Trespass

Peacock & Rayburn #2

by Marla Madison

A brand-new novel, a sequel to She’s Not There, starring private investigator TJ Peacock and Lisa Rayburn.

TRESPASS

A deadly house explosion in her neighborhood lures investigator TJ Peacock to the site of the fire where she meets Gemma, a woman tortured by the death of a friend who died in the explosion.
Gemma, struggling with the ghosts of her past, is convinced the explosion was deliberate, and hires TJ to find out who murdered her friend. TJ takes the case and returns to the work she loves, despite feeling guilty about the responsibilities of motherhood and the attitude of her long-time lover, Detective Richard Conlin.
When a series of attacks and a murder take place in the same neighborhood, TJ unearths a bizarre connection to a sixteen-year-old double suicide of a couple who were partnered in a swingers’ group. A killer is trying to eliminate everyone who had been players in the group.
The clock is ticking as TJ tries to unravel the mystery before more people are killed.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Amazon, Ebooks, Crime, Detective

422 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Marla Madison currently works part-time doing arbitration for the the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

Hard at work now as an author, she is writing her sixth novel of suspense. Her first series, the TJ Peacock & Lisa Rayburn suspense series, has three editions out, the third, Girl Undone, has just been released. Marla is currently working on the third novel in her second suspense series which spotlights Detective Kendall Halsrud.

At home in Northwestern Wisconsin, Marla lives on Prairie Lake with her significant other, Terry, a beloved shelter-dog, Skygge, and Poncho, an opinionated feline from the same shelter who believes he is the boss of everything.

Some of her favorite things are playing duplicate and tournament bridge, golf, reading, pontooning, and taking long walks with her dog.

Reviews

[Katie Mettner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trespass is the followup book to She's Not There by Marla Madison and is about TJ Peacock, a private investigator, and Lisa Rayburn, a therapist. I want to start by saying I did not read She's Not There first and I had no problem reading Trespass. Ms. Madison does a fine job of filling you in about the women's relationship and how they met, so you don't feel like you are missing anything. She's Not There and Trespass can both be stand alone novels, as the cases are not tied together in anyway beyond the characters.

Now for the good stuff, I LOVED this book! I am a huge reader of mystery suspense thriller genre and I have to say I haven't been reading a lot of it lately because I can't find what I'm looking for in the genre anymore. Depth. I want a mystery that I don't have figured out on the first page and I have to walk through the whole book to figure out just how the whole thing came together. Trespass has done what most of those books can't and that was give me a convoluted story of deception, lies, secrets and twists from everyday people you would never suspect. TJ Peacock is a strong woman not afraid to put herself out there and find the truth, but has a vulnerability you don't always get to see with detective novels. She's a mother and she frequently has to weigh the importance of walking away from her son to get the truth, at the risk she never sees him again. In my opinion TJ was the lead character in this book as I found Lisa Rayburn rather boring and unnecessary other than as a way to help Gemma figure out what her issues were and how they tied to the case. Maybe Lisa is more important in She's Not There, but in Trespass she was just kind of...eh.. for me. TJ and Gemma stole the show in this one!

All of the elements of a good suspense thriller are present in Trespass. The twists and turns were written in a way that make you feel like you are on that road in the cemetery with TJ as she discovers another hidden secret from years past. I will be starting She's Not There next because the author made enough references to it in Trespass I want to go find out what happened to the women! If you are looking for a great suspense novel Trespass is for you. If you're looking for a great suspense author I highly recommend Marla Madison!

[Kelly Marshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marla Madison’s Tresspass is a gem . The book’s location is Wauwatosa WI. Try saying that three times without your tongue tying in a neat knot! The book opens with a bang, literally, as Norman Teschler’s house is blown sky-high with Norman in it. Private Investigator, TJ Peacock, is hired by Norman’s good friend, Gemma Rosenthal, to investigate Teschler’s death. Gemma is not convinced by the quick and tidy ruling that her friend’s death was an unfortunate accident. A retired cop and now PI, Tj Peacock starts digging and uncovers some real dirt including a swinger’s club where neighboring couples exchange their spouses for nights of unbridled passion. The more she digs, the more TJ is mired in a salacious bog of sin and death.

Madison keeps the action moving and the reader guessing on who the murderer is. There’s an unsavory cast of characters and it could have been any one of them. She fooled me and I’m not easy to dupe.

Madison knows her police procedures and that added real credence to the story. I liked this book…a lot and can highly recommend it. Madison earned her 5 stars on this one.

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever kept reading a book because it had a lot of stars & great ratings? Well, that's what I did with this book. I am really glad to be done with it & honestly, still don't think I really know "who-done-it" or why. I think the author had a good story line, but just seemed to be all over the place & just couldn't pull it together somehow. There were too many characters, half of whom were boring, some unbelievable, many underdeveloped, & a few overdeveloped. I felt like I was reading two or even three different books at times & didn't understand any of them. Unfortunately, I can't even name one character that I liked in this book - not even the main characters. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, unless you'd like to challenge me & see if you can figure it out better than I did!

[Dee Cash · Rating 2 out of 5]

TRESPASS Could Use A Proofreader

The idea of TRESPASS was a fairly good one. However, I didn't consider it well written. In at east one instance, a character's name changed in a paragraph. A few times poor grammar was used. In one section, a long section from one paragraph was repeated in the middle of the next paragraph. Spell check can be a wonderful thing but it can't replace proofreaders.

[Tulay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suspenseful read.

Clever, smart heroin. Interesting sub plots will keep you guessing. Violence, swingers, sleep paralysis and out of body experiences. Read the characters listed at the end will help you not to get lost at the beginning. They should have been listed at the beginning of the book.

[Wanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to follow

This was good enough read, but hard for me to follow. I had to go back a few times and re-read paragraphs to keep up with the story .

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

Well thought out and characters interesting but not as satisfying as her first novel. For me 3 stars is fine. Worth a read but nothing special

[Petula · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder and mystery at its best

The only reason I did not give this book five stars is because of the difficulty I had keeping up with all the names of the characters. I found this book to be very intriguing because it includes a twist on the typical home invasion.

As the story goes on you'll be caught up with following the story and trying to determine who all the perpetrators are given the clues that are presented. Almost every time you think you have it all figured out you are given new clues. What seems like an open and shut case, is far from it.

When I began this book I didn't realize it is book 2 because it can definitely stand alone. At the end, after the epilogue, you'll be satisfied, but wishing for more.

[Sandy Wilmering · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first Peacock & Rayburn book, but I was very disappointed with the second one. First of all, TJ and Lisa are together maybe twice the whole book; certainly not a partnership like the first book. I wasn't that interested in many of the characters. I also found the book confusing at times: there were two instances where a major plot point is talked about like it was mentioned before, but I went back through the book and could not find where it was first mentioned in either case. There was also repetition in details: Jeff Denison's demise from the first book was explained three different times. I feel like a good editing would have made this book a lot better.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Norman Teschler dies in his house explosion friend and neighbour Gemma Rosenthal employs TJ Peacock to investigate. As she is convinced unlike the police that it was not an accident. But this is not the last of the deaths or attacks. So finally the police are called in.
A very enjoyable story with its mystery, and old and new secrets.

[Mary McKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder, sex, mystery and suspense all in one book

The author uses unique twists and turns to keep the reader riveted to the story. It can be a frightening read due to the psychological elements incorporated. Highly recommended for readers who thrive on swift pacing and ongoing suspense.

[Lisa Kader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read.

If you haven't read anything by Marla Madison I highly recommend that you give her books a read. Her books will have you wondering who is doing the crime. Once you start reading her books you won't be able to put them down.

[Aliene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Achei que a história desse livro segue um ritmo mais interessante do que a do primeiro livro da série. Visivelmente a autora está mais familiarizada com os personagens e consegue transmitir isso melhor na trama. Só fiquei chateada da segunda morte do livro não ter uma resolução

[paulette sarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great police thriller

This story kept you on your toes until the end. Lots of twist and turns. Loved the main characters TJ and Gemma. Never would have guessed who the killer was. Would love to read more of it's adventures.

[Sharon Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

A house exploded and a man dies in it. Gemma hires TJ to look into it because she doesn't think it was an accident. As they investigate they uncover a swinger group and something that happened 16 years ago

[Dwight Burgess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rambling, but enjoyable.

Too many variables with too many characters. When read over many nights had to go back to remember who was who.

[Sherri Power · Rating 5 out of 5]

Master of the slight of mind

Look one way and you will miss a clue. Great book with very interesting characters. Gets you in the end!

[David Highton · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second in the TJ Peacock series, probably now enough for me - far too long for the plot and a pretty limp ending

[Sue Geib · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Read

This is my first Peacock & Rayburn book will definitely go back and read the first book and look for other's held your interest and was a real page turner!

[Dominique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Very captivating and keeps you on the edge until the end. From the ending I don't think this storyline is over.

[Pamela Rounsaville · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have have several books from this series. Keeps you on your toes

[Amber Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the mystery! It was all over the place, which made it really hard for me to figure everything out until the end when it was all revealed. And I loved TJ! Can’t wait to read the other books now.

[bonnie kirchner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trespass

This is a really great thriller series . I have really enjoyed it. I recommend this series to all who love a great thriller. This is one. Worth reading.

