I was slowly drawn into Chad Lester’s world in Titan’s Tears. A world that was not easy to comprehend, but the more I read, the more familiar I became with the characters and the storyline and I do love when an author unfolds the details in a surprising way.
Science fiction and technology…used in a good and an evil way. Titan’s Tears is one of those thought provoking books that makes me ask…Just because we can do it, should we?
Four characters are drawn together on an isolated island off the coast of Alaska. Robots, and a Jurassic Type jungle are not the only things that are dangerous. Treachery and betrayal are around every corner.
Titan’s Tears and the ending didn’t go the way I thought and I do love when an author is able to surprise me. Great job, Chad. The story may have started slow for me, but as I got familiar with the characters and story I got more involved in the characters lives. I began to feel a sense of urgency. Fiction/Reality, sometimes there is a fine line between the two.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Titan’s Tears by Chad Lester.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Unnatural things are happening on an isolated island off the coast of Alaska.
Just when Belle had thought her life couldn’t get any weirder—she finds herself arrested for murder. Only a few months ago she lived in a peculiar village, cut off from civilization, where she suffered from bizarre hallucinations and nightmares. Then she received a mysterious invitation to work for the world’s most brilliant scientist—the enigmatic Sophia Eccleston. The pay was outstanding. The accommodations, second to none. The catch? Belle had to live on isolated island and follow strict, often bizarre, security protocols.
Meanwhile a slaughterhouse worker is declared obsolete, replaced by machines, and becomes a bearded recluse. As he sits in his crumbling manor awaiting the cancer to take him—he too receives an unusual invitation to the strange island where either his salvation or damnation await. Things aren’t going well for Sophia either. She faces the hostile takeover of her life’s work—her company—all while striving to keep the identity of her eight-year-old daughter a secret. They all meet on an isle where murder-machines and transgenic creatures run amok in a gothic odyssey where technology has been unleashed.
Genre: Apocalyptic, Dystopian, Science Fiction,
376 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication June 30, 2024
Setting: Alaska, Oregon (US)
ABOUT CHAD LESTER
Chad Lester is the author of the novel ‘Titan’s Tears’ and the short story collection ‘Continuum.
Research was not required. Write what you know, right? As a longtime participant in the Alaska fishing industry, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to use my experience as the backdrop to this book. What could be more intriguing than creating a world where commercial fishing and murder meet? However, I knew nothing about police dogs and so made an inquiry with the Seattle Police K9 Unit. They invited me to their training site. I was so appreciative, I named the dog in the book after the K9 Unit shepherd, CoCo.
Which was the hardest character to write?
The arch villain. It was difficult for me to navigate how to leave clues without giving away the identity of the culprit. The protagonist was a bit of a struggle, a learning experience really. Because the book is written in third person, I wrote many revisions trying out ways to best express what was inside her head.
Which was the easiest?
The police chief was the easiest character to write. I have no idea why.
Where do you get inspiration for your stories?
Aside from my own experience at sea as a fisherman that included surviving a boat that sank off the coast of Kodiak, I’ve heard many sea stories, most far more interesting than my own. There’s something about living on the edge of civilization where your life is at the mercy of Mother Nature and your survival may depend on the skill of your crew mates that is made for drama.
There are many crime mystery books out there. What makes yours different?
As a former fisherman married to a fishing boat captain, and with a career as a journalist, fisheries specialist for the State of Alaska and a seafood company executive, I’ve got the credentials to pull off authenticity. And along the way, the reader will learn a lot about Alaska and commercial fishing.
What advice would you give budding writers?
Just do it! Take creative writing courses on story structure and join a writing group so that it becomes a hands-on learning project. It’s fun, so you’ve got nothing to lose.
Your book is set in Alaska. Have you ever been there?
Our family lived in Alaska for many years and still participates in the Alaska fishing industry. One of our sons is at sea now. More specifically, I have been to Dutch Harbor, Alaska where the story unfolds. Dutch Harbor is a real place, now famous to fans of the television show, Deadliest Catch. It’s the nation’s busiest fishing port even though it’s located in the remote Aleutian Islands, halfway to Russia because that’s where the fish swim. I’ve experienced its famous white knuckler airplane landings and drank my share of beer at a well-known saloon there famed as Alaska’s most dangerous bar.
Do you ever get writer’s block?
No, never. Isn’t that terrific? I’m sure my former career as a journalist helps launch me into my task without much trepidation. But it’s not unusual for me to go back after writing a scene and delete the first few paragraphs as if they were just a warm-up exercise.
