Tiger Paw has won the 2012 Royal Palm Literary Award for Best Thriller from the Florida Writers Association!
Here’s what the judges had to say about Charles A. Cornell’s debut novel:
Tiger Paw is a fast-paced, entertaining thriller— an intriguing story that grows exponentially from a serial killer case to a worldwide conspiracy involving financial corruption and religious zealotry on a grand scale. A well researched narrative with vivid descriptions that bring the story’s settings to life. Interesting twists and turns. An excellent debut thriller! – Royal Palm Literary Award Judging Panel
The judges for the Royal Palm Literary Awards were drawn from the FWA’s membership of current or retired teachers, librarians, professional editors, college professors, published authors, former RPLA winners, journalists, and presidents of writing and reading groups from both Florida and from states across the USA.
The announcements of the Royal Palm Literary Awards were made at the Florida Writers Association Annual Conference & Awards Banquet held in Orlando, Florida on October 19 – 21, 2012.
About Tiger Paw:
As a serial killer wreaks havoc on Wall Street, dismantling a corrupt financier’s empire one body at a time, FBI profiler Scott Forrester uncovers the deadly secret of a demon-worshipping Hindu cult that is determined to change the very fabric of society. Firmly in their assassin’s cross-hairs, Scott Forrester is forced underground to stop the killing spree. But will he survive the deal he must make with the Devil to thwart their satanic plan?
Tiger Paw is a thriller cloaked in mystery, psychological suspense and international intrigue. A story of people who have sold their souls in exchange for wealth and power. A story of greed, deception, and revenge. And a story of one man’s struggle to triumph against the greatest evil he has ever faced.
Now that you’ve seen the awesome book trailer, you really need to read my review.
Kit Griffin was the last one. She was blond and tan, and worth the drive in the rain. How could she go from Beverly Hills to the small fishing village of San Madrid? He went inside the bookstore out of curiosity. As he stood talking to Kit, he saw the painting. The artist had given the painting to Kit, Baylee and Quinn, when they moved in together. When he asked about the painting, Kit couldn’t help but wonder why the stranger was so interested in it.
The authors use of He instead of a name for her character adds mystery to the story.
Kit was proud of her bookstore, the Book and Bean, and all the hard work she had put into making it a success. With the support of Baylee and Quinn, her best friends, Kit had been able to overcome her past and the abusive relationship she had with her mother, Alana Stevens. She refused to think about the past, so when Jake Boston, a family friend that she had been in love with since she was a young girl, walked in, to say she was surprised would not begin to cover the range of emotions she was experiencing. He had been gone more than a year without speaking to Kit and he thought now was as good a time as any to see her again. Jake had left Los Angeles without saying a word to Kit. He was the prime suspect in the murder of his wife, Claire, and the constant police harassment had driven him to the point of sheer exhaustion, so he had left the city to try to move on with his life. He returned as a rich man after building a multimillion dollar company with hard work and determination. Gloria, Kit’s aunt, had kept Jake informed of all that was going on in Kit’s life, even though she was unaware of it. He had really missed her and wanted to tell her he had bought the Crandall House and was renovating it because Gloria had told him that Kit loved the old house and he hoped they might have a life together.
He was still sitting outside when the man came out. He knew, if the man got in the way, he would have to get rid of him.
When Kit went to bed that night she had a feeling of doom, something bad was coming. She didn’t sleep well and was glad when she called her mother to tell her Happy Mother’s Day and she didn’t answer the phone. Kit and her mother, Alana had never gotten along. If it hadn’t been for her Aunt Gloria, she never would have made it this far.
He waited for Alana to come home. No one would find her until the maid came in the morning.
When Alana was found murdered, the police became very interested in her estranged daughter, Kit. Alana’s best friend and attorney, Jessica Boyd, immediately pointed the finger at her ungrateful daughter and her crazy sister, Gloria Gandis. Even though Jessica knew the police would check out the law firm, she would do whatever she could to distract them and try to lead them in a different direction.
Gloria felt Kit was in danger. People thought she was crazy, but she had a gift and right now it was telling her that Kit was in need of help. She called Jake and told him Kit was the main suspect in her mother’s death. He could relate well to her situation, because he had been the main suspect in his wife’s death a year ago.
Jake walked into Kit’s bookstore and found the police questioning her in an aggressive and intimidating manner. He immediately felt a need to protect and shelter her from them and told them to back off. Their response was that maybe they should arrest him for his wife’s murder now that he was back in town.
He thought of Kit, but for the first time his job was leaving him feeling uncomfortable. What would happen to Kit?
He was waiting in the backseat of her car when she came out from her tryst. When he was done, he left the car parked on the side of the road and walked away.
When the police pulled up behind the parked car, they thought it was just a rich drunk, but Jessica wasn’t going to be talking to anyone. Just as in the case of Alana, they found a gold cowboy on a horse had been left with the murder victim. When Sumner Boyd, Jessica’s husband, was notified, all he could think of was everything they had done to become one of the largest family law firms on the West Coast and wondered if anyone knew what had happened and how they had got started. Could someone have a vendetta against them?
