Book Extract: The Chameleon Killer Mystery by Gina Cheyne

Please join me in welcoming Gina Cheyne to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her novel, The Chameleon Killer Mystery.

Who is the Chameleon Killer?

When you are having a really bad day, drink yourself legless, abuse everyone around you, pass out and try again tomorrow.

Trouble is; every day is bad in Rupert Fletcher’s world. He threatens his ex-wife, mocks his girlfriend, abuses his neighbours, and gets into a fight in the pub.

Next day, he is found dead.

Who’d want to kill him? Well, almost everybody, but it looks like only one person did. The police arrest his ex-wife’s therapist, Anthony.

Anthony’s family claim he is innocent and employ the SeeMs Detective Agency to find the real killer.

Cat, Miranda, and Stevie uncover clues that point them back to an intricate web of family injuries and an unexpected connection between the victim and his killer.

Could Rupert’s murderer be The Chameleon Killer, who has already killed before and is bent on revenge? They need to act fast before the killer strikes again.

*****

Gina has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy.

*****beginning of extract*****

This extract is about the anti-hero Rupert. His girl-friend Drina has just bought him some food (he has spent all his money on booze). Instead of eating it he goes in to see his neighbour, an old woman.

 Once the car boot was full of bags of food, Drina drove Rupert round to his flat. As she dropped him outside, she repeated, ‘OK, so stay off the booze and get some sleep. And start looking for a job.’

Rupert inclined his head politely. He watched her drive off round the corner, making sure she was well out of sight before he picked up the bags of food. Grinning impishly, he headed for a flat on the ground floor at the back of his block. He knocked and yelled loudly through the door.

‘Hello. Mrs Cartwright. How are you today?’

After a long wait he heard a dragging sound in the flat, as though someone was heaving a heavy parcel. Eventually, after extensive clunking, the door opened a slit, and an old woman peered out, her face looking anxious.

‘Who is it?’

‘Hello, Mrs Cartwright. It’s me, Rupert. I brought you the shopping you wanted.’

He lifted the bags and waved them so she could see them through the slit.

The old woman smiled and opened the door. ‘Thank you, Mr Rupert, you are so kind. I’d quite forgotten I asked you. Come in and I’ll get my purse.’

She limped away and Rupert carried the food into the kitchen at the back of the flat. The fridge was already stuffed with food from his last delivery two days ago. He pulled it out and put it in a black bag in the bin out on the back steps, replacing it with some of the new stuff but leaving the majority on the kitchen table. Pulling off the price labels, he hastily stuffed them in his pocket. When she returned to the kitchen, she slumped down on a chair exhaustedly, plopping her open purse on the table.

Rupert glanced briefly at the many twenty- and fifty-pound notes in it.

‘So, how much is that, dear?’ she said. ‘Would twenty pounds cover it?’

He put his hand on his breast and smiled sympathetically. ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said, ‘it is a bit more, but a hundred and fifty pounds will be enough.’

The old woman tutted. ‘Everything is getting so expensive nowadays. The social hardly covers it.’

She passed him a hundred pounds in twenties plus another fifty.

‘Happy to do it for you,’ he said, smiling brightly. ‘Would you like the same again on Monday? It’s always nice to have food in, isn’t it?’

Her hand waved vaguely. ‘It is, love. And I’m so lucky to have you upstairs. Don’t worry about putting it away. I’ll do that. Give me something to do.’

‘Not at all,’ said Rupert, ‘always happy to help a neighbour. Talking of which, shall I take your rubbish out?’

Mrs Cartwright wrinkled her eyes in confusion. ‘Have I got some, dear?’

Rupert lifted out the black bag he had just stuffed and waved it. There was a lurid smell of rotting food.

Smiling, he lifted the bag onto his shoulders. As they walked to the door, Rupert looked at the table covered with knick-knacks.

‘Oh! Very pretty,’ he said. ‘What a lovely crochet hook. My girlfriend loves crocheting.’

‘Oh, does she, dear?’ said Mrs Cartwright. ‘Well, you’d better give it to her. My hands are too arthritic for crochet now and I don’t have any relations left. She might as well have it.’

‘Wow. Mrs C, that is so kind,’ said Rupert helping himself to the ornaments, ‘thank you.’

And he gave her a big hug before opening the door.

‘Now, take care, Mrs C, not everyone in the neighbourhood is so nice. Bolt your door firmly and stay safe.’

‘Thank you, dear. I am so lucky to have you upstairs.’

*****end of extract*****

About Gina Cheyne – 

Gina has worked as a pilot, physiotherapist, freelance writer and dog breeder.

As a child, Gina’s parents hated travelling and never went further than Jersey.

As a result she became travel-addicted and spent years bumming around SE Asia, China and Australia, where she worked in a racing stables in Pinjarra, South of Perth. She then lived and worked in various places in Spain, the USA and London before settling in West Sussex with her husband and dogs.

This is her fourth crime novel in the SeeMs Detective Agency series. This book is set between Sussex and London.

Say hello to Gina via her website, Instagram, Facebook, Reedsy and TikTok. 

The Chameleon Killer Mystery is book four in the SeeMS book series. Click to buy it on Amazon UK, Amazon US and Waterstones. 

by

Laura

I’m Laura. I started Novel Kicks in 2009. I wanted a place to post my writing as well as give other writers like me the opportunity to do the same. There is also a monthly book club, a writing room which features writing prompts, book reviews, competitions, author interviews and guest posts.

I grew up by the sea (my favourite place in the world) and I currently live in Hampshire. I am married to Chris, have a cat named Buddy and I would love to be a writer. I’m trying to write the novel I’ve talked so much about writing if only I could stop pressing delete. I’ve loved writing since creative writing classes in primary school. I have always wanted to see my teacher Miss Sayers again and thank her for the encouragement. When not trying to write the novel or writing snippets of stories on anything I can get my hands on, I love reading, dancing like a loon and singing to myself very badly. My current obsession is Once Upon a Time and I would be happy to live with magic in the enchanted forest surrounded by all those wonderful stories provided that world also included Harry Potter. I love reading chick lit. contemporary fiction and novels with mystery.