Lyric’s Cop
Solving a case about pilfered pooches is pretty tame work for a vice cop, but when the victim is your grandmother, well… the police take care of their own. Trouble is, one look at Lyric Montgomery, the PI his grandmother has hired to recover her stolen dachshunds, and Kieran Burke knows he’s got a problem. He’s never been turned on so fast—or been so attracted to a hellion with a reputation for breaking the law.
Lyric Montgomery can’t believe she’s falling for a cop. She’s always had a little problem staying inside the lines, and Kieran is definitely a complication she doesn’t need. But his dominant, I’m-in-control attitude tempts her like fire tempts a pyromaniac.
Kieran may lay down the rules, but he quickly finds out that for Lyric, breaking them is half the fun, especially when it drives him crazy and evokes his special brand of “punishment”.
As the trail heats up, it isn’t the only thing burning hot enough to melt steel. Bad boy Kieran finds the only way to keep his sexy little pet detective safe may be tying her to his bed—permanently.
Please note: A previous edition of this story was published by Ellora’s Cave.
Connected Books: Crime Tells
Mystery, family, and finding love while working as private investigators come together in a contemporary world. The stories in the Crime Tells world don’t need to be read in order, though like any series, the enjoyment is deepened for having met the characters who overlap from story to story.
Book 2
Book 3
Book 4
Book 5
Book 6
Read an Excerpt
Lyric hesitated for all of one minute before giving in. Her gut told her that they didn’t have much time before the dogs would disappear—permanently. And what he said about working together made sense—not that she couldn’t read the writing on the wall. He was in for trouble if he thought he was going to turn this into his investigation.
“Fine, let’s go.”
Gene Surbeck’s address turned out to be in an apartment complex, a collection of ugly, blocky buildings with peeling paint and plenty of borrowed shopping carts straddling the curbs. The name G. Surbeck showed up in a crude scrawl above the mailbox for apartment 15-C, Building Three. Kieran led the way up two flights of stairs, confidence rolling off him like a wake behind a barge.
The TV in 15-C was turned way up, probably to drown out the sound of a yelling kid. But Kieran’s knock sounded official enough that the noise level dropped and the door opened just wide enough for Lyric to get a look at the woman inside. Her face was heavily made-up, but no amount of bottled goop was going to hide the damage—puffy eye, split lip.
“Yeah, what-da-ya want?”
“You Linda?” Kieran asked.
“Not likely. If you’re looking for her, you’re a year too late.”
“Actually we’re looking for some dogs,” Lyric said.
The woman’s smile turned sly. “I got one here. I might be interested in parting with her.” She stepped back to let them in.
The place stunk of urine, cigarettes, and beer. A little boy with no clothing wandered in from another room and peed on the carpet in front of the TV. The woman reached over and gave the toddler a whack on his butt. “Not on the carpet!”
The boy started bawling. The woman knelt down next to the sofa and reached under, grabbing until she caught a hind leg and managed to get a protesting mass of filthy white fur out from under the couch. “Here she is.” The woman huffed to her feet. “Her real name is Ant-wa-nette. But we just call her Lady.”
Lyric held out her arms for the dog. The woman relinquished her without a word, then lit a cigarette and sucked in a lung full of smoke. “I got her awhile back. She was real cute and fancy when we brought her home. But I don’t have no time to cut her hair and give her baths. Besides, she didn’t take to Frankie.” The woman waved her cigarette in the direction of the still crying child. “Guess she’s never been around kids. Mainly she just stays under the couch.”
Lyric’s skin tingled with the sixth sense she’d learned to trust. “Where’d you get her?”
“She followed me home from the grocery store.” The woman giggled. “I just put her in the basket with the rest of my things and brought her home—kind of like a present to myself.”
“I didn’t know there was a grocery store in walking distance.”
“Well, it ain’t close. But I go to the Safeway over on San Carlos—usually cut through the Rose Garden to get there.”
Lyric nodded. The Rose Garden was an old neighborhood of beautifully maintained houses with a park in its center that had hundreds of different rose varieties in it. “Is that where you found Lady, in the Rose Garden?”
The sly expression appeared again. The woman shook her head. “Tell you the truth, I don’t remember any more. Gene’d know, but he ain’t here right now.”
Kieran shifted. “He the one who hit you?”
The sly expression disappeared, followed by a suspicious one. Lyric tried to divert the woman. “How much do you want for Lady?”
The woman took another long pull on her cigarette and looked at Lyric, then Kieran. “Fifty bucks.”
Kieran snorted. “For that flea-bag?”
Lyric shot him a warning look. He might be trying to haggle down to a cheaper price, but she wasn’t willing to risk losing the dog. She’d bet twice the fifty that somebody in the Rose Garden was missing a well-loved pet.
Lyric moved closer to Kieran, angling so she could press against his thigh and give her aching pussy some relief while clueing him in on how this was going to go. “I’m going to be mad at you if I can’t take Lady home with me.” She felt his cock jump against her leg and couldn’t resist rubbing against him just enough to see his eyes flash with lust.
Son of bitch but she was asking for it. Braden was right when he said his little hellion of a cousin needed a man to set some rules and enforce them. Two could play this game. Kieran speared his fingers through her hair and forced her face to his. “I’ll buy the dog, but you’re going to pay me back, baby, and I don’t take cash.”
Heat flashed through Lyric’s body at his show of dominance. She couldn’t resist answering his challenge. “Whatever you say, Kieran.”
His smile was feral as he loosened his grip on her hair and managed to brush his hand against her aroused nipple when he reached for his wallet. Lyric only barely held back a moan as she turned toward the woman.
Read the Reviews
“Lyric and Kieran are powerfully written characters, and their lust is as believable as their conflicting views on the case and how to handle it. Hot, sexy interludes are interspersed with a well-written mystery to create a satisfyingly complex story.”
“CRIME TELLS 1: LYRIC’S COP has it ALL! Strong characters, witty dialogue, blazing sex scenes, and a great plot combine to make this a page turner that will stay in your reread files for a long time. I stayed up late reading because I couldn’t get enough of Kieran and Lyric. Kieran is an alpha male if ever there was one and Lyric is smart and sexy enough to give him a run for his money. Their chemistry sizzles and the sex is the stuff of fantasies.”
“A romance with just as much plot as action, CRIME TELLS 1: LYRIC’S COP was more than able to pull me in and keep me reading till the end. The plot starts out with a simple dog napping and grows to include deeply sinister plans…The wild sensations of give and pull between these two characters kept me hot and bothered throughout the book. I greatly enjoyed seeing the growth from wild sex to deeper feelings in this somewhat tumultuous relationship. CRIME TELLS 1: LYRIC’S COP is one of the few books that I would happily read again.”
“LYRIC’S COP is a thrilling, action-packed adventure that will curl your toes and have you looking for your lover. Kieran is alpha male through and through. He likes his sex hot and his women even hotter…”
“Take a spellbinding plot, heart-stopping action, and captivating characters, and you’ve got a sure-fire winner.”
“LYRIC’S COP is a well written, fast-paced, and very erotic mystery story. The erotic tension between Kieran and Lyric is scorching, while the mystery surrounding the dogs is heart-wrenching while at the same time very interesting…”
“Nonetheless, it is the sexual heat and budding love between Kieran and Lyric that will keep you reading. Their sparring and sexual banter is enough to have you rolling on the floor in laughter, while also keeping you on the edge of your seat to see how their courtship plays out. These are two likable and relatable characters with strong moral compasses and caring personalities to carry them through the tough moments.”
“LYRIC’S COP is a dynamic, suspenseful tale that will keep you glued to your seat until the very end. Both Lyric and Kieran heat up the pages with their wild erotic romance. Instant attraction spark between them and it continues to blaze as the mystery leads Lyric and Kieran into more than just a simple missing dog case. Ms. Strong did a tremendous job of creating a great emotional tie of what an owner feels when a pet is stolen. I truly sympathized with Anna Simmons and was wishing her pets were found before it was too late.”
“I would recommend LYRIC’S COP to anyone who is in need of a scorching hot, fast-moving, thrilling read!”
“LYRIC’S COP was a gripping, captivatingly sensual read. The relationship between Kieran and Lyric will capture you and keep you riveted as it did me. Ms. Strong is an amazingly creative author and she once again demonstrates her ability by creating two characters that are very real and endearing. I was ensnared from the first page. I cannot wait until the next book in the series comes out.”
“I loved every single page of it.”
“Jory Strong has written a tightly woven story that takes you into the rarely seen world of animal testing and rights. The dialogue is believable without being pretentious, the pace keeps you on your toes and the love scenes are hot and appropriate for story advancement, while leading to a satisfying conclusion. This reviewer will be looking forward to the next installment of CRIME TELLS with baited breath.”
“I had a good time reading it LYRIC’S COP. There was non-stop action throughout the story, and I was surprised at how involved I got in the book. Jory Strong’s writing ability had me laughing out loud at times, and Lyric is a great character. She’s strong and feisty, and she is wildly attracted to Kieran. Kieran is a strong alpha male, who is strongly attracted to Lyric and determined to keep her safe despite herself. There was a lot of chemistry between the two, and the sex had some mild Bondage that spiced things up a lot. Who knew that being a pet detective could be interesting and dangerous?”
“Jory Strong’s LYRIC’S COP is deliciously sexy.”
“Lyric and Kieran are powerfully written characters, and their lust is as believable as their conflicting views on the case and how to handle it. Hot, sexy interludes are interspersed with a well-written mystery to create a satisfyingly complex story.”
“CRIME TELLS 1: LYRIC’S COP has it ALL! Strong characters, witty dialogue, blazing sex scenes, and a great plot combine to make this a page turner that will stay in your reread files for a long time. I stayed up late reading because I couldn’t get enough of Kieran and Lyric. Kieran is an alpha male if ever there was one and Lyric is smart and sexy enough to give him a run for his money. Their chemistry sizzles and the sex is the stuff of fantasies.”
“A romance with just as much plot as action, CRIME TELLS 1: LYRIC’S COP was more than able to pull me in and keep me reading till the end. The plot starts out with a simple dog napping and grows to include deeply sinister plans…The wild sensations of give and pull between these two characters kept me hot and bothered throughout the book. I greatly enjoyed seeing the growth from wild sex to deeper feelings in this somewhat tumultuous relationship. CRIME TELLS 1: LYRIC’S COP is one of the few books that I would happily read again.”
“LYRIC’S COP is a thrilling, action-packed adventure that will curl your toes and have you looking for your lover. Kieran is alpha male through and through. He likes his sex hot and his women even hotter…”
“Take a spellbinding plot, heart-stopping action, and captivating characters, and you’ve got a sure-fire winner.”
“LYRIC’S COP is a well written, fast-paced, and very erotic mystery story. The erotic tension between Kieran and Lyric is scorching, while the mystery surrounding the dogs is heart-wrenching while at the same time very interesting…”
“Nonetheless, it is the sexual heat and budding love between Kieran and Lyric that will keep you reading. Their sparring and sexual banter is enough to have you rolling on the floor in laughter, while also keeping you on the edge of your seat to see how their courtship plays out. These are two likable and relatable characters with strong moral compasses and caring personalities to carry them through the tough moments.”
“LYRIC’S COP is a dynamic, suspenseful tale that will keep you glued to your seat until the very end. Both Lyric and Kieran heat up the pages with their wild erotic romance. Instant attraction spark between them and it continues to blaze as the mystery leads Lyric and Kieran into more than just a simple missing dog case. Ms. Strong did a tremendous job of creating a great emotional tie of what an owner feels when a pet is stolen. I truly sympathized with Anna Simmons and was wishing her pets were found before it was too late.”
“I would recommend LYRIC’S COP to anyone who is in need of a scorching hot, fast-moving, thrilling read!”
“LYRIC’S COP was a gripping, captivatingly sensual read. The relationship between Kieran and Lyric will capture you and keep you riveted as it did me. Ms. Strong is an amazingly creative author and she once again demonstrates her ability by creating two characters that are very real and endearing. I was ensnared from the first page. I cannot wait until the next book in the series comes out.”
“I loved every single page of it.”
“Jory Strong has written a tightly woven story that takes you into the rarely seen world of animal testing and rights. The dialogue is believable without being pretentious, the pace keeps you on your toes and the love scenes are hot and appropriate for story advancement, while leading to a satisfying conclusion. This reviewer will be looking forward to the next installment of CRIME TELLS with baited breath.”
“I had a good time reading it LYRIC’S COP. There was non-stop action throughout the story, and I was surprised at how involved I got in the book. Jory Strong’s writing ability had me laughing out loud at times, and Lyric is a great character. She’s strong and feisty, and she is wildly attracted to Kieran. Kieran is a strong alpha male, who is strongly attracted to Lyric and determined to keep her safe despite herself. There was a lot of chemistry between the two, and the sex had some mild Bondage that spiced things up a lot. Who knew that being a pet detective could be interesting and dangerous?”
“Jory Strong’s LYRIC’S COP is deliciously sexy.”