Rachel Cord PI Mysteries (Confidential Investigations)

Dare to cross the River Styx and descend into Hell with hard-boiled and edgy PI Rachel Cord. Noir, hard-boiled, detective fiction.

“Life isn’t all hearts and flowers. It’s pain and suffering too. It’s dirty little secrets buried in the muck and mire where the grubs and worms feed. Secrets I unbury.” ~ Rachel Cord

Book One:'Life's a Bitch. So am I.' Rachel Cord, P.I.
Rachel Cord searches for a runaway teen and for answers as to why gay performers are being beaten at Miss Kitty’s Kathouse Kabaret. Answers she may live to regret.


Book Two: Rachel Cord, PI 'Still a Bitch'
Rachel Cord returns with a vengeance chasing multiple threads through a labyrinth of missing persons, buried bodies, kinky sex, new love, and an ex-lover who may be a serial killer. Threads that threaten to bind Rachel within a tight cord preventing her from getting the answers she needs and saving the woman she loves.

NEW Book Three: Rachel Cord PI and the 'Bad Bitch Blues'
The hard-boiled detective with an attitude twice as large as her over-sized bosom returns solving cases and targeting bad guys. Now, someone's targeting her.


"Life’s a crapshoot. We don’t know the result until we roll the dice.” ~ Rachel Cord

R. E. Conary: http://tinyurl.com/9wubdau

An excerpt from Rachel Cord PI and the 'Bad Bitch Blues':

Something angered Jean Watson. You could see it in her set jaw, tight lips, the concentration she gave her computer screen, the way she attacked the keyboard. I was pretty certain that something was me.

Not that irritating her was my sole intent, but I purposely arrived earlier than expected. Perhaps it was my pale jade silk dress: too short-too sexual-for an afternoon business meeting. For the fourth time, I crossed my legs and tugged at the hem that barely reached mid-thigh. Perhaps it was my over-sized bosom straining the material. I sighed and breathed deeply-enhancing the effect-as I laid aside the magazine I'd been pretending to read. I took a soft leather case from my Vera Wang bag, laid the open bag on the floor beside the chair and stood up. From the case I took a gold lighter and a Sobranie Black Russian cigarette and turned to admire a painting on the wall.

"No smoking allowed in this building."

Watson's voice was grating and barely civil as she enunciated each word. Yes, she was definitely irritated. I looked at her over my shoulder. Jean Watson: executive assistant to Paul Danzigar of Romer Bartlett Danzigar & Tate; 27, 5 feet 5 inches; Single. Recently presumed pregnant according to the test kit found in the bathroom trash of her apartment. A dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty whose features were marred at the moment by a hateful glare. Too bad. Another time, another place . . .

"Ah am s-o-o-o sorry. Silly me. Ah forgot." I poured as much slow molasses as possible into the Biloxi accent I was affecting.

I turned back to the painting tugging again at the hem of my dress. Feeling daggers in my back, I sashayed to the window and glanced down at City Hall and City Park as I replaced the lighter and cigarette in the leather case. The sky was clear, the trees fully leafed out with spring color; rows of daffodils circled the central fountain. Leaning against the window frame, I watched Jean Watson ignore me. Her intercom buzzed.

"Mr. Danzigar will see you now, Miss Grey."

"Thank you so much."

Before Jean Watson could rise, the inner office door opened. Paul Danzigar stood in the doorway. Paul Danzigar: 48, 6 feet 1 inch; Married. Athletically trim: racquetball twice weekly, golf on Sunday. Styled dark hair going gray at the temples. Paul Newman eyes. Clean-shaven. Strong jaw. Flashy smile. University of Missouri and Harvard Law School. Three children. Only the youngest, Tara, 16, still lived at home.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Grey. Please come in."

He stayed in the doorway and my out-sized bosom nearly brushed his coat. I reached out and smoothed his lapel. It can be an innocent gesture with no meaning or -- depending upon time, place and audience -- one that conveys a certain intimacy generally reserved for spouse or lover.

"Shaaa-let, please."

"Right, Charlotte. Miss Watson, hold any calls."

I gave Jean Watson a sly smile and half-wink. Her face turned beet-red; hope I hadn't caused her apoplexy. After the door closed I heard in the receiver tucked in my ear her mutter, "Effing bitch," and the pounding sounds of her fingers . . . .

