What do you think?
Rate this book
e-llegal commerce: A Business World Hiding Lies, Murder and Dark Relationships
Computer whiz Mat Briscoe is looking for a new start to escape a disappointing love afair and a stagnant career. A big city seems the perfect answer, a chance to start fresh and forget in the high-tech business world of the 1990s..
Hired to replace someone who was killed in the office she now occupies, Mat has questions but they are met with silence, evasive answers and hostility. She shares her curiosity with Zorah, her housemate and a struggling artist who paints at night and is fascinated with the supernatural.
Greg, the owner of the Victorian house she shares with Zorah and Mat's love interest, wonders about her sanity. When Zorah is kidnapped and another body turns up, Mat realizes someone has heard her and is willing to do anything to stop her.
As she pieces together the clues, she uncovers a network of drug dealers, questionable business practices, and surprising links to her own past. But who is behind it? The brilliant technical expert with a personality problem? Her old flame Curt? Zorah's close friend? And what are they trying to hide?
Unexpectedly, Curt, a mercenary and adventurer, turns up and tries to rekindle their romance. Before she can finish a plan to flush the villains, a vice president at Kinross accuses her of dealing drugs at work and she is fired on the spot. Mat realizes that she’ll need the help of both new and old friends to find the truth about Kinross Associates.
In an exciting and unexpected conclusion, she discovers that personalities from her past and present intertwine in a world of intrigue, murder, and exploitation.
If you enjoyed this book , please consider leaving a review! Thank you!
Sign up for the author’s mailing list at cvalba.com and get a free copy of the short story Johnny and Jake.
In Johnny and Jake, a chance encounter ramps up a long-standing feud between two brothers.
In Johnny’s mind, his life seems to careen down a one-way street of lost opportunities, ones that favor his brother Jake.
How long can one endure a life spent watching your brother have it all?
When feelings run this deep, tragedy is waiting in the wings.
C. V. Alba’s work has been published in the Blue Ridge Writers Journal and the Journal of the Virginia Writers Project
Hired to replace someone who was killed in the office she now occupies, Mat has questions but they are met with silence, evasive answers and hostility. She shares her curiosity with Zorah, her housemate and a struggling artist who paints at night and is fascinated with the supernatural.
Greg, the owner of the Victorian house she shares with Zorah and Mat's love interest, wonders about her sanity. When Zorah is kidnapped and another body turns up, Mat realizes someone has heard her and is willing to do anything to stop her.
As she pieces together the clues, she uncovers a network of drug dealers, questionable business practices, and surprising links to her own past. But who is behind it? The brilliant technical expert with a personality problem? Her old flame Curt? Zorah's close friend? And what are they trying to hide?
Unexpectedly, Curt, a mercenary and adventurer, turns up and tries to rekindle their romance. Before she can finish a plan to flush the villains, a vice president at Kinross accuses her of dealing drugs at work and she is fired on the spot. Mat realizes that she’ll need the help of both new and old friends to find the truth about Kinross Associates.
In an exciting and unexpected conclusion, she discovers that personalities from her past and present intertwine in a world of intrigue, murder, and exploitation.
If you enjoyed this book , please consider leaving a review! Thank you!
Sign up for the author’s mailing list at cvalba.com and get a free copy of the short story Johnny and Jake.
In Johnny and Jake, a chance encounter ramps up a long-standing feud between two brothers.
In Johnny’s mind, his life seems to careen down a one-way street of lost opportunities, ones that favor his brother Jake.
How long can one endure a life spent watching your brother have it all?
When feelings run this deep, tragedy is waiting in the wings.
C. V. Alba’s work has been published in the Blue Ridge Writers Journal and the Journal of the Virginia Writers Project
285 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 9, 2024
25 people are currently reading
30 people want to read
About the author
C. V. Alba
4 books2 followersC.V. Alba is the author of award winning action-packed mystery novels set in the urban environment of 1990s Washington D.C. These gripping crime thrillers are rooted in the years she spent in the business world of high-tech.
There she encountered dishonesty, cover-ups, half-truths and outright lies–even murder and crime as thrilling as any murder mystery. From those experiences she developed her strong female protagonist. Her stories provide fast-paced action and adventure mixed with romance and strong friendships.
C.V. Alba grew up in the United States and Europe. She loves detective and murder mysteries solved by assertive but vulnerable women. She also enjoys walking, music, and most of all, her family. She resides in Virginia with her husband.
C.V. Alba’s work has been published in the Blue Ridge Writers Journal and the Journal of the Virginia Writers Project.
There she encountered dishonesty, cover-ups, half-truths and outright lies–even murder and crime as thrilling as any murder mystery. From those experiences she developed her strong female protagonist. Her stories provide fast-paced action and adventure mixed with romance and strong friendships.
C.V. Alba grew up in the United States and Europe. She loves detective and murder mysteries solved by assertive but vulnerable women. She also enjoys walking, music, and most of all, her family. She resides in Virginia with her husband.