What’s your next project?
I’m currently writing the second book of the series. So if you like the characters that inhabit DEATH IN DUTCH HARBOR, you can revisit them.
What is the last great book you read?
I could not put down the book, HORSE, by Geraldine Brooks. Its historical fiction, based on a real racehorse that was trained by a slave. The mystery unravels through the point of view of different characters, some in the present and some in the past. It tackles racism in a unique and poignant manner.
What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing?
A few friends have called me in the morning after staying up all night reading the book. They’d been unable to put it down and their voices still transmitted excitement. It doesn’t get much better than that.
How are you similar or different from your lead character?
Well, I’m not a veterinarian, my hair is not red, and I don’t engage in sleuthing about in dark places. But I was about the doc’s age when I moved to Alaska, so the wonder of beholding the last frontier for the first time was something I purposely injected into the character.
If your book were made into a movie, who would star in the leading roles?
Now that’s a fun question! The book is very visual and would make a great movie so please be sure to send any interested producers my way. Off the top of my head, Emma Stone comes to mind. It’s not because her hair is red like Doctor Mo’s, it’s because they seem to share a sassy intrepidness, smarts and sense of humor. George Clooney as One-Eye Ben. That’s an inside joke which you’ll get when you read the book.
In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like?
Because I am a debut author, it was like stumbling around in a hailstorm, knocking on the doors of strangers in hopes of finding shelter.
What authors inspired you to write?
There were many authors that inspired me to write like Kurt Vonnegut, John Irving, Craig Johnson, Michael Connelly, John Grisham, Martin Cruz Smith, Raymond Chandler, Agatha Christie and Dashell Hammett but the book that lit a writing fire under me as a teenager was John Barth’s book, The Sot-Weed Factor. It’s a wild ride of historical fiction that showed me there was no limit to using your imagination when crafting a yarn.
What is something you had to cut from your book that you wish you could have kept?
There was a scene between Dr. Mo and her pal, Patsy, in a restaurant that was painful to cut. Patsy, one of my favorite characters, used salt and pepper shakers, hot sauce and catsup bottles and a fork to make a point about the doc’s messed-up personal life. It was near the end of the book where the pace had escalated. The scene slowed things down and, gulp, had to go. I hope to find a place for it in the second book!
Where do you write?
I have a writing studio in the backyard. It was a shed that my amazing husband upgraded for me, including installation of a large window at my desk where I can watch the ducks swim by in the creek. I am a lucky woman.
What is your writing schedule?
I find that writing in the morning suits me best. I think it’s because I’m still connected to my subconscious at that time of day. As a Pantser, I write by the seat of my pants, so it’s important to keep my head plugged into my imagination rather than cluttered with the banal practicalities of the real world.
Synopsis (from Amazon):
When two murders strain the police force of a remote Alaskan fishing port, veterinarian Maureen McMurtry is tapped by Dutch Harbor’s police chief for forensic assistance. The doctor’s got a past she’d rather not discuss, a gun in her closet, and a retired police dog that hasn’t lost her chops. All come in handy as she deciphers the cause and time of death of a local drug addict washed ashore with dead sea lions and an environmentalist found in a crab pot hauled from the sea in the net of a fishing vessel.
When her romantic relationship with a boat captain is swamped by mounting evidence that he’s the prime suspect in one of the murders, McMurtry struggles with her own doubts to prove his innocence. But can she? McMurtry’s pals, a manager of the Bering Sea crab fishery and another who tends Alaska’s most dangerous bar assist in unraveling the sinister truth.
Author Bio:
D. MacNeill Parkerand her family are long time participants in the Alaska fishing industry. In addition to fishing for halibut, salmon, crab, and cod, she’s been a journalist, a fisheries specialist for the State of Alaska, and a seafood company executive. She’s travelled to most ports in Alaska, trekked mountains in the Chugach range, rafted the Chulitna River, worked in hunting camps, and survived a boat that went down off the coast of Kodiak. Parker’s been to Dutch Harbor many times experiencing her share of white knuckler airplane landings and beer at the Elbow Room, famed as Alaska’s most dangerous bar. While the characters in this book leapt from her imagination, they thrive in this authentic setting. She loves Alaska, the sea, a good yarn and her amazing family.