Recently did an interview about my Rachel Cord mysteries with Dutch writer Jochem Vandersteen for his blogsite SONS OF SPADE. Interview went live yesterday.

http://sonsofspade.blogspot.de/2013/08/q-with-re-conary.html

One of the questions he asked was, "What's your idea about the psychotic sidekick in PI novels like Hawk and Joe Pike?"

To me, characters like Hawk, Pike, Lisbeth Salander, Mouse from the Easy Rallins series are there to do the heavy lifting -- do what needs to be done now -- without the soul searching that makes the main character hesitate or guiltily regret doing. Actions have consequences. Spillane's Mike Hammer. Sam Millar's Karl Kane. Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor. Richard Stark's Parker. Lee Child's Jack Reacher. Rachel Cord. They don't need no psycho sidekicks.

Another question Jochem asked was "In the last century we've seen new waves of PI writers, first influenced by Hammett, then Chandler, Macdonald, Parker, later Lehane. Who do you think will influence the coming generation?"

That's a particularly hard question to answer. Writers may claim a particular author spurred them to write, but I believe their writing is influenced by everything they've read, seen or heard.

I think that Sam Millar, Ken Bruen, Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson and Roslund & Hellsträm are already influencing new writers, and that Sue Grafton, Marcia Muller and Sara Paretsky will continue to do so, as do lesbian authors like Katherine V. Forrest, Val McDermid and Claire McNab. But as writers broaden their reading experience -- and I think writers are primarily readers first -- they discover or rediscover classic authors and, therefore, are influenced by them as well.

My influences were J. A. Jance, Lawrence Block, John D. MacDonald, Stephen J. Cannell (The Rockford Files) and, particularly, Edmond Rostand (Cyrano de Bergerac) and Raymond Chandler with help from fantasy & science fiction writers like Fritz Leiber, Keith Laumer and William Tenn, as well as other writers as far afield as Aristophanes, Walt Whitman, Chekov, Kafka, Hemingway and Steinbeck. The list is endless.

Who influenced your writing and who do you think are the influences today?

I've published a second edition of Life's a Bitch. So am I. It's available in eBook, print, and large print editions.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=aps&field-keywords=r.e.conary&x=17&y=17

Hard-boiled, private detective Rachel Cord pursues multiple threads seeking a runaway teen and why gay performers are being beaten at Miss Kitty's Kathouse Kabaret. Threads that twist and bind Rachel within a tight cord of lost love, child pornography, rape, murder and near insanity. Leaving her to question her personal credo that "Life's a Bitch. So am I."

Buy at SMASHWORDS.COM

Or at AMAZON.COM

As tomorrow's my birthday, I'm giving readers the opportunity to get "Life's a Bitch. So am I." (Second Edition) at a great savings for a limited time at Smashwords ( https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/529598 ).

Use Coupon: MB62R for a 75% savings off list price. Coupon expires Apr. 10.
Use Coupon: CP66T for a 50% savings off list price. Coupon expires Apr. 15.
Use Coupon: VS45R for a 25% savings off list price. Coupon expires Apr. 20.

Thanks to all. :-*

Available as an audiobook August 2015, Life's a Bitch. So am I.: Rachel Cord Confidential Investigations (2nd Edition). Also available in Kindle and paperback editions at AMAZON.COM

PRE-ORDER Still a Bitch: Rachel Cord Confidential Investigations (Second Edition, Book 2) for a discounted price ($1.99) until Aug. 16, 2015 at APPLE or AMAZON or B&N or KOBO or SMASHWORDS

Life looks bright to private detective Rachel Cord. She has a new lover. Nasty memories are safely buried. A new job. The job seems simple enough: find a man and deliver some papers. But for Rachel Cord, life is never simple. Finding this man means crossing the river again and facing the demons of her personal hell. She does it to convince herself she's in control; that's she's still tough enough to take on Life's nasties.

One job leads to another--find another man--keeping Rachel on the wrong side of the river to become entangled with a sexy bartender thus endangering her budding relationship. Then, like a ghost from the past, the police are looking for Rachel's ex-lover, Karen Tanaka. Has Karen returned, and is she murdering other women? Rachel races to find the answers and prove, once again, that she's "Still a Bitch"!

