Growl by Ashley Fontainne ~ Review & Excerpt

Posted on February 2, 2015 by fundinmental

OOOO, such a beautiful and eerie cover.

I have a special affinity to trees and I would love to wander through the swamp.

I can hardly wait to get to the story inside.

Me thinks, that is not so beautiful. LOL

Title: Growl
Author: Ashley Fontainne
Publisher: RMSW Press
Pages: 315
Genre: Gothic Horror/Suspense
Format: Paperback/Kindle

Purchase at AMAZON

MY REVIEW

I saw the cover and knew this was a book I would have to get my hands on. I mean, those eyes, they ‘speak’ to me. The font drips and oozes badness into the murky water of the swamp. 😈 I have an idea of what lies between the pages and I am very eager to begin reading. I can hardly wait to get all the gory details. The story got my attention from the beginning and held me captive until the end.

S.I.N was an appropriate name for her. Sheryl Ilena Newcomb had been a cheerleader and flaunted her sexuality. It was an era of love and she and her peers gave and received it freely. She did the normal things teenage girls do, worked, studied, played and fell in love. She’d had only one boyfriend and their dream was to escape the small town they grew up in.

But that was not to be.

It had begun when she was nine years old and she never could have imagined what the future held for her.

Three months later and the memories were fading. They are taken their toll, both mentally and psychically. She was learning to live with her inner monster. The ordeal had left her physically damaged, she had lost an eye and the physical scars would never disappear. She learned to compensate for its loss. The family had hid all evidence of the event at Caney Creek in a small town called Junction City,Mississippi.

Now, she is the guardian, the protector. It is her job to pass on the knowledge to the next one. She writes it all down, hoping it will be a panacea, so she can rebuild her life, her life in Junction City, Mississippi.

Ashley’s writing is outstanding. I was able to feel the little girls terror as she lay in bed, alone, the monster determined to take her, and only her cat, Tinker, to save her. I can smell the competing smells at the wake. It reminds me of fairs and carnivals, where there are so many overwhelming smells, even when I am starving, I find it hard to eat anything. I hear the generations of Kovlin women, all talking at the same time, competing against each other to be heard.

I love the story and the twists Ashley puts in. I did not see the biggest surprise of all coming and Ashley gave me a good one near the end. I had my thoughts, but I didn’t take them as far as Ashley did.

I love the Native American reference to their belief in tokens, animal guardians. The mixture of mysticism, religion and the paranormal are just the right blend to make this a novel a huge success. I would highly recommend Growl by Ashley Fontainne.

This is not just S.I.N.’s story, but mankind’s.

4 Stars – Would Highly Recommend To Others

SYNOPSIS

My name is Sheryl Ilene Newcomb. And yes, my initials are S.I.N. A funny little piece of whimsical humor my parents found amusing when I arrived.

Then, it turned out to be true. Looking back with wiser eyes now, my family and I concluded that the events leading up to my transformation started the summer I turned nine. But the day we realized there was a problem, and no turning back, was a week before I started my senior year at Junction City High. The day the fangs and claws appeared and the monster inside of me emerged.

When mutilated corpses appeared near a pile of brush down by Caney Creek, everything changed. Because evil woke up and growled, its ominous rumblings heard by every living thing in Locasia County, Mississippi.

EXCERPT

It was all over—for now. The ending completed, and the living nightmare of what happened in our sleepy little town nothing more than a permanent stain embedded in my mind and body. I stared at the words on the page, the white paper covered in bright blue ink. The empty pages behind it waited, impatient for me to add more. They sat in mocking silence on the desk in front of me. A twinge of apprehension slithered up my back.

What am I doing?

During the last three months, I thought I’d done a decent job of stopping the memories. None of what happened was something anyone could be prepared to endure. No longer did the vile sounds and unbelievable images pop up during the middle of the day. I felt a sense of pride I stopped them without the use of medication. With the support of my mom and dad and the Lord above, I worked daily to bury the horrific events.

I shivered at the disturbing recollections. When the crystal clear images of the final battle exploded inside my head, they turned my slender torso into a shivering pile of goose bumps. I was unable to stop the screams of agony and anger when my mind replayed the events at night. Physical and mental anguish would slam into my body and soul as I fought not only the animal inside of me, but the one that stared at me from inside my mind.

The eerie visions of the final confrontation were as terrifying in my mind’s eye as the actual day they occurred. Dark, jade-green eyes lit from within bored through my own with their anticipatory killing stare. The growl from its furry throat would seem as loud in my memories as it did when it happened. The flexed muscles of the creature jerked in its readiness to shred me down to a bloody pile of mush. The bright moon’s rays shimmered off of its stark white fangs. One swipe of the enormous paw or bite from the strong jaws would end it all. My cries of sorrow erupted at night when the images of the dismembered corpses appeared inside my mind. They were seared into my memory banks. I hadn’t experienced a moment of heart-stopping, frozen-to-one-spot freakouts in two months during the daytime. I whittled them down to only haunting my dreams at night.

Progress, plain and simple.

A sound caught my attention, so I lifted my stare from the ruled, white paper on the desk and looked out my bedroom window. My sharp, one-eyed gaze glanced over to the pool and settled on the old, rusty swing at the edge of our backyard. I recalled with a slight smile the day last week when I took my first step out of the house and sat outside for almost an hour. The warmth of the sun and the gentle urges of my mother’s voice lured me into the water—at least the shallow end. I considered it a big leap in my recovery progress since I had developed a strong distaste for water. I had sat on the bottom step, the cool water barely up to my shins, and fought the urge to run back inside and lock myself inside my bedroom. The task of quelling my paralyzing fears had taken every ounce of mental strength to overcome. It was beyond weird at my age, but I felt safe in my adolescent bedroom. It was my territory. But I also knew it would become my prison if I didn’t learn to live outside its four walls again. Like a normal, sane person lives.