C.V. Alba’s work has been published in the Blue Ridge Writers Journal and the Journal of the Virginia Writers Project.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
March 3, 2025
Woman in new job investigates the murder of her predecessor on her own - 3.5 stars
Both her new employer, Kinross Associates - a computer software firm, and Mat (Matilda Brisco) did a quick background check. After being hired, Mat found that her predecessor was shot to death in what became her office. Kinross was looking for a person with management experience and not expecting any information technology experience.
The story is set in 1993, when web searches were still in their infancy. Kinross was developing a new technology of processing online orders without the infrastructure of the web. Mat had to go to the library to find newspaper articles for anything that happened before the current week especially to learn about the demise of the person she replaced. It was easier to go to the newspaper offices to ask for local information than to page through stacks of newspapers that were piled up in random date order.
New to the community in suburban Washington DC, Mat rented a refurbished Victorian house and found a housemate, Zorah Jones, an artist who worked nearby. Even with different hours, Zorah and Mat found things that they could discuss and share. On the night of a festive dinner for their landlord, Zorah was abducted from the back door just as the guest of honor arrived at the front door. Zorah was returned dazed but unhurt the next morning remembering little about what happened. The police were not helpful.
Mat and Zorah tried to piece together more about Kinross and the people who worked there. Over the course of a few weeks, there were more suspicious activities including having their bedrooms were rearranged. One of Mat's coworkers said that her home was broken into and most of her shoes had the heels torn off.
The landlord became a romantic interest for Mat even though Mat's former boyfriend appeared out of nowhere and seemed interested in rekindling their relationship. We meet several of the artists that share the workspace where Zorah worked, several of Mat's co-workers, and a newspaper reporter.
As the investigation into the murder at Mat's business became widely known, Mat was fired. She kept trying to guess the who and why even though the police did not seem to actively try to solve the murder. There were late night car chases, break-ins into Mat's recent employer's offices until Mat figured out some of the who and way only to be shot at by someone in a dark car that was following their nocturnal investigation.
A final murder and confession resolved the original murder. "E-llegal Commerce" fits my understanding of a cozy mystery. I did not enjoy the various convolutions.
Both her new employer, Kinross Associates - a computer software firm, and Mat (Matilda Brisco) did a quick background check. After being hired, Mat found that her predecessor was shot to death in what became her office. Kinross was looking for a person with management experience and not expecting any information technology experience.
The story is set in 1993, when web searches were still in their infancy. Kinross was developing a new technology of processing online orders without the infrastructure of the web. Mat had to go to the library to find newspaper articles for anything that happened before the current week especially to learn about the demise of the person she replaced. It was easier to go to the newspaper offices to ask for local information than to page through stacks of newspapers that were piled up in random date order.
New to the community in suburban Washington DC, Mat rented a refurbished Victorian house and found a housemate, Zorah Jones, an artist who worked nearby. Even with different hours, Zorah and Mat found things that they could discuss and share. On the night of a festive dinner for their landlord, Zorah was abducted from the back door just as the guest of honor arrived at the front door. Zorah was returned dazed but unhurt the next morning remembering little about what happened. The police were not helpful.
Mat and Zorah tried to piece together more about Kinross and the people who worked there. Over the course of a few weeks, there were more suspicious activities including having their bedrooms were rearranged. One of Mat's coworkers said that her home was broken into and most of her shoes had the heels torn off.
The landlord became a romantic interest for Mat even though Mat's former boyfriend appeared out of nowhere and seemed interested in rekindling their relationship. We meet several of the artists that share the workspace where Zorah worked, several of Mat's co-workers, and a newspaper reporter.
As the investigation into the murder at Mat's business became widely known, Mat was fired. She kept trying to guess the who and why even though the police did not seem to actively try to solve the murder. There were late night car chases, break-ins into Mat's recent employer's offices until Mat figured out some of the who and way only to be shot at by someone in a dark car that was following their nocturnal investigation.
A final murder and confession resolved the original murder. "E-llegal Commerce" fits my understanding of a cozy mystery. I did not enjoy the various convolutions.
February 5, 2025
Mathilda Briscoe closes the door on a relationship with a man who feels he can disappear from her life. It's time for her to start over, moving to Alexandria and a new job. Taking a lease on a Victorian house with an artist roommate, Zorah, her living accommodations are set. But Mat's employment becomes questionable when she discovers she's taken over the position of a man who was shot in her current office. Everything she learns about the company seems off, leaving Mat to wonder if she and her friends are in danger.
One word that I'd use to describe this thriller is tenuous. I didn't feel connected to the main character and the story didn't feel resolved. It's a shame because the premise is fantastic and fresh. So many ideas and elements jangled about. The conclusion failed to draw all the parts together. A little quibble:
As a thriller, this story delivers on plot, but I wasn't enthused with the execution.
One word that I'd use to describe this thriller is tenuous. I didn't feel connected to the main character and the story didn't feel resolved. It's a shame because the premise is fantastic and fresh. So many ideas and elements jangled about. The conclusion failed to draw all the parts together. A little quibble:
As a thriller, this story delivers on plot, but I wasn't enthused with the execution.
January 10, 2026
Mat moves to a new city and find herself in the middle of something suspicious going on in the shadows of hew new workplace.
I enjoyed most of the story, however, the ending feels a bit underwhelming.
I enjoyed most of the story, however, the ending feels a bit underwhelming.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews