Life can turn on a dime against the jagged cliffs of California’s Central Coast…

Bruised, battered, but determined, Jane Innes must navigate a tangled web of deception, depravity and murder, and turn the tables on cunning swindlers. Using the art of deception, this out-of-work actress embarks on a daring caper–her last chance to take down a deadly adversary.

Following The Shill and Kill the Shill, Beware the Shill concludes this thrilling trilogy from Shamus Award-winning author John Shepphird.

A page-turning whodunit set in the wilds of a remote movie ranch, Bottom Feeders describes the hapless Hollywood cast and crew that eke out a living working on low-budget fare.

Their ambitious TV movie needs to be made fast and cheap, but a brutal murder grinds production to a halt. An approaching forest fire forces everyone to evacuate. In the confusion not everyone gets out. Eddie is the alcoholic director, Sheila the vulnerable camera assistant, Tom the self-centered actor, and Sondra the spurned sheriff’s deputy. Who will survive?

Death comes sudden and silent. The camouflaged killer’s weapon-of-choice is a high-tech hunting bow capable of firing razor-sharp arrows four hundred feet per second. The mysterious assassin has an agenda. Those left behind must find out what it is and who is behind this bloody slaughter in the fight for their lives.

Her role in the con game was to be the shill before the scam exploded in bloody violence. Discarded, sacrificed like a pawn, Jane’s left holding the bag.

The swindlers left a murderous trail and millions of dollars are missing. The problem; Jane knows too much. She’s a liability they can’t afford to keep around. But the con artists underestimated Jane. They miscalculated her tenacity and will to survive. Not one to be crossed, her plan is to use their own weapon, the “art of deception,” against them. Facing insurmountable odds Jane sets out to settle the score with fierce determination, and a few tricks up her sleeve.

Kill the Shill is part two of a trilogy from Shamus Award winning author John Shepphird.

Struggling actress Jane Innes is seduced by a handsome new arrival in her acting class. He makes a proposition. He admits he’s a con man and needs Jane to pose as a rich, carefree heiress to fulfill her part in his intricate scam.

Would you agree? Or run the other way?

All goes as planned until Jane’s true identity threatens to surface and their scheme begins to crack at the seams.

It all leads to a tangled maze of deception, depravity and murder.

The Shill is part one of a trilogy from Shamus Award winning author, John Shepphird.

The Shill

Struggling actress Jane Innes is seduced by a handsome new arrival in her acting class. He makes a proposition. He admits he’s a con man and needs Jane to pose as a rich, carefree heiress to fulfill her part in his intricate scam. All goes as planned until Jane’s true identity threatens to surface and their scheme begins to crack at the seams. It all leads to a tangled maze of deception, depravity, and murder.

Kill the Shill

Her role in the con game was to be the shill before the scam exploded in bloody violence. Discarded, sacrificed like a pawn, Jane’s left holding the bag. The swindlers left a murderous trail and millions of dollars are missing. The problem: Jane knows too much. She’s a liability they can’t afford to keep around. But the con artists underestimated Jane. They miscalculated her tenacity and will to survive. Not one to be crossed, her plan is to use their own weapon, the “art of deception,” against them. Facing insurmountable odds Jane sets out to settle the score with fierce determination, and a few tricks up her sleeve.

Beware the Shill

Bruised, battered, but determined, Jane Innes must navigate a tangled web of deception, depravity and murder, and turn the tables on cunning swindlers. Using the art of deception, this out-of-work actress embarks on a daring caper–her last chance to take down a deadly adversary.