Hot Pepper

by Mark Thornton

One Night Only!!! That was what the marquee swinging above the hottest cabaret in New York City bragged. Only the prestigious and the loyal patrons of Downtown at Abbeys were fortunate enough to get a ticket to the hottest show in town. Pepper Mills was the main attraction. The middle-aged diva waited nervously in her dressing room expecting this to be a night to remember. It was her long-awaited return to the main stage. Everything was going according to plan, until the houselights went down and the telephone rang. It was a disturbing call from the granddaughter she never knew that catapulted Pepper into a world of dangerous drug lords, the kidnapping of her protégé, death of her daughter, and the unexpected chance to fall in love. Officer Jack Pepperidge was one of New York City’s most respected men in blue. He was a highly recognized police officer in line to be the next Chief of Police. It was a routine call to a domestic violence dispute that changed his life forever. Surviving a long recovery and rehabilitation from fatal gunshot wounds gave Jack Pepperidge a second chance on life. The husband, father, uncle, and grandfather, left behind his past to embrace his future as the woman he kept hidden for far too many years.
Now, as Pepper Mills, she will be forced to revisit her past from the backwoods of Pennsylvania to the subways of New York City all to protect her future. Pepper will face off with ex-convicts, as well as her ex-wife, until justice is served to her daughter’s killer. With the help of a very diverse group of friends that she calls family, Pepper will transition both physically and mentally.

430 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 22, 2019