Poisoned Pawn by David Siegel Bernstein

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David, please share five things we’d probably never guess about you. Fun, interesting, edifying or even embarrassing.

I want to start by thanking It’s Raining Books for taking the time for this interview. Okay, let’s get down to business. They have asked me to expose myself. Not physically, mind you. Who’d want to see that? Instead they want bits of my personality laid bare—in the form of five things that you, my gentle reader, wouldn’t guess about me. Well, here we go.

1. I was on the television show Bozo the Clown. Don’t judge me. I was a cute kid.

2. To go with my tough guy motif, I own a Toy Poodle named Ringo Biggles Woofington. He may, or may not, have a guess appearance in Poisoned Pawn. I have included a photo of him.

3. I am a black belt in Tae Kwon Do (the style of combat the main character uses in Poisoned Pawn)

4. To support my writing addiction and excessively extravagant lifestyle, I am a data scientist.

5. My hobbies include reinventing the wheel, the Sisyphus relief project, and referring to myself in third person as THE David lest fools confuse me with the other ones.

Bonus: I have a kick-ass comic collection (which makes me popular with the ladies… right?). Oh, and I am a firm believer in supporting the writing community. I am on the board of directors for the Philadelphia Writers’ Conference and I lead the writers group Words-in-Progress.

That’s it from me. Feel free to comment with interesting facts about yourself. Or impress me by posting fact about me that you’ve discovered. Cheers!

Now, let's learn a bit about your book!

Caleb Jacobs is a man with a past. After serving on a failed dark ops assignment in Afghanistan, he leaves Marine Corps Intelligence to try to build a new life in Philadelphia as a homicide police detective.

Jacobs is happy, for a time, until he is assigned to solve the murder of Shannon Faraday. During the investigation, he is convinced the evidence points to him as the killer. He knows it is only a matter of time before other investigators see the same. He has no alibi and the clock is counting down.

Behind his partner’s back, Jacobs hires a private investigator named Lawrence Holmes. The PI is an irritation to the police, but he is unmistakably brilliant. And, many powerful people in the city owe him favors. Holmes is a bit odd. He insists on calling Jacobs Watson but claims to never have heard the name Sherlock. Jacobs can live with this kind of crazy as long as together they find the real killer.

They quickly link the murder to a series of seemingly unrelated crimes occurring throughout Philadelphia, and Jacobs becomes convinced the murder is related to the truth of what had happened during his time in Afghanistan. Old secrets have come back to haunt him.

Read an Excerpt

I felt like shit for having to hire a private investigator, especially one who was most likely insane. Still, I couldn’t deny that his type of crazy got results. Reluctantly I handed over an envelope to the man sitting on the sun-bleached bench.

He opened it. Satisfied with my offering, he slid it into his jacket. “Ah, Watson,” he said. “Good to see you again.”

I shook my head and dropped onto the bench next to him. “My name is Jacobs. Caleb Jacobs,” I said, hoping the reminder might stick this time.

He turned to me. “Did you say something?”

I sighed. “No, Holmes.”

If I wasn’t desperate for his help, I’d strangle him. Of course my superiors at the Philadelphia Homicide Unit wouldn’t appreciate that. But I wondered if a cop hiring a private investigator was any worse of a violation. I needed Lawrence Holmes for his connections and unique viewpoint, things my PHU colleagues couldn’t provide. He might not be the fictional character he played at, but he was a talented PI.

About the Author:

To support his writing addiction and excessively extravagant lifestyle, David Siegel Bernstein, PhD, is a data scientist who consults as a forensic statistician. That sounds really boring until you realize that his clients include the US National Security Agency (NSA), the Secret Service, the FBI, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and a host of other acronymonious agencies who cultivate exciting and shadowy reputations. Alas, those reputations are mere facades that disguise the real reason these organizations exist, which is to keep him entertained and fed.

When David wants a break from this spellbinding work, he writes. His fiction credits encompass two novelettes and sixty shorts. His nonfiction has appeared in newsletters, popular blogs, academic journals and he is the author of the book Blockbuster Science: The Real Science in Science Fiction.

He lives within the shadow of Philadelphia with his wife, Michelle, two children, Seth and Gwendolyn, and a dog named Ringo Biggles Woofington.

Blog: http://www.DavidSiegelBernstein.blogspot.com
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/bernsteindavid1
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DSBernstein/
Twitter: Twitter
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/davidsieglebernstein

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YGXJK4Z/ref=dp-kindle-redirect
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/poisoned-pawn-2
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/poisoned-pawn-david-s-bernstein/1133839279

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