The Woman Who Wore Roses - paperback
The Woman Who Wore Roses - paperback
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Want to read a synopsis?
Detective Mary Joe Court returns in the fifth thrilling mystery in New York Times’ bestselling author Chris Culver’s Joe Court series.
Someone shot the victim in her chest five times at point-blank range and left her to die in a cheap motel. Her purse has no ID, cell phone, or car keys, and her room is registered to Benjamin Franklin. She’s no drifter, though. She has two thousand dollars cash in her wallet, a ten-thousand dollar watch in her purse, and a six-thousand dollar dress on a hanger on the bathroom door.
Detective Mary Joe Court catches the case and identifies the woman as the estranged spouse of a wealthy investment advisor from St. Louis. The victim had been trying to create a new life for herself with someone she loved. Now, that will never happen.
But some seemingly innocent victims are anything but innocent. Sometimes, they’re downright dangerous.
The woman with the beautiful, rose-patterned dress carried her secrets to her grave. To find her killer, Joe has to unearth them…or risk being buried alongside her.
The Woman who wore Roses is the fifth mystery in New York Times’ bestselling author Chris Culver’s gripping Joe Court series. If you like James Patterson, David Baldacci, or Karin Slaughter, you’ll love this series.
🔥Some innocent victims are anything but innocent.🔥
I held the phone toward him again. Once more, he studied the photograph. Then he leaned back.
“She’s not one of mine.”
“Then we’ve got a problem,” I said. “Here’s what I’m thinking. My victim was a prostitute. If she didn’t work for you, she was probably from St. Louis. She came here to meet with a client at your motel. That’s your turf, though, and you don’t take well to independent operators working out of your business. You watched her with those surveillance cameras outside your club and waited until her client left. Then you killed her to keep your girls from getting ideas about going independent and costing you money.”
He gave me a bemused smile. “You’ve got quite an imagination.”
“That’s what I’m told. Did you kill her?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “You got a picture of her dress?”
I cocked my head to the side. “Why does her dress interest you?”
“Just trust me on this, Joe,” he said, holding out his hand. “Let me see her dress. You brought it up. That means you think it’s important, which means you took a picture.”
I sighed and flicked through pictures until I found one.
“Have you seen that dress before?” I asked, holding the phone toward him.
He looked and then shook his head.
“No, but it’s a Dolce & Gabbana,” he said, shaking his head. “The watch on the counter is a Hermès.”
I crossed my arms. “How do you know that?”
He shrugged. “My wife is a seamstress. She designs and sews the costumes for the girls who dance in my club. She likes clothes and has a similar dress. It set me back almost six grand. Her watch goes for about ten. Your victim wear underwear, or did she go commando?”
I took my phone out again and flipped through pictures until I found a suitable one.
“Do you know a lot about women’s underwear?”
He nodded and looked at the picture.
“It’s La Perla.”
“And that’s supposed to mean something to me?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
He sighed. “It means her bra and panties likely set her back four hundred bucks. I’ve never seen your victim, she doesn’t work for me, and she’s not a prostitute, but based on the undergarments she chose for the occasion, I’m guessing she came to St. Augustine to make the beast with two backs with somebody special. If it were me, I’d be looking at her husband. He’s probably pissed that she’s sleeping around on him.”
👉FROM: The Woman Who Wore Roses, the fifth book in the Joe Court series. 😋
WHAT’S THE JOE COURT SERIES ABOUT?
Joe Court is a young detective in fictional tourist town and county of St Augustine, Missouri. The streets are well-swept, the surroundings are gorgeous, and the people are friendly—except for the murderers, of course.
Beneath its beautiful exterior, St. Augustine is a county built on poison and lies. Its murder rate is astronomical, its government is corrupt, and drug use is out of control. Joe’s there to clean the place up. It’s not going to be easy, but she’s exactly the right person or the job.
The books are gripping, gritty murder mysteries. In each book, Joe Court investigates a crime—usually a murder, but not always—and takes that crime to a thrilling conclusion. I don’t like cliffhangers. The main story is resolved in each book. You’re going to find out what happened to the bad guys in each story. That said, there are side stories that continue from one book to another. A rumor in one book might turn out to be a far bigger deal than anyone anticipated in later books. Because of that, it’s best to read the story in order.
