Jude Brannock is a brash and single-minded female protagonist for today’s readers who believe that nature and animals deserve our respect and must be protected. In The Experiment, author Robin Lamont brings these forward-looking themes to her newest suspense novel.
Jude is an investigator for an animal protection organization. When the young man she has trained for an undercover job suddenly vanishes after a tantalizing text that he’s “on to something,” Jude rushes to the quiet, farming community of Half Moon, only to discover that her trainee might have perpetrated an elaborate con job on her. Determined to get to the truth, she unearths a biopharmaceutical company’s deadly secret, and in doing so, comes up against dark secrets of her own.
Book Details:
Genre: Suspense Published by: Grayling Press Publication Date: May 15th 2019 Number of Pages: 288 ISBN: 0985848588 (ISBN13: 9780985848583) Series: The Kinship Series Purchase Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
John Harbolt wasn’t easily shaken. With over forty years of medicine under his belt, there was hardly an injury, disease, or fatality he hadn’t seen, and he’d treated just about everyone in the small town of Half Moon at some time or other. But on that late summer day, young Tori Lacey showed him something that baffled him. Her symptoms were inexplicable and downright scary.
She was his first patient of the day, a young woman who had battled her weight for years. In between the earaches and the sore throats, Harbolt had gently counseled her about diet and exercise. He hoped she wasn’t here to ask him about diet pills again, because as far as he was concerned, they were off the table.
After removing her file from the plastic holder bolted to the outside of the examination room, he adjusted his wire rim glasses and straightened his lab coat. The younger doctors often wore khakis and a short-sleeved shirt at work, and maybe it put the kids more at ease. But Dr. Harbolt stuck with a freshly starched white coat, believing that it made his patients feel more confident in his abilities. And confidence in one’s doctor was important to the healing process.
“Tori Ann Lacey,” he announced jovially as he shambled into the room.
“Hi, Dr. Harbolt.” The morose girl before him sat on the table. She had taken off her running shoes but left her sweatshirt and shorts on.
“I haven’t seen you for a while,” he said, noting with some surprise that she had slimmed considerably, her round face now leaner and more mature. “How is college life treating you?”
“Ok, I guess.” Her voice and posture belied this.
“What brings you here today, my dear.”
“I don’t really know. But we thought you should look at these.” She pushed back the sleeve of her sweatshirt and held out her arm for inspection.
There were several bruises that vandalized the translucent skin of her inner arm. Dr. Harbolt held her wrist and peering over his glasses, looked closely at the red and purple marks.
He pressed lightly on one of them. “Does that hurt?”
She shook her head no.
“What happened?”
“That’s the thing. Nothing happened. They just appeared.” She showed him another set of bruises on her other arm.
“Did you fall?”
“No.”
“Knocked into something?”
“No,” she exclaimed, as though he didn’t believe her. “My mom thinks it’s my diet. That I should be eating meat.”
“And you’re not?”
“No. I needed to lose five more pounds for the track team, which I was having a hard time doing, so I switched over to a raw food diet. And it really helped because I made my goal.”
“And you were selected for the team?”
She nodded, anxiously chewing on a nail.
“Congratulations. You getting enough protein?” he asked, studying the bruising and letting her answer drift past him. This wasn’t because of her diet.
She rambled for a moment about nuts and spinach, then peeled off her socks and lifted her bare feet to the end of the examination table. “And then yesterday after a run, I found this,” she said. “I didn’t even show my mom ’cause she’d freak out.”
Dr. Harbolt caught his breath. It looked as though someone had taken a baseball bat to the soles of the girl’s feet. Fiery maroon blotches screamed out some kind of violence. Three of her toes had turned a dark purple.
“Good Lord!” he blurted out. “What happened to you?”
“Nothing! I’m telling you nothing happened,” wailed Tori. “They just … showed up.”
Before becoming a novelist, Robin was a popular Broadway actress and singer, turned private investigator, and then New York prosecutor. She draws on these diverse careers for her work, infusing suspenseful plots with character-driven drama.
Robin’s prior work has garnered awards and recognition, including Suspense Magazine’s Best of the Indies and a Gold Medal in the Independent Publishers Book Awards for her novel If Thy Right Hand. Her book The Chain, which introduced Jude Brannock to readers, was a Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Finalist. Her screen adaptation of the book, Six Seconds, is currently under option.
Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!
Enter To Win!:
This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Robin Lamont. There will be 1 winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. The giveaway begins on August 1, 2019 and runs through September 2, 2019. Void where prohibited.
Piper and Samantha are in heaven. Well, close. After winning a contest to raise the most money for human trafficking awareness and prevention, Piper and Sam are rewarded with a long weekend at the O Heavenly Day Spa. When mysterious notes start appearing everywhere, things get uncomfortable. When spa treatments go awry it is starting to get dangerous. A threatening message in Piper’s closet convinces Piper and Sam that they have to find out who is behind all of these disasters before someone gets hurt. Is it Broussard the stuffy concierge? Gladys, the sweet old lady who decided to join them for the weekend? When the smoke alarms go off and the spa erupts into panic, the chaos separates the friends and Piper stumbles into trouble. Will her friends be able to help her in time?
About the Author
Katherine Brown is a Texas girl, a lover of books, and a weaver of words. Her first official publication was of two children’s books in 2017, which has now grown into five books of the School is Scary series; however, she likes to think her career as a writer started when she sold her parents newsletters of articles about school and poetry for fifty cents per copy as a pre-teen. Married to a wonderful husband and mom of a smart, spunky stepdaughter, Katherine enjoys spending time with family and reading as many new books as she can get her hands on. Her YA series, the Ooey Gooey Bakery Mystery series, is ramping up in 2019 with book 1 released in March and book 2 was released June 1, 2019.
