Archive for the ‘Mytery/Thriller’ Category

Welcome to The Friday 56!

 

This is a really fun meme!

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

Then go over to Anne at My Head is Full of Books and leave your link so we can visit your 56!

My 56 for this week is from

The Night Swim

  by Megan Goldin

.

.

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

Genre: Mystery / Thriller

From page 56 in the paperback.

“I’ll expect you both at dinner time. Not a second before.”

“Sure, Mom.” Her voice was drowned out by the rattle of the car.

~~~~~

Synopsis

Ever since her true-crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall has become a household name—and the last hope for people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

The new season of Rachel’s podcast has brought her to a small town being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. A local golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season 3 a success, Rachel throws herself into her investigation—but the mysterious letters keep coming. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insist she was murdered—and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody in town wants to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases—and a revelation that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

Electrifying and propulsive, The Night Swim asks: What is the price of a reputation? Can a small town ever right the wrongs of its past? And what really happened to Jenny?

Amazon

~~~~~

 

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

.

Can two Sleuths put these two puzzles together before college starts in September?

.

Recruiting Murder

.

A Brown & McNeil Murder Mystery Book 3

.

by Frank Lazarus

.

Genre: Murder Mystery, Crime Thriller

.

The third installment in the Brown and McNeil Mystery Series
Lenny Goldstein and his company, Future Stars, evaluate high school and collegiate basketball talent and sell their rankings to colleges and NBA teams.
From its humble beginnings in 1975, Future Stars had grown into a behemoth; with fifteen NBA teams and seventy-eight colleges paying subscriptions for his rankings.
Lenny is semi-retired these days, with his son and son-in-law running the business until he gets a call from an old buddy in Newport News, who wants him to come look at a high school kid, Lincoln Anderson, in Emporia, Virginia. He believes this Anderson kid has been overlooked by everyone, including Future Stars.
Concurrently, Lenny gets a call from an old buddy, the iconic coach of Duke University, to see what he knows about the college decision of Tyler Longenecker, Future Star’s #5 ranked high school senior from a premier prep school in the tony Boston suburbs.
All seems to be going on script until graduation, when both Lincoln and Tyler are involved in a death and a roofie rape. Suddenly, Lenny’s getting calls about both kids.
Lincoln’s family is related to James McNeil in Philly, and they call him for help. James and his buddy, Detective Vernon Brown of the Philly PD, jump into the car and head South on I-95.
Can the two Sleuths from The Murder Gambit and The Phenom put these two puzzles together before college starts in September?
Once again, Author Frank Lazarus has produced a gripping, suspenseful story that will keep you off Netflix for a day or two.
.

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads

.

The Graduation Party of the Beaver Country Day School was being held at The Country Club in Brookline,
Massachussetts.
The dance had ended and Tyler Longenecker and Katie Reynolds walked off the floor together. Tyler was a
highly recruited basketball player who had recently committed to Duke University in the Fall.
Tyler asked, “How about going outside for some fresh air and a beer? I’ve got two tickets left.”
“Sure!”
They stopped by the bar and picked up two Samuel Adams, and Tyler led her outside. It was still mild
outside, and on a clear night, the stars and half-moon were shining brightly. “Wow, what a gorgeous night,”
he said; girls love that shit!
The headed to the pool area, and Tyler knew the cabanas were unlocked. They could have some privacy
there, at least for a bit. They entered and sat close to each other on a chaise lounge. Tyler raised his beer
bottle and toasted, “To our futures, Katie.”
Katie returned the toast, “To the Class of 2022!”
Tyler reached in and gave her a peck on the cheek. But he pulled back only an inch or two, waiting for her to
glimpse into his eyes. When she did, he looked into hers and slowly inched closer to her lips. Her mouth
opened invitingly, and he accepted the invitation. Their tongues found each other and explored. Tyler’s
arousal was now in full throttle, and it seemed that Katie was keeping pace. Her hand found its way down to
his zipper, but without opening it, she gently massaged it as it continued its growth. “Oh, Katie, that feels so
good; please don’t stop.”
She couldn’t and wouldn’t! She started unbuckling his belt as he reached around and began unzipping her
dress. By the time he had worked it down to her waist,Katie had slumped, and her body fell out of Tyler’s
arms, collapsing onto the chaise lounge.
Tyler froze for a minute, and then Nathan, Billy, and Sheldon entered the cabana.
“She’s out cold,” Tyler said. “Those roofies are quick-acting. Guys, I’m still hard; I’m going first.”
Lincoln Anderson had just dropped off two work friends and was heading home on West End Boulevard in
Emporia, Virginia. Lincoln had recently gone from an unknown basketball player to a full scholarship recruit
to Richmond Commonwealth University, thanks to the discovery by Future Stars, LLC.
BetweenTaylor and Greene Streets, he saw a bike lying on the road. A strange place for an abandoned bike,
he thought. It was a narrow, one-way street, so Lincoln had to pull off onto the grass. He parked and got out.
He walked towards the bike, and as he got within ten feet, he noticed a young girl lying in the drainage ditch.
He ran over to her, knelt down, and gently pushed her to see if she was awake. There was no movement.
He ran back to his car and dialed 9-1-1 on his cell phone.
“This is 9-1-1; what is your emergency?”
“Yes, I am on West End, and a girl has fallen off her bike, and she’s not moving. I think she needs an
ambulance really bad.”
“Where on West End?”
“Right at Taylor and Greene.”
“And your name, sir?”
“Lincoln Anderson.”
“OK, Mr.Anderson, please wait for the ambulance and police, and do not touch the girl.They should be there
within five minutes.”
She hung up. Lincoln thought he should call home; hopefully, his dad could come over. He dialed his dad’s
cell.
“What’s up, Lincoln?”
“Hi,dad, can you get over to West End? I was driving home and saw a bike lying on the ground. When I went
over to it, there was a girl lying in the ditch next to it. I called 9-1-1, and they are on their way, but I hope you
can get here.”
“I’ll be right there, Lincoln. You did the right thing, but do not answer any questions until I get there. Do you
hear me? Is there anyone else there? Other drivers pulled over?”
“Not yet!”
“I’m on my way.”
Ten minutes later, a police car arrived, and Lincoln could hear the ambulance approaching behind them.
Lincoln got out of the car and walked towards the girl. Two uniformed police officers jumped out of their car;
one pulled his gun and said, “Halt right there, young man; put your hands up in the air?”
The other officer walked to the girl’s body and placed his hand on her throat. Heturned and said, “She’s
gone.”
They both walked towards Lincoln and said, “Keep your hands in the air. We just need to search you; do you
have a weapon?”
“No, I don’t have any weapon; what am I a suspect? I just saw the girl’s bike and stopped to see if I could
help.”
The officer frisked Lincoln and then looked into his pockets. Out of his side pocket, he pulled out a small
pouch that contained a white powdery substance.“What’s this?”
“What do you mean? That’s not mine, whatever it is.”
“Turn around, smart Alec. We are taking you into the station for questioning; turn around; cuff him, Buddy.”
“Wait,what the hell is this? I ain’t done nothing.”
The officer grabbed Lincoln and forcibly turned him around. Lincoln stumbled,falling to the ground. One
officer kicked him in the butt, while the other pulled out a club and hit him several times on the shoulder.
“Now, are you going to get in the car peacefully, or do we need more discipline?”
Just then, Lincoln’s father pulled up and jumped out of his car, “What’s going on here? Why is my son on the
ground?”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Lincoln’s father, Dwight Anderson; who are you?”
“I am Officer Jerome Abbott, and this is Officer Buddy Wilkins with the Emporia Police Department. Your
son stumbled when we were putting the handcuffs on him.We are taking your son in for questioning about
this young woman’s death and this substance we found on him,” showing the white pouch to Anderson.
“Dad, whatever that is, it ain’t mine. This guy just reached into my pocket and pulled it out like it was a
magic trick. And they have been kicking and clubbing me.”
“Is this the way you treat all your suspects or only the Black kids? Lincoln let’s just go down the station and
get this sorted out. Don’t say a word. Officers, I’ll follow you, but do not ask my son any questions until I
arrive.”

.

The Phenom

.

A Brown & McNeil Murder Mystery Book 2

.

Even before he has played his first game in high school, it would seem nothing can stop Bo Campbell’s meteoric rise to stardom in the basketball world. In Philadelphia, people are already comparing him to his Overbrook High School predecessor, Wilt Chamberlain.


But his dreams are suddenly shattered when he is arrested for the murder of his best friend, Sherman Claxton.

.

Detective Vernon Brown, and James McNeil, his friend and Bo’s grandfather, search for the truth, but James goes rogue, and soon finds himself in the dangerous underbelly of the Philadelphia drug sub-culture, where the stakes are high and it’s hard to tell who’s friend and who’s foe.

.

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo *Bookbub * Goodreads

.

The Murder Gambit

.

A Brown & McNeil Murder Mystery Book 1

.

An unexplained death in a nursing home. A man falls from a balcony. A hit and run in the middle of a city street. An execution in a home. A woman collapses dead after a date.

.

Five murders. Five methods. Five police jurisdictions.

What’s the connection?

Philadelphia-area detectives are under pressure to solve the murders, while dealing with their own issues.

Speeding like the lead car at Talladega towards a shocking conclusion, is The Murder Gambit a Shakespearean tragedy or a sinister reality?

.

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Bookbub * Goodreads

.

.

Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author?

I spent fifty-three years in the Financial Services and Life Insurance industry, never thinking much about writing a book or becoming a published author.

With possibly a couple of exceptions: thirty or forty years ago, I read that “everyone has a novel in them.” I once started one, and every five years or so, I add a sentence to it. Secondly, twenty years ago, I started writing a blog. It was private and only shared with friends and family. I considered it an outlet for my Seinfeldish sense of humor and titled it A BLOG ABOUT NOTHING.

I am working on a book that will be THE BEST OF THE BLOG; we’ll see if or when that comes to fruition.

I retired at the end of 2021 and kept busy with golf and COVID hibernating. Towards the end of 2021, a friend shared with me a novel that he had written but was unpublished. I decided to try it, and THE MURDER GAMBIT was born.

 

What is your favorite part of this book and why?

 

In THE PHENOM, there is a Lesbian seduction scene that I wasn’t certain I could write with any authority or conviction. It was so out of character for me, and I received a lot of questions about it from those who know me.

It may not be the highlight of the book, but it was the one I think of proudly.

 

 

What kind of research do you do before you begin writing a book?

I actually do more research WHILE writing than BEFORE.

For example, in my third novel, I have a potential murder in Emporia, Virginia, part of Greensville County. I needed to research how their court system worked.

And I am constantly on Google Maps, looking at streets, parks, churches, restaurants, etc.

.

.

Frank Lazarus was born and raised in West Philadelphia and attended Overbrook High School, as you may have guessed from his writings.

After graduating high school, Frank spent two years in the U.S. Army during the VietNam War. After his service, he completed his

Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration at St. Joseph’s University, in Philadelphia.

He was in the Financial Services and Life Insurance industry for fifty-three years before he retired at the end of 2021.

Frank has three adult children and five grandchildren.

.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Amazon * Goodreads

.

Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

.

.

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Welcome to The Friday 56!

 

This is a really fun meme!

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

Then go over to Anne at My Head is Full of Books and leave your link so we can visit your 56!

My 56 for this week is from

The January Corpse

  by Neil Albert

.

.

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

Genre: Mystery / Thriller

From page 56 in the paperback.

“Come with us, bud” said the older one.

“I don’t think so.”

“Nobody asked you. “

“Oh?”

“You can go in one piece, or a couple.”

~~~~~

Synopsis

Dave Garrett is a disbarred lawyer eking out a living in Philadelphia as a private eye. At noon on Friday a law school classmate offers him what looks like a hopeless investigation. Seven years before, a man named Dan Wilson disappeared. His car was found abandoned with with bullet holes and blood, but no body. A hearing is scheduled for Monday on whether Wilson should be declared legally dead. The police have been stumped for seven years. Organized crime warned off the first investigator to look into the case. Over the course of the weekend, the case takes Dave from Center City to the coal regions and back, where the story comes to what the critics called “a startling and satisfying conclusion.”

Amazon

~~~~~

 

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

The Legacy by C. L. Tolbert Banner

The Legacy
A Thornton Mystery
by C. L. Tolbert
November 20 – December 15, 2023 Virtual Book Tour

 

 

Synopsis:

A quiet tree-lined street in New Orleans erupts in panic when the body of Sally Wilcox is discovered by her landlord. Sally had been stabbed, and she was clutching a kitchen knife in her hand at the time of her death. Later, police discover evidence at the scene which implicates Sally’s son, Jeremy, in her murder. He was arrested the next day. Law school professor Emma Thornton is convinced by a friend to take Jeremy’s case. She begins her investigation into Jeremy and his family, and the facts surrounding the night of the murder. Layer after layer of family secrets slowly reveal themselves, as the numbers of murders and kidnappings multiply.

