Mysterious marina accidents. Destroyed evidence. Can a tenacious reporter decipher the twisted clues at a small-town lake?
Jordan Reed is burned out from all the attention on her previous high-profile story. But when a new lead lands in her lap, she reluctantly postpones her vacation to investigate a classic New England marina. With hundreds of dead fish washing up on Copper Lakeâs otherwise pristine shores, Jordan suspects a sinister cover-up.
But by the time she arrives on the scene, sheâs surprised to discover the police chief eliminated every last carcass and seems hellbent on blocking her inquiries. And her search for the culprit takes a perilous turn when gambling kingpins descend on the city and a string of unexplained calamities plague the docks.
Can Jordan expose the corruption, or will she be the next to go belly-up?
Lake Effect is the second book in the fast-paced Jordan Reed mystery series. If you like steely female sleuths, gripping action, and clever twists thatâll keep you guessing, then youâll love K.C. Gillisâs page-turning mystery.
Buy Lake Effect to dive into dangerous waters today!
Mysterious marina accidents. Destroyed evidence. Can a tenacious reporter decipher the twisted clues at a small-town lake?
Jordan Reed is burned out from all the attention on her previous high-profile story. But when a new lead lands in her lap, she reluctantly postpones her vacation to investigate a classic New England marina. With hundreds of dead fish washing up on Copper Lakeâs otherwise pristine shores, Jordan suspects a sinister cover-up.
But by the time she arrives on the scene, sheâs surprised to discover the police chief eliminated every last carcass and seems hellbent on blocking her inquiries. And her search for the culprit takes a perilous turn when gambling kingpins descend on the city and a string of unexplained calamities plague the docks.
Can Jordan expose the corruption, or will she be the next to go belly-up?
Lake Effect is the second book in the fast-paced Jordan Reed mystery series. If you like steely female sleuths, gripping action, and clever twists thatâll keep you guessing, then youâll love K.C. Gillisâs page-turning mystery.
Buy Lake Effect to dive into dangerous waters today!
I should never have agreed to this.
Jordan was more familiar with radio studios than she wanted to be. The one she now occupied was definitely the nicest she had experienced. Not that niceness took away any of the distaste for having to be there. Jordan didnât even listen to the station the interview was for. That should have gotten her out of the interview. She missed the anonymity sheâd had before the GenPhage story. If this was what success looked like, she wasnât sure she wanted it.
The icing on the cake was getting to do the interview on a Sunday. Nothing like starting a long-overdue week off by having to rehash old news. When she pressed her editor Tom about why it was necessary to still talk about a story that was months old, he advised Jordan that she shouldnât turn down an opportunity to get her name and face in front of the public. It could always lead to another story. So here she was.
This particular studio, enclosed in a large glass room, was centered around a white oval table that had to be at least ten feet wide in diameter. The surface of the table just in front of Jordan and her interviewer was clear of equipment, only the boom microphones being in their general vicinity. An engineer sat on the opposite side of the table with an array of computer screens and audio equipment at his fingertips.
The hostâJordan thought her name was Paigeâsat beside her, about three feet away. Based on her attire, one would never know the interview wasnât for TV. A tight black skirt and a white silk top with a faint floral pattern graced her not-so-slim figure. Long painted nails, sporting the sheen of a fresh coat of gel polish, matched her yellow pumps. Paigeâs look contrasted sharply with Jordanâs white tank top, ripped jeans, and leather boots.
Paige sat in her chair with perfect posture, looking through her notes, probably reviewing the sequence of questions. Slouched in her chair, Jordan looked at one of the several large clocks in the studio. They had less than five minutes until airtime.
Following the publication of the GenPhage story, the media had inundated Jordan with interview requests. The story had shocked the city, triggering the downfall of what had been hailed as the latest jewel in Bostonâs crown of biotech superiority. Too bad for them someone had gone rogue and hidden the testing of a biological weapon within a clinical trial program. Among some other nasty and illegal actions.
Poised to do what was going to be her fourteenth interview, Jordan had had more than enough of GenPhage. She almost wished she hadnât broken the story. Almost.
In the end, taking out the criminals at GenPhage was worth the torture inflicted on Jordanâs introverted personality by interviews. But she was now at the end of her rope. This was going to be her last one. No one, especially neither of her editors, was going to make her do another interview.
In Jordanâs mind, there was no need to revisit the GenPhage story. It was officially old news. But it seemed that every major event in either the dismantling of the company or the array of investigations triggered renewed interest. In both the story and Jordan.
The latest trigger event was a large pharma companyâs withdrawal of its offer to purchase the GenPhage technology. The rumor was that some key components of the technology couldnât be located. So, naturally, someone thought it was a good reason to drag Jordan through the whole mess one more time.
âCan we get this over with?â Jordan said.
Paige looked annoyed. Jordan had gotten a vibe from her that Jordan should be thankful for the interview. That somehow Paige was helping her. As if Jordan wanted any more help that involved having to talk in front of the public. She had definitely had her fill.