“From the first scene, she evokes the real Dutch Harbor and the dynamic people who call it home. It’s a roaring mystery that braids together oil rigs, fishing, sea lions and the kind of Russians we love to hate. Death in Dutch Harbor is a must read for anyone who wants to vicariously experience a rugged world on the edge of an unforgiving sea”
— Lori Swanson, Former Director Marine Conservation Alliance, Federal Fishery Observer
“Any fan of the Deadliest Catch television show should reach for this book!”
—Captain Sig Hansen, FV Northwestern and a star of the Deadliest Catch TV series
“Death in Dutch Harbor grabbed me at the outset and did not let go. Right away you can tell Ms. Parker knows the issues facing the fishing industry in the Bering Sea. She weaves them into the tale and uses her characters to draw the reader deeper into the murder mystery.”
— Frank Kelty, Former Mayor of Dutch Harbor/Unalaska
“What a banging beginning for this author. Parker successfully tied together the multiple themes with strong characters, especially the women, with a believable and exciting plot. I recommend this book and look forward to Parker’s next novel.”
Can an Alaskan firestorm lead to true love under a midnight sun?
Alaskan firefighter Raynie Atwood thinks she know what she wants—until a walking encyclopedia disguised as a hotshot firefighter storms into her life. Grieving loss and betrayal by the man she once loved, Raynie sets her sights on a top command post for wildland fire. But when an extended drought, a high heat, and beetle-killed forests add up to the perfect firestorm, Raynie’s leadership is put to the test.
To add fuel to the fire, Cohen Tremblay tests Raynie at every turn as she works to save sled dogs and Iditarod mushers dog kennels in a deadly Alaskan conflagration…and to make matters worse, a deadly threat from Raynie’s past has her fearing for her life. But when Raynie’s world goes up in flames, Cohen may be the only one Raynie can rely on…hard to do when she no longer trusts any man, let alone a bullish co-worker. Instead, she constructs a rock-solid containment line around her heart. But fire is unpredictable, and so is love. Will their chance for love be snuffed before it ignites?
Saving himself and these dogs would be a tricky maneuver. Cohen had no time to lose. Ash and embers scorched his tongue as if the devil was licking it. Hot air pressed down on him. He couldn’t swallow—no saliva.
I’m out of time! Time to deploy my fire shelter.How will I fit three adult dogs, me, and a sack load of puppies inside my shelter?
Cohen stuck the neck of the burlap sack in his teeth, as he couldn’t set the puppies down in the water. He reached behind and retrieved his fire shelter. He tugged it from the case, yanked the cords, and shook it out.
“Rooby! Wacko! Come here!” he commanded, spitting around the burlap clenched in his teeth. The terrified dogs sidled in next to him, and he crouched down, spreading the fire shelter over them. He tied the end of Madonna’s rope around the neck of the sack and draped it around his neck, so the sack hung on his left side. As long as Madonna sat in front of him and wouldn’t bolt, this might work. He wrapped a corner of the shelter around Rooby and another around Wacko and held the corners with each hand.
This has to work. He had no other choice. They couldn’t outrun this fast-moving wildfire. He tasted ash, a bitter mixture of wood and dirt. The fire bellowed like a savage dragon, hellbent to destroy in the blink of an eye what took decades to grow and mature.
Don’t panic! Keep it together. If I panic, the dogs will, and we’ll all go up in smoke.
Cohen held the shelter down over the dogs and himself as best he could, pressing the dogs close to him. Flames swept the clearing from all directions, obliterating all sound except their tornadic roar. Crouching low in the water, he did his best to keep the puppies above the boggy surface—and prayed the dogs wouldn’t panic and run—or they’d all die.
A dog barked; Cohen didn’t know who. Another yipped and cried. Madonna howled and Cohen felt her tense and brace, as if ready to run. “Whoa, Madonna, whoa Madonna…” He didn’t know how many times he repeated the husky’s name as the raging fire whipped around them. The natural water barrier certainly helped, but the winds tore at his shelter. He gripped it so tight he worried his hands would cramp and lose their hold. Despite his layers of protective Nomex, heat encased his fire shelter and pierced him as if he was the delicacy cooking on a closed outdoor grill.
The hot destructive flames licked at the very edges of his shelter. He prayed it wouldn’t melt and collapse on him. A burning tree crashed into the bog in front of them, and Madonna yelped. The husky yanked away from their huddle, and Cohen watched helplessly as the sled dog bolted, jerking the burlap sack from around his neck and dragging the bundle of puppies through the water—straight toward the destructive flames.
