The Unknown Puppeteer fiction book romance mystery intrigue Hollywood movie plot wedding cozy murder

A killer stalks the wedding party! On the eve of their marriage, Lt. Plate and Daphne must uncover a ruthless murderer or forfeit their chance for happiness for all time. Their fledgling romance began as sparks during a flood, simmered within a scandal, and caught fire amidst a storm of anarchy. Now it would only be justice if Lt. Plate and Daphne could enjoy a long and stress free engagement, then sail away into the sunset after a quiet wedding… Not meant to be. A chance at a dream Hollywood style ceremony pushes up their nuptial calendar, which would be fine if Plate also did not have to tend to security for a runaway princess bride, a Japanese VIP also claiming royal ties, a prominent movie producer staging a murder in Sand Waves, and then the surprise acquittal of an East Texas serial killer who murders on land and sea. With half his fellow officers taking off for sailing trips on Galveston Bay, and the chief busy trying to learn the new computer technology of the 1980s, Plate is left with only Grant Skaar, the youngest member of the force, as backup. Still Plate is coping, and Daphne is selling all parties involved as much insurance as she can, when suddenly everything has to take a backseat to an unimaginable tragedy within the police department. Mystery/thriller featuring the descendant of a famous Texas lawman and the woman he loves, part of as series but also enjoyable as a stand alone mystery.

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Excerpt- Chapter 1- 1983
Fitted with her wedding gown for the last time, the bride-to-be stood before a wall of mirrors framed in tall white columns.
Beside one column stood her father, happy and smiling.
Ready to pay for the dress.
Before the other stood her intended husband, dark and handsome, bearded, with deep brown eyes of approval, surveying her image.
Ready to take possession.
The attendant brought the veil.
The princess was never sure later at exactly which second she decided to run. It might have been the moment the attendant mischievously arranged the satin panels on either side of the lace veil in such a way as to resemble a niqab, covering the lower portion of her lovely face.
On the other hand, it might have been the moment she caught the eyes of her turbaned fiancé and saw a rare smile and triumph in his eyes.
In the end, the trigger for her subsequent actions was irrelevant.
Somewhere within her emotions, she uncovered the stark fact that throughout her whirlwind romance with Sheik Abdul Mahlah, she had been looking for disapproval all along.
Someone to stop her.
However, her father enthusiastically endorsed his daughter's romance with an Arab oil prince who was immensely rich.
Her mother petitioned the Catholic Church for dispensation so their planned secular ceremony would be approved.
And the Church said okay.
Her publicity agent put out stories of how her upcoming marriage would affect her rising career as a star of Italian movies and television if her husband forced her to abandon her craft as most expected.
It was a drama. Fans ate it up.
Felicitations poured in.
Advice abounded. Advice about the dress. The cuisine. The venue.
No one saw beyond the potential glamour and entertainment of the union.
Her former boyfriend, a good Italian Catholic journalist, who should have fought to the blood death in defense of her hand, instead extended his to the oil prince in congratulations and hinted around for a position in the Arab sheik's TV production company in Egypt.
Finally, at the last bridal fitting, the realization, forming for weeks, crystallized.
There was no one left to object except herself and God.
After the dress fitting ended and the men left, she phoned her personal maid with instructions on where to send clothes and personal effects via international transit.
She promised to mail the maid a good reference upon their receipt.
She had her passport in her purse.
Then, gown and veil left behind, she diverted her chauffeur from the bridal salon exit to the Rome airport and a plane to America...