"An irresistible page-turner

Woman Trouble

By David Benjamin

(No. 3 in the Jim Otis crime series)

Where the hell is Carrie Crowfoot?

Jim Otis, police chief of Hercules, Wis., doesn’t know. But he suspects that the disappearance of the popular high-school cheerleader connects somehow to his nemesis, teenage femme fatale, Josie Dobbs.

But Josie has left town, for college in Philadelphia. How does a scheming seductress in Philly pull off an abduction a thousand miles away?

Meanwhile, how can Jim Otis — who does NOT understand women — cope with all the other women in his life? His “trouble” includes his girlfriend Carol, his ex-wife Connie, his daughter Natalie, his ex-paramour Elena, Native American activist Angelina Killdeer, superannuated hippie Crystal MacDougal and Town Council scold Electra Grimes — not to mention Minnie Trout, Maisie Hopkins and the enigmatic Professor Swerdlow.

All Jim Otis can do — to save Carrie — is plug away, follow his cop instincts, and get by with the help of his (female) friends. Meanwhile, Steve and Mie, who started out as mere voyeurs, find themselves drawn irresistibly toward the heat, lust, grace and danger of la danse apache.

AWARDS: NYC Big book Awards, Distinguished Favorite, Crime Fiction, 2022. Next Generation Indie Book Awards (Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group), Finalist, Series, 2022.