarter of 2015. Since the debut of Retaliation, Emergence has averaged 1 - 2 English language sales a day, and has hit the mid-range of some smaller Amazon best-seller lists. I expect sales to pick up as the third novella and the omnibus come out, as well as a trilogy of associated novels, which should debut sometime in the second half of 2015. I believe Emergence will do very well in the emerging German e-book market. I would like to see the process started prior to the release of the omnibus, at which time I will be seeking to have the full omnibus translated, which will include a bonus short story, and be well over 120,000 words.
"Officer Darby Shaw, please report to 18172 Euclid, apartment G. Reports of a domestic violence situation in progress."
I tapped my purple fingernails against the steering wheel. Overtime, here we come. I didn't mind the work, but the raise that would come if I made detective would mean I could help my stepdad get the back surgery he needed. It was expensive, and I'd been putting my overtime pay into a fund for months, hoping to surprise him.
"Copy that, dispatch. Please send a second officer to assist."
"Confirmed. Officer Trent Oliver en route."
I flipped my siren on and did a U-turn, throwing my Kansas City Bendex P.D.-issued Flexion into hover mode to escape the early-rush hour congestion. I'd been looking forward to going home, but this was the job. Not like I had anything big planned. I'd taken my detective's exam a few days earlier, so studying was done...unless I had to take it again.
Several people honked their horns as I narrowly missed their vehicles, and I'm sure at least one stuck their middle finger out the window. Oh well. They'd feel differently if they were in need of our services.
The scene was a little over a mile from my location, and with the help of the limited hover function to jump over the late-day congestion, I was at the scene in less than two minutes. As per protocol with reported D.V. situations, I waited in my cruiser for Officer Oliver to arrive. I used the few moments I had to check in with dispatch, then double-check all my equipment was ready, including a safety check of my size XXS armor.