Something Wicked Emma Dean (University of Morgana: Academy of Enchantments and Witchcraft #1) Publication date: May 2nd 2019 Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Reverse Harem, Romance
If she could make it through her first semester without killing anyone…that’d be great.
San Francisco Bay Coven has been torn apart and no one feels this more than Mika Marshall. Kenzie Kavanagh exposed her father and brother’s betrayal.
So Mika is starting at the University of Morgana a semester late and praying to the Fates that she’ll be able to catch up and graduate with her class. But as a witch with an undeclared specialty she’s trying not to bring too much attention to herself.
Because Mika has a secret and if she doesn’t learn to control her powers, people will die.
**This is a slow burn reverse harem academy series. All paranormal books by Emma Dean exist in the same world – the Council of Paranormals.
“Mika!” her sister called up. Claire’s voice echoed in the empty mansion. “Are you ready to go? We’ve got to get you settled today!”
There was so much to take care of…it felt like they’d just barely gotten everything turned in after winter solstice and yule.
Starting in the spring semester…Mika wasn’t looking forward to it.
Instead of responding she grabbed her things and dragged them down the stairs.
Claire grabbed the trunk from her when Mika hit the main floor. Her sister tried to smile. “Don’t worry. You’re going to love the university. It’s like high school, but a thousand times better.”
Mika gritted her teeth together and still didn’t say anything.
She’d hated high school and everything about it. If Selene was a prodigy, then Mika was the most mediocre, average witch to ever attend their high school. She was the same age as Selene and lightyears behind her in magical skill.
It didn’t really matter though in the long run. She’d just barely passed the entrance exams to the University of Morgana. At least she hadn’t completely tarnished her family’s name.
Mika had gotten a perfect score on the theory of magic. It was so unprecedented they’d tested her again with a proctor watching every move she made.
The test had been completely different, and she’d still aced it.
But the practical? Ugh, she didn’t want to think about that. Actual magic had always been meh for her. Lighting a candle took concentration on her part. A three-year-old could do it with barely a thought.
“The door to the university is in the coven building,” Claire explained as they made their way through the foyer. “I’ll go with you, but you’ll have to cross on your own. Someone needs to look after Grandma until she decides to rejoin the land of the living.”
“She’s still alive,” Mika murmured. “That’s more than we can say for our parents and brother.”
“That’s not fair,” Claire snapped, letting the driver open the front door for them. “Dad and Jacob are still alive. They’re just stripped of their powers and shunned.”
Mika popped open her umbrella and glared up at the never-ending rain. Where she was going would be colder, but at least it wouldn’t be raining. “Dad and Jacob are dead to me after what they did to us and Mom. Let’s not pretend we’d ever have them over for dinner.”
Her sister didn’t say anything to that, and Mika didn’t expect her to.
It wasn’t fair on Claire, but she was still so angry. Mika lived that moment over and over and had been all fall and winter. Then sitting at her mother’s side for months and simply watching her waste away…
No matter how much she loved her mother, Mom hadn’t loved them enough to fight and live and…just be around. She’d given up on everything even though Mika had been right there every, single, day.
Claire followed after her to the fancy black car without an umbrella, letting the rain mess with her perfect hair. She let the driver take Mika’s trunk from her and stood there in the rain. Mika knew in that moment she should say sorry, but she was just so angry and bitter and devastated. It would only rip her apart even more to apologize for saying what she felt.
Once everything was loaded up, Claire kissed Mika on the cheek gently and stepped back. “On second thought I should stay with Grandma. Who knows what an empty mansion will do to her. I wish you the best of luck, baby sis. Write home and all that.”
Mika held her sister’s gaze and it was like looking in a broken mirror. They both had the same nearly white-blonde hair that was their family signature, ice blue eyes, and skin so smooth and creamy people often stopped them and asked them what their secret was. Their next question was if they were twins.
Claire was only an inch taller than her, but she had the better tits.
“If you need anything or…” Mika trailed off. She almost couldn’t say it out loud. “If anything else happens, call me. My phone is always on.”
Her sister nodded and Mika got in the car. Claire didn’t slam her door closed, but it was forceful just the same. Mika flinched and regretted those words she couldn’t take back, even if she wanted to.
The last six months had exacerbated everything she’d been hiding for the last three years and now…
It felt like everything she’d shoved down and ignored was all frothing to the surface, ready to boil over and she couldn’t pretend anymore.
Mika didn’t know how to pretend to be happy, or how to be…normal.
What was normal in the witch world anyway?
Kenzie was a void witch after spending most of her life a pariah – an abomination.
And up until she’d announced it to the coven no one had even known void witches existed or what a void was exactly – a witch who didn’t have powers, but could take them. Something the universe had created for balance no doubt. Mika didn’t know the details of a void’s skills, but knowing someone could take her magic…
Things were changing. She just had to get through this and onto the other side.
It would get better. It had to.
“Take me to the coven building, please,” she asked the driver, words barely above a whisper. Speaking out loud always seemed so harsh in the sudden quiet that had befallen her family the moment her mother had fainted in that fateful meeting.
As soon as Mika got settled on campus she would call her sister and apologize. But right now she was still pissed and the only thing that would come of her calling her sister was an argument. Claire didn’t deserve that – not with everything she had to deal with now.
Claire was going to be the next Marshall matriarch, and thank the Fates.
Mika didn’t want it.
She didn’t deserve it.
Author Bio:
Emma Dean is the aspie author of Draga Court and the Council of Paranormals. Juggling work, life, higher education, and a rambunctious toddler leaves little room for much else, but when she gets the chance she dives into a good book and likes to re-read the Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop every year during Christmas.
