Out January 2026! PREORDER HERE
Detective Emily Hunter finds herself emotionally sideswiped when her boyfriend and fellow police officer Brian Conner is injured in a bomb blast. It’s the first of targeted attacks against the police.
Exacerbating the situation, a city councilman uses the attacks to get his face before the television cameras citing years of abusive police action.
Evidence from the bombing scene brings some direction. Found in the debris is the circuit board of a remote control car – it has a traceable serial number.
Hunter and her partner, Javier Medina build the fast moving case with solid police work, all while navigating heightening city politics. For Hunter, as her mother’s dementia continues to cause issues, her heart is heavy over rejecting Conner’s suggestion to move in together.
Illusion of Truth is everything a police procedural should be and an excellent continuation of the series. Importantly, L’Etoile is fully committed to the character of Emily Hunt, building a work and personal world that is intentionally substantive, and fully expressed.
James L’Etoile – Guest Post
Many thanks to June Lorraine for allowing me to come over and guest post on the Murder in Common blog. I promise not to leave a mess and to clean up after myself.
I’m in that weird in-between space. A new novel done, and all set for release in January to kick off the new year. Illusion of Truth is the third in the Detective Emily Hunter series, and I enjoy the heck out of writing her character. And it got me to thinking (yes, I know this is where I swerve off the road and get in trouble) about why I get a kick out of spending time with Emily?
Sure, she’s smart and a little sarcastic, but there’s more to her. Her debut in Face of Greed introduced her as a driven police detective, consumed by the job, and determined to prove that she’d earned her place as an investigator in a male-dominated profession. As challenging as her job is, Emily’s also a caregiver for her mother, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Finding balance in her life is nearly impossible, and she fears she’ll fail at both.
In Face of Greed, Emily has no time for a personal life—every waking moment is consumed by a high-stakes investigation or responding to another mom crisis when she slips out of the house at night or forgets to take her medication. She meets another cop, Brian Conner, and there’s a bit of a spark between them, but how can she fit a relationship into her life?
I knew there was more I wanted to explore with Emily. That’s what I enjoy about writing a series; I get to play out the character’s story. In the second book, River of Lies, Emily is embroiled in an investigation into a series of fires in the city’s homeless camps. She’s still managing the challenges of her mother’s deteriorating health conditions, but she has Brian Conner in her life to shore her up when she needs it. Their relationship grows, yet she feels guilty about being with Brian, as it takes time that she could be spending with her mother. She struggles with the work-life balance we all bump up against, but with it turned up to eleven. Her relationship with Brian grows and gives her the support and a safe place to deal with all the challenges tossed at her.
With Emily in a good place—mom safe, and her feelings for Brian deepening—what does a good thriller writer do? I threaten to pull it all out from under her. In Illusion of Truth (January 2026), Brian is caught in a church bombing and seriously injured. The explosion left him with a traumatic brain injury, and Emily fears he won’t be the same man she loves. The investigation into the bombing reveals officers are being targeted, and Emily discovers an old murder where all the targeted officers were involved—including Brian. Was there a cover-up of what really happened? If Brian was involved, was he ever the man she believed him to be?
Sure, there’s a bit of heartache Emily endures over the course of these three stories. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger—Emily hopes that’s true.
Illusion of Truth is getting some wonderful pre-release attention, and I’m incredibly grateful to the reviewers and author friends who have agreed to blub Emily’s story.
“Everything you read police stories for is her, and much, much more.” STARRED Review – Kirkus Reviews
Here’s the link to read the whole enchilada: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/james-letoile/illusion-of-truth/
And then the blubs arrived from my busy author friends, and I’m incredibly grateful to each and every one of them:
Illusion of Truth is a real deal police-eye view of the mean streets. Bosch and Ballard, make room for Emily Hunter. She’s brash, bold, but with a soul and a heart for justice. – Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author
An absolutely relentless thriller… in ILLUSION OF TRUTH, we find Detective Emily Hunter at her very best: Smart, sharp, and willing to do whatever it takes to solve the case of a renegade bomber. With a frightening, ripped-from-the-headlines story of attacks on her fellow police, and a cast of characters with emotional depth, perseverance, and spouting the best cop talk, L’Etoile has penned another hit in this top-notch series.” – J.T. Ellison, NYT bestselling author of LAST SEEN
“A high-voltage, high-stakes police procedural, ILLUSION OF TRUTH is crisp and fast-paced, as cinematic as a Michael Mann thriller. On full display here is the unique storytelling sensibility that’s made James L’Etoile’s books beloved among mystery readers: a badass, rock-solid investigation plot with precinct veracity, hostage negotiation expertise, and deep empathy. The world is unfair, yes, and it might feel broken sometimes, but, as Emily Hunter reminds us: ‘We’re all broken in one way or another. It’s how we put the pieces together that counts.’ –Margot Douaihy, bestselling author of Scorched Grace, Blessed Water, and Divine Ruin
I think Emily has more to tell. You can help by looking at pre-ordering Illusion of Truth at your preferred independent bookseller or online retailer.
Bookshop.org Barnes & Noble Amazon
James L’Etoile uses his twenty-nine years behind bars as an influence in his award-winning novels, short stories, and screenplays. He is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, and director of California’s state parole system. His novels have been shortlisted or awarded the Lefty, Anthony, Silver Falchion, Macavity, and the Public Safety Writers Award. River of Lies and Sins of the Father are his most recent novels. Look for Illusion of Truth coming in 2026. James also serves as the Executive Vice President of Mystery Writers of America. You can find out more at www.jamesletoile.com
~ June Lorraine Roberts
Murder in Common is #21 on the Feedspot Top 80 Crime Novel Website
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