When Kit found the gold cowboy on the counter, she figured some kid had left it in the bookstore and asked Baylee, her friend and employee, about it. She didn’t know anything. Kit knew Baylee was hiding something. She had left and come back with a baby, Sarah. She was Kit’s best friend and employee and would go to any lengths to protect her, so Kit was loath to pressure her for answers.
After Alana’s death, her lawyer’s quickly presented Kit with papers to sign, she was the sole beneficiary of Alana’s estate. Kit couldn’t understand why she would do that, since she had left home at an early age and her mother had never liked her anyway. Jake said he would take a look at the papers, just to be on the safe side. He saw there was property worth a lot of money but he couldn’t help wondering, where was the cash? He was going to have his lawyer go over them before Kit signed anything.
Collin’s obsession with Kit had made him dangerous and unpredictable. Being part of Boyd Boyd Geller and Getz, the family law firm, made him and his family feel a sense of entitlement. They would do whatever it took to get what they wanted and take what their hearts desired. He blamed her for making him fall in love with her and was determined to make her pay for her rejection of him. Just how far would he go to seek revenge? If he couldn’t have her, would he make sure nobody else could?
After Alana’s funeral, Jake invited Kit out sailing. While they were relaxing and enjoying being out on the water, an SOS was sent out over the radio. Since they were so close Jake set sail for the coordinates he believed would take them to the distressed vessel. Before they could reach the old sloop it erupted in a huge explosion that blew both of them off their feet. If they had been any closer it would have blown them up too. They later found out it had been a bogus signal. Was it staged? Were they the target? Why?
Jessica’s sister, Eva Getz, a partner at the law firm, was missing. When they found Eva’s body, they found a gold cowboy. Jake believed it was all linked to the law firm and since the police wouldn’t take their focus off of Kit, Jake thought they should do some investigating of their own. Public records showed that Alana had been married and divorced five times, but there was no record of her being married to John Griffin, Kit’s father. Husband number three was Frank Geller, Jessica’s brother. As Jake investigated further he found that Kit had a brother, Ben Griffin who lived in Ireland. Why was he so difficult to locate?
Jake had made it his priority to protect Kit. He wasn’t going to leave her alone until this whole mess was settled. At 3:03 in the morning, Jake woke Kit from a nightmare. She told him it was a recurring nightmare and each time it went a little further. She dreamt that an older couple were murdered at their ranch in a Charles Manson style. This was the first time she had seen the name on the sign-Sundown Ranch. Why did she keep having a nightmare that seemed so real? When Jake found the scar from the bullet wound, Kit wondered what he would do when he found out everything, when he found out that Alana was “just evil”.
Kit: She could tell a tale, filling it in with the most minute details. It made me think of my husband, who can take what to me would be a five-minute story and regale people for twenty. Kit loved the simple, ordinary things in life-like when she found the red, white and blue decorations on the boat and took such delight in setting the dinner table.
Jake: I loved how tender he was with Kit when she needed him the most, not questioning or pushing her, just putting her needs first. Amongst murder and mayhem, I don’t think anyone would complain about a hero and a good love story.
5+ STARS – Would Buy it for Them (lol)
I received this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. A paranormal, mystery, thriller that will grab you from the first page and not you let go. I am a voracious reader and love it when an author BLOWS ME AWAY and Vickie definitely did that in spades. I loved the cover. I photograph and sketch trees without leaves. If you look closely enough and long enough you will see many things other than a branch or twig as your imagination draws you into the picture. I really like this cover over the alternate, because the colors are rich and vivid and the tree is descriptive of the story, encompassing all the characters and subplots branching out from the main storyline. The title is short, to the point and relates to the story. The book was very well written making me race through the pages.The moment I felt I knew here it was going, I found myself holding tight as it took me on a twisting, turning ride through the feelings of terror and exhilaration of love, murder and intrigue. The characters covered the spectrum, from truly heroic to “just evil”. It is a cliff-hanger that will leave you screaming for more. Just evil is a trilogy and you truly will want to read the next one and the next one.
About the Author
Just Evil was given Coffee Time Romance and More’s highest rating plus a CTRR award.
Vickie created her first character when she was four years old and came up with her imaginary friend, Marty. Together the two battled, they slayed, they conquered. She and Marty managed to get into plenty of trouble and usually had to come up with a clever way out of it. From the Marty experience a fertile imagination was born.
Today she’s graduated to more grownup characters. And after spending years sitting in a cubicle, writing boring corporate communiques all the while day-dreaming about stories beyond those dreary walls, she finally decided to let her mind run free.
The Evil Trilogy sprang from that.
Though she was born and bred in Texas, she now lives in her adopted home state of California, near the ocean she loves.
To see my 5 STAR review of Tiger Paw, go HERE.