Holding the key to the killer’s trail and the case’s final resolution, Emma’s success depends on whether she can maintain control over her own reckless impulses.

.

MY REVIEW

It’s 1997 and Sally is glad to finally be home. She settles into her favorite chair, her cat, Charlie, curling up on her lap. Sleep claims her. Something wakes her. Maybe the static from the TV. Or is someone in her house? She’s discovered on the floor. Stabbed to death. And the police already have a suspect. Her son, Jeremy.

I liked Emma. She’s a law school professor with loads of curiosity. Maybe too much. She comes across as impulsive and I got curious about her age. Went back through the pages but didn’t find a mention of it. I figured late 20s or early 30s as she’s a professor at a law school. She takes Jeremy’s case and begins digging into his life. What she discovers is a confusing bunch of leads. Compounded by the fact Jeremy is a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic who self medicates. She doesn’t let that stop her and as she peels back the layers of information, she’s painting a target on her own back. And the killer is one sick puppy. Body count two. Kidnap victims two. Who’s next? Emma?

I enjoyed the feeling of nostalgia I got right from the beginning. The TV used to go off the air at midnight and all there would be was static. Remember those days?

And I also enjoyed the deftness and compassion Emma showed when dealing with Jeremy’s illness and confinement. Auditory and visual hallucinations make him a danger to himself and others when he’s scared and confused. He needs to be isolated, protected. Not thrown into the general population.

There’s that saying, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave.” It sure applies in this mystery. Or perhaps I should say mysteries.  Secrets galore and lots of bread crumbs. It was also fascinating to read about how Emma juggled her professional and personal life. No mean feat there.

The author did an excellent job of ‘showing’ me Emma’s steps through the investigation. I thought I had the killer figured out. Nope. Great ending even though I was wrong.

5 STARS

 

.

Praise for The Legacy:

“Fearless, relentless, compassionate, and driven by an unyielding sense of justice, law professor Emma Thornton battles mounting evidence in a race to save a mentally ill young man from a presumption of guilt in the gruesome murders of his parents.” ~ Roger Johns, a Georgia Author of the Year and author of the Wallace Hartman Mysteries

“Fearless Law Professor Emma Thompson returns to defend a young man with schizophrenia accused of murdering his mother. Faced with a second murder, an unscrupulous prosecutor, a family with mental health issues, a pusher of pain meds, and a Gitanes-smoking stalker, Emma finds her marriage in jeopardy and her life on the line. Author C. L. Tolbert proves the Big Easy has never been easy, especially for a fighter like Emma whom I would follow anywhere.” ~ Valerie J. Brooks, award-winning author of the Angeline Porter Trilogy

“Unwavering in her conviction, law professor Emma Thornton must navigate a labyrinth of lies and deception to arrive at the truth and vindicate a disturbed young man wrongly accused of murder. Not only a suspenseful story, The Legacy represents the triumph of the human spirit to persevere in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.” ~ Lawrence Kelter, International bestselling author of the Stephanie Chalice Mystery Series

 

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Published by: Level Best Books Publication Date: November 2023 Number of Pages: 260 ISBN: 9781685124267 Series: A Thornton Mystery, #4

Book Links: Amazon | Goodreads

Read an excerpt:
CHAPTER ONE
March 19, 1997
Sally Wilcox wiped her hands on the dish cloth and folded it neatly before placing it on the kitchen counter. It had been a long day at the shop. Two funerals down and they had already started preparing for a weekend wedding. She loved working with flowers, but the job triggered her sciatica. She could hardly stand by the end of the day. She was glad to be home. She hobbled to the TV room, and sat down on the couch, the pain in her body immediately eased by the down-filled cushions. She bumped into the table next to the couch and knocked over her favorite photograph of her kids, Jeremy and Becky. She placed the frame back on the table and stared at it for several seconds. She missed them so much. The cat curled into a circle on her lap as she propped her legs up on a fluffy ottoman. Comforted by her surroundings, she dozed off almost immediately. Three hours later she was awakened by the sound of static from her television. Channel Six had signed off for the night and refrains from the national anthem had just begun. An American flag fluttered across the television screen. It was just past midnight. She moved the cat from her lap, turned off the television and all the downstairs lights, and began making her way up the stairs, toward her bedroom. She stopped when she heard something that sounded like a restrained step. The cat’s ears twitched in the direction of the noise. Could someone, a stealthy burglar or worse, be creeping around the house? She almost laughed out loud, amused by her own foolishness. She was such a worrier. Of course, it had to be Charlie the parrot ruffling his feathers. She couldn’t remember if she draped the cloth over his seven-foot-tall cage. Still, she waited, and listened, not moving for several seconds. Then she froze as she heard a thump. She glanced out of a nearby window and could see wind blowing in the trees. Thinking that a branch must have bumped against the roof, she stood on the stairs for a few more seconds. Just to be sure. Hearing nothing, and convinced everything was okay, she continued up the stairs. Six a.m. came early. In her bedroom, she changed into her favorite nightgown, the silk one that felt like butter on her skin, cleaned her face, and flossed and brushed her teeth. No matter how exhausted she was, she always completed her nightly routine. Her mother had insisted on it when she was young and still at home, pointing to an aunt’s ravaged face as an example of what could happen if she didn’t comply. The practice had become her only indulgence. The cat had already curled up on top of the coverlet when Sally pulled back the sheets. Then she heard another sound. A muffled bump. She grabbed a robe and stepped into the upstairs hallway. The staircase and the light switch were only a few feet from her bedroom door. She found the switch and flipped the toggle up, but nothing happened. “What the…,” she whispered. The cat rubbed up against Sally’s legs, and she jumped. Then she heard another sound, and glanced out of the window at the end of the hall. The trees were still blowing fiercely. She tip-toed down the first two steps and peered over the banister, unable to see anything in the dark. She continued down the staircase, stopping every few feet to listen. When she was at the second step from the bottom she stopped. “Hello? Is anyone there?” Her voice quavered. “Youuu Whooo!” Charlie was awake now. She still couldn’t see anything but didn’t hear any unexpected sounds in the house. She shook her head, embarrassed by her over-reaction. The sounds had to be from Charlie, or maybe it was the wind in the trees. But just to be safe, she fled to the kitchen, feeling her way in the dark, and grabbed a knife from the block on the counter. Then she stopped, making certain all was well, and turned to retrace her steps back to her bedroom. Seconds later she felt a sharp punch in her stomach. She swung the knife she clutched in her hand, wildly stabbing into space until she felt a resistance. She’d nicked something. She turned, and raised her hand, stabbing blindly, then felt another punch in her stomach, and one in her chest. Then another and another. A warm liquid flowed down her legs. Her hand flew to a spot on her chest where she felt piercing pain and she realized that blood was pouring from her body. Something had happened. Someone was in front of her. She could sense their presence. Hear their breathing. She’d been stabbed. Her robe was wet, and blood was beginning to drip onto the floor. She felt dizzy. Her legs were on fire, as if a thousand needles had been jabbed into her shins. Then her legs started to shake. She collapsed, falling to the ground on her knees. Then a swift rush of air. She wasn’t certain what it was until it was too late. She saw the knife this time. And a dark figure. Charlie squawked, “Youu whooo!” The last thing she felt was a crushing pain in her chest. Her heart, already broken, had stopped. *** Excerpt from THE LEGACY by C.L. Tolbert. Copyright 2023 by C.L. Tolbert. Reproduced with permission from C.L. Tolbert. All rights reserved.

