Gail M Baugniet

Pepper Bibeau’s insurance investigations for a Wisconsin-based company sometimes involve a murder, but she never thought she would cause one. Days before the 1968 Democratic Convention, Pepper arrives in Chicago to settle questionable medical claims from an elusive doctor. Her assignment also includes a background check on a life insurance beneficiary who admits to stabbing his wife. When a close friend is killed, and Pepper is hospitalized after an unprovoked attack, a homicide detective decides someone wants to put a stop to her investigations. For her safety, he suggests she return to Wisconsin, but Pepper is determined to learn why her insurance investigation has stirred up a tragic chain of events. What she discovers are the devastating consequences of one person’s greed that she must expose before someone stops her, permanently.

This is not the genre of book that I have been reading lately, I have been more into paranormal ones. However I really found this book a refreshing change, and in my opinion I would compare it to books by Tess Gerritsen and Karin Slaughter...maybe perhaps not as gory but definitely as good!
"For Every Action There Are Consequences" is a true statement that is reiterated throughout this novel and within the plot line and in many of it's characters too.
The plot is intricately interwoven as are all the characters. What initially begins as two totally separate Insurance Investigations soon become interlinked. Gail Baugniet writes so well that you truly do feel sorry for Pepper Bibeau, you feel her sadness and confusion at the apparent murder of her best friend. You contemplate the same questions that Pepper does..Who would murder her best friend? and Was her best friend the intended target or was it a case of mistaken identity? You literally go through all the suspects and possible scenarios. All this culminates in Pepper having a showdown, and during that showdown all the links reconnect to give us the full picture of what happened and why they happened.
Gail writes the book so well that she keeps you guessing about the various conclusions until the very end.
Its a really good mystery and it is a start to a series of books. I would definitely recommend this to others to read.… (más)

For Every Action There Are Consequences – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat and Think With Your Taste Buds – Desserts

‘Back in my office, I set Jed’s report aside and turned my attention to the witness statements. Neighbors had reported loud noises and shouts coming from the only bungalow in the cul-de-sac. According to a neighbor two houses down, everyone knew about the constant arguing. One statement quoted a woman at the top of the cul-de-sac as saying, “Liticia Tuarence often accused her husband of passing judgment on her. I saw the police arrive more than once when things got out of hand. We went out of our way to ignore the squabbles. This time was different, lots of banging and profanity.” I reread the remark about “passing judgment” and wondered if the woman had chosen the phrase herself or is she’d only repeated Liticia’s words. According to Jed, Wes Tuarence admitted he’d stabbed his wife multiple times though he offered no explanation for his actions and refused to make any further comment. The snapshots stapled to the file told me far more about the man than any written statement ever could. White borders around the photos drew my attention to the gruesome details of each knife wound, giving me a measure of the hatred this man must have harbored.’

Pepper Bibeau is an insurance investigator for Early Settlers Insurance Company. Her boss “Sully” Sullivan has just assigned her to not one but two cases that will take her to Chicago to hopefully solve. The first case is a claim filed by a Doctor Patel who has filed claims for five members of the same family. Due to the heredity of the children’s illness, sickle cell anemia, the probability was that the claim was correct. But due to the lack of blood and other lab work, it became Pepper’s job to check out the claim.

Her second assignment in Chicago came in the form of a favor to Sully. There had been an insurance policy taken out on Liticia that listed her husband as beneficiary and an orphanage as second in line. Sully’s hopes were that Pepper could turn up something, anything, that would help to convict Wes Tuarence of murder and not allow him to claim the proceeds. Sully personally wanted to see it go to the orphanage.

What should have been two simple cases taking just a few days to research ended up taking Pepper into the next week and almost getting her killed. But which case was the real threat? Were the insurance claims legitimate or was the doctor faking claims? Were Liticia and Wes Tuarence in over their heads in something illegal that caused them to flee Chicago or are they victims of the circumstances?

As the number of deaths increased, my list of suspects declined. At one point I really suspected it might be one of the “good guys” gone bad. Actually, I had that suspicion until the end. Was I right? You’ll have to read the book for yourself to find out.

2011
346 pages
CreateSpace
ISBN# 9781456522155

Review Stir, Laugh, Repeat at Amazon.com Stir, Laugh, Repeat… (más)

Pepper Bibeau is an insurance investigator who unwittingly gets wrapped up in a murder mystery. This book is set in the sixties, before cell phones and computers took over our existence. Pepper has to do things the old fashioned way - by speaking to people in person and being available for landline phone calls. References are made to the political and social issues of the late sixties but not to the point where younger readers unfamiliar with the era would have difficulty understanding things.

We're introduced to many characters who initially don't seem to be connected. Also, there are various subplots woven through the entire story. Initially, I found the plotlines a little difficult to follow. But eventually it all comes together in a well-crafted, tangled mystery.

For Every Action is the first in a planned Pepper Bibeau series. I'm looking forward to the next one!… (más)