Synopsis
Product tester and gadget geek, Zapporah Leverne shares her home with couch-surfing buddy, Sloth and pet cat, Rookie. Her big heart gets her into trouble because she’s violated her apartment’s lease agreement. When her landlady gives her an eviction notice, Zapporah can’t believe her eyes since she and her landlady were on good terms and she’s always been on time with her rent. That very night, Rookie displays an unbelievable skill; she’s able to set up a chessboard and move chess pieces. Zapporah believes Rookie’s skill could help her score the fast money she needs to get new digs.
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Enter Kenny, her ex-boyfriend. Although she’s forgiven him for catching him getting a lap dance from his boss, Gloria Stravos, Zapporah will not go beyond anything other than getting his help with securing a talent agent for Rookie.
Rookie is hired for a commercial, and just as things are about to look up for Zapporah, her intelligent cat is stolen. Sloth and Kenny attempt to outdo each other as they come to Zapporah’s aid to find Rookie.
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When she gets a strange voice message from Gloria, Zapporah goes to find out what’s going on. She finds Gloria murdered. Previous opposition with Gloria implicates her as a suspect. Zapporah’s intuition about that strange phone call tells her that whoever stole her cat also murdered Gloria.
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Zapporah and Sloth are up against a cunning murderer, white supremacists, and an inept cop to find her Rookie. Will gadgets, and a strong intuition be enough to help Zapporah find her cat and a murderer on the prowl?
Paperback and eBook
In The Press
The First Novel Of A Mystery Series By Catarrina Cummings
Catarrina Cummings’ debut novel sets the stage to witness an out-of-control bleek-turned-sleuth trying everything from a psychic to high-tech gadgets to find her snarky feline. Throw in a cunning murderer and a dash of humor into the mix, and readers must hang on tight for a fast-paced ride.
Catarrina Cummings is ready to introduce the world to her writing skills by launching her very first novel by January 2023. The novel is a part of a black mystery series. The story of the novel revolves around Zapporah Leverne, a Black geek turned private investigator with an extraordinary cat that will leave readers rooting for her to win.
Talking about her debut novel, Catarrina Cummings said, “ The idea for this book came up when I noticed how easy it was for White amateur sleuths to get inside of places, businesses, and interrogate suspects without much fanfare. I would shake my head and say, ‘Unh Unh, unfortunately, Black amateur sleuths would never make it in the door that easily. And we definitely become a prime suspect once we find a corpse.”
In Catarrina Cummings' debut novel, the main character is a nearly out-of-control bleek-turned-sleuth who employs every resource at her disposal, including a psychic and cutting-edge technology, in order to track down her snarky cat. The book begins with a murder and a dash of humor, and then the action picks up speed.
With the assistance of J. Michael Orenduff, the managing director of the book, Catarrina Cummings' masterpiece would be on the market by the first month of 2023.
Aaakenbaaken & Kent Publishers,
Publisher