After Aug. 16, the book will revert to its list price of $3.99

Hangman's Oak: A Rachel Cord Confidential Investigations Short Story
On Oct. 1, 1947, Paul Jasper Monroe was lynched at Hangman’s Oak. He was a decorated WWII veteran. He was Black. He was also Gay. Despite rumors, no one was ever arrested. Sixty-eight years later on the anniversary of Monroe’s murder, George Armstrong Cutter, often suspected as one of the killers, was found hanging from Hangman’s Oak. Revenge or Justice?

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/576845

http://www.amazon.com/Hangmans-Oak-...TF8&qid=1442194297&sr=8-2&keywords=r.e.conary

An Excerpt:

Some say Hangman’s Oak is the oldest in the region. Not sure that’s true, but it is the most infamous. Its last legal hanging was in 1876. After that, public hangings were held behind what is now a museum. Of course, we don’t execute people in public anymore. We don’t hang them, either.

Legal hangings didn't make Hangman’s Oak infamous. Lynching did. Some whites, three women, an Indian, mostly blacks. The last lynched, Oct. 1, 1947, was Paul Jasper Monroe, a decorated war veteran known socially as PJ.

PJ was what was called ‘high yellow,’ with regular features and curly—not kinky—black hair. He never denied his heritage but was often taken for white. As if that means a goshdarned thing. I guess it did back then. Although popular with ladies of every color, PJ was never accused of being unseemly or rude. That’s because PJ was gay. Another trait he never denied. Which shouldn’t have meant a goshdarned thing, either. But, of course, it did.

Popular, black and being gay were probably why some upstanding citizens of the day made an example of him. Or was it because, as a WWII vet, he expected respect and refused to kowtow to Jim Crow attitudes? Hard to say. Could it happen today? Attitudes have changed a lot since PJ was lynched. Blacks have equal rights. Gays serve openly in the military. The Supreme Court declared gays have the right to marry, to be treated equally. Not that everyone agrees. Prejudice is persistent. Hard to kill. Someone always wants to keep others down. Could it happen again? I don’t know.

What I do know is that no one was ever arrested for PJ’s death despite rumors as to who did it. Does that explain why four days ago, 68 years later to the day, George Armstrong Cutter, white male, 89, was found hanging from Hangman’s Oak?

“Rachel, there’s nothing here to see.”

I turned to Andy Walther, friend and reporter for the Daily Record.

“I know. This is a popular park, yet I’ve never been here. I needed to see it.”

“It’s a police matter. What’s your interest?”

Get it at SMASHWORDS AMAZON BARNES&NOBLE APPLE KOBO

The audiobook of Life's A Bitch. So Am I. is available now at Audible.com
Private detective Rachel Cord pursues multiple threads seeking a runaway teen and why gay performers are being beaten at Miss Kitty's Kathouse Kabaret. Threads that twist and bind Rachel within a tight cord of lost love, child pornography, rape, murder and near insanity. Leaving her to question her personal credo that "Life's a Bitch. So am I."

Audiobook available at AUDIBLE, iTUNES, and AMAZON

Life looks bright to private detective Rachel Cord. She has a new lover. Nasty memories are safely buried. A new job. The job seems simple enough: find a man and deliver some papers. But for Rachel Cord, life is never simple. Finding this man means crossing the river again and facing the demons of her personal hell. She does it to convince herself she's in control; that's she's still tough enough to take on Life's nasties. One job leads to another--find another man--keeping Rachel on the wrong side of the river to become entangled with a sexy bartender thus endangering her budding relationship. Then, like a ghost from the past, the police are looking for Rachel's ex-lover, Karen Tanaka. Has Karen returned, and is she murdering other women? Rachel races to find the answers and prove, once again, that she's "Still a Bitch"!

"Bad Bitch Blues" and "Queen of Tarts" complete the Rachel Cord Confidential Investigations saga.

Bad Bitch Blues #3
Life's a crapshoot. We don't know the result until we roll the dice. But what happens when the dice roll says someone wants you dead?


Queen of Tarts #4
I live my life solving crimes and protecting clients, but can I face old demons, old prejudices to be with the one I love? Is it possible to go home again?