 

 

About Author Cynthia Tolbert:

.

C.L. Tolbert

Licensed in Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi, Cynthia Tolbert retired after thirty-five years of practicing law and began writing full time. After winning the Georgia State Bar Fiction Writing Contest, she developed the winning short story into the first novel in the Thornton Mystery Series, OUT FROM SILENCE, published in 2019. Two additional mysteries in the series have also been published, THE REDEMPTION, in 2021, and SANCTUARY, published in 2022. The fourth book in the series, THE LEGACY, will be published in November of 2023. Cynthia taught at Loyola Law School for several years where she directed a homeless clinic, and worked with third year law students in actual cases. All of these experiences have informed her fiction. She is an avid reader, a mother of two, and a grandmother to three beautiful girls. She lives in Austin, TX with her husband and schnauzer, Yoda.

Catch Up With C.L. Tolbert: www.CLTolbert.com Goodreads Instagram – @cltolbertwrites Twitter/X – @cltolbertwrites Facebook – @cltolbertwriter

 

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!  

 

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN:

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for C.L. Tolbert. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.

 

 

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours

 

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

 

Books Details:

​Book Title:  Finding Ruby Draker, Shadows in the Aftermath, Reinhardt, and Underneath the Fireflies by Marianne Scott
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+)
Genre: Mystery / Thriller
Publisher:  Crowe Creations
Release dates:  Re-release 2023
Content Rating:  PG-13. Occasional colloquial language is used in dialog. Nothing that would offend the most discerning reader/s.

Welcome to My 31 Days Of Thrills And Chills 2023! I missed doing this the last couple of years due to Covid and so excited to do it again. I’ll be sharing reviews and lots of extra spooky stuff every day leading up to Halloween. I hope you’ll join me!

.

Free Computer Seeks photo and picture

.

I’m sharing all kinds of books, movies, and other spooky stuff for every day in October. Gots to get those scares on for the 31st!

~~~~~

 Dead Of Winter

by Darcy Coates

.

Genre: Horror / Mystery / Thriller

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

MY REVIEW

I enjoy books where the characters have to survive not just the killer, but the elements too. Nine people are stranded in a tiny hunting cabin. A snow storm is raging and and nobody will know they’re missing for at least twelve days. That’s the least of their worries. The driver of their tour bus is found dead. Or I’d say it’s safe to assume he is as they find his head skewered on a tree branch right outside the cabin. Christa had taken the trip to iron out some things and spend time with her boyfriend. Now it’s a fight to finish and who will be left standing is to be determined.

I’m not really squeamish but there were a few scenes that had me squirming a bit. Those teeth!

I was pulling for Christa. She’s the main character. She has to survive, right? Not necessarily. Authors often kill off their characters. As the body count rose, so did the suspense and my anxiety. I had a suspect or two in mind for the killer, but no idea what the motive was. Not going to tell you if I was right or wrong. And such a great ending. When you read it, you’ll see.

I’ve enjoyed some of Darcy’s other books and was lucky to get my hands on a copy of Dead Of Winter. What a perfect cover and title for this book.

5 STARS

~~~~~

Synopsis

From bestselling author Darcy Coates comes Dead of Winter, a remote cabin in the snowy wilderness thriller that will teach you to trust no one. There are eight strangers. One killer. Nowhere left to run.

When Christa joins a tour group heading deep into the snowy expanse of the Rocky Mountains, she’s hopeful this will be her chance to put the ghosts of her past to rest. But when a bitterly cold snowstorm sweeps the region, the small group is forced to take shelter in an abandoned hunting cabin. Despite the uncomfortably claustrophobic quarters and rapidly dropping temperature, Christa believes they’ll be safe as they wait out the storm.

She couldn’t be more wrong.

Deep in the night, their tour guide goes missing…only to be discovered the following morning, his severed head impaled on a tree outside the cabin. Terrified, and completely isolated by the storm, Christa finds herself trapped with eight total strangers. One of them kills for sport…and they’re far from finished. As the storm grows more dangerous and the number of survivors dwindles one by one, Christa must decide who she can trust before this frozen mountain becomes her tomb.

Amazon

~~~~~

Click on the covers for more Thrills And Chills reviews.

 

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

.

Free Snow Winter photo and picture

 

 

A legal thriller about a grandson accused of murdering his grandmother which morphs into a scandal that shakes the very foundations of the Hawaii legal system…

 

 

Title: Tropical Scandal
Author: David Myles Robinson
Publisher: Bluewater Press, LLC
Pages: 291
Genre: Legal Thriller/Suspense/Mystery



goodreads add to

 

When
Pancho McMartin, Honolulu’s top criminal defense attorney, takes on the
case of Dayton Kalama, a young drug dealer accused of murdering his
grandmother (tutu), Pancho is faced with a daunting amount of evidence
pointing squarely at Dayton. But as Pancho, together with his private
investigator, Drew Tulafono, gradually pull back the layers of deceit,
they begin to uncover hints at what is beginning to look like the
biggest scandal ever to hit Hawaii’s legal community. This book is pure
fiction, but is inspired by true, scandalous events which shook
Honolulu’s legal community to its core. 

Amazon

.

 

Book Excerpt  

I was surprised when my current lover, Padma Dasari, asked me to meet with Isaac Goldblum, a legendary Hawaii trial attorney who, now in his eighties, was an alcoholic still representing clients. I had made known my intolerance for those attorneys who fell prey to addiction

yet refused help—all while still accepting clients. They were walking malpractice cases who risked everything they’d worked for in their own lives—not to mention the lives of their

clients—by living and working as functional drunks or addicts.

Being a trial attorney was stressful. Being a criminal defense trial attorney was particularly stressful. Aside from the relatively rare innocent defendant, our customer base was composed of criminals who, generally speaking, were not the warmest and fuzziest people to deal with day in and day out.

Whether they were guilty or innocent, their lives were in our hands—a situation only the most jaded and burned-out counsel didn’t find stressful.

My surprise didn’t arise from the fact that Padma knew Goldblum. She was the former medical examiner for the city and county of Honolulu, and just as I had cross-examined her many times in her capacity as coroner, so had Goldblum. My surprise arose from the fact that Padma knew Goldblum had been one of my early heroes. He was most famous for having won an acquittal for two Hawaiian teenagers who had been charged with the murder of a prominent haole (Caucasian) businessman. The public outcry against the Hawaiian kids had been reminiscent of the uproar in the Deep South when young black men were charged with the rape of white women. It was scary. Goldblum was vilified for taking the case.

As he later said in an interview for the Honolulu Advertiser, he knew that anything short of proving who the real killer was would fall on deaf ears. His cross-examination of the

businessman’s administrative assistant, who’d been having an affair with the dead man’s wife and who ultimately confessed to the murder, was nothing short of brilliant.

I had shared my early hero worship of Goldblum with Padma, but I had also made it clear that I now harbored a healthy dose of contempt for the man, who seemed intent on destroying his own legacy. At the time, Padma had not tried to defend Goldblum.

We were enjoying a quiet Saturday afternoon at Padma’s Kahala Beach condo when she broached the subject of my meeting with Goldblum. “He lives here, in the next building,”

she said. “He’s invited us to stop by for a cocktail at about four.”

I stared out from her oceanfront lanai at the tranquil ocean.

The palm fronds on the coconut trees fronting the beach barely twitched. One lone puff of a cumulous cloud hovered in the bright blue sky.

“Why?” I asked. “Why would I want to go have a drink with a drunk who should have put himself on inactive status years ago?”

Padma stared back at me with her piercing dark eyes. I half expected her to admonish me for being too judgmental—a trait I seemed to have developed in recent years. “Isaac asked to

meet with you. We know each other from court, and he knows I live in this building, and he knows we’re in a relationship. I think he came to me rather than you because he knows—or at

least suspects—that you aren’t much of an admirer of his.”

Padma had been born in India and had done volunteer work as a doctor in Bangladesh, but she had lived and worked in the United States for most of her adult life. Nonetheless, she

still retained the remnants of an accent, which was melodic and soothing. No doubt she was a calming influence on many people grieving the loss of a loved one. She had been instrumental in

helping my mother in New Mexico get through the early stages of the loss of my father. Just the tone of her voice seemed to take the wind out of my judgmental sails.

“Okay, but do you know why he wants to meet?”

She gave a small shake of her head. “Something about a case. That’s all I know.” She paused for a beat. “Look, I know he’s a drunk and you hate the fact that he’s still going to court, but you have to admit: drunk or sober, the man knows the law and probably still has pretty good instincts. I doubt he would ask to meet with you if he didn’t think it was important.”

I resisted the temptation to make a snide remark and instead looked at my watch. It was three-thirty in the afternoon. “Why’d you wait until now to tell me about this?”

Padma’s beautiful brown face broke into a mischievous grin. “So you wouldn’t have time to obsess about it.”

I laughed. “Jesus, Padma. We’re not even married and you play me like a fiddle.”

“I love the fiddle,” was her only retort.

 

 
About the Author
 

 

 

David
Myles Robinson has always had a passion for for writing. During the
late 1960’s and early 1970’s, while in college, Robinson worked as a
freelance writer for several magazines and was a staff writer for a
weekly minority newspaper in Pasadena, California. Upon graduating from
San Francisco State University, he attended the University of San
Francisco School of Law. It was there that he met his wife, Marcia
Waldorf. In 1975 the two moved to Honolulu, Hawaii and began practicing
law. Robinson became a trial lawyer and Waldorf eventually became a
Circuit Court judge.   

Upon retiring in 2010, Robinson completed his first novel, Unplayable Lie. He has since published eight more novels. 

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sponsored By:

 

.

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Deadly Depths by John F Dobbyn Banner

Deadly Depths

by John F Dobbyn

July 24 – August 18, 2023 Virtual Book Tour

 

 

Synopsis:

The death by bizarre means of his mentor, Professor Barrington Holmes, draws Mathew Shane into the quest of five archeologists, known to each other as “The Monkey’s Paws”, for an obscure object of unprecedented historic and financial value. The suspected murders of others of the Monkey’s Paws follow their pursuit of five clues found in a packet of five ancient parchments. Shane’s commitment to disprove the police theory of suicide by Professor Holmes carries him to the steamy bayous of New Orleans, the backstreets of Montreal, the sunken wreck of a pirate vessel off Barbados, and the city of Maroon descendants of escaped slaves in Jamaica. By weaving a thread from the sacrificial rites of the Aztec kingdom before the Spanish conquest of Mexico through the African beliefs of Jamaican Maroons and finally to the ventures of Captain Henry Morgan during the Golden Era of Piracy in his conquest and sacking of Spanish cities on the Spanish Main, Shane reaches a conclusion he could never have anticipated.

Praise for Deadly Depths:

Deadly Depths gives readers characters they care about and gets hearts pumping as the mystery and adventure unfold!” ~ Janet Hutchings, Editor, Ellery Queen Mystery MagazineDeadly Depths is an exciting mystery novel that asks who has the right to seek and exploit lost treasures.” ~ Foreword Reviews

~~~~~

MY REVIEW

I do so enjoy a good sleuthing tale to hone my investigating skills. Not that I’m all that good at it since my guesses about the who, what and why are often wrong. The synopsis for Deadly Depths had me curious to dust off those skills. And the intriguing title and thrilling cover added to the desire.

