DIVERSION
by Cindy Goyette
March 2 – 27, 2026 Virtual Book Tour
Synopsis:
A Probation Case Files Mystery
Phoenix probation officer Casey Carson could use a change of scenery to clear her head and make some major life decisions. When the opportunity arises to take on a side job wrangling juvenile delinquents on a wilderness adventure for a diversion program, she’s skeptical. But she wants to support her cousin, who was hired as a counselor. The extra cash in her pocket sweetens the deal.
Unfortunately, one of Casey’s clients—an escaped murderer after one of her charges—threatens to upend her plans. Facing wildfire, flash floods and an angry mountain lion are nothing compared to the murderous intentions in store for one of the kids.
On a crash course with the killer and with her faithful pup Felony by her side, Casey desperately tries to lead the group to safety. She doesn’t realize that her two love interests, ex-husband Betz, and hunky ex-neighbor, Marcus, are frantically looking for the group. Casey must utilize every negotiating skill she possesses to not fail, or she’ll lose all she holds dear.
Praise for Diversion:
“A breakneck adrenaline rush of wilderness adventure, emotional angst, and high personal stakes. Whether you’re a fan of the Probation Case Files Mysteries or jumping in for the first time, Cindy Goyette’s DIVERSION is certain to entertain!”
~ Tori Eldridge, bestselling author of KAUA‘I STORM
“With nonstop action, continually mounting stakes, and a fearless heroine, Cindy Goyette’s DIVERSION doesn’t let go and will have you turning its pages well past bedtime–and not regretting it one bit in the morning.”
~ Audrey Lee, Edgar and Anthony-nominated author of The Mechanics of Memory and Never to Be Told
“Casey Carson is a hands-on probation officer with a lot on her hands in Cindy Goyette’s engrossing novel, DIVERSION: Two men’s affections, shepherding troubled teens on a wilderness hike gone wrong, and an escaped killer on the loose closing in. A lot of balls in the air that Goyette handles masterfully, all while torquing up the tension.”
~ Matt Coyle, author of the award-winning Rick Cahill crime series
Book Details:
Genre: Mystery, Suspense
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: February 24, 2026
Number of Pages: 320
Series: A Probation Case Files Mystery, Book 3
Book Links: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub
Mystery Series
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 Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | BookBub |
Read an excerpt:
Prologue
The girl held her breath, hoping her pounding heart wouldn’t give her away. She’d squeezed herself under her parent’s four-poster bed, between totes of out-of-season clothes. It had been her favorite place to hide when she was little… but she was almost full grown now. A stupid choice. Wouldn’t it be the first place they looked?
Fear wouldn’t let her chance a move.
The roar in her head made it difficult to hear what was happening in the other room. Still, she listened.
She knew one thing. Her parents were dead. She’d heard their pleas, their screams. Then gunshots.
Silence after that.
She fought back her tears. Swallowed hard. Held her breath.
Now, the killer was rummaging through the house. Looking for something. Looking for her.
Heavy footsteps sounded in the hall and then stopped at the bedroom doorway.
She clamped her hand over her mouth. Tears dripped down her cheeks, gathering at the cleft of her chin before landing soundlessly on the carpeted floor.
Scuffed black boots walked across the room and came to a stop at the foot of the bed. So close, she could reach out and touch them.
She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to face her fate as it unfolded. She was next.
But a cell phone chimed, and the boots turned. The footsteps moved away and toward the door.
She opened her eyes and risked a small breath.
In her hand, she gripped the key her father had passed to her just before he’d told her to hide.
Chapter One
Six months later
I stuffed crackers in my mouth and washed them down with a Diet Coke before leaving my desk and heading for the probation department’s training room. It was early morning, and I felt like I had a killer hangover. Strange, because I’d had nothing to drink in the last few days. I’d thought about calling in sick, but I’d never done that before, and I didn’t want to ruin my perfect record. Even if no one else was keeping track.
Plus, this training was mandatory. I’d put it off until the last class offering, and I needed to get it done.
Most of the seats in the cramped room were already taken. I didn’t have a record of being on time, so I didn’t sweat it.
“Casey,” my coworker Claire called from across the room. “I saved you a seat.”
I dropped into the chair next to her, took another drink, and placed my Big Gulp on the table. “I can’t take another day of this,” I said, under my breath.
“Sorry to hear that,” the trainer said, reaching around me and placing a binder in my lap. “Just for that, you get to go first.”
I cringed. “Sorry. Didn’t know you were standing there.”
“Obviously not.” The trainer walked over to the dry-erase board, picked up a marker, and opened the cap with a flourish. I didn’t know her well, but she was on the fast track to becoming a supervisor. I also didn’t know she hated me until now. “So, Casey, give us your greatest weakness.”
Right now, it was my stomach. The leftover burrito I’d eaten for dinner last night must have been spoiled, but that wasn’t what she meant. I hated this question. The goal was to name something that you could turn into a strength. Nothing came to mind.
Hands shot up around the room. Apparently, not the case for those around me.
“Impatient,” someone yelled.
“Opinionated!”
“Sarcastic!”
“Workaholic!”
The trainer couldn’t write fast enough.
“Okay, that’s plenty,” I said. I loved my job but clearly had to work on my reputation.
The list was moving into a second column when my work cell vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out. Betz, my ex-husband. Well, he was more than that, but I’d pumped the brakes on reconciling while I figured some things out. Still, taking his call was a good excuse to escape the room and the assassination of my character my peers were treating like a game show. “Gotta take this’” I got to my feet and hurried from the room. “It’s a detective.”
“Evasive,” someone added to the list before I silenced them by closing the door. I answered as I walked down the hall. “What’s up?”
“Sorry to interrupt your day,” Betz said. I could picture him rubbing the back of his neck. Didn’t matter what he was calling about, most times when we talked, he rubbed his neck, shook his head, and I’m pretty sure his blood pressure rose. And yet, he wanted us to get back together. If we reconciled, he’d probably stroke out at the young age of thirty-five from the stress I caused him. Still, he loved me.
“No problem,” I said. “You’re saving me from a painful day of training. Please tell me you have something that can get me out of finishing the class.”
“You supervise Martin Phillips?”
“I do.”
“He’s a suspect in a double murder that happened six months ago. Think it’s over drug money. We want to take him into custody, but we don’t want to spook him since he’s armed and dangerous. Think you can trick him into showing himself?”
My adrenaline kicked in, stomach problems vanishing. A double murder was nothing to sneeze at. And if it had happened months ago, before he was on probation, there was nothing I could have done to stop it. Now we had to get my client off the street. “I can text him. Tell him I need to do a field visit, and I need him to be home.”
Typically, we didn’t warn our clients we were coming. But sometimes, if we had enough failed attempts, we’d set something up. Anyway, Phillips was fairly new on supervision. He didn’t know the drill. But he knew we had to do regular home visits, and he was due. He’d probably fall for it.
“That should work,” Betz said. “Gear up, and I’ll meet you at the employee entrance in ten.”
I disconnected the call and took the stairs two at a time to my cubicle. I loved playing with cops. Although I never wanted to be one. Too much blood and guts for me.
***
Excerpt from Diversion by Cindy Goyette. Copyright 2026 by Cindy Goyette. Reproduced with permission from Cindy Goyette. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Cindy Goyette is a former probation officer who had a front-row seat to the criminal justice system. She kept her sanity by finding humor in most situations. A mix of these things helped her create The Probation Case Files Mystery Series. Book one, OBEY ALL LAWS, won a Public Safety Writer’s Association award, and it has been a finalist for Lefty and Silver Falchion Awards. Book two: EARLY TERMINATION released in 2025. She also authors The Wiggle Butt Manor Mystery series. DIAMOND IN THE RUFF is book one. After spending over twenty years in Arizona, Cindy lives in Washington state with her husband and two Cocker Spaniels.
Catch Up With Cindy Goyette:
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Q&A with Cindy Goyette
What was the inspiration for this book?
DIVERSION is book 3 in the Probation Case Files Mystery series. My main character, Casey Carson, is a probation officer in Phoenix. It’s something I know a little about, as I worked as a probation officer in Arizona for thirteen years and as a manager for five. Books 1 & 2 find Casey working her day job. I wanted to try something else for book 3.
Many probation officers take on second jobs, and I did that several times during my career. One of those side jobs was teaching diversion classes to juvenile offenders. I taught shoplifting (not how to, but why you shouldn’t), anger management, and substance abuse, to name a few.
I wanted to take Casey out of her element, her comfort zone. And dealing with teenagers accomplished that. To up the tension, I threw them into a wilderness adventure. Not only does she have to wrangle unruly teens, she has to deal with storms, wildlife, wildfire, and an escaped convict. She juggles all this while trying to make some major decisions in her personal life.
Book 4, LIFETIME, which will release in early 2027, finds Casey back at her day job but in a new assignment.
How did you come up with the title?
Each book in the series has a probation-related title. Book one, OBEY ALL LAWS, is the first condition of probation.
Book 2, EARLY TERMINATION, is named for a petition a probation officer can submit to the court to get a probationer off probation early. There are two ways to finish supervision early: one is to complete the conditions imposed by the court. The second way is to die. The paperwork is not called Early Termination anymore, but I still liked it as a title.
DIVERSION is a program that is an alternative to traditional prosecution or incarceration that redirects an eligible offender into supervision, treatment, or services, with charges reduced or dismissed upon successful completion.
LIFETIME is the duration of supervision for most sex offenders in Arizona. Did I just give away Casey’s new assignment?
Tell us why readers should pick up your book—what makes it stand out?
There aren’t many (I found one) books out there where a probation officer is the protagonist. So, if you want to dive into a little-known aspect of law enforcement, this series might be for you. There is so much material. The job sits right at the messy intersection of crime, behavior change, and interaction with collateral agencies, while incarceration hangs over every probationer’s head. It’s Casey’s job to help her charges steer their way through and put their criminal past behind them. A lot can go wrong.
Like in most law enforcement jobs, if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. So, this series relies on a lot of humor. And I’ve been told they are enjoyable, fast reads!
Are you currently working on your next novel? If so, can you share a little about it?
Book 4 in the series is complete. Will there be a book 5? Probably. I’m kicking a few ideas around. But for now, I’m concentrating on my other series, THE WIGGLE BUTT MANOR MYSTERIES. It’s a cozy series that takes place at a pet hotel on a fictitious Pacific Northwest island. Book 1, DIAMOND IN THE RUFF, came out last summer. Book 2, DASHING THROUGH THE SHOW, releases in June of this year. I’m working on book 3 in that series now.
My agent is also shopping a stand-alone suspense novel I wrote, and I’ve started another stand-alone that I’m very excited about. So, I have a lot going on.
What has been the best part of being published?
Nothing makes my day more than hearing from readers. Whether it’s through a review, a social media post, or an email through my website (ccgoyette.com) I love to hear from you! Attending book clubs, either in person or via Zoom, is another way I love to connect with readers. Sitting around talking with people who also know my “imaginary friends” is a high I can’t explain. Please contact me if you’d like me to stop by your book club.
Thanks for visiting with us, Cindy. Now, we’re anxiously awaiting LIFETIME and more in THE WIGGLE BUTT MANOR MYSTERY series!
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