Where Will You Run? Book One of the Dìon Series

          My debut novel Where Will You Run? is the first book in the Dìon series. I am currently working on book two called Where Will You Hide? Several people have asked me for more information on the first book, so here it is. The story takes place in San Francisco and follows homicide detective Mari Lucas as she searches for her sister, Kerry, who goes missing from a locked psychiatric facility.

Mari took care of her younger sister, Kerry, after their parents were murdered. While Mari focused on her career in the SFPD, Kerry had her own run-ins with the law. Mari resented the fact that she was constantly pulling strings and asking for favors to get Kerry out of trouble. She felt as though her career had suffered because of it. Mari’s original plan was to join the police force, work her way up to homicide detective and eventually solve her parents’ murder. However, with the number of current homicide cases she was assigned to she rarely had any free time. She was a chronic workaholic and her personal life had suffered as a result. The relationship with her sister was all she had and that was strained.

When Mari gets a call about Kerry being arrested and taken to a locked psychiatric facility, she has finally had enough. Mari meets with her on the psychiatric unit, and Kerry is frantic. She tells Mari that she was delivering a package to the Collins building downtown. She went to the wrong office and overheard a conversation between two men who were talking about transporting humans. When she tried to get away without being discovered, she was pursued by the owner of the building, Christopher Collins. Kerry told Mari that she made it into the elevator right as Collins caught up to her. She said that Collins moved with unnatural speed and had fangs and threatened to find her. Mari was prepared. She had been told ahead of time that Kerry had been placed on the psychiatric unit for claiming that she was being hunted by vampires. For Mari, this was the last straw. Kerry had finally pushed her too far. Maybe Kerry really was crazy. Mari leaves her sister on the unit and begrudgingly agrees to look into Kerry’s claims.

Mari knew she had to keep any investigation of the city’s golden boy under the radar. Christopher Collins was a well known and well loved business man in the downtown community. He was best known for his charitable efforts with the homeless population. He funded a series of shelters for the homeless offering them not only a safe place to sleep and good food, but substance abuse treatment and medical care as well as job training and placement. The Collins building itself was a beautiful high rise right in the middle of the business district and housed the offices for his various business ventures. Not to mention the man played golf with the mayor. Going after him was career suicide.

Before Mari can decide on a plan of action, Kerry disappears from the locked psychiatric facility which, according to them, was not possible. Mari finds out Kerry’s disappearance is not isolated one. There has been a recent increase in missing persons’ cases especially among the homeless. Mari is forced to partner up with Raith Macrae, a detective from missing persons. Mari does not play well with others and writes him off as another pretty boy who gets by on his good looks and charm. Her attempts to keep him on the sidelines quickly backfire as she finds out that his playboy demeanor is just a cover. Raith Macrae has a darker side and appears to have his own agenda.

The situation quickly spirals out of control and Mari’s life gets turned upside down. When she gets in over her head, who can she trust? Where will she run?