Another Side Of Midnight
Two months, two weeks and four days ago, Steele woke up alone in a hotel room. All Stone left was a note–and a lot of questions. He's back, and she wants answers–but he wants more.Smart-mouthed Vegas private eye Estella 'Steele' Mezzanotte is used to all kinds of trouble. She's nursing another black eye from her bartending sideline, her mom's dropping hints about nice Italian boys and Midnight Investigation Services is struggling. Otherwise, Steele would never have accepted her current gig–suspected adultery, maybe embezzlement. Possibly murder. Her ex, Cameron Stone, wants to partner. Steele wants to punish him for past misdemeanors.But she's got to trust him or risk facing another side of danger alone…
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Advance praise for
MIA ZACHARYâs Another Side of Midnight
âMia Zachary has a winner with Another Side of Midnight! With a wonderfully defined heroine, snappy dialogue and an intricate plot, whatâs not to love?â
âUSA TODAY bestselling author Julie Kenner
âMia Zachary takes chances that pay off in this edgy, compelling read!â
âUSA TODAY bestselling author Julie Leto
âSparks fly when Steele and Stone clash in this dynamite, double-blind mystery.â
âNew York Times bestselling author Rebecca York
âSteele isâ¦sassy and strong, beautiful and smart but she also has [a] hint of vulnerability underneath that smart mouth attitude. Put Steele and Stone together and you get explosive chemistry⦠the pages fairly sizzleâ¦. Another Side of Midnight grabs you right from the very beginning and keeps you until the end.â
âCataRomance
âMystery, hard-balled suspense and a sizzle that wonât quit are a combination that I crave when I read a romantic suspense. Mia Zachary delivers my cravings to the max!
This book is definitely a keeper!â
âThe Best Reviews
MIA ZACHARY
Over the years, award-winning author Mia Zachary has penned really bad poetry, even worse song lyrics, adolescent short stories and overly descriptive class papers. Her first completed contemporary manuscript placed second in Harlequin Booksâ 2000 Summer Blaze contest.
Sheâs written four Blaze novels since then, including the bestseller Afternoon Delight; âSpirit Danceâ in the paranormal anthology Witchy Business; and Another Side of Midnight, her first romantic mystery. Go behind the scenes of the Midnight agency at www.SteeleMidnight.com.
Mia lives in Maryland with her husband of seventeen years and their beautiful little boy. Visit Mia online at www.miazachary.com for excerpts, reviews, articles and more!
Another Side of Midnight
Dear Reader,
A funny thing happened while driving home from lunch with girlfriends one day. A kick-ass heroine and a complex premise attacked me and didnât let go of my imagination until the story had unfolded onto the manuscript pagesâ¦. Now here it is three years later and I could not be prouder to introduce you to the hero and heroine of my first mystery novel.
Steele Mezzanotte has a new P.I. agency, a showgirlâs body and a sharp-edged attitude. Born and raised in Vegas, street smarts and a smart mouth have always kept her in control of any situation. That is, until Cameron Stone walks into her life. Drop-dead gorgeous, with a lot of Scots charm, the enigmatic âproblem solverâ has a habit of disappearing, but heâll always return to Sin City. And to Steele. Because the only thing that comes between a rock and a hard case is loveâ¦the greatest mystery of all.
Let me know if you enjoy the story as much as I loved writing it. I love to hear from my readers!
Mia
As a writer I know how important words are. And yet I canât seem to find the right ones to express the breadth and depth of my gratitude to those friends who have kept the faith when my own wavered. This story is dedicated to Mom and Lisa, who believed from the beginning and to Rachel and John who loved it to the end. Thank you from my heart. Iâm also very grateful to Marsha Zinberg, Birgit Davis-Todd, and Kathryn Lye for standing by this project from the first premise and pitch. Thank you, ladies!
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
Lady Luck Strikes Again
LAS VEGAS, BABY. My kind of town.
Home to five different Cirque du Soleil shows, about 197,000 slot machines, over thirty-six million annual visitors, who knows how many Elvis impersonators and, of course, one Lady Luck.
However, as luck would have it, Iâd spent the past half hour in a hot car, my digital camera poised near the small opening at the top of the tinted window. One of my best friends had let me borrow the Toyota from her used car dealership. My beloved Harley Davidson Softail motorcycle isnât exactly conducive to surveillance.
Downtown, the casinos are smaller than on the Strip, the hotels cheaper and the atmosphere more nostalgic than glamorous. âGlitter Gulchâ is where youâll find the Golden Gateâs ninety-nine-cent shrimp cocktails, the annual World Series of Poker at Binionâs Horseshoe and VegasVic, the forty-foot neon cowboy. However, once you move past the four main blocks of interest, downtown feels meaner, gritty and weather-beaten.
