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Sounds Like Trouble

A Novel

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About The Book

Two opposites. Undeniable attraction. Three mobsters. An offer they can’t refuse. It sounds like trouble as Jackson Jones and Mackenzie Cunningham, reluctant partners and two of the best private investigators in Los Angeles, return to solve their most dangerous case yet.

Jackson Jones and Mackenzie “Mac” Cunningham can’t agree on anything. After coming close to death on their last case, the two have decided to team up but they can’t even decide on how to furnish their new office. Jackson wants to make a big splash. Mackenzie just wants a desk and some filing cabinets to clean up the mess. Before they can reach a truce on the decor, the two PIs get an offer they have no choice but to accept: infamous gangster Big Ced and two of his mafia dons want them to track down a package. Or else.

Things heat up in more ways than one as Jackson and Mac track down the sensitive information for the mobsters, while a police investigator is on their tail. When sparks fly between Mackenzie and Lieutenant Good Looking, Jackson’s jealousy and fiery back-and-forth with his partner has them flirting with danger in more ways than one. As they race through LA’s fanciest neighborhoods in a race against time, Jackson and Mac must stick closer to each other than ever as they dodge bullets, bad guys, and their feelings for each other.

In the tradition of Mr. & Mrs. Smith set in modern LA, Sounds Like Trouble puts a fresh spin on the great investigative duos with an intoxicating blend of mystery, humor, and witty banter that you won’t want to miss.

About The Authors

Kenneth Franklin II
Pamela Samuels Young

Pamela Samuels Young is an attorney, an NAACP Image Award winner for Outstanding Literary Work, and the author of several books, many of which feature characters with legal backgrounds that mirror her own. Follow her on Tiktok @AuthorPSY.

Photograph by Gordon Chou
Dwayne Alexander Smith

Dwayne Alexander Smith is a screenwriter and author of Forty Acres, winner of the NAACP Image Award for Literary Work by a Debut Author. Follow him on Twitter @WrittenBySmith.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Atria Books (July 8, 2025)
  • Length: 256 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781668024324

Raves and Reviews

“This sexy, banter-filled mystery is so much fun you’ll lust after a sequel.” —South Florida Sun Sentinel

“Two Black private investigators have to go on the run when a missing person case turns deadly…For readers who like their detective stories with a ‘will they or won’t they’ romantic dynamic.” —Kirkus

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More books in this series: Sounds Like A Plan