A quiet snicker from my lips bounced off the walls of my room. Sanity. Normalcy. Those ships sailed away eons ago, pulled under the dark waters of the mighty Mississippi River, never to be seen again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Award-winning and International bestselling author Ashley Fontainne is an avid reader of mostly the classics. Ashley became a fan of the written word in her youth, starting with the Nancy Drew mystery series. Stories that immerse the reader deep into the human psyche and the monsters that lurk within us are her favorite reads.

Her muse for penning the Eviscerating the Snake series was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Ashley’s love for this book is what sparked her desire to write her debut novel, Accountable to None, the first book in the trilogy. With a modern setting to the tale, Ashley delves into just what lengths a person is willing to go when they seek personal justice for heinous acts perpetrated upon them. The second novel in the series, Zero Balance focuses on the cost and reciprocal cycle that obtaining revenge has on the seeker. For once the cycle starts, where does it end? How far will the tendrils of revenge expand? Adjusting Journal Entries answered that question: far and wide.

Her short thriller entitled Number Seventy-Five, touches upon the sometimes dangerous world of online dating. Number Seventy-Five took home the BRONZE medal in fiction/suspense at the 2013 Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards contest and is currently in production for a feature film.

Her paranormal thriller entitled The Lie, won the GOLD medal in the 2013 Illumination Book Awards for fiction/suspense and is also in production for a feature film.

The suspenseful mystery Empty Shell, released September 29, 2014. Ashley then delves into the paranormal with a Southern Gothic horror/suspense novel, Growl, scheduled for release in the Spring of 2015. Plus, she will be teaming up with Lillian Hansen (Ashley calls her Mom!) to pen a three-part murder mystery/suspense series entitled The Magnolia Series. The first book, Blood Ties, is due out the Summer of 2015.

Ashley also hosts The WriteStuff, a popular BlogTalk Radio show, each Friday night at 10 p.m. CST.

For More Information

Visit Ashley’s website.
Connect with Ashley on Facebook and Twitter.
Find out more about Ashley at Goodreads.
Visit Ashley’s blog.
Contact Ashley.

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Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc ~ Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

Posted on January 26, 2015 by fundinmental

I knew when I saw the girl running down the path, I had to have Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc.

Cover art by Beetiful Book Covers.

Is it a stalker? Is it a serial killer?

Let’s read on and find out, shall we?

MY REIVEW of Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc

Love & Mystery in the 6 oh 3, Book I

I saw the cover for Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc and didn’t need to look any further. It was talking to me, telling me ~ READ ME. So I did. 😀

Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc is suspenseful and tragic from the very beginning. I knew what was coming by the blurb, but Nora kept me on my toes as I struggled to weed through the suspects and find the monster that preys on young girls. There are plenty of suspects to keep me – and you- guessing.

In the small town of Hawick Falls, Kara Linn is the first girl to go missing. Using a blog and his newspaper column, Vic Taylor, her uncle, the editor of the newspaper, struggles to keep her name in the limelight. He felt the authorities were not doing enough to find Kara.

Then Lisa Grant disappears. The monster doesn’t know it, but he stepped in it this time.

Lisa was abandoned by her parents when she was two and had come to live with Sophia. Because of her rebellious nature, the question did arise ~ could she have run away?

Teagan Raynes, her guardian, knows she did not run away. Teagan was going to adopt her, so why would she disappear now? Something terrible had to have happened. I can’t imagine the thoughts going through her mind. Feelings of guilt.

Teagan could relate to Lisa, because she had grown up on the streets with her crazy mom, until coming to her Aunt Sophia’s at seven years old. Teagan had left town to make her own way in the world, but returned to take care of Sophia when she became ill. Now that she was gone, it was up to Teagan to care for Lisa.

Teagan’s insecurities kept her from having a long term relationship with men. Her mother had taught her to trust no one and it took a long time to earn her trust. Still, she held something back. Her mother had also taught her to shoot a gun and Teagan is an expert shot with her .38 Special. Now that got my attention. I do like a strong female protagonist and I want to see her take this psycho dirtbag down.

Travis, her boyfriend had the same kind of background. Will they be drawn together or torn apart?

Detective Noah Cassidy had lost his wife and child in a boating accident. His mother left home when he was just a child and his father was a drunk. He was determined to be the opposite of his father ~ he would do right by others. Teagan liked the safe feeling she had when Noah was around. He had an air of self assurance and confidence. Their attraction was mutual, but they fought to control it.

I was happy that Nora took the time for Teagan and Noah to get to know each other in a slow growing relationship. This may be considered a spoiler, but I believe we all knew that this would happen, so I don’t think so. That is why Travis had such a short introduction. He didn’t last very long after Noah came into the picture. LOL

Matt, the priest is always around Teagan, like fleas on a dog. Noah and Matt conflicted as soon as they laid eyes on each other. I could picture the hackles rising as they faced off. Is it a territorial thing, male testosterone running AMOK, or is Noah more perceptive than the rest of us? Is there more to Matt than meets the eye? Just because he’s a priest doesn’t mean he’s a good guy. Uh oh, I got a bad feeling. Could it be him?

What’s up with Stacey? She works for Matt, but she is not a very pleasant person for being the church secretary. Is there more than meets the eye there?

Travis, Lisa’s boyfriend, was a suspect too, of course, the prime suspect.

I know it’s vandalism, but the band of Teenage Mutant Meter Feeders could do a lot worse. Or have they?

There are more characters that rotate in and out of the story, doing their part. Sometimes I can’t help but say, “What are they thinking?” “What are they doing? Well, I’ll tell you what they were doing, helping to muddy the waters as I tick off names. Could it be him? Him? Him? Her? Hmmm…

Tragedy strikes, yet we must go on. How? I cannot imagine the felling of helplessness of the ones looking for the missing. I watch a lot of crime shows, but until it happens to you, how can you know how you would react?

Can you imagine the terror of the one taken? Why me? What’s he gonna do to me?

You awake, cold and confused. In the dark, alone and so very frightened. You have nothing to do, but think. The terror builds, as you anticipate your captor’s return. What does he want? Will I live? Will I be tortured? Will I die? You scream, yell, beg, make deals with God (I will be a better person), all to no avail.

Human monsters! Depraved, psychotic, sadistic, truly evil. They revel and get off on others pain, fear and terror.

Still not sure who the bad guy is, but I think there is so much more going on with Teagan than I thought.

My only complaint ~ Teagan was a bit wimpy. Here insecurities and guilt made her seem pathetic at times. I would think her rough upbringing would have toughened her up more. I don’t like criers. I must keep in mind, that women’s tears are different than men’s, so I can overlook most of it, as long as the character comes through in the end. The most frustrating reason for me to cry is when I am very angry. Why does that happen? Does it happen to you?

Will she be able to pull out her gun and shoot someone, when and if the moment comes? What do you think?

She’s always looking around to see if see if she can spot her missing mother, though she does not actively search for her…yet.

I am loving it! Plots and subplots. Yes, the storyline was predictable, but the pacing and doubt of the killer kept the suspense and mystery at a high level. There is no cliffhanger, but there is more to come that I want to learn about.

I am very eager to see Book II.

4 Stars – Would Highly Recommend To Others

BLURB

The police are stumped. Was she a runaway careening toward disaster or the victim of a predator preying on teenage girls?

When rebellious seventeen-year-old Lisa Grant vanishes from her New Hampshire home, her guardian, Teagan Raynes, becomes ensnared in the frantic hunt to find her. Search dogs lose the girl’s scent at Pretty Park, where another teenager disappeared three months ago. Law enforcement fears a stalker is using the park to abduct young girls. Desperate, Teagan, reluctantly puts her faith in the lead detective, the notorious Noah Cassidy.

Hot-headed, Noah Cassidy’s reputation and job are on the line. Rumors that he attempted to kill the man found guilty of destroying his family in a boating accident have tainted him. To prove his worth, Noah devotes every minute to the case and realizes he’s up against a cunning adversary. Worse, he finds himself distracted by feelings for the attractive, gutsy Teagan. To erase her doubts about him, he must earn back his reputation and let go of his past. He knows what he has to do. He must bring Lisa home and take down the monster who is hunting the girls of Pretty Park before it’s too late.

EXCERPT

In the hallway, Teagan unlocked the door. On the street, a postal truck crawled up the block of New England style houses with sprawling porches, rectangular ranches, and modern Cape Cod homes. She grabbed the envelopes from the mailbox attached to the beige clapboards, stepped inside, and closed the entryway.

She sorted through the ads and bills to the last piece, a large white envelope. The sender used a printed label addressed to her. What was this? She ripped open the flap and pulled out…a holy card?

The picture of Mary Magdalene decorated the front. Someone must have sent a prayer for Lisa? Teagan flipped to the other side and frowned at the words.

Tu sequens morieris

Someone wrote to her in…Latin? Strange. The prick of sweat stabbed the back of her neck. She sat on the sofa and scooped up her phone from the coffee table. As she searched online for a translation, she dug into her memory of high school Spanish to help crack the code. Tu was you and morieris had something to do with death and sequens translated to—

Her breath whooshed out of her. She dropped her cell on the cushion, but the phrase stared up from the screen.

You die next.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nora grew up in rural New Hampshire, picking blueberries in her backyard and wandering the woods with her brothers. Now that she’s older, she still lives in rural New Hampshire and enjoys writing stories. She was first published in 2000 and has written historical romances, contemporary romance, romantic suspense and mystery. She is a co-founder of the New Hampshire Romance Writers chapter, which meets monthly at the Bow Library. Here she enjoys great speakers and the company of fabulous authors.

When not writing, Nora spends time with her family, sews quilts, gardens and takes road trips to anywhere fun.

Visit her Website / Goodreads / Amazon / and Facebook

Click on the cover to get your Amazon copy of Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc.

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Aliens Have Arrived – A Human Element by Donna Galanti – Review

Posted on January 17, 2015 by fundinmental

A Human Element is an amazing fantasy that will have you screaming for more.

The beautiful cover is only a prelude to the wonderful story inside.

Let’s open the cover and begin

A Human Element by Donna Galanti

Book I of The Element Trilogy

Cover: Ryan Dean

Imajin Books

MY REVIEW

With A Human Element by Donna Galanti being her first novel, I can only imagine what is to come!!!! I am very excited to find out. I will definitely be following this author.

I have heard so much about A Human Element from my sister, Laura, so when Donna Galanti offered me the book to review, I jumped all over it.

I mean, check out that ominous cover. It oozes mystery and danger to me.

A Human Element is about man’s inhumanity to man, man’s callous disregard of other’s lives, but also, the lengths some people will go to do the right thing.

Evil, yes.

Aliens, yes.

I LOVE this book. The further into A Human Element I read, the more engrossed I become. My heart beats faster as my eyes race across the words…faster and faster. I just have to know what is going to happen. I read on and it gets creepier and creepier.

Ben – he was only nine when his parents were killed by the meteorite that crashed in town and changed his life forever.

Sarah – swore she had never been with a man as she struggles to deliver the child. The nurse stands over Sarah, saying it is her own fault for sinning. She has no empathy for her, even as she lay dying. I found the nurse’s behavior real enough that I became pissed off and would have liked to smack her up side the head and ask her who died and made her God. I mean, how low can you get, especially being in her line of work. Have you even seen or felt the mean hand of righteous indignation and hypocrisy?

The doctor and the nurse will lie to everyone about what happened that day. Crappy people have to find a way to justify their crappy actions. The doctor’s guilt over what he has done, does not outweigh his greed. Karma is a bitch and she demands justice be served. I don’t feel sorry for what happens to him.

Laura – as she grows up, she knows she is different from everyone else. She keeps her abilities a secret. At times she wonders, do miracles happen or is something else going on. Laura can read minds, among other things. Would you want to have that ability?

“Hmph…of course it makes sense you would have polite powers, doesn’t it?’

When her parents are killed and she is left alone, she is committed to finding the killer.

Jim and Scooter – what can I say. I love them both! I believe you will too. They are all that is good in this world. I worry about them. Please let them be okay.

Jim and Laura’s thesaurus game, with their lively and fun banter, lends the book some humor. It is writing like this that gives Donna Galanti’s work that something extra, that something special that takes her work to the highest levels.

Charlie – HE knows hate, luxuriates in it, thrives on it, is driven by it. Hate oozes from his pores like sweat. He hates everything, but mostly he hates Laura. He vows to take her life with his own two hands, to feel the life flow out of her.

Felix – the green eyed man – is he good or bad?

Donna pulled more than one surprise out of her hat and she does an excellent job of showing humanities weaknesses. All the darkness and evil is shared with light and goodness. Human emotions run the gamut – pain and torture, hate and greed, love and generosity, sorrow and bliss.

Each character is forced to assess what is important to them as their moment of destiny approaches.

I love the part about sunrises. Laura explains to Jim how they are like snowflakes, no two alike. I have many sunset photographs of Cape Cod over the years I vacationed there. Friends and family would ask me why I am shooting more. I would tell them that each is unique.

I felt such tension, suspense, fear and dread for the characters, that I was talking to them. Shouting at them. Telling them to watch out. He’s coming.

I had thought A Human Element was paranormal, but it is not, even though powers are involved. They come from another place. A place out of this world.

I never saw the ending coming. Fantastic. I kept trying to figure it out and felt tortured and pained as I raced through the pages – I HAVE to know – now!

I am sitting here, finished, looking at nothing, in complete disbelief. Awesome! Donna Galanti’s imagination knows no bounds.

I am so bummed the story is over. I want so much to read more. I am afraid, yet hopeful because of Laura and her innate goodness. Can it overcome what is lurking on the horizon? My sneak peek has me craving more.

But, wait, it goes on – A Hidden Element, Book II, sits on my Kindle. Must …read…now.

5 Stars – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

I was given this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.

A Hidden Element (The Element Trilogy, Book II)

BLURB

A HIDDEN ELEMENT

Evil lurks within…

When Caleb Madroc is used against his will as part of his father’s plan to breed a secret alien community and infiltrate society with their unique powers, he vows to save his oppressed people and the two children kept from him. Seven years later, Laura and Ben Fieldstone’s son is abducted, and they are forced to trust a madman’s son who puts his life on the line to save them all. The enemy’s desire to own them—or destroy them—leads to a survival showdown. Laura and Ben must risk everything to defeat a new nemesis that wants to rule the world with their son, and Caleb may be their only hope—if he survives. But must he sacrifice what he most desires to do so?

You can read an excerpt here.

Purchase Links

Purchase Book 2 in the Element Trilogy, A Hidden Element
Purchase Book 1 in the Element Trilogy, A Human Element

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Donna Galanti writes murder and mystery with a dash of steam as well as middle grade adventure fiction. She is the author of books 1 and 2 in the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy, A Human Element and A Hidden Element, the short story collection The Dark Inside, and Joshua and The Lightning Road (Books 1 and 2, 2015). She’s lived from England as a child, to Hawaii as a U.S. Navy photographer. She now lives in Pennsylvania with her family in an old farmhouse. It has lots of writing nooks, fireplaces, and stink bugs, but she’s still wishing for a castle again—preferably with ghosts.

Website / Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads

Click on the Amazon affiliate cover to get your copy of a Donna Galanti novel.

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Review ~ The Chase by Janet Evanovich

Posted on January 15, 2015 by fundinmental

I have read most of Janet Evanovich’s books and was so happy to be able to pick this up through Netgalley.

Her partnership with Lee Goldberg has brought about the Fox and O’Hare mystery series.

How can it miss, with two New York Times Bestselling Authors?

THE CHASE by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

Series: Fox and O’Hare, Book II

Publisher: Bantam (November 4, 2014)

MY REVIEW

I have read many books by Janet Evanovich, but this is my first foray into the Fox and O’Hare series with Lee Goldberg.

I love mysteries/suspense/thrillers, so this action packed, roller coaster ride is right up my alley and did not disappoint. There is danger and laughter that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare is a true patriot. She believes in apple pie and the U S of A. She has spent five years of her life chasing Nicholas Fox. When she does manage to catch him, she does not get to put him in prison. Instead, she ends up working with him chasing down other criminals.

Nicholas Fox is an international thief, with a twist. He is the tenth man on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Nick has the heart of a conman, he just can’t seem to help himself. He reminded me of Robert Wagner in It Takes A Thief. Bad, hot and irresistible. He will be teaming up with Kate.

The peripheral characters are unique and quirky, especially her father. I found myself loving them all, well, almost. Who would be your “hero”?

You’ll travel around the world and back again in search of a rare stolen Chinese artifact, as Nick and Kate do their own little dance. I can’t help but think they will end up together, but as yet, Janet and Lee are keeping them apart.

Their snarky banter is fun and highly entertaining. I love the mix of humor and mystery.

The story goes so much deeper than protagonist and antagonist. The sexual innuendo is so thick at times, you can cut it with a knife.

This is a quick, light read with romance and thrills that will keep you reading long into the night.

Cinch up your seat belt because it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

4 Stars – Would Highly Recommend To Others

SYNOPSIS

Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, New York Times bestselling authors of The Heist, return in this action-packed, exciting adventure featuring master con artist Nicolas Fox and die-hard FBI agent Kate O’Hare. And this time around, things go from hot to nuclear when government secrets are on the line.

Internationally renowned thief and con artist Nicolas Fox is famous for running elaborate and daring scams. His greatest con of all: convincing the FBI to team him up with the only person who has ever caught him, and the only woman to ever capture his attention, Special Agent Kate O’Hare. Together they’ll go undercover to swindle and catch the world’s most wanted—and untouchable—criminals.

Their newest target is Carter Grove, a former White House chief of staff and the ruthless leader of a private security agency. Grove has stolen a rare Chinese artifact from the Smithsonian, a crime that will torpedo U.S. relations with China if it ever becomes public. Nick and Kate must work under the radar—and against the clock—to devise a plan to steal the piece back. Confronting Grove’s elite assassins, Nick and Kate rely on the skills of their ragtag crew, including a flamboyant actor, a Geek Squad techie, and a band of AARP-card-carrying mercenaries led by none other than Kate’s dad.

A daring heist and a deadly chase lead Nick and Kate from Washington, D.C., to Shanghai, from the highlands of Scotland to the underbelly of Montreal. But it’ll take more than death threats, trained henchmen, sleepless nights, and the fate of a dynasty’s priceless heirloom to outsmart Fox and O’Hare.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Janet Evanovich is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Stephanie Plum series, the Lizzy and Diesel series, twelve romance novels, the Alexandra Barnaby novels and Trouble Maker graphic novel, and How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author, as well as the Fox and O’Hare series with co-author Lee Goldberg.

Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / G+ / You Tube

New York Times Bestselling author Lee Goldberg is a two-time Edgar Award and two-time Shamus Award nominee whose many TV writing and/or producing credits include “Martial Law,” “SeaQuest,” “Diagnosis Murder,””Hunter,” “Spenser: For Hire,” “Nero Wolfe,” “Missing.” “Monk” and “The Glades.” He’s also the author of the Fox & O’Hare series with Janet Evanovich (The Heist, The Chase, The Job), “The Walk,” “Watch Me Die,” “King City,” the “Dead Man” series, as well as the “Diagnosis Murder” and “Monk” series of original mystery novels.

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Click on the cover to get your Amazon* copy now.

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Teaser Tuesday #32 – Gone Before Goodbye by Nora Leduc

Posted on January 13, 2015 by fundinmental

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read

Open to a random page.

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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Thank goodness the cold snap has ended. We are having a slight rain off and on, but the temp is back up in the 60s and for that I am grateful. I hope you are staying warm and enjoying a good book. 😀

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A CINDERELLA STORY

A note for all you football lovers out there.

We are the 1st National Champions of the playoff era!

YAY! for the Big Ten. We are tired of everyone knocking us.

Well done OHIO STATE!

Ohio State 42 vs Oregon 20

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GONE BEFORE GOODBYE by Nora Leduc

I will be sharing this during the tour on Monday, January 26. 2015, so come on by, check out my review and enter the giveaway.

Is it a stalker, a serial killer…

MY TEASE

Teagan dropped her gaze. “I keep thinking she’s out there in trouble, not far away, and crying for me to save her. If only we can figure out where.” She raised her gaze. Misery swam in her eyes. “Why can’t I locate her, if I hear her calling me?”

(31% on Kindle)

SYNOPSIS

The police are stumped. Was she a runaway careening toward disaster or the victim of a predator preying on teenage girls?When rebellious seventeen-year-old Lisa Grant vanishes from her New Hampshire home, her guardian, Teagan Raynes, becomes ensnared in the frantic hunt to find her. Search dogs lose the girl’s scent at Pretty Park, where another teenager disappeared three months ago. Law enforcement fears a stalker is using the park to abduct young girls. Desperate, Teagan, reluctantly puts her faith in the lead detective, the notorious Noah Cassidy.Noah Cassidy’s reputation and job are on the line. Rumors that he attempted to kill the man found guilty of destroying his family in a boating accident have tainted him. To prove his worth, Noah devotes every minute to the case and realizes he’s up against a cunning adversary. Worse, he finds himself distracted by feelings for the attractive, gutsy Teagan. To erase her doubts about him, he must earn back his reputation and let go of his past. He knows what he has to do. He must bring Lisa home and take down the monster who is hunting the girls of Pretty Park before it’s too late.You can pick up your Amazon copy by clicking on the cover.

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New Release ~ Body Market by DV Berkom with Excerpt & Book Trailer

Posted on December 22, 2014 by fundinmental

DV Berkom has a new novel available, Body Market, A Leine Basso thriller.

If you like a strong female protagonist, this series is for you.

Leine Basso kicks ass and takes names.

Will yours be one of them?

Check out the awesome cover!!

SYNOPSIS

A retired assassin is called in when a celebration south of the border turns into a nightmare.

Former assassin Leine Basso is hired by a wealthy Beverly Hills power couple to find their missing daughter, Elise, last seen partying with her boyfriend at a club in Tijuana. At first, police believe the two teenagers are the victims of a carjacking. But when Leine finds their missing vehicle with the boyfriend’s mutilated body inside, and the local cartel warns her away, she knows if Elise isn’t already dead, she will be soon, or worse.

In the lethal world of organized crime, there’s always a worse.

As Leine races to uncover the reason behind Elise Bennett’s disappearance, she must also battle the powerful interests fighting to keep her from the truth.

CHECK OUT THIS AWESOME BOOK TRAILER

I love hot, fast cars and this one is talking loud and clear to me.

EXCERPT

CHAPTER 1

LEINE BASSO CROUCHED in the shadows next to the hulking metal shipping container. The odor of oil mixed with hydraulic fluid and diesel clashed with the briny sea air. Bright spotlights pierced the darkness casting a harsh yellow hue over the container yard. Leine checked her watch: eleven o’clock. Only three hours before the China Blue Star was scheduled to leave port for Hong Kong.

Three hours to find one shipping container in a massive sea of identical containers.

Lou paid off the security guard, which gave Leine only a short window to find the container before he released the dogs.

She adjusted the fit of the pack, tightening the straps so it molded to her body. She’d pared down the equipment as much as she could, but it was never enough.

C’mon, Lou. Give me some good news.

She closed her eyes and imagined the young face in the photograph. A lead from the trafficker’s hard drive had led her to a seaport currently run by cartel thugs on the west coast of Mexico. She hoped she wasn’t too late.

Three hours.

“Leine.” Lou’s voice came over the wireless earpiece.

“I’m here,” she replied.

“Left, three aisles, number fourteen-thirty-four-twelve.”

“Got it.” Gun drawn and keeping to the shadows, Leine moved along first one aisle, then another, searching for shipping container 143412.

There it is.

