Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $9.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    The Targets
    The Targets
    The Targets
    Ebook81 pages1 hour

    The Targets

    By Sebastian Dark

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Presenting...THE TARGETS

    Detective Ryan Jackson was looking forward to a quiet life in the sleepy town of Hawley, Minnesota after transferring from the high profile work of the New York Police Department.

    However, things are not always as they seem, and soon after his arrival, a gruesome set of murders grips the community.

    After the first victim is found, a middle age black man who kept to himself, the race is on to find the killer and uncover his motives. But not long after, a second victim is struck down: this time it's an affluent black business owner who was well liked in the community. Both bodies were terribly mangled – meaning both victims had been in serious pain.

    Jackson is forced into action, and is pitted into a gripping race against the clock to find and stop the killer before the next mutilated body is found.

    THE TARGETS is a terrifying, fast-paced thriller that is equivalent in length to a paperback of approximately 120 pages.

    --

    Praise for THE TARGETS:

    "A masterful debut" - Red Gull Reviews

    "Captivating, engaging, and completely exciting. A great ending!" - Johnny Thornton of the Boston Herald

    "Thundering pace and shocking ending make this book a winner." - Sabrina Hall of Fanfiction.net

    Starring:
    Ryan Jackson, a grizzled former NYPD detective.
    Mars Kilborn, the well-meaning but hapless deputy of the Hawley police force.

    --

    Despite the price, THE TARGETS is guaranteed to be free of spelling and grammar errors that prevail in similarly-priced works. If you are not satisfied, simply return the book to Amazon within 7 days for a full refund.

    No DRM (Digital Rights Management): Customers who purchase this book are free to make as many copies for their other devices as they want, and to share this book among family and friends.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSebastian Dark
    Release dateApr 8, 2011
    ISBN9781458138835
    The Targets
    Author

    Sebastian Dark

    Sebastian Dark graduated from Harvard College in 2002 and worked at a Chicago criminal consulting firm for five years before leaving to pursue his dream of full time writing. Taking inspiration from his career, and under various pen names, he's written a series of thrillers that excite readers with gripping action and a thunderous pace. THE TARGETS represents his first foray into the e-book world, and is the first of a series of books starring Detective Ryan Jackson and Mars Kilborn

    Related to The Targets

    Related ebooks

    Police Procedural For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    Related categories

    Reviews for The Targets

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      The Targets - Sebastian Dark

      tmp_65fb5193394c7c3700ac72c7f688de8b_lPwGG7_html_m48a6d291.jpg

      The Targets

      By Sebastian Dark

      Copyright © 2011 by Sebastian Dark

      Cover and art copyright © 2011 by Sebastian Dark

      Excerpt from The Shop copyright © 2011 by J. Carson Black

      Smashwords Edition

      This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living, dead, or undead, is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved.

      April 2011

      ~~

      CHAPTER ONE

      Detective Ryan Jackson stood with his hands folded on his chest. His temples hurt, and he needed a drink. Badly. This was not the start of a perfect life in a small town he had hoped for.

      In front of him was a grisly scene. Dismembered remains of a human body were scattered on the hard cement floor of a garage, with blood drying up in a large pool in the middle. Somebody had cut the body apart limb by limb at each of the major joints. A forearm was lying here; a quadricep there. Some parts of the body had already been moved by the amateur policemen. This was definitely not the start he wanted.

      The victim had been black, male, and roughly the same age as Jackson. Which is to say, a few years before middle age. Jackson growled; a deep, visceral noise that came from his throat.

      Um, detective?

      Jackson looked down, and saw Mars Kilborn, the appointed deputy of the ramshackle police force. Jackson refused to give him a title. Mars was a tiny man, standing less than five feet tall, and in any real city would have been eaten alive by his peers. In no small part due to his height. Compound that with the fact that he was stupid, and you had an easy target.

      Detective, I think the crew has finished up.

      What? Jackson couldn’t believe what he was hearing. They had arrived less than fifteen minutes ago, hardly enough time to finish up.

      All the photographs have been taken, and everybody’s just about ready to go home, Mars swallowed. The lot of them look like they’ll all need a fair bit of consoling after tonight.

      No.

      No?

      There will be no consoling. Nobody else gets a word until we figure out who did this. No tattling to wives, or friends, or girlfriends, or even officers not on the scene. You got it?

      But, detective, I don’t understand…

      "It’s not for you to understand, it’s for your men to understand, and listen. Jackson stressed each word. Now, they listen to you, I know that. Go tell them what I said. Nobody is to get a word of this!"

      …nobody gets a word, Mars repeated, and ran off. He was not only diminutive, but also easily manipulated.

      And make sure the press doesn’t hear of this! Jackson yelled after him. Nothing would be worse for Jackson’s reputation than a murder like this, only on the first week of the job.

      He went back to surveying the scene, and pitied his luck. He had come here from the cold blooded trenches of the NYPD, had shot up their hierarchy faster than any before him, and was well-respected, there. It was unheard of for anybody to ascend to the prestigious position of Deputy Detective in New York as fast as he had, and he took pride in that. It counted for little, here. Especially since only six months after gaining the title, he threw it all away to become a private detective. Nobody could understand his reasoning back in New York; nobody but him.

      Becoming a private detective in a metropolis like New York meant he could take advantage of connections that would never have been accessible in the NYPD. And the pay was much better. He could charge outlandish consulting rates to his gullible corporate clients, who had no idea how easy their jobs were for him. They wanted him to investigate trivial matters such as underhand dealings in Big Business and the typical bribes that flowed rampant in the private sector. Compared to the day-to-day duties he’d faced in the force, it was a walk in the park. It wasn’t the most exciting work, but it was well-paying work.

      So money was his motive for leaving the NYPD. Money and a chance to retire before he was killed. He saved up quite a bit, in fact. He put nearly all his earnings into an untouched bank account. For years he had dreamt of coming back to Hawley, Minnesota, where he had been born. For the chance to live quietly in a semi-retirement while enjoying a slow paced lifestyle. Nothing ever stirred here except the cold winds.

      Which was why the development in front of him was so unwelcome. It came completely at odds with his semi-retirement plans.

      Well, he thought furtively, if nobody hears about this until it’s solved, I can go right back to my plans. That was the real need for keeping this quiet. If the community in Hawley ever got word of this murder, terror would spread like wildfire. The people would be shaken to their very core, and he would take all the heat. He couldn’t have that. He lit a cigarette and inhaled deeply. A terrible start to his new life.

      Um, Mr. Jackson?

      Jackson looked down again. Mars was there.

      Everybody’s been informed of the, err, new policy. I can’t say they were too happy about it, but every man gave his word.

      And do you trust your men, Mr. Kilborn?

      I trust them with my life, sir! Mars ballooned up, puffing out his chest to add weight to the words. He looked ridiculous, like one of those tiny blowfish, operating on pure delusion.

      "Then get this cleaned up.

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1