A Cop's Good Name: By the Year 2000: Something to Celebrate!

Joe Latham is a good cop, but when he shoots a gang member who brandished gun and no gun can be found, Joe will lose his badge. He goes to the one person he knows who can help him, his ex-wife, lawyer Maggie Hannon. While Joe and Maggie search for the truth, there are hurts too deep for healing and secrets between them. A Cop's Good Name explores the very real hurts and secrets that can exist within a marriage with sensitivity and insight. The hero and heroine are well-matched.

After fourteen years on the force, police officer Joe Latham has never fired a weapon even though he has been in several harrowing spots. Instead his calm demeanor and his ability to remain cool in perilous situations has made him one of Plainfield, Ohio's best cops. However, that ends when he kills Nightshade gang member Hook, an armed robbery suspect, when he saw the culprit pull out a gun. Joe's partner arrived a bit late to honestly testify and the alleged weapon seems to have vanished. Lately, the media and local groups have heavily criticized small town police forces for applyng excess force, especially using weapons unnecessarily. Joe realizes that he may soon be a victim of the negative publicity. He hires his ex-wife, attorney Maggie Hannan, to represent him. Seven years ago their marriage ended after she miscarried and felt he focused solely on his job at the expense of his family. Now she works to save the job she loathes. As they investigate together, their love reunites, but she is engaged to someone else and a pre-teen desperately needs Joe more than Maggie does. A COP'S GOOD NAME is a thrilling police procedural romance that should entice mystery fans with its non-stop look at a small town force. The story line starts fast and never slows down as the twosome makes inquiries. Joe and Maggie are a marvelous couple, but the support cast turns this into a first rate reading experience. After this fine tale, readers will search for Linda Markowiak novels far into the new millennium.Harriet Klausner