Stacked three high, the 40 foot-long steel boxes loomed above her. The one she was looking for was stacked 40 feet in the air on top of two other boxes. She moved to the end of the bottom container and reached for a handhold. Before she could grab the next one, someone seized her pack and yanked her off, slamming her back-first into the pavement. Her nine millimeter skittered across the asphalt, disappearing in the darkness between two containers. The impact took her breath away, the pain from a recent rib injury spiking through her like a spear.

Leine rolled, narrowly missing a kick to the face. She grabbed her attacker’s foot and gave it a vicious twist. The assailant corkscrewed and landed on his side with a grunt.

Ignoring the deep ache in her side and with adrenaline fueling her, she sprang to her feet and kicked the gun from his hand.

The weapon pinged off the side of the container and bounced into the shadows, out of sight. Before she could get clear, he scissored his legs and caught her at the knees. She sprawled forward.

This time she couldn’t ignore the pain.

Winded, she slid a knife free from the sheath attached to her leg. She pushed off the ground, rolling to a crouch as her opponent climbed to his feet, a knife in his hand. He lunged forward. Leine parried with a thrust to his throat. At the last second, he ducked.

They circled each other like roosters in a cockfight, both acutely aware of the weapon in their opponent’s grip. Leine feinted left and rushed forward, scoring a direct hit on the man’s shoulder, slicing through the black fabric of his shirt and drawing blood. He pivoted and came at her from the side but she rotated her torso, narrowly missing a slash to her kidney. She turned to face him as he came at her again. At the last second she stepped wide, allowing him to slip past her. Using his own momentum, she shoved him forward. He stumbled a few steps, recovered, and spun to face her.

Leine swept her arm forward in an arc and released the knife. The blade buried itself in his eye socket, a scream dying in his throat as his hand flew reflexively to his face. He collapsed to the ground as he exhaled his last breath.

“Leine. What’s going on? Are you okay?” Usually unflappable, the sharpness in Lou’s voice betrayed his concern, even over the radio.

“I’m fine.” Her hand supporting her now-throbbing rib, she leaned over the body with a grimace and extracted the knife, wiping the blade on the dead man’s shirt. The tattoos on his forearm suggested cartel affiliation. Leine doubted he was working alone. “Just some unexpected company.”

“Did you find the container?”

Leine scanned the metal boxes above her.

“Got it.”

“I don’t have to tell you to be careful, right?”

“No, but it’s nice to know you care.”

Leine grabbed the man’s legs and gritted her teeth as she dragged the body into the dark gap between containers. She removed his transmitter, turned off the voice activation, and slid on the earpiece. She didn’t want the next gunman to come along and sound the alarm before she had a chance to subdue him. After she retrieved the weapons she checked to see that the body couldn’t be observed from the aisle. Satisfied, she walked back to container 143412.

With a quick glance to be sure the fight hadn’t attracted company, she latched onto a vertical handle at the end of the first container, wedged her toe onto a hinge, and began to climb.

As she was preparing to hoist herself up and over the top of the container, she heard movement below her and froze.

“Where are you?” the voice muttered in Spanish, clear enough for Leine to hear through the transmitter.

She craned her neck, trying to catch a glimpse of the man below her. Compact in bearing and dressed in black like the man she’d just killed, instead of a knife he carried a modified sub machine gun.

“Answer me,” he snapped into his earpiece. When he received no reply, the man stepped over the smear of blood left by his compatriot. It looked like he might continue on when he abruptly stopped. Leine held her breath. If he glanced down, he’d notice the blood. With her left foot wedged onto the barest of toeholds and gripping the top of the container with her left hand, Leine slid her gun out of its holster, ready to fire—something she was loath to do since the sound would bring others.

The man pivoted 180 degrees, scanning the area, his gun in front of him. Leine ignored the muscles screaming in her left hand as the metal cut into her flesh.

He stood still for another moment, observing his surroundings. After a few seconds, he touched his earpiece.

“He’s not here.” The person at the other end acknowledged the transmission. “I’ll keep looking,” the gunman said as he moved out of Leine’s line of sight.

She released her breath in a quiet sigh and slid the gun back into her shoulder holster. With her right hand now free, she grabbed onto the top of the container, relieving her left hand. She waited a couple of beats to make sure the gunman was clear and then pulled herself up and over.

The higher vantage point worked well to monitor the yard. When the other gunman had traveled far enough that he wouldn’t hear her, Leine shrugged out of her pack and set it aside. She stretched flat onto her belly and put her ear to the container. There was no discernible movement inside.

That didn’t mean much.

“I’m on the roof,” she said in a low voice.

“Hear anything?” Lou asked.

“No.”

Leine unzipped the main compartment of the bag and pulled out a battery pack and a mini plasma cutter and placed them on the roof beside her. Next, she reached into another compartment for a fiber optic night vision camera and a collapsible light hood.

She deployed the hood and marked the area to be cut, then flipped the plasma cutter’s switch to on and adjusted the amps. Angling the tip as she cut, the small hole took only a few minutes. Turning off the cutter, she stowed it back inside the pack along with the hood.

Alert for movement on the ground below her, she activated the camera and fed the probe through the hole, watching the video feed on the small LCD monitor as she did. At first, all she could make out were the metal ribs of the container. She fed the line further into the dark interior and a moment later the camera swept past an object. Leine pulled up on the scope to get a better look. The object moved. Two tiny light circles appeared and blinked off and on.

As she angled the camera for a better view, she realized she was looking at a dark-haired girl huddled in the corner, her eyes glowing dots in the camera’s lens. Leine pulled back for a wider shot. Dozens of bodies came into focus, placed side by side on the floor of the container with no room between them. Most were lying prone—except for the young girl.

“I’ve got something,” Leine said into the mic.

Lou let out a sigh as though he’d been holding his breath.

Another girl, this one with light-colored hair, sat up and looked first at the girl in the corner and then at the camera.
Leine’s heart beat faster. From what she could tell, she matched the picture.

Amy.