Shell and her two furry sidekicks must cat-ch a killer to save their pet shop
Crishell “Shell” McMillan sees the cancellation of her TV series as a blessing in disguise. The former actress can now take over her late aunt’s pet shop, the Purr N’ Bark, and do something she loves.
While getting the shop ready for re-opening, Shell is asked to loan her aunt’s Cary Grant posters to the local museum for an exhibit. She finds the prospect exciting—until a museum board member, who had a long-standing feud with Shell’s aunt, votes against it. When she discovers the board member dead in the museum, Shell becomes suspect number one. Can she, her Siamese cat Kahlua, and her new sidekick—her aunt’s Persian Purrday—find the real culprit, or will her latest career go up in kitty litter?
EXCERPT
For a second I just stared, and then I raised my arm, took some skin between my thumb and forefinger, and pinched myself hard.
“Ow!” I cried. Well, that settled that. I wasn’t dreaming, or
hallucinating. He was really here, along with a large black suitcase propped up
against my front door.
Gary tripped down my porch steps and ran over to stand in front of
me. “There you are,” he said, waggling his finger. “For a second there, I
thought that guy at the gas station gave me directions to the wrong house.”
I fisted a hand on my hip and shot him a stony stare. “Gary, what
are you doing here?”
His lips drooped down almost immediately into a hangdog expression.
“Gee, thanks a lot. I fly cross-country and drive all this way and that’s the
greeting I get? I told you I was coming, remember?” When I didn’t answer, he
persisted, “I kept asking you what was wrong, and you kept avoiding the issue,
so I said I’d come on out and see for myself.”
I pushed the heel of my hand through my hair. “You did say that,
but I didn’t think you really meant it.”
His arms enveloped me in a gigantic bear hug. “Oh, come on, Shell.
What sort of co-star would I be if I deserted you in your time of need?” He
pulled back a bit to study me. “This is your time of need, right? I mean,
something’s up. I could hear it in your voice.”
“I’m fine, Gary. You didn’t have to uproot your life and come all
the way out here to check on me.”
He spread his arms wide. “Hey, you decided to uproot your life and
change careers. I guess that dark store in town with the re-opening sign on it
is yours?”
“You guess right. I’d hoped to be getting the store and its stock
ready for a grand re-opening, but instead …”
“Yeah, I know.” He reached out and give my hand a squeeze. “That’s
why you could use my help. After all, right now I’ve got nothing else to do,
other than sign up for unemployment.”
The note of disappointment in his tone was unmistakable. “What
happened? They didn’t go for the reboot?”
“To quote the producers exactly, ‘That show just isn’t worth spit
without Shell Marlowe.’ Or similar words to that effect.”
I remembered Max’s words and a pang of guilt arrowed through me.
“That’s not true and you know it.”
“Yeah, well, it seems they were gearing the show more toward the
male audience, and not the action end of it, if you get my meaning.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Then I’m glad I turned it down, although I’m
sorry it didn’t work out for you. You’ll get something else, Gary, but only if
you go back to L.A. and start auditioning.”
“I’m not so sure.” He plopped down on my bottom step and cupped his
chin in one hand. “I had a lot of time to think on the plane ride out here.
Series tv is getting to be a rat race, and I’m not as young as I used to be.
Maybe I should try something different, maybe Broadway, or Off Broadway.”
I laughed. “You’re considering a play? I thought you always said
theater was for people who couldn’t make it in Hollywood.”
He grinned sheepishly. “I did say that, didn’t I? Well, maybe I’ve
had a change of heart. Look, I didn’t come all the way out here to talk about
me. What’s going on with you, Shell?”
I looked down at the ground. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh, yes, you do.” He leaned over so that his nose was only about
an inch away from mine. “I could hear it in your voice when we spoke on the
phone. You sounded just like you did when Pat left you.”
I raised my gaze to his and thrust my jaw out. “I most certainly
did not. And I left Patrick, no matter what he told you.”
“Whatever.” Gary folded his arms over his chest and stood, one foot
tapping impatiently on the concrete. “Are you going to tell me what’s up with
you, or not?”
I folded my own arms over my chest. “Not.”
“Okay, then, I suppose I’ll have to guess.” He put a finger to his
lips, closed his eyes, and then popped them wide open. “Aha, I have it.” He
pointed his finger dramatically in the air. “You must be the actress they
suspect of murdering the local termagant.”
“Wow, is that a fifty-dollar word or what? I’m impressed. And just
where did you hear this juicy bit of news?”
He grinned. “It’s the main topic of conversation at the gas station
out on the highway. It’s a veritable hotbed of local gossip.” His expression
sobered and he reached out and gripped my hand. “Is it true?”
“Is what true? That I murdered the local termagant or that I’m
suspected of doing so?”
“Very funny.”
He looked so upset that I sighed. “Yes, it’s true. That I’m on the
suspect list, not that I did the deed—although I had a public argument with the
woman the day before her death.”
Gary let out a low whistle. “Sounds like you could use a friend.” I
glanced over at his suitcase, and he added, “If it’s inconvenient, I can always
find a hotel near here. I’m not leaving, Shell.”
My expression softened. “I know you’re not, and it’s not
inconvenient. Come on, grab your suitcase. I’ll make you a cup of java and fill
you in.”
∞
I showed Gary to one of the guest bedrooms and left him to
unpack and freshen up. I went into the kitchen and put on a fresh pot of
coffee, then pulled out the wheels of cheddar and Brie I’d purchased at the
General Store along with some crackers, arranged them on a tray, and set it on
the table. I’d just poured us each a steaming mug when Gary reappeared. His
hair was damp from a quick shower, and he’d changed into comfortable
sweatpants. He eased himself into one of the chairs and sniffed the air.
“Um, what’s that, Kahlua-flavored coffee? You wouldn’t happen to
have the real thing to add to it, would you? I didn’t drink on the plane, and
I’m overdue.”
Gary had an aversion to air travel, so the mere fact he’d stepped
on a plane to come to my aid was quite something, indeed. I opened one of the
bottom cabinets and pulled out a bottle of Kahlua. I added a generous amount to
both our mugs and then sat down across from him, my hands wrapped around my
mug. We sat for a few minutes, sipping in silence, and then Gary set down his
mug.
“Care to fill me in on what’s going down here now? What was that
public argument about that’s got you on the suspect list?”
I explained all about the museum board vote and the supposed feud
between Amelia and my aunt that I believed to be behind Amelia’s crusade. I
also recounted my meetings with the other three board members and Garrett
Knute. Gary listened intently and when I’d finished, ran his finger around the
rim of his cup.
“Sounds to me like you might have painted a target on yourself,” he
said grimly.
I bit down on my lower lip. “Funny. Josh hinted at pretty much the
same thing.”
Gary’s eyes widened a bit. “Josh?”
Heat seared my cheeks and I ducked my head. “Detective Bloodgood.
He’s investigating the murder.”
“I see. And are you often on a first-name basis with detectives
investigating you for murder?”
“We’d met briefly before all this mess. His sister’s dog ran into
me in the park. I had no idea he was a detective.”
“Of course not.” He let out a low chuckle. “And what does this
Detective Bloodgood look like? I’m betting he’s not paunchy with gray hair,
like most of the detectives on tv.”
I narrowed my eyes. “No, he’s not.”
“So?” Gary persisted as I remained silent. “Is he as good-looking
as me?”
I made a face at him. “No one’s as good-looking as you, Gary,
except maybe Hugh Jackman. I’ve already had to assure some of the local women
that marvelous head of hair is all yours.”
He reached up to give his hair a swift pat and laughed. “Nice try
at a diversion, but I’m still interested in a description of your Detective
Bloodgood.”
“He’s not my Detective Bloodgood,” I protested. “Besides, I have a
new man in my life.”
Gary almost dropped his mug. “You do?”
“Absolutely. I was worried he and Kahlua might not get along, but
they seem to have effected a truce.”
Gary’s brows drew together. “Kahlua? Your cat? Why wouldn’t he get
along with your cat? Is he allergic?”
“No, far from it.”
I lapsed into silence, and Gary’s frown deepened. “So, details
Shell. What does this fellow look like?”
I put my finger to my lips. “He’s very hairy,” I said at last.
Gary gave me a puzzled stare. “He’s hairy? You hate facial
hair … or was that just so I’d shave the beard I grew for season six?”
“You look better clean shaven anyway. I did you and all your female
fans a favor.” I inclined my head toward the doorway. “Here he is now. Come
here, Purrday, and say hello to Gary. He’s going to be staying with us awhile.”
Purrday glided into the kitchen and hopped up on the vacant chair
next to Gary. He cocked his head to one side and blinked at him. “Merow.”
Gary stared at Purrday and then burst into laughter. “Oho, another
cat, eh?”
“He belonged to Aunt Tillie. I couldn’t turn him away.”
Gary bounced both eyebrows at me. “Just be careful this doesn’t
start a trend, Shell. I’d hate to see you become the neighborhood crazy cat
lady.” He reached out his hand. Purrday sniffed at the tips of his fingers,
then his pink tongue darted out and gave them a quick lick. “Friendly fellow.
Lots friendlier than Kahlua. She usually hisses at me.”
“She doesn’t like your cologne. You’ve got Purrday’s stamp of
approval, at least.”
Gary selected a piece of cheddar and started to put it on a cracker
when the cheese slid from his fingers and landed—plop!—on the floor. Purrday eyed the cheese, then cocked his head
at Gary.
“Okay if I let him have it? It fell on the floor.”
“Go ahead, but you’d better practice your whoops, I knocked it on the floor routine. For such a good actor,
that was beneath you.”
Gary’s eyes widened. “Shell! I’m shocked! You think I did that on
purpose?”
I laughed right at him. “I know you did. You would never drop a
piece of anything edible on the floor.”
He raised both hands. “Okay, I’m guilty. But Purrday appreciates
it, don’t you, boy?”
Purrday didn’t answer. He’d already snatched the bit of cheddar in
his paws and was nibbling happily at it.
Gary turned back to me. “Well, now that I’ve met the main man in
your life, let’s get back to number two. Your detective.”
“Let’s not and say we did.” I rose and walked over to the cabinet
and pulled out the bottle of Kahlua. “Refill?”
He held out his mug. “Sure. And don’t bother with the coffee this
time.”
Once I’d refilled both mugs with Kahlua we adjourned to the parlor,
leaving Purrday happily noshing on his cheese. Feline Kahlua was stretched out
across the top of the loveseat. She lifted her head, took one look at Gary, let
out a loud hiss, and promptly vanished up the stairs.
“Great to see you again too,” Gary called after her retreating
form. He looked over his shoulder at me. “Some things never change.” He plopped
down on the brocaded sofa and I sat on the loveseat across from him. “Let’s
think of this logically,” he said. “You said most of the people in Fox Hollow
hated this woman, Amelia?”
“So I’ve heard.”
“Okay.” He leaned back against the sofa cushions, his eyes slitted
in thought. “First things first. Who might have hated her enough to do her in?”
“Well, there are the aforementioned board members: Larry Peabody,
Andy McHardy, and Ginnifer Rubin. And Garrett Knute is hiding something as
well. I heard him say, ‘over my dead body.’ And Amelia was determined he
shouldn’t get his hands on that envelope.”
“Hm.” Gary laced his hands behind his neck. “That definitely piques
my interest. Anyone else?”
“I saw Amelia arguing with a woman in the park. Olivia thinks it
might have been Londra Lewis, who works at the museum as the administrator.
Amelia disliked her because of her loyalty to the museum director, Mazie
Madison.” I tapped the edge of my mug. “Olivia said that Mazie was no angel
when it came to Amelia either. Then there’s the mayor.”
“Oho, the mayor, eh?” Gary bounced his eyebrows. “You just can’t
trust those public officials.”
“It might be nothing, but Amelia might have something on one or
both of the mayor’s kids, I’m not sure. And Garrett Knute mentioned this guy,
Melvin Feller, but so far I haven’t been able to make a concrete connection
between him and Amelia. And Garrett said half the town hated the woman, so who
knows who else might have a motive.” I paused. “Then there’s the editor of the
town paper, Quentin Watson. He’s a smarmy little weasel who’s already printed
two less-than-flattering snippets about me in his paper because I wouldn’t give
him an interview. Lord knows what his relationship with
Amelia was.”
“Well, there doesn’t appear to be a dearth of suspects,” Gary said
wryly. “And the reason you’re at the top is …?”
“I’m not even sure I’m at the top. Josh—I mean, Detective
Bloodgood—told me I was a person of interest, primarily because I argued with
the deceased in public.”
Gary gave a short laugh. “Well, person of interest is better than
suspect, if you ask me. Now, what we have to do is systematically go through all
of those people and determine which of them had the best motive for wanting
Amelia dead.”
“No doubt J—the detective is doing that already.”
Gary shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe not. In any case, our considering
it can’t hurt, right? I mean, after all, the sooner this gets cleared up, the
sooner you can open up your little store.”
Purrday ambled into the parlor just then, batting the button
between his paws. I reached down to retrieve it.
“It looks like one of Aunt Matilda’s buttons. Where he got it from
is a mystery.”
“It probably just fell off something. You know cats. They can be
real scavengers. Remember when Kahlua had a stash of all your rhinestone pins?”
I started to reply when the doorbell rang. I excused myself and
went to answer it, and my eyes widened in surprise when I saw Josh on my front
stoop. His lips were slashed into a straight line, and he had his cop face on.
“Mind if I come in?” he asked. “Something’s turned up, and I need
to speak to you about it.”
I pushed the door wide and motioned for him to enter. As he stepped
into the foyer, Gary emerged from the parlor. The two men started then stood
and stared at each other.
I cleared my throat. “Detective Josh
Bloodgood, may I introduce my former co-star—”
Josh waved his hand. “I know who he is.” He turned back to Gary.
“Gary Presser, right? Or should I say Douglas Doolittle?”
Gary beamed and held out his hand. “Ah, you’ve watched our show?”
“When my schedule permitted.”
Josh took Gary’s hand and Gary pumped it up and down. “Always happy
to meet a fan. I take it you’re Josh the detective?”
“That would be me.” He released Gary’s hand and shoved his deep
into the pockets of the light khaki jacket he wore. “It might be best,” he
said, with a meaningful look at me, “if we discussed my news in private.”
“Not necessary,” Gary said breezily. He stepped right up to me and
slipped one arm around my shoulders in a protective gesture. “I came out here
to Fox Hollow to help Shell, so …” He paused and looked expectantly at me.
I sighed and turned to Josh. “Anything you have to say you can say
in front of Gary. It won’t go any further.”
Josh frowned. “Okay, then,” he said at last. He reached into the
inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small plastic bag, in which rested
a slip of paper. “My men did a thorough sweep of the murder scene, and we found
this under the desk near the body.”
He held the baggie out to me. I took it. Inside was a note printed
in block letters:
I’VE DISCOVERED YOUR LITTLE SECRET. UNLESS YOU WANT ME TO
EXPOSE YOU, I SUGGEST WE TALK.
“S”
I read the note twice and then looked at Josh, puzzled. “I’m sorry.
I don’t get it.”
His gaze bored into mine. “Did you write that?”
I took a couple of deep breaths before I answered. “Absolutely not.
For one thing, I don’t print that neatly, and I’ve never seen this before in my
life.”
He turned the bag over in his hand. “Then you weren’t planning to
expose Amelia? The purpose of that meeting wasn’t blackmail?”
I stared at him, shocked, and drew myself up to my full height.
“Definitely not,” I snapped. “I would never blackmail anyone in my life.
Besides, I don’t know anything I could have blackmailed her with.”
“That’s true,” Gary interjected. “Shell is one of the most honest
people I know.”
I gestured toward the note. “Evidently someone wanted you to think
otherwise.”
Josh scratched absently at his jaw. “We dusted it for prints, and
the only ones we found were Amelia’s. Obviously, whoever wrote it must have
worn gloves.”
“What in the world could I have been going to expose about her?” I
asked. “I didn’t know the woman.”
“Well, you were going around asking people if they were being
blackmailed by her,” put in Josh. “And you accused Garrett Knute of having a
secret.”
“That’s true, but they’re legitimate concerns,” I declared.
“Well, it seems pretty obvious to me,” said Gary. Josh and I both
turned toward him.
“What does?” asked Josh.
Gary spread his hands. “This murder was no accident. Someone
planned it out carefully, and decided to use Shell as a scapegoat. Think about
it. The photograph Shell gave her was clutched in her cold, dead hand plus this
note, conveniently signed by “S”?” He jabbed his finger at Josh’s face. “And
your job, my friend, is to find out who would do such a thing.”
“I agree,” Josh said grimly. He turned to me. “For what it’s worth,
Shell, I don’t think you killed Amelia. But it sure does look as if someone
wants us to think you might have.”
I shuddered. The thought that someone might deliberately have set
me up as a murderer was not an appealing one. “If I could take back speaking to
those people, I would, in a heartbeat. But I can’t. What happens now?”
