A Dead Man Speaks by Lisa Jones Gentry Series: The Clive January Mystery Series #1
on November 29th, 2024
Genres: Fiction, Adult, Mystery/Suspense, Thriller, Paranormal
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Introducing the first in a new paranormal crime mystery series set in 1980s, New York City on Wall Street.
Clive January is a driven, self-made Black man, a ruthless, wildly successful investment banker who had it all – until he is shot and killed from behind by an unknown assailant. As Clive lies in a pool of blood, his life slowly ebbing away, he hears voices, unearthly beings tormenting him, telling him that he will burn in hell, unless he finds out who killed him. Now before it’s too late, his ghost must solve the crime of his own murder and his only choice is to work with the white racist cop assigned to his case, Detective Bob Greene.
Their relationship begins in hate and distrust, but soon they each realize that they have more in common than they could ever believe. And in the wrenching ending, they discover the truth that frees them both.
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a Rafflecopter giveawayExclusive Excerpt from A Dead Man Speaks
She looked up, and for the first time I saw another woman behind the confidence. The mask she wore had fallen off. She brushed her hand against my face. “Yes, I do. I really do.” She kissed my forehead softly at first, then again. And through the pain, I felt her warmth reaching over my parched body. I felt love radiating out from her, something I’d never had before. A feeling that totally and completely engulfed me.
“I know your pain,” she whispered. “We share the same pain…”
She started unbuttoning my shirt, kissing my chest. I turned her over, pressing my body against hers. A wave rolled over me, again and again. The duality of the pleasure of being with her and the pain of my future, all mingling together, pain and pleasure throbbing together.
I was spinning around and around: her lips and mine, her face and mine, her eyes and mine, with the light from her window, wrapping around us. I couldn’t stop the feelings, the new sensations. I wanted to cry and laugh all at once.
And then I felt “It.” ‘cause there’s no words for “It.” More than love. I looked in her eyes, and I knew that she felt “It,” too. And I knew what “It” was… Fear. The fear of losing yourself, of surrendering your soul to a love that just was. And I knew that “It” would always be there between us. This love and fear. She was shaking and trembling all over, and she held me with a strength that blocked out everything. I closed my eyes and cradled her head against my chest. She buried her lips in my skin, until I didn’t know her flesh from mine and the love took over again, shoving the fear away.
As I ran my hands over her bare legs and arms, little charges of electricity fed me with jolts of energy that kept getting stronger and stronger. I released a shower of light into her, pumping in harder and harder all the feelings, wanting and longing that I’d had. I was somewhere else. There was no bottom, no sounds, nothing. And just when I thought I couldn’t go any higher, something crashed against me, like a fist slamming against wood. And then, I realized we weren’t alone.
Knock, knock, knock.
A loud voice boomed out from outside her window. At first I thought it was a dream. My eyes didn’t want to open. I was shaking all over.
Knock, knock, knock, knock…
“Miss Davenport, we know you’re in there. Open up the door.”
Miss Davenport, or Laurel, she’d never be Miss Davenport again for me, sat up dazedly. “Who in the world?”
From outside the door we heard, “Miss Davenport, we suggest you open the door. It’s the sheriff.”
“Shit.” I shook myself alert. Quickly, I grabbed my pants and pulled them on. She threw a shirt over her head and slipped into a skirt, trying to smooth her tangled hair, walking quickly to the door.
I stayed in the other room, scooping up the rest of my things and jamming them under her bed. My heart was still beating as if it wanted to jump outta my chest, and my knees buckled weakly. Laurel opened the door slightly. I could see Sheriff Miller, and, of all people, Verna Smith in her African dress and her pa. Verna’s eyes were puffy and red, and her pa looked ready to kill somebody, presumably ME.
About Lisa Jones Gentry
People would consider Lisa Jones Gentry, the author of “Forbidden Love” a true renaissance woman, because the former entertainment attorney, became an artist, author, creative executive, and writer-producer for film, television and digital content…
Lisa discovered her passion for the creative side of the business while serving as broadcast counsel at CBS in New York City, where she was the lead attorney on deals ranging from multi-millions to billions, such as the Olympics and Major League Baseball deal. But her Hollywood calling changed from “behind-the-deal” to “behind-the-laptop”, and ultimately moved to LA to break into the business as a writer-producer. As luck would have it, the first film script that she and her writing partner wrote was optioned by Paramount.
For the next four years they had several screenplays and teleplays optioned and set up at networks and studios, including development deals. She then took that creative experience and brought it to her position as EVP of Development for the stalwart Western International Syndication, formerly a division of renowned Western International Media, once the largest media buying entity in the world. Charged with expanding the company’s traditional roster of syndicated programming into network and cable, she executive produced over 100 hours of television in various formats and genres, airing on broadcast and cable. She also structured a joint venture between French broadcasting giant TF-1, Stephen J. Cannell Productions and Western for the international distribution of a one hour dramatic series.
Though “behind-the-deal: again, she didn’t stop her work behind-the-laptop and during that time wrote her first novel, “A Dead Man Speaks.” It garnered her an NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Debut Author, followed by a Literary Critics Award nomination for best general fiction. And her creative roll continued with a First Look Deal for Lisa and her writing partner at Sony Pictures under their Screen Gems banner.
With the cataclysmic changes in the “business,” like many other writers and producers, it wasn’t long before Lisa expanded her focus to digital media and due to her writing and executive experience was recruited to be the CEO of Comedy Express, a start-up broadband network targeting the young adult male demo. Ultimately, Comedy Express was acquired by the famed National Lampoon.
Following the acquisition of Comedy Express, Lisa not only managed to write another book – this time as a co-author of the nonfiction, “So You Want to be A Lawyer,” now in its second printing –she continued her expansion into digital media and technology and worked as Co-CEO of another early stage start-up company that launched two 24/7 television networks on cable, IPTV and satellite networks outside the US in Europe and Asia. Today, Lisa is a frequent speaker on technology and digital media, at the Tribeca Film Festival, the FCC start up conference and many other venues.
As if all that she’s done isn’t enough, Lisa is also an accomplished artist, and has been exhibiting and selling her work for several years. She has had worked featured in television series and TV Movies and buyers of her work have included on air talent, Arthel Neville and television Executive Producer, Samm Art Williams.
And while she loves exploring her artistic side, Lisa has no intention of slowing down her writing, as she continues to flex her creative muscle with several TV and film projects that she’s developing as well as her current book, “Forbidden Love,” the true love story of a white nun and a black priest in the segregated fifties as told by their son Joe Steele.
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