Illusion of Truth by James L’Etolle
Book & Author Info + a Guest Post + an Excerpt!
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Illusion of Truth
A Detective Emily Hunter Mystery
Illusion of Truth takes Emily by the throat when her cop boyfriend, Brian Conner, responds to a disturbance only to be lured into a church bombing. Seriously wounded, Emily worries if he survives, will he be the man she knew? One-by-one, other officers linked to a crime years earlier are targeted.
Was it covered up? Was Brian part of it? Emily discovers truth depends on who’s left to tell the story.
Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter and Michael Connelly
Praise for Illusion of Truth:
“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. ILLUSION OF TRUTH is a remedy for cynicism, a throwdown to wake up and follow the clues, to pay attention, to believe in a better tomorrow. 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
“Like the best of Michael Connelly, L’Etoile has created characters readers care about while also crafting a twisty and compelling story. Fans of police procedurals and heart-stopping thrillers should consider L’Etoile an essential addition to their reading pile.”
~ First Clue Reviews
“Everything you read police stories for is here, and much, much more.”
~ STARRED Kirkus Review
“Rich in character and full of humanity, James L’Etoile’s writing shimmers with authenticity, with what Raymond Chandler called the “tangled woof” of real life. These are the procedurals that last: gritty, suspenseful and deeply satisfying.”
~ Megan Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of El Dorado Drive
Book Details:
Genre: Police Procedural with a Thriller Edge
Published by: Oceanview Publishing
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Number of Pages: 366
ISBN: 978-1608096497 (1608096491)
Series: A Detective Emily Hunter Mystery, #3
To purchase your copy of Illusion of Truth, click any of the following links: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Oceanview
Don’t miss any books in the Detective Emily Hunter Mystery Series
 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Oceanview |
 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Oceanview |
 Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Oceanview |
Read an excerpt of Illusion of Truth:
Chapter One
“All available units, report of a large crowd and 459s in progress at the corner of Rio Linda and South Ave.,” the dispatcher’s voice called out over the radio.
Sergeant Brian Conner clicked the microphone in his patrol unit. “1-Sam-12 responding.”
“Hey, Tommy, isn’t there a church on South Ave.?” Conner asked.
Tommy Robinson, a Black rookie officer assigned to Patrol District 1 in North Sacramento, turned in the passenger seat, checking for cross-traffic at the intersection. “Yeah. It’s one of those pop-up, God-in-a-box churches. You know—no denomination, takes all comers.”
“Why would a church be a target for looting at midnight?”
“It’s right on the edge of Tru Heights Bloods territory. Could be gangbangers after the food pantry and the donations the church’s brought in.”
“Tommy, let me ask you something. You’ve been married a while, so you’ve got this whole relationship thing down. When Emily says she isn’t ready to move in together, what does that mean?”
“Um, Sarge, you think I’m the one to answer that? Shouldn’t Emily—I mean Detective Hunter—tell you why?”
“I mean, sure, but I thought everything was going great—and then, she’s not ready. You ever have anything like that?”
“No. But then my Baptist momma would’ve slapped me into tomorrow if I thought about living in sin.”
“That’s not helpful, Tommy.”
Conner shot north on Rio Linda. The flashing blue lights from other patrol units ahead marked the location. As Conner pulled into the church parking lot, he expected a crowd spilling out of the church and into nearby businesses. There had been a rash of daylight attacks on retail establishments in the city, where mobs of thieves grabbed armfuls of whatever they could carry. Hitting a church in the middle of the night was a new direction.
“Where are they? The looters?” Tommy said.
Conner parked near the church entrance, ahead of another Sacramento Police Department SUV, and stepped from his vehicle. He couldn’t spot a single person near the church, except for the six police officers who had responded to the call.
“Dispatch, 1-Sam-12, have a callback number on the RP? Looks like a false alarm.”
“Negative, 1-Sam-12. Caller didn’t give their name.”
An officer rounded the corner of the church building and approached Conner. “Nobody’s here, Sarge. What gives?”
The hairs on the back of Conner’s neck pricked up. He swiveled around and surveyed the darkened windows on the street opposite. They were lured here.
“Got movement across the street—second floor, left side,” an officer called out. His brass nameplate read TUCKER.