“What happens is you keep your mouth shut and keep a low profile
while I work on finding out just who did kill Amelia,” Josh said softly. He
looked as if he wanted to say more, but instead just nodded curtly to both Gary
and me and then turned and exited out my front door.
I set my lips. Now I was more determined than ever to do some
digging on my own. Someone had used me to get Amelia alone at the museum and
kill her. Someone had planned it with malice aforethought, and I was betting it
was someone I’d met, someone I’d spoken with.
I wouldn’t feel safe until I found out who.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
While Toni Lotempio
does not commit – or solve – murders in real life, she has no trouble
doing it on paper. Her lifelong love of mysteries began early on when
she was introduced to her first Nancy Drew mystery at age 10 – The
Secret in the Old Attic. She and her cat pen the Nick and Nora mystery
series from Berkley Prime Crime and the Cat Rescue series from Crooked
Lane. Her latest, the Pet Shop Mysteries, makes its debut August 8 with
The Time for Murder is Meow.
This is one of those books that a romance between the two main characters cannot be, yet there is something there…something between them…and I am sticking with the Frank Renzi series until I find out how Susan Fleet is going to end it.
Susan Fleet supplies plenty of action. Natalie is a thief, but if she has to, she will kill to save herself. She finds herself in the UK, forced to be a call girl, a whore, a thief, stealing paintings for her lover to sell. How in the hell did she ever get herself into this situation? And how is she going to get out?
Frank Renzi has his own life, and it has made it a full one, but there is still Natalie.
Natalie’s rough life does not excuse what she does, but I do feel for her. i understand her motivation. Even making a bad choice can be better than letting someone make the choice for you.
Will she run forever? Will she ever be able to stop running?
The ending was a surprise and I loved it!
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Natalie’s Art by Susan Fleet.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
ART HEISTS, MURDER and REVENGE! In 1990 two robbers stole paintings worth $500 million from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Twenty years later, a ruthless man plans to steal several more. He forces Natalie to help him, but after the heist he intends to kill her. Not only that, NOPD Detective Frank Renzi is hot on her trail. Will Natalie escape? Don’t miss the explosive showdown between Frank and Natalie. Feathered Quill Book Awards named Natalie’s Revenge Best Mystery of 2014. Natalie’s Art is the thrilling sequel
ABOUT SUSAN FLEET
Music & Mayhem is my game. Started my trumpet career in my teens, got into the mayhem later. My print journalist father taught me how to play pool in the police station. Maybe that’s how I discovered my dark side.
After
gigging on trumpet in the Boston area for many years (while teaching at
Brown University and Berklee College of Music), I moved to New Orleans,
which became the setting for my crime thrillers. Scroll down and check
the video trailers for DIVA and ABSOLUTION.
I survived Katrina, but moved back to Boston in 2010. On my website I post profiles of women musicians and just began a blog, DARK DEEDS, about serial killers, stalkers and domestic homicides. Please come visit!!
Sue Coletta blew my mind with her Mayhem series, so when I got the chance to continue with the Grafton County series, there was no doubt in my mind I was going to do it.
Pre-order price is 99 cents and will be delivered to your Kindle on 8.7.19.
1…2…3…4…5…missing boys…and it’s all downhill from here. How bad will it get? Knowing Sue Coletta…much, much worse.
Sage is a crime writer and wife of the Grafton County Sheriff, Niko Quintano. She writes the Grafton County Series. A coincidence? lol She hadn’t planned on meeting one of the mothers of the missing boys, but once she asked for help, she couldn’t deny her.
Sue Coletta’s writing is so descriptive I can picture some of the scenes that really stick in my mind. One of them is when Noah reaches out to his Daddy wanting to be picked up. Reaching out, opening and closing his hands when he speaks in that little baby voice.
And their fur babies…oh man, do I love them too. Ruger is super intelligent and immediately suspicious of the stuffed moose that Noah brought home with him from the grocery store.
Ruger and Colt are their fur babies, each with their own distinct personalities. I love when dogs are incorporated into the story so seamlessly, having pivotal roles to play. Beware, because they will fight to the death to protect their humans.
Poor Niko, having to deal with Frankie, his deputy, who is bordering on the line of insubordination, and Sage, his wife, who is reckless and fearless, going off half cocked investigating on her own.
A very sad and tragic story of a young boy’s life.
The taste of the supernatural is so sad, yet hopeful at the same time. Even bad people can have good inside them…don’t you think?
A ghost. Why would it choose her to talk to, to appear to her? Does Sage have something special about her? Her love for her humans and fur babies are evident in everything she does.
The only thing that really bugged me is…why didn’t Sage share her suspicions with Frankie. But maybe she would have been too prepared for what Sue had in mind. And I do love where she took it.
The moments with Noah and the fur babies are terrifying and adorable.
Tears and laughter abound. Sue Coletta gave me a happy ending, and set the hook for what comes next.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Racked by Sue Coletta.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
It starts with an innocent stuffed animal. It ends in mind-numbing terror.
Five
missing boys and an adult corpse found in the town’s water shed was
only the beginning for Sage and Niko Quintano. After a hooded-stranger
gives their son, Noah, a stuffed animal—the exact Christmas moose given
to all the missing boys days before their abductions—their lives spiral
downward into uncertainty.
Could Noah be the next boy to go missing?
As
they piece together each cryptic clue, the future looks more and more
grim. But what they soon discover blows everyone’s mind, the truth
teetering on the unfathomable.
What does it all mean, and where do they go from here?
