Guest Post: It Takes Two

James L’Etoile is an author readers who enjoy fast-paced crime fiction and police procedurals should get to know if they haven’t already. In just a few years, he has established himself as a respected and acclaimed novelist, simultaneously publishing two very different, but equally absorbing series. One features Detective Nathan Parker, a sheriff’s deputy based in Arizona who finds himself dealing with contemporary cases and issues unique to that part of the United States, often involving gangs, cartels, victims of human trafficking, and immigration/border problems.

At the center of his other series is Emily Hunter, a detective with the Sacramento Police Department, who struggles to find work-life balance. She is single and childless, but is responsible for the care of her mother who suffers from early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. She has also embarked on a romantic relationship with a fellow officer, Sergeant Brian Conner, but it is not without its own complications. And Emily is completely devoted to her law enforcement career, which continues, even in 2026 in California’s capitol city, to present different challenges for a woman than for her male counterparts. Emily’s personality makes it even harder for her to navigate the complex, high-profile cases she is assigned because she has a tendency to say exactly what she is thinking, which sometimes does not sit well with her superiors or the politicians with whom she is required to interact.

In the latest installment, Illusion of Truth, officers respond to a reported disturbance at a local church in an area of town straddling the territories of two rival gangs. But when they arrive on scene, it becomes clear that they have been lured there under false pretenses. When a bomb is detonated, Brian and other officers are seriously wounded. Of course, Emily wants to be part of the investigation, despite her obvious conflict of interest.

As the inquiry proceeds, more and more questions arise about the identity of the bomber(s) and the motive for the attack. As Emily and her partner, Javier Medina, work around the clock to solve the case and prevent any further officers or civilians from being injured or worse, Emily worries about Brian’s post-recovery life, as well as the future of their just-burgeoning relationship. Given the nature of Brian’s injuries, if he survives, he may never be the same man he was before the attack. And if his life is permanently changed, can their relationship survive?

As Emily follows the trail of baffling evidence, she finds herself questioning Brian’s past actions and how well she really knows him. What is the truth about a tragic incident that occurred several years ago? Emily discovers that truth depends on who’s left to tell the story.

It Takes Two

by
James L’Etoile

Thanks for inviting me back to Colloquium.

Illusion of Truth is now out in the world. It is the third book in the Detective Emily Hunter series, and as we’ve discussed before, Emily is a blast to write. She’s a bit brash, sarcastic, and can push the envelope when it comes to dealing with cumbersome procedures, bureaucracy, or misogynist people in her path.

That’s where her partner comes in. Javier Medina helps keep Emily grounded and has on more than one occasion saved her from self-destructing by telling off a supervisor or a city politician what she really thought. Javier is Emily’s moral compass. I’ve said I picture him as a Ramon Rodriguez — from television’s Will Trent — kind of guy. Smart, can work behind the scenes, and knows how to “encourage” people, Emily included, to do the right thing.

Where Emily wants to cut to the chase and get down to the issue, Javier will pause and gently nudge her back to center and avoid the career-threatening f-bomb that might drop at the most inopportune time.

He’s got an unusual backstory that influences how he sees the world. He was left at the border as a young child, and his mother returned to Mexico. He landed in the foster care system and witnessed what it’s like to be invisible, or worse, in a system that often treats children as monetary assets.

Lucinda Medina adopted Javier and gave him the home and family he had missed. Nurturing, caring, and empathetic, Lucinda passed on many of those traits to her adopted son. She’s also eager for a grandchild and reminds Javier of that often. She’s gone to the extreme of setting up dates for him with eligible women from her church group.

Javier is less inclined to take his mother’s manufactured set-ups and has had a few significant long-term relationships. One was a local magazine reporter who put him on the city’s most eligible bachelor list. The placement suddenly disappeared when they broke up. Something Emily reminds him of often.

Javier is a solid detective in his own right. Emily depends on him, and in Illusion of Truth, she needs to let him take the reins on a church bombing that takes Brian Conner, Emily’s cop boyfriend, as a victim. Brian is gravely injured and may not recover, but the police brass know she’s too close to investigate the case. Javier can’t let her down. Emily knows he’s up to the task, but she can’t help but try to push her way back into the investigation.

Emily pushes not because she doesn’t trust Javier to do the right thing, but because she wants to know who was behind the bombing attack that threatened to take the man she loved from her. Javier feels her unravel when the bombing attack is linked to a series of events targeting other officers. Was there a cover-up these officers were involved in? Was Brian part of it? Was he ever the man she believed him to be?

Javier is part sounding board, part friend, and part protector as Emily navigates this very personal investigation. Their brother-sister banter is fun to write, and from a character perspective, it gives Emily a place to vent. She’s lucky to have him. Sometimes, it takes two.

Meet James

James L’Etoile’s writing is influenced by his twenty-nine years “behind bars,” not as an inmate, but as the associate warden of a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, and Director of the Division of Adult Parole Operations with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. His novels have been short-listed for or awarded Lefty, Anthony, Macavity, Silver Falchion, and the Public Safety Writers awards. He also pens short stories and screenplays and serves as the Executive Vice President of Mystery Writers of America.

Dead Drop, Devil Within, and Served Cold are the first three installments in his outstanding Detective Nathan Parker series. Sins of the Father is the fourth and most recent volume. Although each book can be enjoyed as a stand-alone, readers will enjoy the context that reading each installment brings.

Face of Greed launched the Detective Emily Hunter series and was followed up by River of Lies. Illusion of Truth was published in January 2026. Reading the series in order allows readers to experience the progression of the characters’ lives and careers, but is not required.

Connect with James at his website, or on Goodreads, X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram or BookBub.

Thank you again, James!

Books by James L’Etoile:

Detective Nathan Parker Series

Detective Emily Hunter Series

Guest Posts by James L’Etoile: