Author: James David Jordan
ISBN: 978-0-8054-4754-5
Publisher: B&B Media Group

Click Here To Purchase Double Cross: A Novel

Taylor Pasbury is a unique and quite resourceful young woman. At 29 years old she has had quite a few brushes not only with the law, death but also with her own serious addictions that caused her to take time and rethink where her life was going. With a mother who abandoned her and her father at the age of 9 and a father who was murdered right in front of her eyes, it is no wonder that she became shortsighted and lost track of her life. Taylor owns her own security agency and worked for a man named Simon Mason. Simon was the closest person to her more like a father or older brother. Simon Mason ran Simon Mason World Ministries and he was murdered. His assistant Elise Hovden was running the organization but Taylor caught wind of the fact that someone, namely Elise embezzled money from the organization, namely half a million dollars. This brings me to my review of an interesting and quite entertaining murder/mystery by James David Jordan, Double Cross.

As the story begins we meet Taylor and Simon’s daughter Kacey who are about to confront Elise at her home about the missing money.  Nothing that has to do with Taylor is ever mundane and ordinary and having a controversial past of her own this encounter with Elise would prove to be more than she and Kacey bargained for. You see, when they get there they find Elise has committed suicide-death from carbon monoxide poisoning. But, did she really commit suicide, according to the partial note found by Taylor and Kacey she did. However, events prove that it might not be the case.

As Taylor is waiting to be questioned by the police she and Kacey decide to do a little detective work on their own. Finding a partial suicide note in a printer, thumb drive and Elise’s cell phone. Keeping the phone and the thumb drive hidden from the police, Taylor hoped to find the answers she needed to solve the murder and blackmailing scheme.

Enter Michael, her close friend who works for the FBI who helps her out of the mess with the police officer and enables her to find out what she needs when a reporter requests an interview with her. But, there is so much more that happens that you will not believe.

After 20 years her mother shows up at her door and she learns that her brother was not only Simon’s son but also her mothers too as a result of an affair between her and Simon. How would you react if a stranger came to your door and told you she was your mother and shows not one iota of remorse?

Blackmail, deceit embezzlement and more are just the tip of the iceberg. Simon was being blackmailed before he was killed. Someone threatened to tell the news about his son Chase and the affair. Next, the accountant for the ministry Brandon, seemed upset about answering her questions regarding the money making him a likely suspect for the blackmailer. But, was he?

When a reporter calls Taylor and requests a meeting and reveals that she knows more than she should, Taylor agrees to speak with her. The reporter revealed that she was doing a story on a drug and extortion ring run by organized crime in Dallas and she thought that the murder and the theft from the ministry might be related. During their discussion they discussed Simon being blackmailed, Elise’s embezzling of the money, his illegitimate son, and his former accountant who knew about his son and more.

Taking a bullet in her hip and saving the life of the reporter was just part of her job. She felt like she vindicated herself for her father dying and Simon’s death, which she blamed on herself.

Added to this her mother’s third husband Stanley who is quite odd and according to her mother quite rich. But, her mother has no idea where his finances came from and she and Taylor want to investigate him together. But, who is guilty, him or her mother? Was Simon being blackmailed not only about his son but using prostitutes too? Is that how all of the pieces will fit together?

With a mother who has decided to take up detective work Taylor finds out that her stepfather’s finances are not quite what they appear to be and how he might fit into the equation. Her mother is really an added gem in this story. She is a combination of Maude, Rosanne and Peg Bundy. The tenaciousness of Maude, the outrageous behavior of Rosanne who tells it the way she sees it, and the makeup and appearance of Peg Bundy who have Hillary Venerable.  You have to love her resourcefulness and the way she justifies her behavior and actions.

Who was blackmailing Simon and what part did Elise play in the scheme? How was the blackmailer paid and how did she try to double cross the blackmailer? You won’t believe how cunning and conniving she really was. The ending is filled with more twists and surprises than you would ever expect. But, the bond that forms between Taylor and her mother and a mother’s love for a daughter is heartwarming. A mother who left her daughter at a young age and daughter who would never do the same and would always be there for her. Just how did all the pieces fit together you will have to read for yourself.

What part did Stan play and what part did Elise play and who did the Double Crossing? Kacey, Taylor and Hilary go on a dangerous quest to find out the truth about her past and more. What they find out will forever change their lives and their relationship. This book teaches us that it is never too late to forgive someone we love for his or her past mistakes and embrace them with understanding and help them survive their own personal struggles. We all have them. This is a must read for everyone and will renew you faith in more ways than one. This well written novel keeps you guessing until the very last page and we can only hope the author will write a sequel and ask me to review it.

Click Here To Purchase Double Cross: A Novel