Author Bio:
LoLo Paige is an award-winning author and former wildland firefighter whose debut novel, Alaska Spark, has received several awards for best indie romance. Her second book, Alaska Inferno, was a finalist for best indie romance in the 2022 Kindle Book Review Awards.
LoLo writes strong female firefighters and hunky smokejumpers who battle wildland fire in Alaska. She loves writing about the trust, friendships, and pitfalls of falling in love in the action-packed, perilous world of wildfire in her action adventure romances in The Blazing Hearts Wildfire Series. The characters in her stories are battling more than just fires, they’re struggling to stay alive—and they’re willing to risk it all for love.
Alaska Spark and Alaska Inferno have ranked No.1 on the Amazon Bestseller Lists for action adventure and romantic suspense in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. The true story about LoLo’s fire crew escaping a runaway wildfire won an Alaska Press Club award and inspired her debut novel, Alaska Spark. The third book in her wildland fire series, Alaska Blaze, drops this spring.
In addition to her action-adventure romance firefighter series, LoLo also writes romantic suspense thrillers and romantic comedies. Other books under her romance umbrella are, Hello Spain, Goodbye Heart, a recently released travel romance, and Irish Thunder, to be released later in 2023, by The Wild Rose Press.
Police Chief Autumn Long is fighting to keep her job in the quiet Alaska town of Shadow Gap when an unexpected string of criminal activity leaves her with a wounded officer, unexplained murders, and even an attack on her own father. Despite her mistrust of outsiders, she turns to Grier Brenner, a newcomer who seems to have the skills and training Autumn needs to face this threat to her community.
Grier is in Alaska for the same reason so many others are–to disappear–when Chief Long enlists his help. He emerges from the shadows and proves his mettle, but his presence in her life could be a deadly trap for them both. If his secret is exposed, all will be lost. And he’s not sure even Autumn could save him.
As the stakes rise and the dangers increase, Autumn and Grier must rely on each other to extinguish the deadly threats.
“An exhilarating, page-turning race to the finish!”
Carrie Stuart Parks, bestselling author of Relative Silence
“Gripping and hard-hitting.”
James R. Hannibal, award-winning author of Elysium Tide
“Elizabeth Goddard has created a novel that immerses the reader in small-town Alaska. From the first page, it’s a race to stay alive and solve a number of ever-spiraling mysteries. I highly recommend this novel.”
“A simmering romantic suspense with an explosive ending. Once more Goddard proves she is a master storyteller and deserving of her place as one of the best Christian romantic suspense authors of our time.”
Genre: Romantic Suspense Published by: Revell Publication Date: February 2023 Number of Pages: 336 ISBN: 9780800742041 (ISBN10: 0800742044) Series: Missing in Alaska, 1 Book Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Baker Book House
Author Bio:
Elizabeth Goddard is the USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of more than 50 novels, including Cold Light of Day and the Rocky Mountain Courage and Uncommon Justice series. Her books have sold nearly 1.5 million copies. She is a Carol Award and Reader’s Choice Award winner and a Daphne du Maurier Award finalist. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, traveling to find inspiration for her next book, and serving with her husband in ministry. For more information about her books, visit her website at www.ElizabethGoddard.com.
I love finding new author’s and sharing their debut novels, like Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita.
A blizzard in a small town in Alaska. Oh yeah, I am intrigued from the getgo. THEN, add 205 residents that all live in the same highrise. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?
A boot with a foot. A hand. Washed up on shore. I have seen TV shows about the body parts that wash ashore in the Northwest. Really creepy and using this topic to get Cara to the small town of Point Mettier, Alaska, with her own reasons for wanting to investigate, begins the mystery and danger that is to follow.
I shiver as she drives through the tunnel. It is one way and switches directions every half hour. I felt a bit claustrophic with her. Two and a half miles. I get creeped out in the drive through car wash. LOL
The highrise used to be an army post, with tunnels because of the weather and to keep from being seen. Of course, kids are going to explore and even though I think I would be creeped out, I would have to explore too.
All towns have secrets, but small towns make it much harder to keep them. Everyone knows everyone. They live and breathe in the same space.
The descriptions of the highrise and the people are richly detailed. It made it easy for me to paint pictures in my mind. I love odd characters and City Under One Roof has its fair share. Are they on the run?
I could hear the wind howling, I could feel the icy cold.