[Nancy Silk · Rating 5 out of 5]

"An Extremely Well Developed Crime Thriller"

In the first book of this series, "She's Not There" featuring Psychologist Lisa Rayburn and Private Detective T.J. Peacock, they investigate a long list of missing women in the Milwaukee area. In book 2, T.J. is now a mother in a binding relationship with Richard Conlin, a Milwaukee detective. Her son, J.R. (Jeffrey Richard) is adored by Richard. T.J. works only part-time now doing security assignments, but her heart is not in that dull work ...the pay is good but she'd rather do criminal investigations. On this first night, an explosion rocks T.J.'s area a couple blocks away. She walks toward the burning site and finds an entire house has been blown up. She sees a woman nearby in her nightgown, apparently in shock at seeing the demolition. She helps the woman, Gemma Rosenthal, return to her house and finds out that Gemma is a close friend to the resident of the shattered house, Norman Teschler, who is also her boss. T.J. gives her Lisa Rayburn's card as Gemma seems to radiate problems which Lisa may help resolve. Gemma is a disturbed person with repetitive dreams of terror, diagnosed as sleep paralysis. She does seek Lisa's counsel but also hires T.J. to find out who has murdered Norman Teschler. She refuses to believe it was an accidental explosion due to a gas leak. This novel is intense, fast moving and there are several compelling prime characters which you will retain in memory as long as you continuously read and move through this captivating novel. If you can't remember who is who, the author has provided a list of characters in the back of the book. The story line will keep you guessing and intrigued. Marla Madison writes intense, magnetic stories which will engulf you. A very well written and suspenseful story with unique twists and turns. It excited me and I highly recommend "Trespass."

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I packed this in quite a long way in for me at over 40%. I got worn down with the continuation errors. It just got way too baffling and I was cheesed off having to keep going back trying to figure something mentioned out only to realise it hadn't been mentioned before but was referred to as if it was. Things like saying someone was grieving his boss because his socks didn't match and he looked rumpled didn't ring true for me, the fact a husband was supposed to know about an affair that had occurred yet we'd never been told this and especially the fact a victim had no sense of smell yet everyone was supposed to know-why would they ?? A laptop is broken into yet there could be a plausible explanation for pages in the history the owner hadn't viewed.....what sort of plausible explanation ? Finally she had Gemma say she'd spoken to TJ the previous night when we'd already seen she hadn't phoned her at all !! I'd had enough by then.
Sadly she includes a cast list BUT right at the end of the book so no good at all because if you flick to that and you're reading the e-book it thinks you've finished reading and synchs thus because it's at the 100% point !!! WHY did the publisher not even consider this ?? It's no good there, we needed that at the beginning !! Astounding..........
The names of people featured as initials only was a little confusing at times, too. I enjoyed the first in this series but won't read any more, sadly. I have another that's not part of a series by her downloaded and I just hope that's more like her first book for me than this one.
I thought the cover was a lovely one on this book and there aren't heaps of grammatical nor spelling errors so it's a real shame it was let down by the other issues.

[Heather Doughty · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good sequel to book one, "She's Not There." It focuses more on TJ Peacock, a PI with a lot of spunk.

I enjoy the characters Ms. Madison creates. They are well thought out, complete characters. As a reader, I feel like I know them.

The plot for this book was a bit confusing. After it was wrapped up, I was wishing for more explanation about how everything tied together. There is changing chad at the end which conveniently lets the author off the hook for not quite completing the who dunnit and why.

There was one glaring error that through me off of the scent. Gemma attends a therapy group but uses a fake name to hide her identity. One of the members of the group, Jorge, takes interest in her and what's happening to her. After an intense scene, Gemma requests to see Jorge. When he enters the room, he calls her Gemma rather than her fake name. She never questions this, nor does she question how Jorge knew where she lived. At the time, I thought is was a character's oversight and would connect Jorge to what was happening around town. In the end, I realized it was an error made by the author.

This is an overall enjoyable book. It does contain some sexually explicit ideas and scenes. Doesn't bother me, but may bother others. The writer creates and features strong women characters who go through real life life-shaping events. I definitely recommend this series. I am off to buy book 3.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book grabs you from the very first page. An explosion causes a death that can't be explained. Was it an accident as it seemed to be or a murder?
Gemma a good friend of the person who died in the explosion, hires TJ Peacock as a P.I. to investigate . The plot thickens as it comes to be evident that the couples involved in swapping partners were to be the future victims.
The characters were well developed and the story takes many surprising twists as the reader too becomes involved in guessing exactly who the murderers were.
A mystery lovers mystery!

[Mark Tilbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

Private investigator TJ Peacock begins investigating an explosion in which a man dies and begins uncovering things that the police have missed. As more people die TJ and the police start to work together to solve the cases.

Even though this book follows on from She’s Not There I had no difficulty knowing who was who. The author included just enough information to show how relationships had evolved from the first book. I enjoyed this book and thought that it had plenty of twists to keep me guessing what would happen next. This is a good suspense thriller that kept me turning the pages.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not read the first book in this series, but did not find that a hindrance in understanding Trespass. I found the characters believable and the plot compelling. The switches in narration from first person to third person helped set bounds between the different aspects of the plot. There's a pretty high sleaze factor in the mystery itself, as other reviews have mentioned, but Ms. Madison does not dwell on it (for which I am grateful). Plenty of twists and turns kept my interest until the end.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.

[Deborah F. Morales · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT Who Done It!

Loved the twists and turns in this story! . Lots of suspects, all with different motives. Wish I could have read it straight through, as I had to go back a few times to determine exactly who-was-who. Found the list of characters upon completion of the book. I may have missed it in the table of contents, as I jumped right into the book! The other reviews were so glowing, I couldn't wait to get started.