Patrenka Peterson

 

W.S. Gager

           Patrenka Peterson is an enigma to Crime Beat reporter Mitch Malone. Mitch is always after his Pulitzer Prize in each of the Mitch Malone Mystery series. In A CASE OF INFATUATION Mitch first set eyes on Patrenka and he became “infatuated.”

           In book four, A CASE OF VOLATILE DEEDS, Patrenka returns to tempt and torment Mitch. After his first brush with the siren, he is hesitant to travel the same road. In INFATUATION Mitch didn’t know much about Patrenka. She never volunteers information or says much of anything. (It was easy to write her dialogue.)

  In VOLATILE DEEDS Mitch is surprised to find Patrenka doing a little breaking and entering. He retrieves a gun in a wrestling match surprised to find her at the end when her knit cap is pulled off. After that, he finds her human side. In one scene Patrenka is at her lowest point and she explains to Mitch why she chose her occupation. She talks about her father who was a drunk and how her unique name which Mitch thinks is exotic, is a type of horse which she scoffs at. Here is an excerpt:

“That’s so…” Patrenka stopped and I could see her struggle for the right word. “Domestic.” She spit the word out with such venom. I didn’t do domestic either but wanted her in the same town   permanently. I felt the slice of the knife right through my heart. The weapon wasn’t cold steel but even worse. All my dreams for a happily ever after fell away, crushed with the weight of one word.

Patrenka noticed my mood deflating like a balloon trailing away in a dizzying path.

“Mitch you don’t understand. I don’t know normal. I’ve never had normal.” She leaned over and grabbed my hand holding me in place.

Her eyes were pleading but I didn’t know what she wanted.

“Tell me.” My voice hoarse, clogged with something in my throat that I couldn’t clear.

“I was raised by my father. Never knew my mother and was told she was a no account. My father put shoes on horses. We followed the rodeo circuit. I was named after a horse.”

I nodded. I’d looked it up. While I thought it was perfect, the notion of being named after a horse had filled her with contempt.

“I became a master at manipulating men. It was the only way I knew how to survive in a circuit where your horse and woman are equally important. Cowboys thought I was easy because I was there.” Her eyes closed tight and I could see her memories making her cringe.

            I wish I could say I planned all the detailed back story in INFATUATION, but the truth is I didn’t. Her physical description started as the Elvira goddess from Halloween beer posters and then morphed a bit when I saw a model in a magazine wearing the dress I’d pictured she was wearing in INFATUATION.

            In VOLATILE DEEDS her dressing is a bit more demur but that doesn’t stop Mitch’s imagination. Will he get the girl? I’d hate to spoil the read except to say that Patrenka is thick in the mix of explosions, undercover operations and political maneuvering. A CASE OF VOLATILE DEEDS – Coming out in February 2013.

W.S. Gager will be giving away a single copy of each of the first three books in the Mitch Malone Mystery series: A CASE OF INFATUATION, A CASE OF ACCIDENTAL INTERSECTION, and A CASE OF HOMETOWN BLUES from comments made on her blog: http://wsgager.blogspot.com or on her guest blogs from the Murder We Write Mystery Tour. 

 W.S. Gager
Author of Humorous Whodunits
A Case of Infatuation, A Case of Accidental Intersection, A Case of Hometown Blues-Now Available
A Case of Volatile Deeds - Coming Fall 2012
http://wsgager.blogspot.com/

A Case of Hometown Blues buy link: http://www.amazon.com/Case-Hometown-Blues-W-Gager/dp/1610090179/ref=la_B003U5OADU_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1351125657&sr=1-3

Website: http://wsgager.com

Blog: http://wsgager.blogspot.com

A CASE OF VOLATILE DEEDS Book Blurb:

Mitch finally scores a weekend dinner with a cute receptionist, but true to his reporter instincts an explosion in a high rise office building makes him stand up his date as he runs for an exclusive.  When he investigates, he learns his date is the only casualty in a botched robbery at a real estate office. When femme fatale Patrenka Petersen returns, Mitch learns that much of what he knows about his date and her work aren’t what they seem. His world continues to twist when the police captain asks for his help and a city hall informant is found floating in the river. Mitch must keep his head down or a cute dog with a knack for finding dead bodies will be sniffing out his corpse. 
Book Blurb:

“A Case of Hometown Blues” Synopsis

When Pulitzer-winning reporter Mitch Malone's editor presses him for a favor, Malone breaks his vow to never return to his hometown. It seemed simple enough--lead a seminar for Flatville, MI's newspaper, keep a low profile and get back to the city post haste. But memories of his parents' death swarm him, and, to avoid solitude, he stops for a beer. In the crowded bar, Mitch is dismayed to see many of his former classmates--including the still-lovely Homecoming Queen, Trudy. Once the object of his teenage crush, Trudy joins Mitch. He quickly realizes she is upset and inebriated. Always the gentleman, Mitch sees her safely home, and returns to his B&B, still trying to shake memories of his parents' sad demise. The next day, he is stunned to learn Trudy was murdered and he is the prime suspect. The locals treat the murder charge as a slam dunk, and Mitch realizes he must track down the real killer to keep his butt out of jail. As he investigates, facts he thought he knew about his family unravel, and danger ratchets up. Can Mitch discover the truth that will allow his parents to rest in peace, or will he be resting with them?

Author Bio
Award winning mystery author W.S. Gager has lived in Michigan for most of her life except when she was interviewing race car drivers or professional woman's golfers. She enjoyed the fast-paced life of a newspaper reporter until deciding to settle down and realized babies didn't adapt well to running down story details on deadline. Since then she honed her skills on other forms of writing before deciding to do what she always wanted with her life and that was to write mystery novels. Her main character is Mitch Malone who is an edgy crime-beat reporter always on the hunt for the next Pulitzer and won't let anyone stop him. Her third book, A CASE OF HOMETOWN BLUES, was a finalist in the 2012 Daphne Du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense. A CASE OF VOLATILE DEEDS, her fourth in the Mitch series will be out this February.

 W.S. Gager
Author of Humorous Whodunits
A Case of Infatuation, A Case of Accidental Intersection, A Case of Hometown Blues-Now Available
A Case of Volatile Deeds - Coming February 2013
http://wsgager.blogspot.com/