Told, mainly, from three characters point of view: Cara, who is a detective from Anchorage, Alasksa, Amy, who is the teenager that found the body parts, and Lonnie, who came to live in the high rise after leaving a mental institution. She is one of the best characters, her and Denny. And Susie, always hanging out in the hallway.
City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita has all the elements I look for in a thriller, a fabulous location and the storm is a bonus, great characters, danger, intrigue and mystery.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
A stranded detective tries to solve a murder
in a tiny Alaskan town where everyone lives in a single high-rise
building, in this gripping debut by an Academy Award–nominated
screenwriter.
When a local teenager discovers a severed hand
and foot washed up on the shore of the small town of Point Mettier,
Alaska, Cara Kennedy is on the case. A detective from Anchorage, she has
her own motives for investigating the possible murder in this isolated
place, which can be accessed only by a tunnel.
After a blizzard
causes the tunnel to close indefinitely, Cara is stuck among the odd and
suspicious residents of the town—all 205 of whom live in the same
high-rise building and are as icy as the weather. Cara teams up with
Point Mettier police officer Joe Barkowski, but before long the
investigation is upended by fearsome gang members from a nearby native
village.
Haunted by her past, Cara soon discovers that everyone
in this town has something to hide. Will she be able to unravel their
secrets before she unravels?”
ABOUT IRIS YAMASHITA
Iris is the Academy Award nominated writer for the movie LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, directed by Clint Eastwood. The film received a Golden Globe award for “Best Foreign Language Film” and was nominated for 4 Oscars®, including Best Original Screenplay. Her debut novel, CITY UNDER ONE ROOF, the first in a mystery series, will be released by Berkley Group in January, 2023.
Hate, Rinse, Repeat Melanie Summers (A Gamble on Love Mom-Com, #3) Publication date: October 28th 2022 Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
Christmas is a time for hate…
Maisy Moore is not looking forward to the holiday season. As owner of the only hair salon in Gamble, Alaska, she’ll be run off her feet helping her clients get dolled up for Christmas and New Years Eve parties. Parties she’ll never be invited to.
But that’s not the worst of it. As a single mom, she knows she still won’t be able to give her seven-year-old son, Jack, the kind of magical Christmas his classmates get. Telling him how much she loves him will only get a kid that age so far. If only she could give him what he really wants—to know who his dad is.
The last thing Maisy needs is for NHL star Chase Evans to come waltzing back into town like he’s God’s gift to women. But that’s exactly what Chase does.
After a taking a crosscheck from behind, Chase’s season is over. Instead of scoring goals, he’s recovering from shoulder surgery, and according to his mother, there’s no better place to recover than home. Because let’s face it, basking in the glow of local adoration won’t be too bad. There are no fans quite like hometown fans.
The last thing Chase expects is to find Maisy Moore still single. He decides to see if maybe they could rekindle their brief romance that occurred the night of their ten-year high school reunion. But when he tries to talk to her, he discovers Maisy’s feelings of lust have turned to loathing. And he’s determined to find out why.
Will Maisy manage to keep the identity of her son a secret? Will there be a holiday miracle that will reunite two hard-headed lovers? Will the BOGO special on shampoo and conditioner be a hit?
Find out in the deliciously funny and ridiculously romantic final installment of the Love is a Gamble Mom-Com Series.
Childhood can be hard at the best of times. But when your name rhymes with crazy, lazy, hazy, daisy, and Swayze—as in Patrick—it’s worse than you can imagine. Here are a few phrases I heard ad nauseum during my formative years:
“It’s crazy Maisy with the lazy eye!” Corrective glasses fixed the eye, but there’s no coming back from such an abysmal start to your school years. Kind of like if you wore a body brace in middle school, you will always be the girl who wore the body brace in middle school. And if you wore a body brace and had a lazy eye? It was no picnic, let me tell you.
An actual allergy to allergy medication—you can’t make this stuff up—was to blame for my third-grade teacher often complaining, “Maisy was a little hazy today.”
I have Dr. Seuss to thank for, “It’s Daisy Head Maisy!” That’s right, his first posthumous book was gunning for me. I turned down free tickets to Seussical (the musical) because of it.
Finally, my least favorite and most often heard—thank you, Chase Evans—“Maisy Swayzeee, wassup?!” This one was often accompanied by, “Nobody puts Maisy in the corner.”
Being that I live in the town where I grew up, I’m often reminded of my past nicknames. Owning the only hair salon in Gamble, Alaska, means old classmates and their mothers are always hanging around (and bringing their hilarious memories of me with them—Remember that time your back brace got caught in the monkey bars?).