Conner spotted the window and the flare of a cigarette. Someone watching the police respond to this snipe hunt?
“We see any evidence of a break-in? Broken windows, open doors, anything?”
“Nada. Simmons and I walked the perimeter. No sign of entry. No sign of anything,” Tucker said.
“Someone wanted all the units in District 1 to respond. A report of a large crowd breaking into businesses would draw us out here.”
“They needed a diversion so they could pull off whatever they were into somewhere else,” Tucker said.
“Maybe. I haven’t heard anything new from dispatch. Why would we get a callout to the edge of Tru Heights territory?”
“Westgate Crips are on the other side of the freeway. I could see them making a false report to push us to roust a couple of their rivals.”
“Well, nothing going on here. Why don’t you and your partner hit the road. Let dispatch know this was a dry hole,” Conner said.
“Got it, Sarge. You need Parker and Cortez in the other unit? They’re watching the back of the church.”
“Nah, send them on their way, would you?”
“You got it.”
“Thanks, Tucker. Be careful out there. I’ve got an uneasy feeling about someone sending us here.”
“I hear you.”
Conner started back to his SUV, paused, and turned. “Hey, Tucker, anyone check the front door lock?”
“Yeah, I shook it. Locked up tight.”
Tucker and his partner got into their SUV, shut off the lights, and backed out of the church parking lot.
Tommy Robinson wandered to the front entrance and peered through the smoked glass doors. “Place is empty. Nothing going on—hey, what’s up with this?”
A metal donation bin sat to the right of the front door. Gang graffiti adorned the side of the four-foot-tall, repainted mailbox.
Conner caught the glint from a thin wire attached to the donation box door. On the concrete below, a cut padlock lay in the shadow.
Tommy reached for the bin.
“Tommy! Wait!”
Conner ran to the young officer as he tugged on the lid.
“Stop,” Conner said.
Tommy was focused on the unlocked donation bin and didn’t hear Conner.
Conner shoved Tommy as a click echoed in the entry vestibule. A microsecond later, a fireball erupted from the donation bin.
A pressure wave of heat and metal shards exploded. Conner caught the blast in the back as he pushed Tommy away. The force of the explosion picked Conner off his feet and threw him into the brick wall opposite the donation bin.
Conner couldn’t hear anything through the ringing in his ears, and his vision was a blurred kaleidoscope of flames and smoke. From where he fell, he could see the parking lot and the window across the street. The glowing ember from the cigarette was gone, but he swore he spotted a flashing red strobe.
Another explosion sounded to his right. A flash of orange shot from the parking lot. Conner squinted through his warped vision and saw a police SUV on fire. Tucker and his partner, Simmons. He couldn’t see them anywhere.
He tried reaching for his shoulder-mounted radio microphone and his arm wouldn’t move. A quick glance down and Conner saw his broken arm pointing in the wrong direction.
“Tommy. Tommy, you okay?”
Conner couldn’t hear anything but the high-pitched ringing in his ears.
He wasn’t even supposed to be working tonight. Conner swapped the shift with a buddy so his friend could go spend some time with his kids.
Conner felt cold, and a heavy blanket of exhaustion fell over him. Emily. He wanted to tell Emily how much he loved her one more time. She’d wanted to take it slow, but now he felt regret. He should’ve told her how he felt when he had the chance.
The sirens in the distance pierced through his muffled hearing. They would not be in time.
“Emily” . . .
***
Excerpt from Illusion of Truth by James L’Etoile. Copyright 2025 by James L’Etoile. Reproduced with permission from James L’Etoile. All rights reserved.
Illusion of Truth Author James L’Etoile — Guest Post
Thanks for letting me come back again to Mystery of Writing. I wasn’t sure I’d be invited back again after what happened last time—you know, the whole heated argument that went down between our lead character, Emily Hunter, and #NotMyCat about who really deserved top billing in the series. Claws were bared and words were said …
Emily is properly caffeinated, and #NotMyCat is snoring away on the couch in my writing loft. There is peace in the kingdom.
Illusion of Truth is hitting the shelves in January, and it’s the third in the Emily Hunter series. A few months back, Sins of the Father, the fourth in the Detective Nathan Parker series, came out, and it got me thinking. I know, it’s dangerous when I do that.
I’ve written both standalone novels and series works, and I’m kind of drawn to the series work. Both have their advantages. I like the freedom that comes with a series. Keeping a series fresh in the subsequent novels is where the challenge lies.
The standalone novels I’ve written give you one shot to present a character. I’m not saying the standalone character can’t have a deep backstory and evolve over the course of that story. The best ones certainly do. Think Alex Finlay and Hank Phillippi-Ryan, both best-selling thriller authors—they present fully formed characters with a history and a direction (motivation) that propels them—but only within the pages of that story.
Once you turn the page on the standalone, that’s it. Those characters went as far as they needed to for that story. Sometimes, as a reader, you’d like to know what happened next for that set of characters. For me, as an author, I start writing a new series with that single story in mind. But in the process, something happens.
I want to know more. A series presents an opportunity to dive a little deeper into the characters and watch them evolve. When I finished Face of Greed, for example, I thought Emily’s character, which completely evolved for that book, had more to offer.
When we met her, Emily was a tough, driven detective who was a little brash, but was competent as a detective. She faced elements of the old guard who didn’t believe a woman could handle the stresses of the job. Emily proved them wrong at every turn, but part of her wonders if they might have been right, especially when she’s faced with the increasing demands as a caregiver for her mother. Connie, Emily’s aging mom, suffers from dementia and can’t live on her own. Emily worries that she can’t juggle the demands of both parts of her life.
In River of Lies, I knew I wanted to ratchet up the heat and complicate Emily’s life a bit more. Her mother’s condition transitions from dementia to Alzheimer’s Disease, and she can’t be left unattended. She needs a supportive care environment, but Emily feels guilt at the thought of putting her mom “in a home.” River of Lies sees Emily develop a relationship with another cop, Brian Conner, and as their connection deepens, she feels torn between the time she spends with Brian and the little time she has left with her mother.
Illusion of Truth complicates Emily’s life when boyfriend Brian is gravely injured in a church bombing just as she dared to think about a future together. The thought of losing him is crushing, and even if he survives, how will the traumatic brain injury change him? Will he be the man she came to love? Her investigation into the bombing reveals Brian and other officers had a common past—a past that’s shrouded in secrecy and cover-ups. Was he ever the man she believed him to be?
All these incremental changes in Emily’s character arc wouldn’t have been possible if Face of Greed was a standalone. We get to watch her evolve and adapt to these new challenges—see who she becomes as she finds strength she didn’t know she had.
The challenge for the author is keeping the series “fresh” and not letting subsequent books, if you’re lucky enough to have a publisher who gets behind a series, go flat. I think we’ve all seen a series where nothing changes, and the characters don’t face anything new. The same old thing with maybe a different mystery to unravel won’t keep readers engaged.
People change and evolve, and we should expect our characters to do the same. One of the most rewarding parts of writing a new series story is planning out how I can complicate the character’s life, looking for an inflection point where one decision will change the course of their life on the page. Turn up the heat and dial up the pressure. There’s more than a little mad scientist vibe going on—just to see how the character responds. Will they break through, or break down? Writing a series lets me explore the possibilities. It’s more than a familiar cast of characters to work with. It’s where I’m allowed to go with them that keeps me engaged and pushing the characters to their limits.
James L’Etoile — Author of Illusion of Truth
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.
To learn more about James, click any of the following links:
www.jamesletoile.com
Prison to the Page Newsletter
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub – @crimewriter
Instagram – @authorjamesletoile
Threads -@authorjamesletoile
X – @JamesLEtoile
BlueSky – @jamesletoile.bsky.social
Facebook – @AuthorJamesLetoile
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Elena Hartwell | Elena Taylor
Excellent guest post! I love series for one main reason – I GET TOO ATTACHED TO THE CHARACTERS!!!!
I never want to say goodbye at the end of the book. I always want to know what’s happens… the after story!
Just started reading this one last night. Already biting my nails!
You always know you are in for an amazing ride when you pick up a book by James L’Etoile!
Elena! Thanks so much for letting me guest without #NotMyCat’s direct supervision. I’m typing this in the dark while she’s napping. Wait until she finds out the Corgis make an appearance in “her” book…
I would buy a ticket to see the fireworks fly when #NotMyCat learns that little detail! Wonderful as always to have you join me and my readers!