ABOUT SUE COLETTA
ABOUT SUE COLETTA Member of Mystery Writers of
America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers, Sue
Coletta is an award-winning, multi-published author in numerous
anthologies and her forensics articles have appeared in InSinC
Quarterly. In addition to her popular crime resource blog, Sue co-hosts
the radio show “Partners In Crime” on Writestream Radio Network every
third Tuesday of the month from 1 – 3 p.m. EDT/EST (see details at www.suecoletta.com).
She’s also the communications manager for the Serial Killer Project
and Forensic Science, and founder of #ACrimeChat on Twitter. She runs a
popular crime website and blog, where she shares crime tips, police
jargon, the mind of serial killers, and anything and everything in
between. If you search her achieves, you’ll find posts from guests that
work in law enforcement, forensics, coroner, undercover operatives,
firearm experts…crime, crime, and more crime. For readers, she has the
Crime Lover’s Lounge, where subscribers will be the first to know
about free giveaways, contests, and have inside access to deleted
scenes. As an added bonus, members get to play in the lounge. Your
secret code will unlock the virtual door. Inside, like-minded folks
discuss their favorite crime novels, solve mindbender and mystery
puzzles, and/or relax and chat. Most importantly, everyone has a lot of
fun. Sue lives in northern New Hampshire with her husband, where her
house is surrounded by wildlife…bear, moose, deer, even mountain lions
have been spotted. Course, Sue would love to snuggle with them, but
her husband frowns on the idea.
BDSM/AP lifestyler Breanna Hayse strives to give her readers truth and
reality of the BDSM/Age-Play/Total Power and Erotic Exchange lifestyle.
Who am I?
I’m a native Californian gone ‘wild’, and had the opportunity to travel
the globe and discover the world through the eyes of both a Marine
Intelligence specialist and a BDSM lifestyler. I left the service to
go into hospice nursing and grief counseling, eventually working as a
marriage and family therapist for those involved in alternative
lifestyle development. This experience has allowed me to gain unique
inspiration for my books and offer realistic plots and relatable
characters.
In 2004, my husband, John, and I joined forces to work with both
submissives and dominants- teaching, training, listening and loving.
Our goal was to take the mystery and fear out of the lifestyle and
mentor people in safe, consensual and healthy relationships.
My first book, The Game Plan, was published in 2012 and opened the door
to the now-booming world of Age-Play literature. Since that time,
I’ve devoted my ‘spare’ time to writing, researching, community
involvement, and private and group pro bono counseling in deviant
behavior, alternative lifestyle, and addiction recovery.
I was formally ‘dungeon trained’ as a Domme before discovering my
submissive side when I joined the service. My scenarios are pulled
primarily from either personal experience or observation, including
spending time in BDSM clubs as the safety/medical officer. My
multi-faceted background allows me to glean from many avenues and
give a unique and intelligent literary experience through elements of
fantasy and fiction. I also discuss the questions and psychology of
the lifestyle in a manner that is fun and informative, and based on
‘the real deal.’
I live with my husband, musician, and fellow-author, John Hayse, and
two border collies in southern California. We practice a 24/7 D&S
relationship with speckles of AP (and many trips to Build-A-Bear),
and happily spend every moment together that we can. My hobbies
include my puppies, hiding my vanilla salt-water taffy where John
can’t find it, exotic art, collecting inspirational trinkets, and
developing my own paddle line. You can also see me as a featured
author/instructor in professional conference settings and as a
Sexpert for kinkyliterature.com.
Due to a reader’s persistence, One Taste of Redemption by Amanda Siegrist was written. She hadn’t planned on giving this cheater his own story, but Newman refused to be silenced. Amanda does her own covers and she can sure pick the leading men.
I have read the entire series, from Book I, One Taste of You, Zeke and Zoe’s story and it has been fun to follow these Sex and the City type ladies, but instead of roaming the city looking for love, it seems to find them through the mysteries they become involved in.
Lately, I seem to find all the notes I take when reading slip by the wayside when it comes time to write the reviews. My mind seems to be in two different places and the characters dictate which scenario will be played out as I type.
Newman…what can I say. He got what he deserved when he cheated and the lies began to run rampant. He doesn’t have very good coping skills, so he tends to act out instead of facing the tough decisions. But…I feel people deserve second chances when they feel remorse. It can be a learning experience, when the offense was done ‘innocently’. He never did it with malice. He was stuck in a corner and panicked…
I love to see a character earn their redemption. None of us are perfect, so why do we expect perfection from others? Something to think about when we are placing blame and judgment on someone else.
We do need some laughs and giggles to help us get through the tough times of kidnapping and danger that dogs the unlucky siblings, Amelia and Adam. Why were they targeted?
Now…I think this will be the last story told in this series and I love the way Amanda Siegrist wrapped it up, especially when she wasn’t expecting the story to be told. Thanks so much to the reader who insisted that Newman needed a chance…All the characters made an appearance, plus we meet a couple of new ones. After all, Newman needs some love too. He just needs a smack upside the head, a young man in need of a role model and the sister who sure could use a hand raising him.
Amanda keeps her novels…pretty clean…and loves her happy endings. Don’t we all?
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of One Taste of Redemption by Amanda Siegrist.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
He lied. He cheated. He lost everything. One missing boy could be his redemption…
Detective
Newman—well, not a detective anymore—wants to be left alone to lick his
wounds after his life fell apart. He can’t blame anyone but himself.
When a gorgeous woman with vibrant pink hair and a sassy attitude knocks
on his door, he doesn’t want anything to do with her. Except Amelia
Benedict doesn’t understand the word no. Her brother is missing. The
police refuse to help because they believe he ran away. But she knows
her brother is in trouble and insists he’s her only hope. He’s
definitely not the right guy for the case. He’s nothing but bad news,
and if Amelia sticks around, he’ll destroy her as he destroyed himself.
