The Checkpoint, Berlin Detective Series, book 3
by Michele E. Gwynn
by Michele E. Gwynn
Genre: Crime/Thriller
The Kommissar is back, and going rogue in St. Petersburg! A new lead on a cold case, one that has haunted Heinz, and nearly cost him his career now offers a path to redemption. A ledger containing the names of abducted girls recovered from the Vledelets during the Ivchencko affair offers renewed hope. With the wedding to his partner-turned-love of his life, Birgitta Mahler, drawing near, Detective Heinz must find a way to close the door on his guilt once and for all. But will his decision to investigate the disappearance of Marlessa Schubert lead him to an answer he can live with or an early grave? All roads lead to one destination, Warehouse 214, and one man, Vladimir Breshnev, known to his enemies as ‘the Butcher’, and to Interpol as the leader of the Russian mafia. Unsanctioned, and on his own, Heinz pursues his demons. When he fails to check in, his protégé, Officer Elsa Kreiss, must call in a dangerous favor. If she succeeds, Heinz will make it to the church on time, but if she fails, he’ll arrive in a box.
“I have your papers.” She pulled a packet out of her shoulder bag, and shoved it across the table at him. “Don’t open it here. Just put it in the seat next to you. Inside is your new passport. Your name is Martin Lintz, and you are an Austrian school teacher. You teach mathematics to ten year olds. Your birthdate remains the same for ease in remembering should anyone ask, and your address is your old house where you grew up.”
Heinz’s eyebrows shot up. “And how do you know that address?”
She shrugged. “I know everything about you. Faust provided most of it, the rest I dug up on my own.”
“Christ, there’s just no privacy anymore.” He shook his head.
She remained unfazed. “No, none. You will find a new cellular inside. It’s clean and registered to Martin Lintz. You can call whoever you need to, and it will route through your other account. “There is also a baggage tag for your suitcase. You can pick up your ticket to Saint Petersburg at the Air Baltic counter.” She held out her hand.
Heinz looked at it. “What?” he asked.
“Hand over your phone and passport. You can’t take them with you. They will give you away should you be caught.”
“I’m just supposed to leave my personal phone and passport with you? How will I get them back?”
“I will express mail them to Faust as soon as I leave here. They’ll be waiting for you when you get back.”
Joseph sighed. He wasn’t happy about turning over his personal information to this young woman, but it was also obvious that she already had all that since she freely admitted to digging around in his business. He pulled the phone and passport out of his pocket and handed them over.
“Now, in addition to the new phone, there is also Russian currency so you don’t need to stop anywhere to exchange. The amount is five thousand Euros in rubles. You have something for me?”
“Oh, yes.” Heinz reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the thick envelope, handing it over.
She held it in both hands, weighing it. When she was satisfied, she got up. “Thank you.” She turned to leave.
“Wait!” Joseph sat straight, watching her.
“What?”
“That’s it?” He was shocked at their short exchange.
“What more did you expect?”
That got him. What did I expect? He shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess it all just seemed rather abrupt.”
“I got the distinct impression that you, yourself, didn’t care for bullshit.” She stuffed her hands in her pockets, her face absent any emotion.
“I suppose not. Never mind. Thank you.” He dismissed the girl.
Sarah Brown sets out on a journey to sensual self-discovery and falls face first into danger. In Barcelona, Anthony de Luca, a renowned travel author and photographer, unleashes the full force of his charm that threatens to steal her heart, a prize he openly admits he doesn’t want. Still, she can’t resist him, and finds herself experiencing the heights of ecstasy and the lows of heartbreak as her lover leaves without a word. In Berlin, Paul Christiansen, a handsome Dutch Lothario with a sordid past, works his wiles to seduce her body while in the shadows, a predator stalks a young boy close to Sarah determined to get what he wants or kill anyone who gets in his way. One of her two lovers has led a dangerous criminal straight to her door, but which one, and who can she trust?
What happens when Berlin's premiere dominatrix trades in her whip for a badge and gun? She discovers she cannot completely escape her past. With the help of the detective who saved her little brother’s life, Elsa Kreiss enters the police academy, expecting her world to now be far safer. Instead, it only becomes more dangerous!
An unsolved case of three missing girls from Charlottenburg pulls her mentor, Kommissar Joseph Heinz, back into the dark abyss just as he realizes he’s in love with his partner, Birgitta Mahler. While he searches for a killer, she fights an attraction to a very sexy bad boy. Lukas Trommler is everything she likes in a man; cocky, confident, and hot. An art buyer at a local gallery, Lukas exudes culture with an edge of danger. He invites her into his world where she comes face to face with a familiar monster, Yuri Ivchencko, one of the most powerful and wealthiest men in the world with ties to the Russian mafia and human trafficking. His obsession with the sick and twisted side of human nature expressed in art offends Elsa, who doesn’t hesitate to say so. Her outburst lands her squarely on his radar. When Elsa is reported missing, Heinz must put aside his case to rescue his protégé. The operation brings him face to face with a man from his past, the evil Russian he believes responsible for the cold case that haunts him still.
The stakes are high as they race to save several young women now at the mercy of a sadistic billionaire now bound for St. Petersburg, The fate of those kidnapped, should Elsa and Heinz fail, will be worse than death.
Extra!!! As an added bonus for all my Beliners, I will be offering the Prequel to The Checkpoint, Berlin Detective Series, The Making of Herman Faust, to ALL of my current and NEW Newsletter Subscribers. This novella WILL NOT be available anywhere else. It is EXCLUSIVE to my dedicated subscribers. The Making of Herman Faust will be available in May, 2017.
Michele E. Gwynn is a Bestselling Multigenre Author of Crime/Detective books, Sci-Fi/Horror books, and Paranormal/Supernatural romance books in San Antonio. She previously wrote for newspapers, magazines, and online websites. As a journalist, she's covered news and events, and conducted countless celebrity interviews.
She has 3 series currently with several stand-alones, and more books coming!
She resides in the small town of Schertz, Texas on the northeast side of San Antonio with her four felines who so graciously allow her to reside in their home.
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