category: 
tag(s): 
A Dead Man Speaks
Author: Lisa Jones Gentry
Series: The Clive January Mystery Series, #1
Publication date: November 29th 2024
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Paranormal, Thriller
Introducing the first in a new paranormal crime mystery series set in 1980s, New York City on Wall Street
Clive January is a driven, self-made Black man, a ruthless, wildly successful investment banker who had it all – until he is shot and killed from behind by an unknown assailant. As Clive lies in a pool of blood, his life slowly ebbing away, he hears voices, unearthly beings tormenting him, telling him that he will burn in hell, unless he finds out who killed him. Now before it’s too late, his ghost must solve the crime of his own murder and his only choice is to work with the white racist cop assigned to his case, Detective Bob Greene.
Their relationship begins in hate and distrust, but soon they each realize that they have more in common than they could ever believe. And in the wrenching ending, they discover the truth that frees them both.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo
Lisa will be at the LA Times Festival of Books on Saturday April 26th at 12 noon!
an excerpt
Now this case. Clive January. It could bring me back or push me over the edge. I knew I had to crack this one. I had to get my eyes back.
This time I relaxed right away. Had to be the sound of the waves that did it to me. Rocking and gentle. Right away, I felt a power from somewhere flow through me. I wasn’t quite me no more. Something was invading my body, taking over my soul, my thoughts, every bit of who I was. Nausea churned my stomach.
Shit. I’d been doing this for more than ten years now. I was in control. I knew how to make it work for me. That is until now. ’Cause this was different. Whoever this guy was had this will that was stronger than anything I’d ever felt before. It was pushing me aside and taking over. I wanted to run to the bathroom and puke, but it wouldn’t let me. This will, this force, that was taking over. I tried to remember what my mother had said years ago.
“Relax,” she’d say. “Relax, Bobby. Let it flow through you. Not over you.”
But I couldn’t. I couldn’t control it. I was afraid, but there was nothing I could do. I was feeling things that weren’t a part of me, that were his feelings, his thoughts.
Fear. Desperation. I was drowning. Literally. I couldn’t breathe. I could feel the water filling my lungs. Images were coming at me now. I was him. I was Clive. Nothing like this had ever happened before. I fought to keep myself, but he was taking over.
I saw black water, swells of waves. It was dark, and I was going under. I saw a hand being held out to me. I tried to grab it, but I started choking. I woke up. I was sitting on his couch again. Looking at the ocean. I touched my brow. It was wet, and my hand was shaking so hard I had to lay it on the table.
Drowning? This guy was shot. I felt myself slowly settling back into my body. Weak kneed. Stomach still churning. I’d probably sweated off about five pounds. Weird as shit. It had never seemed that real before. I knew this case was different. ’Cause in spite of what I’d just been through, I felt a little thrill. I was still scared, but I knew I was onto something.
People would consider Lisa Jones Gentry, the author of “Forbidden Love” a true renaissance woman, because the former entertainment attorney, became an artist, author, creative executive, and writer-producer for film, television and digital content…
Lisa discovered her passion for the creative side of the business while serving as broadcast counsel at CBS in New York City, where she was the lead attorney on deals ranging from multi-millions to billions, such as the Olympics and Major League Baseball deal. But her Hollywood calling changed from “behind-the-deal” to “behind-the-laptop”, and ultimately moved to LA to break into the business as a writer-producer. As luck would have it, the first film script that she and her writing partner wrote was optioned by Paramount.
For the next four years they had several screenplays and teleplays optioned and set up at networks and studios, including development deals. She then took that creative experience and brought it to her position as EVP of Development for the stalwart Western International Syndication, formerly a division of renowned Western International Media, once the largest media buying entity in the world. Charged with expanding the company’s traditional roster of syndicated programming into network and cable, she executive produced over 100 hours of television in various formats and genres, airing on broadcast and cable. She also structured a joint venture between French broadcasting giant TF-1, Stephen J. Cannell Productions and Western for the international distribution of a one hour dramatic series.
Though “behind-the-deal: again, she didn’t stop her work behind-the-laptop and during that time wrote her first novel, “A Dead Man Speaks.” It garnered her an NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Debut Author, followed by a Literary Critics Award nomination for best general fiction. And her creative roll continued with a First Look Deal for Lisa and her writing partner at Sony Pictures under their Screen Gems banner.
With the cataclysmic changes in the “business,” like many other writers and producers, it wasn’t long before Lisa expanded her focus to digital media and due to her writing and executive experience was recruited to be the CEO of Comedy Express, a start-up broadband network targeting the young adult male demo. Ultimately, Comedy Express was acquired by the famed National Lampoon.
Following the acquisition of Comedy Express, Lisa not only managed to write another book – this time as a co-author of the nonfiction, “So You Want to be A Lawyer,” now in its second printing –she continued her expansion into digital media and technology and worked as Co-CEO of another early stage start-up company that launched two 24/7 television networks on cable, IPTV and satellite networks outside the US in Europe and Asia. Today, Lisa is a frequent speaker on technology and digital media, at the Tribeca Film Festival, the FCC start up conference and many other venues.
As if all that she’s done isn’t enough, Lisa is also an accomplished artist, and has been exhibiting and selling her work for several years. She has had worked featured in television series and TV Movies and buyers of her work have included on air talent, Arthel Neville and television Executive Producer, Samm Art Williams.
And while she loves exploring her artistic side, Lisa has no intention of slowing down her writing, as she continues to flex her creative muscle with several TV and film projects that she’s developing as well as her current book, “Forbidden Love,” the true love story of a white nun and a black priest in the segregated fifties as told by their son Joe Steele.
a giveaway
Leave a Reply