Author Spotlight: J Thomas Ganzer

Welcome to my fellow author J Thomas Ganzer! 

His new book is releasing this April!

This new release is the second book in the "Chicago Secrets" series. Here's a little about it:

Jackie Dekker is a young idealistic Federal Prosecutor in Chicago. Her career is on a hot streak until she discovers her boss, the esteemed Joe Haise, murdered his wife. Her world begins to fall apart. Will anyone believe her? Is she even right? And when her boss learns she has uncovered his secret, what will he do? When you know the law, you know how to break it. When Jackie dances with the Devil and the music stops, she must decide which one will be left dancing.

Exclusive Excerpt:

“I don’t understand. What did Joe do?”

Nate shook his head. “It’s not important. The point is…I owe him. And not just a little, I owe him everything. He has first dibs on my soul, Jackie. And if you stay here, he’ll get yours too.” Nate’s mood darkened and he refused to look Jackie in the eye.

She took a long drink and stared at the bar as well. “Nate, I have a problem too. I think that Joe, um…”

“Hey, m’lady and m’gentleman!” Stacey bounded up in between them and wrapped her arms around their shoulders. She grabbed her drink and took a swig, oblivious to their altered mood.

Nate drained his beer and put his arm around Stacey. “Well now, I think, dear Jackie, that this young lass is getting the hang of it.” He smiled at Jackie and she fought back tears and returned the smile. They drank for another hour before they all exchanged hugs and headed home.

Jackie decided that, after a lot of drinks, she would leave her car in the parking garage at the office and take a cab home. She made it home late and fifty dollars poorer, but she had enjoyed herself for the first time in months. She fed Burnita, crawled into bed and ruminated on where she was in the Ruby Lester case and where she could go in the Tina Haise case. Ruby’s case is on autopilot. We’ll get a decision on the motion to dismiss and the motion to exclude prior bad acts in a few weeks. I will start arranging witnesses soon, just in case it goes to trial. Maxwell doesn’t need much babysitting, so for now I just have to stay safe. I can’t look into Todd’s murder. Anyway, Buddy will take care of that. But I can keep digging into the Tina Haise murder. Joe made a mistake somewhere, I just know it. Okay, I can do this.

The rest of the week was heavenly. Jackie and the other prosecutors and support staff in the Fraud Section played pranks on each other, engaged in spirited discussions about the meaning of the law, and were generally happier than they had been in months. They collaborated on each other’s work and even held an impromptu Friday afternoon ‘pretzel party’ in the kitchen, a tradition started a dozen years earlier by legal interns too poor to afford to bring anything to share with their mentors but industrial-size bags of discount pretzels. Sadly, the ritual died when Joe took over the Section and no one felt like celebrating anymore. Dave Dunham noticed the renewed sense of cooperation and enthusiasm and on Friday morning he brought gourmet coffee from Starbucks and held court in the kitchen. The attorneys and interns marveled at his intellect and views on the future of federal criminal law over the coming decades. Wick was right, Dave’s a flighty sombitch, but he is brilliant.

Jackie closed a few files that had darkened her desk for months and actually managed to get ahead on her caseload. In federal prosecutor-speak, “getting ahead” really means, “being less behind than usual.” She worked out like a fiend over the weekend, reviewed a number of new prospects on Match.com, and slept like a queen each night. But Sunday afternoon she had an argument over the phone with her mother, snapped at a well-meaning produce clerk and, when a judge on Law & Order: SVU threw out evidence in a rape case, screamed at the television, “That’s total bullshit!” After a few minutes of introspection, she realized that Joe would be returning to the office tomorrow and she was subconsciously dreading going back to work. She called her mother back to apologize and spent the rest of the night mentally preparing to see Joe face to face.

She struggled to convince herself that Joe was a creep and a pervert, but not a killer. It would make things so much simpler if that was true. The more time she spent away from the Tina Haise case files, the more preposterous it all seemed. Yeah, right. Joe murdered two people and attacked Veronica Maxwell. Seriously? Maybe there is a reason no one will believe me, the entire thing is just plain nuts. Or maybe I am writing off these suspicions as paranoia as a coping mechanism. Lucy charged Charlie Brown just a nickel for psychiatric help, maybe I should call Human Resources tomorrow to see if she is in network. Ugh, I’ll take another look with a fresh set of eyes later this week and see if it still seems plausible. Jackie ended the debate in her head and fell asleep.

About the Author

J. Thomas Ganzer is an author and attorney practicing in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has experience in both civil and criminal matters in private practice and at the Wisconsin Department of Justice. He currently practices civil litigation for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. Armed with a diverse career, J. Thomas offers his readers a unique perspective on the traditional legal thriller, focusing on the odd characters and constant one-upmanship that lawyers, clerks, and judges know all too well.

Find him on Amazon and Facebook