“Is she there?” Lou’s clipped tone gave away his anxiety.

“Yeah. I think so. And she’s not alone.”

Leine relaxed her shoulders, relief flooding through her.

“Let’s get them out of here, Lou.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Image of D.V. Berkom DV Berkom is a slave to the voices in her head. As the author of two popular thriller series (Leine Basso and Kate Jones), her love of creating resilient, kick-*ss female characters stems from a lifelong addiction to reading spy novels, mysteries, and thrillers, and longing to find the female equivalent within those pages.

Raised in the Midwest, she received her BA in political science from the University of Minnesota and promptly moved to Mexico to live on a sailboat. Many, many cross-country moves (and several years) later, she now lives just outside of Seattle, Washington with the love of her life, Mark, an ex-chef-turned contractor, and writes every chance she gets.

For more information, please visit her website at www.dvberkom.com.

Facebook / Twitter / Blog / Pinterest / Amazon US / Amazon UK/ Newsletter

Author Pages

Amazon / Smashwords / Barnes & Noble / itunes / Kobo

The Kate Jones Thriller Series, Vol. 1 box set (includes the 1st four novellas in the series) is now available for $3.99,

(The Kate Jones Thriller Series, Vol. 2 includes Cruising for Death (#5), Yucatan Dead, and A One Way Ticket To Dead, is now available for $8.99 (bought separately they would be 12.99)

Check out all these beautiful covers for the Kate Jones thrillers by DV Berkom.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for visiting fundinmental.

Friday 56 #31 & BB #8 – The Job by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg

Posted on November 21, 2014 by fundinmental

The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

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Hi Everyone.

I hope you are staying warm and dry.

If not, try…

THE JOB by Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg

…and I think you will warm up.

Another fantastic suspense/thriller novel two award winning authors.

Add ME to your Goodreads list now.

(page 56% on Kindle)

Billie Dee Snipes stepped out of the shadows behind Tattoo, swung his machete at Tattoo’s head, and sliced off the knot that held the scarf in place. Tattoo’s broken jaw dropped, he screamed in agony, and reached for his face. Unfortunately, with two hatchets taped to his hands, he chopped off half his right ear before he realized is mistake.

(Book Beginnings)

FBI Special Agent Kate O’Hare slouched back in her tan leather executive office chair, looked across her desk, and surveyed the lobby of the Tarzana branch of California Metro Bank. The desk actually belonged to the assistant manger. Kate was occupying it because she was waiting for the bank to get robbed. She’d been waiting for four days, and she was wishing it would happed soon, because she was going gonzo with boredom

SYNOPSIS

The FBI had one demand when they secretly teamed up Special Agent Kate O’Hare with charming con man Nicolas Fox—bring down the world’s most-wanted and untouchable felons. This time it’s the brutal leader of a global drug-smuggling empire. The FBI doesn’t know what their target looks like, where he is, or how to find him, but Nick Fox has a few tricks up his sleeve to roust this particular Knipschildt chocolate–loving drug lord.

From the streets of Nashville to the back alleys of Lisbon, from the rooftops of Istanbul to the middle of the Thames, Nick and Kate chase their mark. When they find themselves pitted against a psychopathic bodyguard and a Portuguese enforcer who gets advice from a pickled head, they decide it’s time to enlist some special talent—talent like a machete-wielding Somali pirate, a self-absorbed actor, an Oscar-winning special effects artist, and Kate’s father Jake, a retired Special Forces operative. Together they could help make this Fox and O’Hare’s biggest win yet . . . if they survive.

Click on the cover to get your copy of The Job now.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

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A One Way Ticket To Dead by D V Berkom Review & Giveaway

Posted on November 11, 2014 by fundinmental

The Kate Jones Thriller series is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

A One Way Ticket To Dead picks up where Yucatan Dead left off, but they can be read in any order.

Read my 5 Star review for Yucatan Dead here.

D V Berkom sure can pick a cover. I love them all.

Almost as much as I love the stories inside.

Be sure and enter the giveaway at the end of the post.

Paperback, 284 pages

Published March 20th 2014 by Createspace (first published March 6th 2014)

ISBN -149737765X (ISBN13: 9781497377653)

4.9 out of 5 stars – 21 reviews on Amazon

Cover – Kim Killion from the Killion Group

SYNOPSIS

After years of running from her ex-a vicious Mexican drug lord-and his subsequent death, Kate Jones is ready to bury the past and try to piece together a new normal. But first there’s a loose end to tie and it involves digging up old ghosts that are best left alone.

Unaware her actions have attracted the notice of a powerful enemy Kate is plunged into a deadly fight for survival, as both her life and the lives of the children of a man she once loved hang in the balance. And, with the possibility of an informant inside the DEA, she doesn’t know who she can trust.

From the emerald green shores of Seattle to the lush Yucatan jungle and unforgiving Sonoran desert, Kate Jones must once again face her past…and hope she survives.

MY REVIEW of A One Way Ticket To Dead by D V Berkom

D V Berkom asked me if I wanted to read A One Way Ticket to Dead. I had just finished reading Yucatan Dead and had met Kate while she was tearing through the jungle on a mission. I loved Yucatan Dead, so of course, I jumped all over A One Way Ticket To Dead. I was ecstatic when the package arrived and I opened it. Take a gander at this sweeeeet cover. Blood, guns and money, oh my. 😆

I must confess that the book stared at me for a few days before I gave in and said OK already. I love holding the pretty book in my hand, turning the paper pages instead of virtual ones. 🙂

We are going on another adventure with Kate. If you don’t know her, let me tell you a little bit about her. She had been young and impulsive when she made the biggest mistake of her life. She had been paying for it for ten years and so had anyone who befriended her. She had been kidnapped and chased through the Mexican jungle in Yucatan Dead and I knew it couldn’t be over yet. YAY!

I began reading the series out of order and you can to, but if this is your first DV Berkom novel, you might as well start at the beginning. I love these so much, I am sure I will work my way through them all.

My anticipation and tensions are high. I’m waiting for something to happen, you know, the proverbial shoe to drop.

In A One Way Ticket To Dead, Kate goes back for the stash of money she had stolen from the drug lord. They thought she was dead, she had been cautious, changing her appearance and keeping a low profile. She thought this would be her last trip here and she was happy for it. She’s determined to change her life. It’s time to lay all her cards on the table and hope the truth will win out.

But, she was wrong. She brought doom to all those close to her. Kate was determined to finish this, once and for all, to get Cole’s, her new husband, kids back come hell or high water.

I love the hint of Alaskan shamanism heritage. It adds that extra element that takes a book to a higher level.

Why would she jump from a perfectly good airplane? HALO 21,000 feet High altitude low opening . I am terrified just thinking about and so was she.

A One Way Ticket To Dead is my favorite kind of book. A fast paced adventure of a thrill ride. The suspense builds from page one, when I found her back in Mexico, and never let up. The sex and romance is light and the action heavy. Perfect.

DV Berkom knows how to create tension and suspense in a simple yet masterful way. Her writing flows smoothly and the pacing kept me turning the pages, unable to put the book down.

I’m wondering where HE is – Quinn. I feel sure he will make another appearance and I can hardly wait to see him again.

The fortune teller told her – Danger surrounds you. Be certain of your enemies even more so of your friends. You will soon have reason to fear.

5 Stars – Would Buy It For Others (lol)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DV Berkom is a slave to the voices in her head. As the author of two popular thriller series (Leine Basso and Kate Jones), her love of creating resilient, kick-*ss female characters stems from a lifelong addiction to reading spy novels, mysteries, and thrillers, and longing to find the female equivalent within those pages.

For more information, please visit her website at www.dvberkom.com.

Facebook / Twitter / Blog / Pinterest / Amazon US / Amazon UK/ Newsletter

Author Pages

Amazon / Smashwords / Barnes & Noble / itunes / Kobo

The Kate Jones Thriller Series, Vol. 1 box set (includes the 1st four novellas in the series).

(The Kate Jones Thriller Series, Vol. 2 includes Cruising for Death (#5), YD, and AOWTTD, all for $8.99 (bought separately they would be 12.99)

Check out all these beautiful covers for the Kate Jones thrillers by DV Berkom.

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GIVEAWAY

D V Berkom is offering for the giveaway two (2) ebooks of each novel, Yucatan Dead and A One Way Ticket to Dead. The novels can stand alone. Entry is easy. International.

Which book would you like and why?

Giveaway runs from November 11 – December 2, 2014.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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Thank you for visiting fundinmental.

To comment, please sign in through your favorite social media.

This will only need to be done once.

Winners!

Posted on October 25, 2014 by fundinmental

My favorite time of any giveaway is announcing the winners.

So without further ado, the winners of Yucatan Dead or A One Way Ticket To Dead by DV Berkom are:

Marilyn Larew

Mary Preston

Kimberly

Michael Gallagher

Congratulations and happy reading!

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful comments.

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See my review for Yucatan Dead by DV Berkom here.

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Click on the cover below to get your Amazon affiliate copy of Yucatan Dead by DV Berkom.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for visiting fundinmental!

To comment, please sign in through your favorite social media.

This will only need to be done once. May need approval.

BOO_2

FREE Murder – Dark Deeds I by Susan Fleet

Posted on October 13, 2014 by fundinmental

Susan Fleet is an awesome writer of the macabre.

I love murder and serial killers and Susan writes awesome books about them – fact and fiction.

I have read all of her work, except Dark Deeds I and I aim to correct that oversight right now.

Dark Deeds I is FREE – October 13 – 17, 2014 on Amazon.

If you love TV programs like Criminal Minds, you will love her work too.

Add ME to your Goodreads reading list now.

13 twisted true crime tales: serial killers, stalkers and domestic homicides. Stranger than fiction …
* Serial killers: A pretty farm girl feeds her victims to the hogs.
* Stalkers: You’re the one that I want … to kill! Two crazed men stalk Olivia Newton John.
* Domestic Homicide: A cross-dressing doctor murders his wife.
Bonus: Pretty Woman: Destroyed by an acid attack

ABOUT THE BOOK

Some experts believe serial killers murder as many as 180 people each year. Stalkers far outnumber serial killers. Many seriously injure or kill their “love object.” Some domestic homicides are crimes of passion. Others are carefully calculated. Why bother with a divorce when you can kill your spouse?

“In Dark Deeds, Susan Fleet immerses us in the world of serial killers, stalkers, and domestic homicides … haunting and educational.” – Arthur Smukler, MD, psychiatrist

“Very informative … a good resource for authors … very well written and moves along at a good pace.” Penny Holloway, author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

For many years award-winning author Susan Fleet worked as a trumpeter in the Boston area. While teaching at Brown University and Berklee College of Music she began writing crime fiction. In 2001 she moved to New Orleans. Her first crime novel, Absolution, was named Best Mystery-Suspense-Thriller of 2009. Subsequent novels in her Frank Renzi series, Diva and Natalie’s Revenge, have won accolades from reviewers and readers alike. Jackpot is the fourth book in the series.

Susan blogs about true crime and has published twelve of her posts in an ebook. DARK DEEDS: Serial killers, stalkers and domestic homicides. http://darkdeeds.susanfleet.com/dark_deeds_book.html#.UYvV_MqYFaI

For nine years, Susan lived in New Orleans enjoying the music, food and ambiance of the French Quarter. She survived Katrina. She now divides her time between the Big Easy and Boston. Visit her at http://www.susanfleet.com

While teaching at Berklee, Susan created a course about 20th Century female musicians. Her book, Women Who Dared: Trailblazing 20th Century Musicians, spotlights violinist Maud Powell and trumpeter Edna White. http://susanfleet.com/women_who_dared-vol1.html See her profiles of other talented women at http://archives.susanfleet.com

You can stalk Susan at the links below:

Susan has some great book trailers. You can see them on her YouTube page.

Website / Goodreads / You Tube / Amazon Author Page