Law professor Matthew Shane is drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse when his beloved mentor, Professor Holmes, is found dead in his office. A closer look at his apparent suicide points to murder. As he digs into who could have done it and why, he comes across a group of archaeologists tagged The Monkey’s Paw who’d been searching for a mysterious artifact. Could that myth be real? Maybe, as members begin to die.

What a tangled web was woven as I followed Matthew on his quest to get to the bottom of things. He had no time to waste as the killer, or killers were getting creative and the bodies were piling up. Is the gris gris that the members are found carrying a connection?  Why are the victims being killed in bizarre ways? Ways that look like suicide or accidents but with closer inspection are revealed to be murders.

Matthew was such a fun character. He was methodical, clever and quirky. Able to assess situations quickly and keep a cool head. I kept thinking modern day Sherlock Holmes. And Robert Downey Jr. was the face I saw as Matthew.

A few chapters in, I was thinking this would be a good thriller. The further I read, the more intrigued I became. The characters came to life. Their faces formed in my imagination. The plot thickened. And I couldn’t wait to see how it ended.

5 STARS

 

~~~~~

 

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery, Crime Thriller

Published by: Oceanview Publishing Publication Date: August 2023 Number of Pages: 320 ISBN: 9781608095483 (ISBN10: 1608095487)

Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Oceanview Publishing

Enjoy this peek inside:
We arrived at an area of private docks in a town called Oistins. The driver stopped at the base of a wharf that anchored power boats of every size, speed, and description. One power yacht stood out as the choice of the fleet. The Sun Catcher. My guide hustled us both directly to the carpeted gangplank that led on board a vessel that could pass for a floating Ritz Carlton. The engines were already revving. I was escorted to a padded deck-lounge with maximum view on the foredeck. I had scarcely settled in, when we were slicing through late-afternoon sea-swells that barely caused a rise and fall. My guide, still in suit and tie, brought me, without either of us asking, a tall, cool, planter’s punch with an ample kick of Mount Gay Rum. For the first moment since Mick O’Flynn told me that someone was asking for me, I made a fully-considered decision. This entire fantasy could easily turn into a disaster that could outstrip New Orleans and Montreal together, but to hell with it. It was just too elating not to accept it at face value – at least for the moment. My mind was just settling into a comfortable neutral, when I heard footsteps from behind that had more heft than I imagined my guide could produce. I made a move to swing out of the padded deck-chair, when I felt the touch of a hand with authoritative strength on my shoulder. The voice that went with it had the same commanding undertone. “Stay where you are, Michael. I’ll join you.” A matching deck-chair was set beside me. I found myself looking up at a shadow against the setting sun that appeared double my bulk and yet compact as an Olympic hammer-thrower. The voice came again. “You’re an interesting study, Michael. I may call you ‘Michael’, right? I should. I probably know more about you than anyone you know. You might have guessed that by now.” An open hand reached down out of the shadow. I took it. The handshake fit the shaker. It took some seconds for the feeling to come back into mine. Before I could answer, the voice was coming from the deck-lounge beside me. “No need for coy name games. You know that I’m Wayne Barnes. And you know that I’m one of the, shall we say, associates in that little clique we call the Monkey’s Paws. In fact, your escort here, Emile, tells me it was the mention of my name that swung your decision to get on that plane.” He nodded to my nearly empty Planter’s Punch. “Another?” Before I could answer, he gave a slight nod to someone behind us. Before I could say “Yes”, or possibly, but less likely, “No”, a native Bajan in a server’s uniform was at my left taking my empty and handing me a full glass. I was three good sips into the second glass before I said my first word since coming aboard. I looked over at Wayne. I seemed to have his full focus. His engaging smile seemed to carry a full message of relaxed hospitality, and none of the threatening undercurrents I was scanning for. “You have an interesting way of delivering an invitation, Mr. Barnes” He raised a hand. “Wayne.” “’Wayne’ it is. You must have an interesting social life.” “I do. Do you find it offensive?” I looked over the bow, past the deepening blue crystal water to the reddening horizon. I felt the soothing caress of the slightly salted ocean breeze. I took one more sip of the most perfectly balanced planters punch of a lifetime, and looked back at Wayne. “Not in the slightest. Yet.” “Ah yes, ‘yet’.” “Right. I’m sure this won’t impress you, Wayne, and it’s not a complaint, but I’ve had a week full of enough tragedy to fill a lifetime. Hence the ‘yet’.” His smile and focused attention remained. “I know more about your week, perhaps, than even you do. But go on.” The second planter’s punch was having a definitely mollifying effect. “I have no idea what you mean by that last statement, Wayne, so I’ll just pass on. Given that week, and the abrupt transport from hell on earth to . . . paradise on earth, I’d have to be Mrs. Shane’s backward child not to listen for a second shoe to drop.” The smile expanded. Still no alarms. “Or perhaps you’ve come into a sea-change of good luck, Michael. Why not go with that?” “Why not indeed? For the moment. Just one question. ” “Alright. One question. For now. Make it a good one.” “Oh it is. It’s a beaut. Ecstatic as I am with all this, why the hell am I here?” That brought a bursting laugh. “I think I’m going to enjoy having you around for a couple of days, Michael. You have an instinct for the jugular. No chipping around the edges. We won’t waste each other’s time.” “Thank you. But that’s not an answer.” “No it isn’t.” He looked out to the diminishing sunset. “The only answer I can give you at the moment that would do justice to the question is this. And you’ll just have to live with it for now. You’re here for a quick but depthful education. I think you’ll find it well worth two days of your life. Are you in?” “Do I have a choice?” We both looked back at the rapidly diminishing shore-line behind us. “None that comes to mind. Now are you in?” That brought a smile from me, another healthy sip of the planter’s punch, and a deep breath of the ocean-fresh breeze. “I’m in.” We chatted through the sunset on far-ranging subjects that had no association whatever with Monkeys Paws, Maroons, murder-suicides – in fact nothing that gave a clue as to why my gracious host had chosen my company over the undoubtedly vast range of his acquaintances. By then, the moon had risen. At some point, I was aware that the engines had stopped. The splash of two anchors could be heard on either side. The sun had set. The shift from twilight to a darkness, penetrated only by a quarter moon went unnoticed. I was slowly sipping away at my third or possibly fourth Planter’s Punch, when I became aware of a bobbing light approaching from the port side. Without interrupting the flow of conversation, I noticed that Wayne was following its approach with more than the occasional glance until it reached the side of the yacht. Within a few minutes, my original guide, still in suit and tie, approached Wayne’s side with an inaudible whisper. I sensed that a bit of steel crept into Wayne’s otherwise conversational tone. “I’ll see him.” I