Warning:
This novel contains a sexy hero. He’s not a detective anymore, but he
didn’t lose his sexiness. You know you don’t wanna miss his story! Happy
reading!
The entire One Taste series: (Each book can be read as a standalone.) One Taste of You (Book 1): Zeke & Zoe One Taste of Love (Book 2): Ben & Rina One Taste of Crazy (Book 3): Sauer & Dee One Taste of Sin (Book 4): Stitch & Susan One Taste of Redemption (Book 5): Newman & Amelia
ABOUT AMANDA SIEGRIST
Love!
Gimme some love and heaps of romance. I have a sappy heart that just
loves two people meeting, going through the cycles of a relationship,
and ultimately, falling in love. Give me a good book like that and I’m a
happy camper:)
I write contemporary and romantic suspense, but I am partial to suspense. I just love a good mystery.
Besides writing, I love baking, crafts, and baseball…oh, and meeting new people. *smiles*
It’s the end of the Count To Ten series by Jane Blythe and I am so sad to say goodbye to some characters that I have known and loved for a long time. Jane Blythe found me through another, in her word, amazing blogger and I can only say thank you to whoever it was, because I have been loving Jane since 2016 because of them. I eat her books up like M&M candies. If you have tried her work, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, and are a thriller lover, than I recommend you give her a try.
I turn my Kindle on, search for Ten by Jane Blythe, then click the cover with trepidation. I have been following Jane Blythe’s Count To Ten journey since 2016 and I am eager, yet hesitant to begin, wanting to know the end, yet wondering if it will meet all my expectations. Fair or not, I have set the bar high for Jane Blythe…and I am so happy to say that even though I hate to see the journey come to and end, I am very sad, yet satisfied with the end. She not only met my expectations, she exceeded them.
An electrifying beginning and it doesn’t take long for the bodies to start falling and I am fearful of those characters I have come to care so much about.
Tessa…independent, reclusive, strong…she has been through so much, yet Jane is done with her yet. She’s and urban legend.
JANE JANE JANE! You’re breaking my heart. Hope you enjoyed your killing spree.
He sure isn’t what I expected, but now I am even more worried about my family. You have put them through hell, but the horror just keeps on coming. I must be almost as bad as you because I sure do love reading what you write. The darker, the better, and you paint a bleak picture with your words.
I am almost half way in and I cannot begin to guess at what is to come. Whether it’s because I don’t want to know or face it, I would have to stop long enough to think about it…and I can’t seem to do that.
These characters cannot get a break. Maybe it is time to end the series, Jane, while some of them are still standing. I kinda smiled when I typed that. How evil am I? Will any of them find a happy ever after? How will Jane Blythe wrap it up? Will it have a casket or a pretty bow?
NO NO NO! At 85% tears are falling down my face. I am soooo sad.
OH NO! More tears. I finally gathered my self together, thinking the worst is over…
Jane, woman, OMG, you’re killing me…And it’s still not over.
I laughed, I cried. And I want more. Thank goodness, she has a new series coming, Broken Gems and Cracked Sapphire is due for release in February of 2020.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Ten by Jane Blythe.
5 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
They say time heals all wounds.
Tessa
Micah is snatched from her bed in the middle of the night. She manages
to make a phone call to her best friend, the partner of her deceased
police officer husband, before she disappears. Tessa has a complicated
past and as the widow of a decorated cop, there are a long list of
suspects. Retired detective, Skylar Wyatt, is determined to find her and
honor the promise he made to his partner; to protect and care for his
wife should anything ever happen to him.
Then people connected to
Tessa start getting murdered. The cops don’t know who from her past is
targeting her, or if it has something to do with her dead husband’s
cases. With time running out, and more bodies falling, vocations will be
questioned, futures reassessed, and not everyone will survive.
** Warning: Graphic violence and themes of sexual assault/abuse **
ABOUT JANE BLYTHE
Jane
has loved reading and writing since she can remember. She writes dark
and disturbing crime/mystery/suspense with some romance thrown in
because, well, who doesn’t love romance? She has one completed series,
Detective Parker Bell, and one new series, Count to Ten.
When she’s not writing Jane loves to
read, bake, go to the beach, ski, horse ride, and watch Disney movies.
She has a black belt in Taekwondo, and a 200+ collection of teddy bears.
She has the world’s two most sweet and pretty Dalmatians, Ivory and
Pearl. Oh, and she also enjoys spending time with family and friends!
Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those
neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread. If you are anything
like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in
your stacks.
Ghost Storm by Jessie Renee was published on 9.3.15 and has sat in my Documents on Kindle for, well, probably, almost that long. Why it took me so long to visit Hidden Bay, I can’t say for sure, but, now that I have, I would like to return again…and again.
I was so happy to visit these wonderful characters and Hidden Bay, where nothing is at it seems and there is a special someone that will help to soothe the lost souls, maybe even find a little romance in Ghost Storm, an engrossing supernatural tale that left me wanting to revisit them.
4 Stars
GOODREADS BLURB
Melodie thought Hidden Bay was just another stop in her nomadic life. That soon she’d be moving on again.
But
as soon as she arrives, strange things begin to happen. There’s Blake,
the guy who’s so familiar, though she’s sure she’s never met him;
there’s the man who keeps appearing, who may not be a man at all; and
there’s the blackouts.
Except that in the blackness, she’s going somewhere. Somewhere other. Somewhere dark, and wet, and full of pain.
And if she doesn’t work out what it all means soon, it could be too late. For her. For Blake. Perhaps for the whole town of Hidden Bay.
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Independently Published (March 1, 2019)
Paperback: 280 pages
ISBN-10: 1733725806
ISBN-13: 978-1733725804
Digital ASIN: B07P1P5N2K