âIâm almost ready. I just want to make sure Iâm not missing anything. We still have a couple of minutes. Relax. Iâm sure youâll do fine.â
Condescension. Paige had no idea how much Jordan hated that. In her defense, how could she? But if Paige thought such an approach was, in some way, going to help, she was mistaken.
âIâm not worried about doing fine. I could care less how I do. Since the story was first published, I must have answered a thousand questions about it. I canât believe thereâs anything new I could add.â
âWeâll see. Iâm sure I have a question you havenât seen yet. Even if I donât, it doesnât really matter. People still want to hear from the woman who destroyed a company. And itâs my job to give them what they want.â
I didnât destroy that fucking company.
âIs that what this interview is about? To talk about destroying a company?â
Paige looked at Jordan, apparently confused. âWell, thatâs what happened, right? You did your exposĂ©, and the company more or less collapsed. Maybe âdestroyedâ is too strong, since it still technically exists. But that wonât last long.â
Jordan leaned forward. Either Paige didnât know what had really happened, or she didnât care. Neither was acceptable.
âYour facts need some adjustment,â Jordan began. âFirst, I didnât do some exposĂ©. It was a thorough investigative report. Second, the purpose wasnât to destroy a company. It was to uncover the facts around the death of a worker, which led to the discovery of much worse than that. Third, GenPhage destroyed itself. The actions of a few of their leaders guaranteed that. I was just the one who caught them.â
For the first time since theyâd met, Paige looked flustered. Jordan looked at the clock. One minute to airtime.
âAll right, I get it,â Paige said. âWeâre about to go live. Letâs just settle in for the interview. I wonât make a big deal about you destroying GenPhage.â
âNo, you wonât.â Jordan got out of her chair and grabbed her bag.
Panic formed on Paigeâs face. âWhat are you doing? Sit down. Weâre about to start.â
âNot anymore.â Jordan turned and left the studio. She heard people calling after her as she walked down the hall. She ignored them. Just like sheâd ignore every future request for an interview on GenPhage. It was time to move on. And moving on would start with a week off, Jordanâs first real vacation since she started at the Boston Courant.
On autopilot, Jordan headed to Darcyâs Pub. She almost regretted having her car. The afternoon was so nice that the hour walk would have provided an opportunity to unwind. Instead, she took half the time to fight through late-afternoon traffic, increasing her stress instead of reducing it.
As was the case every Sunday, in fact, almost every day, period, Travis was behind the bar, working hard to make the business a success. He had been co-owner and manager for three years and seemed to know what it took to keep the place in the black.
âHey, Travis,â Jordan said as she approached the bar, noting that her usual seat wasnât available.
âSorry I couldnât hold your spot at the bar. If you want a table, you can take the one by the kitchen door with the âReservedâ sign on it. Iâll swing by in a minute.â
Jordan looked toward the kitchen door and saw the table. Definitely not as nice a spot as her usual place at the bar. But Travis was right. She was late. âI guess itâll do.â
One of the staff came by with her drink, no doubt sent by Travis. Jordan ordered a grilled-chicken salad and tried to enjoy her drink as she watched the staff cycle in and out of the kitchen. It felt like forever before her food arrived, but in actuality, it had been only ten minutes. Travis brought it himself.
He sat down opposite Jordan. âSorry for the shitty table. I figured you werenât coming in tonight and had to let someone have your spot. Didnât you have that interview today?â
âI did. But the interviewer pissed me off before we were supposed to start. So I left. Besides, Iâm done with the GenPhage shit. Iâve got nothing more to add.â
âTomâs not going to be happy. Did he call yet?â
âHe tried. I let his call go to voice mail.â
âNot a good move for job security.â
âMaybe not. Hopefully, it will make him think twice before he asks me to do an interview again.â
âI get that youâre done with the story. But it was big news. And you along with the story. Get used to it. Unless you donât want the big stories.â
âPart of me thinks I should stick to boring little stories that donât generate a lot of attention. Being in the spotlight sucks.â
Travis sat back and crossed his arms. âYou donât mean that. I remember how excited you were about that story. You were on fire and kept pushing ahead, no matter what those GenPhage guys did to try to stop you. You were in your element, even if it didnât feel like it.â
This triggered a strong memory of Emma. What Jordan thought could have become a good friendship was really a setup. âIt wasnât just GenPhage âguys.â The GenPhage girls, at least one of them, did a pretty good job as well.â
âYeah, but you came out on top.â
Jordan smiled around the edge of her glass. âI suppose I did.â
Jordan and Travis sat in a momentary bubble of silence, Jordan eating her salad and Travis taking advantage of the break from slinging drinks. âShouldnât you be at the bar helping your staff keep up?â
âYeah, I should. But I want to run something by you.â
âYou really donât have to,â Jordan said. âI donât want to have to make any decisions or give any opinions.â
âJust hear what Iâve got. I promised someone.â
âI already donât like whatever it is. Canât it wait until I finish my week off?â
âNot really. Thereâs a situation you should take a look at. You know, maybe for a story.â
