THE ONLY WITNESS: A Mystery/Suspense Novel [Kindle Edition]

Pamela Beason (Author)

Book Description

KIDNAPPING...OR MURDER?

A MISSING BABY
Seventeen-year-old Brittany Morgan dashed into the store for just a minute, leaving her sleeping baby in the car. Now Ivy's gone and half the town believes Brittany murdered her daughter.

A HAUNTED DETECTIVE
Detective Matthew Finn, a big-city fish out of water in small-town Evansburg, Washington, struggles with his wife's betrayal as he investigates Ivy Morgan's disappearance. The clock is ticking and he can't find any witnesses.

AN UNUSUAL RESEARCH SUBJECT
Imaginative, manipulative, and volatile, with the intelligence of a five-year-old child, Neema cannot speak, but she knows enough sign language to invent jokes and insults. She can also hurl a grown man across the room. Neema is a gorilla.

A DISTRESSED SCIENTIST
After a psycho murdered one of her "talking" gorillas in Seattle, Dr. Grace McKenna relocated to the Evansburg area. Now with the economy on the rocks and her funding cut, her beloved gorillas Neema and Gumu are in jeopardy. When Neema repeats a story of a crying baby, a cucumber car, and a snake, Grace realizes her gorilla is the only witness to whatever happened to baby Ivy.

Does Grace dare go public with Neema's sketchy clues? Can she afford not to?

Editorial Reviews

Review

GRAND PRIZE WINNER - Chanticleer Book Reviews Blue Ribbon Published Novel Contest 2012!

What readers are saying:
    "This story grabbed me from the first chapter..."
    "The premise of this book is genius..."
    "...Even with a gorilla in the mix, it seemed much more realistic than most books these days..."
    "What an amazing plot, and it could really happen..."
    "Is there a sequel?...I want to go back to Evansburg."

From the Author

This book was inspired by my fascination with animal intelligence and my work as a private investigator. I have worked on various cases where the testimony of small children was crucial. If a five-year-old child can testify in a criminal case, could a signing gorilla provide the clues to solve a crime?

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 578 KB
• Print Length: 314 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0979876869
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: WildWing Press (April 14, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004WOX12O
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,834 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story - wonderful heros June 26, 2011

By Dina Berry

Format:Kindle Edition

This story grabbed me from the first chapter where the perspective is from the gorilla witnessing the crime. I love stories that include the animals and wildlife but this story goes beyond to not only bridge the gap by including gorilla sign language but also shows how the gorilla is still a very large, mostly wild animal. I know the 16 year girl isn't the best mom but I liked her humanity, drive, and reality of the situation. My heart ached for her.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The anguish feels real! June 10, 2011

By KateHB

Format:Kindle Edition

Engaging story!
Can you imagine your infant daughter vanishing into thin air and half the town believing you'd murdered her? That's what the teen mom in this story has to go through. The stakes are high, the characters are believable, and you'll race through the pages to find that moment when the players will put the odd clues together to find baby Ivy.
Hard to put down, loved it!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Murder or kidnapping? June 14, 2011

By Susan W. Madsen

Format:Kindle Edition

That's the question in Detective Finn's mind when an infant disappears from a car. He can't find any real clues and everyone is hounding him to solve the case when an anonymous tip finally comes in. After he tracks down the tipster, he's more frazzled than ever. Can a tip from a gorilla about a cucumber car and a snake really help to solve the case? Very unusual story, well told from multiple points of view.

More About the Author

Pamela Beason lives in the Pacific Northwest, where she writes novels and screenplays and works as a private investigator. When she's not on the job, she explores the natural world on foot, in cross-country skis, in her kayak, or underwater scuba diving.

Beason is the author of six full-length fiction works; THE ONLY WITNESS, SHAKEN, CALL OF THE JAGUAR, ENDANGERED(1st in Summer Westin eco-mystery series), BEAR BAIT (2nd in Summer Westin series), and UNDERCURRENTS (3rd in the Summer Westin series). She also wrote the nonfiction titles, SAVE YOUR MONEY, YOUR SANITY, AND OUR PLANET and SO YOU WANT TO BE A PI?. Pamela's writing tackles difficult themes while maintaining a satisfying and enjoyable story, and has earned her multiple prizes, including the Daphne du Maurier Award and both First Place and Grand Prize in the 2012 Chanticleer Book Contest.

As an avid outdoorswoman and animal lover, Beason challenges the human assumption that we are the superior species. Engaging and touching, each of Beason's titles takes readers on an adventure while reminding us that drifting through life is not enough; you have to live it.

Pamela blogs and tweets about writing, outdoor adventures, and the value of being present in the moment. She looks forward to connecting with readers on her Twitter, Goodreads Page or Blog.