began to get up to provide privacy. Wayne held my arm in position. “Stay, Michael. Let your education begin.” My guide nodded to someone behind us and lit his path with a small flashlight. I settled back, as a fiftyish man with narrow, cautious eyes and thinning grey hair that might have last been combed by his mother came up along Wayne’s right side. The loose wrinkles in his ageless cotton suit indicated that he might have been close to six feet, but for a constant stoop as if to pass under an unseen beam. The stoop caused his head to bob and gave him the look of one asking for royal permission to approach. Wayne’s eyes turned to him. I noticed the stoop of the back became more noticeable. Wayne’s voice was calm and soft, but it commanded his visitor’s full attention. “Do you have it? I assume you wouldn’t be here without it, yes, Yusuf?” The thin mouth cracked into a smile that conveyed no humor. “Of course. Of course. But perhaps our business . . .” Wayne nodded toward me. “No fear. Mr. Shayne is here for an education. We shouldn’t deprive him of that, should we?” The smile on the man’s lips did not match the apprehension in the tiny eyes, but he nodded. “As you say.” “Then what are you waiting for?” The man gave a slight glance to either side as if it were the habit of a lifetime. He reached into some deep pocket inside his suitcoat. I noticed a slight but tell-tale hesitation before he slipped out what appeared to be a hard, flat, roundish object, about seven inches across. It was wrapped in several layers of ragged cloth. He held it until Wayne extended a hand and took it onto his lap. He laid it on the small tray on his stomach. He looked back at the man, who simply forced a smile . “I assume it all went well?” “Oh yes, Mr. Barnes. No problems,” Wayne smiled back. “How I do love to hear those words.” My eyes were glued to Wayne’s hands as he carefully peeled back one layer of cloth after another. When he turned over the last layer, the object in the shape of a disc sent out instant glints of reflections of the rising moonlight. I could see Wayne running the tips of his fingers over the entire jagged surface of the disc. He took a flip cigarette lighter out of his pocket, opened it, and lit the flame. When he held it close to the object, I could make out the resemblance of a human face, coarsely pieced together from chips of green stone. Wayne held it up toward me and ran the flame in front of it. “Do you recognize it Michael?” “I’m afraid not.” He nodded. “Most wouldn’t. Your friend, Professor Holmes, would spot it immediately. The Mayans made death masks to protect their important rulers in their journey to the afterlife. They go back to around 700 A.D.” “What stones are these? They look like jade.” “Good spotting. The eyes were made of rare seashells.” “And I assume valuable?” He laughed again. “Right to the crux of the issue. Right, Michael.” He turned the object over and ran his fingers over the back side of it. “One that apparently goes back as far as this, and belonged to the ruler we have in mind, the right collector will pay half a million. Isn’t that right, Yusuf?” Yusuf’s grin was beginning to become genuine. “Oh yes. Oh yes. And more, as you would know, Mr. Barnes.” Wayne swung his legs over the deck-lounge toward me. He sat up and very carefully replaced the wrapping that had covered the mask. He stood up and walked toward the man. “And the key to its value is that it is absolutely authentic.” Wayne looked down at the grinning eyes of Yusuf for several seconds. I think I let out a yell that came from the pit of my stomach when Wayne hurled the wrapped object over side of the yacht, into the pitch blackness that absorbed it with barely a splash. I thought that the man would crumble to the deck. He barely held his balance. In the blackness of the night, I couldn’t make out his features, but I know to a certainty that every drop of blood left his face. Wayne called a uniformed attendant. Before the man moved, Wayne took hold of his arm. I was almost as frozen to the spot as the man. I think we were both certain that he would be following the object into the blackness below. Wayne held him close enough to speak directly into his ear, but spoke loudly enough, I’m sure, so that I could hear. “It’s a fake, Yusuf. I’m sure you know that. But you’ll live to do me a service. You’re a delivery boy. Nothing more. I want you to take a message back to Istanbul. I want you to say just this. ‘You had my trust. I give it sparingly, and not twice. Rest assured, we’ll speak of this again.’ Do you have that Yusuf?” The man had all he could do to nod. Wayne signaled his attendant. “Take him back.” The man was escorted, practically carried toward the back of the vessel. In a few minutes, I could see running lights heading away from the yacht. Wayne sat back down. “What do you think, Michael? One more Planter’s Punch before dinner?” I could only smile at the abrupt change of tone and subject. “No? Then shall we go in to dinner. The chef should be prepared by now.” When he stood up, I saw that he took something from under his deck-lounge. My mouth sprung open when a glint of light from an opening door of the yacht cabin lit up the death mask. I could see amusement in the smile of my host. “What on earth did you throw overboard?” “Oh that. I substituted my lap tray in the wrapping for the desk mask. I’ll keep the mask.” “But if it’s a fake.” “It is, but a fake by a well-respected forger of these antiquities. It has enough value for that reason alone to pay the expenses I’ve already incurred in acquiring it. Shall we go to dinner?” *** Excerpt from Deadly Depths by John F Dobbyn. Copyright 2023 by John F Dobbyn. Reproduced with permission from John F Dobbyn. All rights reserved.

 

 

About Author John F. Dobbyn:
John F Dobbyn

Following graduation from Boston Latin School and Harvard College with a major in Latin and Linguistics, three years on active duty as fighter intercept director in the United States Air Force, graduation from Boston College Law School, three years of practice in civil and criminal trial work, and graduation from Harvard Law School with a Master of Laws degree, I began a career as a Professor of Law at Villanova Law School. Twenty-five years ago I began writing mystery/thriller fiction. I have so far had twenty-five short stories published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery magazine, and six mystery thriller novels, the Michael Knight/Lex Devlin series, published by Oceanview Publishing. The second novel, Frame Up, was selected as Foreword Review’s Book of the Year.

Catch Up With John F Dobbyn: JohnDobbyn.com Goodreads BookBub – @JohnFDobbyn Instagram – #JohnFDobbyn Twitter – @JohnDobbyn Facebook – @JohnFDobbynAuthor

 

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and opportunities to WIN in the giveaway!  

 

JOIN IN ON THE GIVEAWAY:

This is a giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Tours for John F Dobbyn. See the widget for entry terms and conditions. Void where prohibited.
 

 

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours

 

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Welcome to The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

 

This is a really fun meme!

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

Then go over to Freda’s Voice and leave your link so we can visit your 56!

My 56 for this week is from

Cold Pursuit 

Ryland & St. Clair #1

  by Nancy Mehl

.

.

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

Genre: Mystery / Thriller / Christian Fiction

From page 56 in the paperback.

Watson Investigations. What a stupid name. Now, Sherlock Holmes Investigations would be cool. 

Just what were they investigating? Were they watching him? Were they a threat?