Jordan stopped eating and set her fork down on her plate. âLet me rephrase my earlier comment. Canât it wait until never?â
âCome on. At least hear me out and then decide. Youâve published little since the GenPhage story. You need to keep the momentum going.â
âSays you. Iâm quite happy letting the momentum come to a complete standstill for a while.â
Travis put his forearms on the table and leaned in. âJordan, itâs been long enough. GenPhage was last November. Itâs practically July. Donât you think itâs time to move on to the next big story?â
âDamn, Travis, if this is so important to you, do it yourself or find someone else. Iâm not interested.â
âHow can you say that without even knowing what I have to tell you?â
Jordan threw herself back against her chair and crossed her arms. âIf I give you two minutes, will you leave me alone?â
âDeal.â
âSpill it.â
âNo need to be so hostile. Iâm just looking out for you.â
Jordan uncrossed her arms and resumed eating. âOK, sorry. Tell me.â
Travis smiled, probably because he knew it was a rare event for Jordan to apologize. Even sarcastically. âA guy I know from college called me this morning. His younger sister, Kasey, works at a marina in western Massachusetts. A place called Copper Lake. Apparently, one of the water-sports instructors at the marina came upon a whole mess of dead fish washed up on the shore. The local police were informed, and according to my friendâs sister, they did nothing.â
âThatâs it? Some dead fish the local cops didnât want to deal with is supposed to be some big story? Sounds like a lot of nothing to me.â
âWell, the guy who found the dead fish said heâs never seen anything like this before. He grew up on the lake and knows it inside and out. He said there had to be something wrong for so many fish to die at once.â
Jordan stopped eating and leaned back. âSorry, Travis. I just donât see much here. Itâs probably just some random event that caused this. Hell, maybe some rednecks went fishing with dynamite.â
âDonât you think itâs worth a quick visit? You could go up there, talk to my friendâs sister and the guy who found the fish. Just poke around a bit and then head back. Just a day.â
âShit, Travis, Iâm at the start of my first whole week off in more than a year. Iâve been looking forward to the break for months. I wonât piss it away chasing some dead fish. Thanks but no thanks.â
âAll right. I know youâre looking forward to some downtime.â Travis pulled out his phone and typed something. âJust in case youâre interested, or would consider changing your mind, I texted you some stuff. Pictures of the dead fish, the address of the marina, and Kaseyâs mobile number. Just in case.â
âIt doesnât hurt to dream, but Iâm not going.â Before dismissing Travis, something came to Jordanâs mind. âTravis, why did your friend call you, anyway? Were you just catching up, or was it about the dead fish?â
âIt was mostly about the fish. A while back, I had told him about the GenPhage story and how you nailed them. I guess he remembered and figured that if he told me about the dead fish, I could get you to investigate. Youâre kind of famous.â
Jordan groaned. âThatâs just great. Now, if youâre not too busy wasting my time, could you get me another drink?â
âNo problem. At least one of us will do our job.â
âLake Effectâ is the second full-length novel by K.C. Gillis featuring investigative journalist, Jordan Reed. Unable to stifle her inquiring instinct against a tip received from a friend, Jordan gets sucked into another high-stakes scheme where exposing the truth could mean death. Gillisâ realistically complex characters, interesting plot developments, and relevant themes (journalistic/political integrity, ambition, and loyalty to name a few) mesh into a beautifully crafted story that can easily be read as a stand-alone.
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Gillisâ characters are interesting and complicated but remain believable. Jordan, for instance, is brash, stubborn, and ruthless as one might expect for her profession. Yet, she is also surprisingly introverted and earnest. Perhaps these latter qualities are what endear Jordan to the few trusted people in her life so much â enough to acquiesce to her demanding, and frequently perilous requests.
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Gillisâ fresh perspective â coming from the angle of investigative journalism â allows for great story depth. Through Jordan, we explore realistic outcomes and consequences for using the borderline illegal methods sometimes required to prove a story, as well as more common complications like the involvement of organized crime. More than anything though, I enjoyed reading about journalism as it was intended: the revelation of truth to the public on matters that directly affect them. Jordan isnât undermining military or law enforcement operations intended to protect the public through unpopular methods. Sheâs after the politicians, corporations, and other corrupt individuals who feel they can act outside of the law with impunity, often at the expense of public health and safety. Even though she may have to skirt the edges of the law to get the proof necessary for her stories, Jordan demonstrates a level of integrity not commonly associated with reporters.
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Although âLake Effectâ did not inspire the obsessive reading habits some of the other five-star books on my reading list have, the exceptional quality of Gillisâ work and that of his publishing team left me without complaint. I thoroughly enjoyed âLake Effect,â and highly recommend it to readers who enjoy thrillers based on back-room deals, shady politicians, and good-old-fashioned mobsters.