If having a challenging start to life wasn’t enough, I’ve made one or two questionable decisions along the way that have added to my troubles. The first being that the father of my son does not know he’s the father of my son.
I know, I know, “secret baby” is by far the worst romance trope. As romance novels are my only social life, I read a ton of them. And even before I got pregnant with Jack, I always passed on the secret baby ones. I mean, who keeps a secret that big?
Short answer—me. But I have my reasons. More on that later because I’ve got much bigger problems these days.
Author Bio:
Whitney loves to laugh, play with her kids, bake, and eat french fries — not always in that order.
Whitney is a multi-award-winning author of romcoms, non-fiction humor, and middle reader fiction. Basically, she writes whatever the voices in her head tell her to.
She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, Jimmy, where they raise children, chickens, and organic vegetables.
Gold Medal winner at the International Readers’ Favorite Awards, 2017.
Silver medal winner at the International Readers’ Favorite Awards, 2015, 2016.
Melanie Summers also writes steamy romance as MJ Summers.
Melanie made a name for herself with her debut novel, Break in Two, a contemporary romance that cracked the Top 10 Paid on Amazon in both the UK and Canada, and the top 50 Paid in the USA. Her highly acclaimed Full Hearts Series was picked up by both Piatkus Entice (a division of Hachette UK) and HarperCollins Canada. Her first three books have been translated into Czech and Slovak by EuroMedia. Since 2013, she has written and published three novellas, and eight novels (of which seven have been published). She has sold over a quarter of a million books around the globe.
In her previous life (i.e. before having children), Melanie got her Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, then went on to work in the soul-sucking customer service industry for a large cellular network provider that shall remain nameless (unless you write her personally – then she’ll dish). On her days off, she took courses and studied to become a Chartered Mediator. That designation landed her a job at the R.C.M.P. as the Alternative Dispute Resolution Coordinator for ‘K’ Division. Having had enough of mediating arguments between gun-toting police officers, she decided it was much safer to have children so she could continue her study of conflict in a weapon-free environment (and one which doesn’t require makeup and/or nylons).
Melanie resides in Edmonton with her husband, three young children, and their adorable but neurotic one-eyed dog. When she’s not writing novels, Melanie loves reading (obviously), snuggling up on the couch with her family for movie night (which would not be complete without lots of popcorn and milkshakes), and long walks in the woods near her house. She also spends a lot more time thinking about doing yoga than actually doing yoga, which is why most of her photos are taken ‘from above’. She also loves shutting down restaurants with her girlfriends. Well, not literally shutting them down, like calling the health inspector or something–more like just staying until they turn the lights off.
She is represented by Suzanne Brandreth of The Cooke Agency International.
Alaska tour boat guide Stacie Calder faces the deep freeze in this scenic cozy series debut perfect for fans of Paige Shelton.
No nine-to-five cubicle career will suit
Stacie Calder—the naturalist much prefers working in the great
outdoors. Specifically, the spacious and spectacular Alaskan wilderness,
whose rugged charms she shares with sightseers on the top deck of the
tour boat where she works. But one May afternoon, Stacie’s passengers
see more than glittering glaciers, frolicking harbor seals, climbing
bears and soaring seabirds…they also witness a man lying dead in the
frigid Alaskan waters. And it seems likely that someone gave him a fatal
push.
Stacie didn’t know the unfortunate
victim, but he sure wanted to know a lot about her. He spent most of his
final afternoon bombarding her with questions quite awkward to answer.
And when he wasn’t in her hair, he was arguing incessantly with the
boat’s beleaguered crew. Which makes for a suspect list about as long as
the passenger manifest. Furthermore, as police helicopters relentlessly
circle her boat in search of any clues, Stacie is shaken to find
herself on that suspect list.
Before the tour boat reaches shore
Stacie—accompanied by her beautiful blue-eyed husky, Sasha—must deduce
just who sent the testy tourist tumbling into the turgid waters and have
the authorities take custody. Because if she can’t, then the killer
might aim a fatal ice-cold stare at Stacie.
About Lark O. Jensen
Lark O. Jensen is the pseudonym of Linda O. Johnston, a former lawyer who is now a full-time writer. Lark has written Bear Witness,
the first Alaska Untamed mystery for Crooked Lane. Linda has written
the Barkery & Biscuits Mystery series and the Superstition Mysteries
for Midnight Ink and the Pet Rescue Mysteries and Kendra Ballantyne,
Pet-Sitter mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime. Linda also writes for
Harlequin Romantic Suspense, and her stories often involve dogs.
