just for fun

Dealing with Loose Ends

Jack Taggart burst onto the mystery scene in 2005 with his debut case, Loose Ends. Now five years later, Don Easton has just released Jack’s fourth case, Samurai Code. To mark the official publication, Don will be signing books at the Coles in Westshore Town Centre in Victoria, B.C. tomorrow, July 23rd, and Saturday, July 24th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Never heard of the implacable Jack Taggart before? It seems there’s no better time than now to get better acquainted with him and the slew of vicious criminals and harsh realities he has faced in his past novels. To get you started (and maybe whet your mystery appetite a tad), here’s an excerpt from his debut case:

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LOOSE ENDS

Chapter Six

Ten minutes later, Jack saw Danny get up and go to the men’s room. A scrawny junkie at a nearby table gave Danny a long hard look, then followed him. Jack hoped his frustration didn’t show. What do I do? Blow my cover for some jerk I told to stay in the car? God damn him!

Danny stood at the urinal. He heard someone come in behind him but didn’t look up. The junkie took a buck knife out of his pocket and opened the blade. He partially hid the knife beside his leg as he crept up behind Danny.

The pain was instant. Danny briefly lost consciousness when the butt end of the knife slammed hard into the side of his skull. He crashed into the wall and his knees buckled as he slid face-first down the urinal. The junkie grabbed his hair and smashed his face into the drain.

Danny’s teeth cut his tongue and he could taste the blood as it ran down the back of his throat. The deodorizer cake in the bottom of the urinal stung his eyes and lips. His left hand was partially pinned under his face and the junkie held his other wrist high up his back. He then felt the sharp edge of the knife on his throat and froze.

“You so much as whisper or blink a f***in’ eyeball and I’ll slash yer f***in’ throat!”

For a strange moment, Danny didn’t feel fear or panic. A sorrowful calm seeped across his brain. There is nothing I can do. I am not in control of my life … he is. I’m going to die and will never see Susan or Tiffany again. It’s so sad…

The door to the men’s room opened and he cocked his head and saw Jack. Both Danny and the junkie stared at Jack. Nobody spoke. Jack sauntered up to the urinal next to them. Danny heard him unzip and then softly whistle.

The junkie then kneed Danny between the shoulder blades, pinning his face harder into the bottom of the urinal. He felt the junkie’s hand slide his wallet from his pocket. Son-of-a-bitch! He’s not going to help me! I’m going to die in here like this! Panic replaced sorrow.

“Missed his wedding ring,” he heard Jack say.

Danny raised his head slightly and saw the blood and water trickling across his gold wedding ring.

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Don Easton, author of the Jack Taggart Mystery series, worked as an undercover RCMP officer over a span of twenty years. He worked in foreign countries and assumed numerous false identities and witnessed horrific crimes. He survived several contracts on his life and was often targeted by both sides of the law. Past reviews by the media note that Easton is clearly writing from experience. He takes us into a world that few would dare to enter.

© 2010 Defining Canada.