~~~~~

Synopsis

Ex-FBI profiler River Ryland still suffers from PTSD after a case that went horribly wrong. Needing a fresh start, she moves to St. Louis to be near her ailing mother and opens a private investigation firm with her friend and former FBI partner, Tony St. Clair. They’re soon approached by a grieving mother who wants them to find out what happened to her teenaged son who disappeared four years ago. River knows there’s almost no hope the boy is still alive, but his mother needs closure, and River and Tony need a case, no matter how cold it might be.

But as they follow the boy’s trail, which gets more complicated at every turn, they find themselves in the path of a murderer determined to punish anyone who gets in his way. With a killer on the loose set on finishing the job he started, will River be pulled back into her tormented past or finally face the demons that haunt her?

With her trademark blend of page-turning thrills and intricate plots, Nancy Mehl delivers a spine-tingling thriller that will keep readers up all night.

Amazon

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

.

I’m excited that THE SAVIOR by Christopher Flory is available now and that I get to share the news!

.

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book, be sure to check out all the details below.

.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a $10 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, check out the giveaway info below.

 ,

THE SAVIOR

 by Christopher Flory

 

 

.

Pub. Date: June 27, 2023

Publisher: Torchflame Books

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 260

.

Find it:  Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/THE-SAVIOR-Flory

.

“Sure to engross fans of Connelly, Patterson, and Coben.” – Dave Edlund, USA
Today best-selling author of the Peter Savage novels

Paul Dodge is ready to return to his normal job as a Parole Agent in Virginia after a
much-needed-and not very restful-personal hiatus. When a local street woman is
found dead, he’s assigned to work the case despite his personal objections.

Working outside his normal expertise under a boss he isn’t sure he can trust, and with
a new team, Dodge tries to make the best of the bad situation. The sooner the
case is closed, the sooner he can get back to his parole work rather than
poking his nose into the life of a serial killer.

With the killer growing in confidence and an old flame back in town, Dodge’s personal
and professional lives get tested and tangled. When accusations fly and
tensions rise, time is running out for Dodge to find justice for the victims
and stop a psychopath before the body count rises again.

The Savior is the third book in the Paul Dodge series, however, each book in this thrilling detective series can be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone as well as in publication order.

 

 

Enjoy this peek inside:

.

Sarah’s eyes looked down at the table. The corners of her lips turned down; frown wrinkles exposed. He couldn’t blame her for the indignation in her tone. The man was a first-class
mope. Not too many, if anyone, would lose sleep over his demise. But that
didn’t matter. It was the task force’s job, therefore Dodge’s job, to find out
what happened and bring justice to the victims, no matter how despicable the
dead may have been in life.

.

“May I have some water, please?” she asked.

.

Dodge nodded and stepped out into the hall, leaving the door wide open, and filled a paper cup from a water cooler parked outside in the hall. He handed Sarah the cup and she took a long
drink. Then another. The disgust eased its grip on her face. The frown lines
diminished. She was becoming more comfortable with him.

.

“Let’s continue from when you entered the office. What did you see? Was the door open?”

.

“At first, I couldn’t see anything. It wasn’t open, just cracked a little. Just enough to show where it
was in the wall. I tried to peek through the slit but couldn’t see anything. So, I pulled a little more. Real slow. I didn’t want to wake him if he was sleeping in there.”

,

“Once you were able to see in, what is the first thing you noticed?” Dodge asked.

.

“There was a smell in the air. It was heavy. You could taste it when you breathed in,” she said. “Have
you ever put a penny in your mouth?”

.

“No,” Dodge answered.

.

“When I was younger, some of the girls I used to hang out with said you could beat a breathalyzer test if you put a penny in your mouth right before blowing in the tube. So, I tried it once,” Sarah said.

.

“Did it work?”

.

“No.”

,

Dodge paused for a second before continuing. Not wanting to get off subject, but also trying to keep her talking. “Did you get a ticket?”

.

The young girl’s head dropped, and her eyes settled on the table in front of her. She rung her hands.

.

“No. He wasn’t interested in giving me a ticket.”

.

As an experienced law enforcement officer, Dodge knew well that sometimes officers take advantage of young women in trouble. Renquest worked a case once where the suspect turned out to be a sheriff’s deputy from a neighboring county. He had been forcing young girls to sleep with him instead of giving them tickets for minor traffic violations and misdemeanor drug possession. Sexual misconduct among officers was something he had no patience for. But that was for another day.

.

“You were talking about the smell in the air?”

.

“Yeah. It was like having that penny in my mouth again.”

.

Dodge pressed on. Diverting the conversation back to the case.

.

“What did you see next?”

.

“Him lying on the floor. His eyes stared at me. Through me. Then I saw her. It looked like she was sleeping. But her eyes. Her eyes were almost purple. It was haunting. That’s how I knew she was dead.” 

 

About Christopher Flory:

.

 

Christopher (Chris) Flory was
raised in Indiana and now lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and dog Shadow. He spent ten years with various correctional departments as a probation
and parole officer, specializing in the supervision of sexually based offenders and criminal street gang members. He is currently employed as a contractor for
the federal government as an intelligence analyst. Trust Misplaced: A Paul Dodge Novel is Chris’ first published novel, though he has been featured in academic journals and professional conference papers while attending
undergraduate (BA Indiana-Purdue University Fort Wayne 00′) and graduate school
(MA Purdue University 15′). He is currently working on the second book in the
Paul Dodge series and has ideas for several more installments. Chris enjoys
spending time with his family, baking and outdoor activities.

Subscribe to Christopher’s newsletter!

Website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

 .

Giveaway contest ribbon promo label prize. Vector giveaway banner badge design template

.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.