True Crime novelist J T Hunter has another terrifying story to tell and I am eager to share it. I love reading crime, fiction and nonfiction, and this confirms for me the monsters that are the scariest are of the human kind.
The lead detective, George Murtie has a varied and fascinating life story, but Israel Keyes, an Army veteran, loving husband and father, and small business owner turned serial killer is the star of the performance.
Information was cultivated from reports, videos, court documents, interviews, newspapers and Facebook postings..
We will be traveling from Vermont to Alaska, with some stops in between.
Samantha Koenig…bad luck and what ifs would plague me if I were her loving father. Israel Keyes didn’t choose her specifically, he chose the place. She just happened to be there.
IF his story is true, she was compliant, having many opportunities to try and escape, but Israel has convinced her not to. I always wonder how I would act and I can only hope it would be immediate and violent, a fight to the death, seeing he (?) would probably kill me anyway, might as well fight and go down on my own terms.
The more I read, the more I think I have seen this on TV.
Sounds to me like he was exactly what he wanted to be, the guy next door….but, no emotions. Everything he did was for fun. He played the authorities and took his own way out.
Devil in the Darkness by J T Hunter is written in an easy to read format. There is some repetition, but that is to be expected when gathering information from people and places at different times, being true to the facts as J T knows them.
All in all, a well written, grimly told story of evil that walks the earth in the guise of a man.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Devil in the Darkness by J T Hunter.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
He was a hard-working small business owner, an Army veteran, an attentive lover, and a doting father. But he was also something more, something sinister. A master of deception, he was a rapist, arsonist, and bank robber, and a new breed of serial killer, one who studied other killers to perfect his craft. He methodically buried kill-kits containing his tools of murder years before returning to reclaim them. Viewing the entire country as his hunting grounds, he often flew across the country to distant locations where he would rent a car and drive hundreds or even thousands of miles before randomly selecting his victims. Such were the methods and madness of serial killer Israel Keyes. Such were the demands of the ‘Devil in the Darkness’. INCLUDES PHOTOS
J.T. Hunter is the bestselling author of “The Vampire Next Door” and “The Country Boy Killer”
ABOUT J T HUNTER
J.T. Hunter is an attorney with over fourteen years of experience
practicing law, including criminal law and appeals, and he has
significant training in criminal investigation techniques. He is also a
college professor in Florida where his teaching interests focus on the
intersection of criminal psychology, law, and literature.
Clearing in the Woods Women’s Psychological/Crime Fiction Publisher: Independently published (October 31, 2019) Paperback: 321 pages ISBN-10: 1701629364 ISBN-13: 978-1701629363 Digital ASIN: B07ZTZMTVS
Roberta escapes her humdrum middle-class
existence and the persistent ache of her dead mother’s secrets by
fleeing to Alaska. Having abandoned everything she’d spent her life
building, Roberta remakes herself in another place, doing anything other
than responding to the demands of her self-absorbed husband, her
entitled kids, and her Pottery Barn home. Taking her first job since
college, and a small room above a tourists’ shop, she contemplates new
vistas. She never expected, however, to find romance in the form of a
handsome federal agent involved in murder and mayhem.And it is murder
and mayhem, and the discovery of other’s secrets, that causes Roberta to
run for her life into the Alaskan wilderness…
About Phyllis M. Newman
Phyllis M. Newman is a
native southerner. Born in New Orleans, she spent formative years in
Florida, Iowa, Mississippi, and on a dairy farm in Ross County, Ohio.
After a long career in finance and human resources at The Ohio State
University, she turned her attention to writing fiction. She published a
noir mystery, “Kat’s Eye” in 2015, a Gothic mystery, “The Vanished
Bride of Northfield House” in 2018, and the suspense thriller “Clearing
in the Woods” in 2019. Today she lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her
husband and three perpetually unimpressed cats, none of whom venture far
from home.
I am excited to be sharing Polar Day by Julie Flanders today.
I love learning about characters and Danny has graced us with his presence.
Take it away, Danny.
Hello and thank you for hosting me today! I appreciate the opportunity to be featured on your blog. I always enjoy character interviews so I am sharing an interview with my Polar Day protagonist, Danny Fitzpatrick. I previously shared an interview with the antagonist Jamie Dzubenko over at UnabridgedAndra, so I thought I would ask Danny the same questions I asked Jamie.
