Lemaster Files

It wasn't just another live shot . . . TV reporter Pete Lemaster anticipates nothing more riveting than filming a short lifestyle segment for an upcoming college football rivalry when he arrives at the Jacksonville Waterfront pregame tailgate party. Then chaos erupts as a bystander stops an active shooter with an act of stunning bravery. And Pete suddenly holds a golden career opportunity in his hands-an exclusive video that goes viral. With the citizen hero's star rising among the Second Amendment folk, Pete, too, enjoys the perks of fame. But something about that now-famous moment feels off, so he uses his journalism skills to poke around. Suddenly, he's not sure what he captured is the truth. And now opportunistic political and media figures are threatening Pete's life if he doesn't back off. Can he blow the whistle on a coverup, out the real villain, and stay alive? The Bystander combines the twists and turns of Catherine Steadman's Something in the Water with a bit of Carl Hiaasen's Florida snark.

When TV reporter Pete Lemaster gets an after-hours call from a college friend, he doesn't expect it to catapult him into another big story in his reporting career. Scott "Uncle Scotty" Wilkins-a globe-trotting, charismatic businessman-has been arrested at a Singapore airport with enough drugs to guarantee a life sentence. The case explodes into an international spectacle. Viral images of Scotty charm the public, fuel conspiracy theories, and attract opportunists eager to profit from the scandal. For Pete, it's personal-he owes the family a favor. But pursuing the truth could compromise his career. Teaming up with police lieutenant Rebecca Dawes, Pete follows a trail that leads from glossy boardrooms to Singapore's prisons. Every clue exposes another enemy: betrayed lovers, vengeful spouses, shady investors, and rivals with millions at stake. But the closer Pete gets to uncovering who framed his friend, the more he realizes he may be the next pawn in a deadly game of deception. If you enjoy journalist-sleuth mysteries like The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, you'll be hooked on the Lemaster Files!