I'm Rachel Cord, a professional investigator. My job often leads me to dark, dangerous places because Life can be nasty at the best of times, and secrets may be buried deep in the muck and mire where worms and grubs feed. You're invited to ride along and I'll try to share the good times as well as the bad parts of my professional and private lives. You can find all of my books at

APPLE AMAZON BARNES&NOBLE KOBO SMASHWORDS


Life's A Bitch #1 Still A Bitch #2 Hangman's Oak

The Rachel Cord Mysteries all together in one package at AMAZON.

“Follow me to dark, dangerous places where life is nasty and secrets lay deeply buried.” ~ Rachel Cord

“An engaging hard-boiled adventure with a memorable protagonist.”

“Nothing like this ever happens to Kinsey Millhone.”

“(S)olid and complex . . . loaded with well defined and interesting characters.”

“(M)y favorite mystery authors are James Lee Burke, Dick Francis and Tony Hillerman. Conary brews a plot to compete with these three.”

“R. E. Conary writes a really cool series about a female PI.”

How I came to write about and become obsessed with Rachel Cord began in the early spring of 2004. It was early morning and I was working on another project when this strange woman followed her over-sized bosom—like Cyrano following his nose—into my office.

She introduced herself and handed me her card. She sat in the comfortable chair beside my desk saying she had a story to tell. I asked if I could take notes and she said go right ahead. That first meeting lasted three hours when she got up and said she’d be back.

I didn’t know what to think. Didn’t know why she’d picked me to listen to her story. I looked at my notes—they were more like dictation—sat back and let out a long breath. Then I wondered if she were real and if she really would come back.

She was there bright and early the next morning picking up right where she’d left off. She talked for another three hours without stopping. Then she said she had other things to do but would return. And so it went. Every morning—like clockwork—she was there. I’d listen and write down what she said trying to catch every word, every nuance and meaning. I’d no idea how the story would end, but I found her engaging—even when she frightened me—and couldn’t wait to see her again.

It was late May when she finished her tale and told me it was mine to do with whatever I wanted. I asked if she ever got over Karen. She smiled and said, “That’s another story.” and walked out.

Rachel came back just before Labor Day 2004 saying she was ready to tell me about Karen and another chapter in her life. We set up the same routine meeting every morning for two to four hours. She led me again down dark paths with surprises and bits of sunshine here and there. When we finished we were both wiped out. She said, “I think that’s it.” and left.

I didn’t see Rachel again until spring 2013. Like always, it was early morning. She wore a double-breasted powder blue suit with a dark blue shirt and tie. The first thing I noticed was that she’d finally gotten the breast reduction she’d craved for years. She looked good and I was glad to see her. She told another story this time set in 2007 just before her surgery. When she finished, I asked if I’d see her again. She said, “Maybe.”

Rachel stopped in for a few hours in late 2015 to tell me about a 68-year-old cold case she just solved. She mentioned that she and Wendy had finally married and that she’d be back to tell me that story.

True to her word, she came back last year and told me about how, in 2010, Wendy convinced her to reconnect with her family and they married. She also added a few crimes she helped solve. She seemed happy with her life, and I wondered if there were any dark places still hidden she hadn’t revealed.

“Will I see you again,” I asked.

She sighed. “I’m just a middle-aged dick with a pretty routine and often boring job.” Then she smiled and winked. “Then again, who knows how the dice will roll?”

Actions have consequences. We must live with the choices we make. Fictional detectives are no different. Raymond Chandler wrote that “down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective in this kind of story must be such a man. He is the hero, he is everything.”

And it is because our hero—our detective—must not be mean or tarnished, that writers have created the amoral—often psychotic—sidekick. They are the ones who do the heavy lifting—do what needs to be done—without the soul searching that makes our hero hesitate or would guiltily regret doing. The things the hero can’t do. That’s the job of Mouse for Easy Rawlins, Mick Ballou for Matt Scudder, Joe Pike for Elvis Cole, Lisbeth Salander for Mikael Blomkvist.

But there are other detective heroes—the ones in tarnished armor—who understand the consequences of their actions, take responsibility and live with the choices they make.

John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee. Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer. Sam Millar's Karl Kane. Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor. Richard Stark's Parker. Lee Child's Jack Reacher. My Rachel Cord. They don't need no psycho sidekicks.