On his first day as an LAPD rookie detective, Jessick Justix and his training officer partner are called to a death at international rockstar Rik Drake’s Hollywood Hills home. But what Jessick finds in examining the evidence is not a self-inflicted hanging death but murder, and Rik Drake, known for his excesses, is the main suspect. But Jessick has followed Rik’s career for years and can see Rik as a charismatic chaos agent, but not a murderer.
Rik Drake is six months sober, dealing with the fallout of a disastrous alcohol-fueled quickie wedding and a band whose addictions threaten to pull him back into old habits. With an upcoming tour, Rik can’t be mired in controversy. While the people around him—his entertainment lawyer, Chase, and his publicist Amanda—scramble to manage the PR fallout, Rik remains firm in his belief that he had nothing to do with the tragedy. Only the detective with the storm-green eyes seems to care about the truth, and for once, Rik Drake feels truly seen.
As Jessick gets closer to the truth, danger stalks Rik Drake, placing Jessick in the precarious position of protecting a man who compromises his objectivity and his heart.
Available in ebook or print at Amazon: https://a.co/d/05NCLbsu
Ssh, don’t tell anyone, but until September 26, 2026, you can get an ARC copy of Hanging By A Thread for your reviewing pleasure here: https://booksprout.co/reviewer/review-copy/view/314002/hanging-by-a-thread-the-justix-files-book-1
in preparation for the release of Loose Ends, Book 2 of the Justix Files on October 2, 2026.
I’m participating in MFRW Book Hooks—browse the current hop here:
