Julie Collins is stuck in a dead-end secretarial job with the Bear Butte County Sheriff’s office, and still grieving over the unsolved murder of her Lakota half-brother. Lack of public interest in finding his murderer, or the killer of several other transient Native American men, has left Julie with a bone-deep cynicism she counters with tequila, cigarettes, and dangerous men. The one bright spot in her mundane life is the time she spends working part-time as a PI with her childhood friend, Kevin Wells. When the body of a sixteen-year old white girl is discovered in nearby Rapid Creek, Julie believes this victim will receive the attention others were denied. Then she learns Kevin has been hired, mysteriously, to find out where the murdered girl spent her last few days. Julie finds herself drawn into the case against her better judgment, and discovers not only the ugly reality of the young girl’s tragic life and brutal death, but ties to her and Kevin’s past that she is increasingly reluctant to revisit. On the surface the situation is eerily familiar. But the parallels end when Julie realizes some family secrets are best kept buried deep. Especially those serious enough to kill for.
Grisly murders are rocking the small county of Bear Butte where Julie Collinshas spent the last few months learning the PI biz. She takes a case involvinga missing Native American girl who could be the innocent pawn in her parents'child custody dispute, or a hostage in a fight to keep a casino from opening.Original.
After human bones are discovered in Bear Butte County, the case opens old wounds for PI Julie Collins. On the wrong side of tribal politics, family disputes, and employee rivalries, Julie continues to dig for answers, while the personal stakes climb ever higher. Original.
The frigid winter months are mighty slow in the PI biz for Julie Collins and her partner, Kevin Wellsuntil the duo is hired by a young woman to investigate problems at her grandfather’s assisted living facility, where they encounter lax security, unqualified healthcare personnel, and a shady senior volunteer organization. Julie barely has time to delve deeper into the puzzling case before she reluctantly finds herself in an isolated cattle shelter on the Collins ranch with her father during a raging blizzard. There is no escape from her father or from the biting cold and bitter memories. Julie is forced to wrestle with issues that make her question old wounds and new family loyalties. When the bodies and the snow pile up, Julie seems at odds with everyone, leaving her to wonder if she’s being blinded to the cold, hard truths in her life by love . . . or by hate.
In Dead Flowers, by Shamus Award winning author, Lori Armstrong, PI Julie Collins trails cheating lovers, which leads to questions about her relationship with Tony Martinez. This 14K novella was originally published in the Guns and Roses Anthology in 2012.
A hobby turns deadly… In the novella Baited, it’s been a long, hot, summer for PI Julie Collins. With her partner Kevin off on assignment, she’s lured into taking a case involving a missing fisherman. Nothing about the man’s disappearance is as it seems. Although Julie is no stranger to the dark currents that churn below the surface, can she count on her friend Jimmer, and her lover Tony Martinez, to keep her from getting in too deep?