Character Interview with Danny Fitzpatrick
What can you tell us about your family?
I don’t really have a family anymore. I was an only child who was raised by my mother, but she is dead. I used to be married, but my wife Caroline was murdered a few years ago in Chicago, my hometown. Those two were my family and they’re both gone. I do have a dog now though, a mutt named Sox. I guess he’s my family.
What about friends? Do you have a surrogate family?
I don’t know that I’d call her a surrogate family member but I am friends with my partner Tessa Washington. She’s a loner like me so we get along well together. I’m also friends with a librarian I met while working the Aleksei Nechayev case over the winter. Her name is Amanda. I guess you could say Amanda and I are friends with benefits.
What do you do for a living?
I’m a homicide detective for the Fairbanks police department.
What did you want to be when you were growing up?
A cop
What are you passionate about?
Stopping murderers and other monsters
What do you hate?
Murderers and monsters. Namely, I hate Aleksei Nechayev and I hate the man who was my partner when I was a detective in Chicago. He’s the man who murdered my wife.
If you had to choose one word to describe yourself what would it be?
Bitter
If time travel was possible, would you go to the past or to the future?
To the past, but not too far back. I’d just go back to when Caroline was still alive. I’d make sure she wasn’t home the night my former partner came to our apartment and slit her throat.
Do you have a favorite book?
Not really. I’m not much of a reader.
How about music. What songs do you enjoy?
Darkness on the Edge of Town by Bruce Springsteen, Love Stinks by the J. Geils Band, Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd, I Am a Rock by Simon & Garfunkel, Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door by Guns & Roses
The midnight sun bakes Fairbanks, Alaska as residents gather for the annual summer solstice baseball game. Amidst the revelry and raucous shouts of “Play ball,” a spark alights and a jogger bursts into flames. Detective Danny Fitzpatrick, still reeling from his near death at the hands of vampire Aleksei Nechayev, watches in horror as the man burns alive.
Someone is burning Fairbanks and its residents and leaving nothing but smoldering embers behind. As the city sweats under a record-breaking heatwave and unexplained fires claim more victims, Danny and his colleagues struggle to find an arsonist who can conjure fire out of thin air.
To Danny’s horror, the only one who may be able to help him stop the arsonist is his nemesis Nechayev. Will the vampire help in the hunt for a witch?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
Danny flipped through the channels, stopping when he came to a Seattle Mariners game that had gone in to extra innings. They were playing the White Sox in Chicago and Danny felt a slight tug at his heartstrings as the familiar sight of Cellular Field filled the flat screen television. The time difference made it difficult for him to catch Sox games live. It was a welcome surprise to find one that was lasting so long into the Chicago night that he could watch it live as it happened.
It was dark in Chicago, but of course the sun was still high in the sky here in this strange frontier he had chosen as his new home. He squinted from the sun beaming through the window and cursed himself for not shutting the blinds before he sat back down. Next time he got up for a beer he would need to do that.
Danny rested his hand on his dog’s head as he finished one beer and started another, the bottles now lining up on the end table beside him. His eyes grew bleary as Sox’s gentle snoring mingled with the sounds of the faraway baseball game. When yet another inning ended and the game went to a commercial, Danny closed his eyes and rested his head on the back of the couch.
The noise of the television grew fainter as he slipped into sleep and his mind flashed images of fangs and bloodless bodies in an endless landscape of snow. As Danny drifted farther into unconsciousness, the snow was overtaken by fire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julie Flanders is a librarian by day and a writer all the rest of the time. She is also a television show addict with a particular fondness for Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead and a slightly obsessive sports fan who cheers for the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Cincinnati Reds. Julie is an animal lover and animal rescue advocate who shares her home with her rescued dog and cat. She has written about the joys of pets for outlets such as Cat Fancy, Thrive in Life, and Best Friends Animal Society. Visit Julie at julieflanders.net.
Julie Flanders is a librarian by day and a writer all the rest of the time. She is also a television show addict with a particular fondness for Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead and a slightly obsessive sports fan who cheers for the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Cincinnati Reds. Julie is an animal lover and animal rescue advocate who shares her home with her rescued dog and cat. She has written about the joys of pets for outlets such as Cat Fancy, Thrive in Life, and Best Friends Animal Society. Visit Julie at julieflanders.net.
