When Push Comes to Shoot: A Suspense Novel

by Rena Koontz

Emma Hunter’s tyrannical brother deserved to die, even if the manner of his murder was horror-movie gruesome. As a police lieutenant, she’s duty-bound to provide whatever assistance she can in hunting down her brother’s killer, but she doesn’t mourn his loss. Business acquaintances, former friends, and even his relatives agree the world is better off without the despicable bully.
With no clues and too many suspects, it looks like the murderer might be home free—until tenacious Detective Jared Jones' suspicions turn to Emma’s sweet sister-in-law. Emma knows for a fact that her brother’s mentally and emotionally abused wife is innocent, but conflicting loyalties prevent her from speaking up and turning the investigation in the right direction. What’s best for her brother’s widow could cost Emma everything she values—her career, her reputation, even her freedom.

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 4, 2021

About the author

I am a native of Pittsburgh, PA., and a graduate of Peabody High School and the University of Pittsburgh with a bachelor's degree in English. I try to work Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh connections into my stories. I'm an avid sports fan so my characters often wear black and gold or reference the city's sports teams -- The Pittsburgh Penguins, The Pittsburgh Steelers, The Pittsburgh Pirates.
I've been a newspaper reporter all my life, from the time I graduated college and worked part-time for a now-defunct weekly, until my departure from one of the country's top twenty newspapers in Cleveland, OH.
I worked and lived in Pittsburgh until 1998 - spending more than a decade with a small daily newspaper, The Beaver County Times, before joining the city's major daily, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. I was a reporter for The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette when my husband and I relocated to Cleveland, OH., where I worked first as an editor for The Medina (OH.)Gazette, then joined The Cleveland Plain Dealer as a general assignment reporter.
My writing career has taken me into the sports arena, politics, feature writing, editorial writing, and, my favorite, cops and courts. I've chased fire trucks and police cars, covered all sorts of crimes, including murders, and reported criminal, civil, high profile and ordinary trials. Many of the ideas for my books come from real cases that I am familiar with.
Plus, I'm married to a retired FBI agent whose career fuels my ideas and whose technical advice is invaluable.
We make our home in Florida and haven't missed the snow yet.

Reviews

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the characters and their descriptions. I figured out whodunit pretty early on.

[S.P. Dawes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This thriller is everything you expect from one. It has a great plot and a few twist and turns to keep you guessing. I loved the writing of the widow character. Always ambivilant and hard the gauge. Her character seemed so realistic because she wasn't one dimensional or predictable. Her manner changed as and when needed and the strength she showed was indicative of the strong bond and faith she held with the church, her priest and God. Emma's character is much more disturbing. And I can't give too much away about why, but you're certainly left perplexed, but again, realistically so. You feel for the detectives on the case. With no real evidence, witnesses, motive or weapon, they have an impossible job, but where most may leave alone, they push forward. Which seems overly harsh, but then it seems they have a plan too. Great story.

[Sherri Moorer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lt. Emma Hunter only turned up at the scene of her brother's murder for one reason: her saintly sister-in-law, Mary. She didn't mourn the tyrant that she had been estranged from for a decade, and couldn't honestly say that she was surprised by his brutal murder. The main question was, who did it? Natural suspicion fell on Mary, and with good reason: her journal revealed that she had made a shocking discovery about her husband just before his death. Was it enough to drive this good woman to murder? Or was it a natural case of too many suspects to whittle down the list to one single culprit? An excellent read with twists and turns that will keep you guessing and suspecting every character.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that draws you in with a tantalizing mystery. The characters are great. Emma is a strong female lead, both a sister to the victim and police woman. Of course she doesn't get to work the case, but her detective boyfriend does. Mary, the jerk's (Don's) wife stands accused of his murder. She's a God fearing woman but Emma thinks she's not guilty. But who is? I recommend 'When Push Comes to Shoot' to those who like a good mystery.

[Julie Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given a review copy of this book and I thought it was a good crime thriller. The characters were well-drawn and the plot had its twists and turns. I liked the dilemmas but I did wonder how a case could go to court without evidence - just suspicion.

Descriptions of the procedures seemed accurate but Jared was certainly aggressive in all the interrogations.

This was a well-written story and worth reading.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when you think you have it figured out.... you don't! This book will take you for all the twist and turns there are and having you guessing even after you think you already know! Great read!

[Tony Duxbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well-written police story.

[Margo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Police lieutenant Emma Hunter feels nothing at the scene of her brother’s gruesome murder. He was a vile human being. When the police zero in on her sister-in-law as the killer, Emma strives to convince the chief detective, her boyfriend, that hordes of people were glad he was dead.
Great backstories and courtroom scenes. Ms. Koontz takes us on a provocative journey filled with intriguing characters and surprising twists. Who murdered Donald Malvado? I zipped through the pages to get the answer. You will, too.