The Quinn Case: A Prequel to Heartfelt Cases: A Christian Mystery and Suspense Short Story Featuring FBI Agents

by Julie C. Gilbert

Genres: Christian Fiction; Mystery; Crime & Mystery; Crime Fiction; christian mystery; christian suspense; FBI thrillers; FBI suspense; FBI agents

Synopsis

When a child disappears, every second counts.

As a relatively new FBI agent Ann Davidson struggles with personalizing the cases. Hours after delivering the news that a boy's murder investigation has officially gone cold, Ann and her partner, Patrick Duncan, catch a new case: a custody kidnapping. They have precious little time to find the victim, two-year-old Josiah Quinn. If even a day goes by without locating the boy, the odds of finding him drop to nearly nothing.

They couldn't save the other boy, but Ann's determined not to fail again.

***
Note this is a prequel to the Heartfelt Cases series. The original Christian mystery series contains The Collins Case, The Kiverson Case, The Davidson Case, and The Keres Case. The first 3 stories can be experienced as ebooks, paperbacks, or audiobooks. Book 4 is coming to audio soon. If Christian mystery isn't your thing, try the Shadow Council series instead. (Tip, grab the ebook for a price drop on the audiobook.)

Interview with the Author:
Q: What makes the Heartfelt Cases series special?
A: Heartfelt Cases is a mystery/suspense series featuring a pair of FBI agents handling some very personal cases. It fits in the Christian mystery niche, and most reviewers agree it hits that mark without being preachy. It's Christian because the characters happen to be believers. That's it. They're normal people with a crazy job that sometimes dumps a heap of trouble on their doorstep. Life's full of ups and downs. Most of our stressors won't almost kill us, but hopefully, many people can relate to the desire to handle stressful situations with a measure of peace and grace.

Q: What order should I read them in?
A: They're designed so that you should be able to read them in any order as standalones, but you'll get the richest flow of side events from reading:
The Collins Case
The Kiverson Case
The Davidson Case
The Keres Case
The Quinn Case (This is a short prequel that will be available shortly. It was first in Where the Light May Lead, a Christian anthology. My philosophy of prequels is shifting. I think they're more useful as enhancements to further get to know characters you've already met.)

Q: Where does this book fit in the series? What theme(s) make it special?
A: The Quinn Case is a prequel. It's set about three years before the events in The Collins Case. Ann and Patrick have just officially closed the Dawson case and will soon head back to DC. That's when they get the call for a possible custody kidnapping. We've all heard Amber Alerts on our phones. It's quite creepy when you're in a crowd and everybody's phone starts blaring. Brokenness in families is a part of our society. Sometimes things spin out of control.

Q: Why should readers check out this series?
A: These are super clean, kid and adult-safe mysteries. If you're looking for gritty, this probably ain't it. If you're looking for a quick, light mystery fix, then I have a story to tell you.

Q: Can the reader get the whole series at once?
A: Yes! Books 1-4 are now officially bundled.

 

Release date: May 7, 2017

Publisher: Julie C. Gilbert

Print pages: 41

Sample

 

Upon entering her hotel room, Ann Davidson marched to the bathroom, threw cold water onto her face, and stared at the weary woman in the mirror. The figure still possessed the same honey-blond hair that didn’t deal well with humidity, but something in the pale blue eyes was different today. As she attempted to sort the messy hair, Ann tried to recall why she’d worked so hard to get here.

A few years ago, she’d been an English teacher trying to convince upper-middle class freshman literature mattered. A random school assembly on the FBI’s mission and programs had introduced her to Special Agent Patrick Duncan. He, in turn, had put her in contact with a recruiting agent named Troy Bissel. Eight months later, she’d entered the Academy in Quantico, Virginia, and now, roughly two years beyond that, here she was questioning everything.

Special Agents were supposed to be problem solvers, doers, people who made things happen. She understood the brutal fact that cases would go unsolved, but her heart ached with the unjustness of the situation. As often happened when she struggled to find peace, Ann let her thoughts ramble.

God, I don’t understand. Why are we giving up on him? I know Gabriel’s dead and nothing we do can change that, but stopping the search for his killer seems like a betrayal. How can I move on? Why have You called me here? Am I doing any good? Is it making a difference?

A series of sharp knocks interrupted her questions and helped her fight off the urge to cry. She hadn’t even realized she’d shut her eyes until they snapped open.

“Be right there,” Ann called.

Quickly drying her face with a towel, Ann sprinted to answer the door. Over the last few months of working on Gabriel Dawson’s murder investigation, Ann had learned to categorize her partner’s knocks. This one fell into the urgent category. Maybe Assistant Director in Charge Cobb had reconsidered and decided to let them stay on the Dawson investigation another few weeks.

Unlikely, but worth wishing for.

A greeting died in her throat when she took one glance at Patrick Duncan’s deep blue eyes.

“Gear up. We have a new case,” he said.