Posts Tagged ‘mystery/thriller’

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 actually from tow different books with the same title. I received them in the same week and plan to review them together once I’m finished reading them.

Ink and Bone

by Lisa Unger

27650023

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Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Paranormal

From 56% in the eBook.

Wolf thought about the man’s family. How infuriating it must be to have a technology that could help you find your missing loved one and then not be able to use it. The delays for reasons of legality seemed inhumane to the point of being Kafkasque when you were frantic with fear and everyone else was following rules. How many hours did the police spend grilling Wolf and Merri while Abbey’s abductor was getting farther and farther away?

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Read on if you want to know more.

Synopsis

An instant page-turner (Lisa Gardner) that straddles the line between thriller and horror…sure to appeal to a wide range of readers, including Stephen King fans. (Booklist, starred) A young woman’s mysterious gift forces her into the middle of a dangerous investigation of a little girl’s disappearance.

Twenty-year-old Finley Montgomery is rarely alone. Visited by people whom others can’t see and haunted by prophetic dreams, she has never been able to control or understand the things that happen to her. When Finley’s abilities start to become too strong for her to handle – and even the roar of her motorcycle or another dazzling tattoo can’t drown out the voices – she turns to the only person she knows who can help her: her grandmother Eloise Montgomery, a renowned psychic living in The Hollows, New York.

Merri Gleason is a woman at the end of her tether after a ten-month-long search for her missing daughter, Abbey. With almost every hope exhausted, she resorts to hiring Jones Cooper, a detective who sometimes works with psychic Eloise Montgomery. Merri’s not a believer, but she’s just desperate enough to go down that road, praying that she’s not too late. Time, she knows, is running out.

As a harsh white winter moves into The Hollows, Finley and Eloise are drawn into the investigation, which proves to have much more at stake than even the fate of a missing girl. As Finley digs deeper into the town and its endless layers, she is forced to examine the past, even as she tries to look into the future. Only one thing is clear: The Hollows gets what it wants, no matter what.

AMAZON

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Ink and Bone

The Great Library #1

by Rachel Caine

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Genre: YA Fantasy

From page 56 in the paperback.

Wolfe emerged from the single entrance and walked into the center of the room.

“You stand in the first daughter library of Alexandria, the first Serapeum. In this room, copies of great works from the stores of the Great Library were first made available to anyone who cared to come and read them…..even women, though that was not a common practice at the time. Alexandria was the first place in the world to encourage common people to read and learn. The first to educate without regard to status, creed, sex, or religion. You stand in the birthplace of our history.”

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Read on if you want to know more.

Synopsis

In an exhilarating new series, “New York Times” bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.
Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.
Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family. Jess has been sent to be his family s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library s service.
When his friend inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe knowledge is more valuable than any human life and soon both heretics and books will burn.”

Amazon

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Did you happen to notice that one of the central characters for each story has the same name too? Wolf and Wolfe.  Pretty wild!

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Leave your link and I’ll drop by your 56.

Until the next time…

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

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The Purse banner

Hi Ya’ll!

I have a fantastic book to share with you today. Wish I’d had time to review it.

There;s a great excerpt.

And a giveaway, so don’t forget to enter!

The Purse

by Julie A. Burns

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Genre: Mystery / Thriller

Synopsis

When Lydia Blackwell visits her dying father for the last time, he reveals the deeply hidden truth about her mother. After the funeral, the stranger Derek Meade gifts her with a gorgeous antique purse. But before she has the chance to connect with the man who knew her father intimately, Lydia finds Derek murdered in his home.

Lieutenant Sonja MacIntosh is assigned to investigate Mr. Meade’s death, but her career on the force never prepared her for Lydia Blackwell. As Sonja works to solve the murder, Lydia takes the greatest risk of her life in leaving Chicago to search for clues to her mother’s past. Their instant attraction surprises them both, but even through the chaos Lydia can’t deny the intensity of her feelings for the strong willed Lieutenant.

Lydia’s possession of the antique purse throws her already chaotic life into a whirlwind of kidnapping, blackmail, vengeful mob bosses, and mind-numbing revelations. Through it all, Lydia must find the strength to accept herself – and those closest to her – despite their darkest secrets.

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Enjoy this excerpt

At thirty-eight, Lydia Blackwell was a striking woman, taller than most, but not quite six-foot, with long, flowing black hair and hazel eyes in which many men could lose themselves. Many men, however, would not. It took several years for Lydia to realize that men didn’t make her heart beat faster. It wasn’t until college that she discovered her real self, thanks to a beautiful, blonde study-partner. Something in her had captured Lydia’s heart and she was never the same again. To many of her friends, it had just been “experimenting”. But this was Lydia’s life, her soul, and her very being. Still, it wasn’t everything.

For years, Lydia kept her innermost thoughts and her secret life to herself. Her father would never have understood her way of thinking—of being. It was possible he could have made the assumption. After all, there were no men around and no children. There were so many things she couldn’t discuss with her father, nothing resembling emotions, or even people about whom she’d felt emotional. No, nothing like that. Certainly not even Danielle. Oh Danielle. Lydia’s mind drifted away as she traveled the open road closer to her father’s house.

Danielle Baldwin certainly had issues, but issues were Lydia’s specialty. Lydia was a psychotherapist and ran her own practice in a posh suburb of Chicago. Five years had passed since she first saw Danielle smile, and now Lydia held therapy groups out of her home. So much had changed, yet somehow the feelings remained the same.

AMAZON

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

The Purse author

 

Julie A. Burns is a native Iowan born in Marshalltown, Iowa and raised in Davenport, Iowa. After her parent’s divorce at age 7, she took to writing, whether it was her diary or poems about people she met or situations that bothered her. After graduating from high school in 1983, she spent time working as a Nurse’s Aide in different nursing homes in Iowa. In 1989, she gave birth to a daughter, Brittany and raised her as a single parent. In the same year, she enrolled at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology in 1994. Since then, Julie has spent time working with developmentally disabled adults and the mentally ill throughout Iowa and also in Wyoming, where she lived for 6 years. Julie currently lives in Waterloo, Iowa with her spouse. When she’s not writing, she enjoys being a grandmother to 3 year old Sophie.

Amazon / Facebook / Twitter / Smashwords / RamRam Publishing

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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The more you comment, the more chances to win!

Goddess Fish Promotions

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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 click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.

TeaserTuesdays2014e

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!

My Teaser for this week is from

 A Piece Of You

A Sami Rizzo Thriller

by D.M. Annechino

26770415

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My Teaser from page 25 in the paperback.

“How the hell did we ever get around before GPS?” Sami asked Osbourn.

“Remember the Thomas Brother’s Guide and maps?” Osbourn said.

“Barely. Gotta love technology.”

Boy, does this bring back some memories! LOL

~~~~~

Read on if you want to know more.

Synopsis

Homicide Detective Sami Rizzo is at it again! She never dreamed “America’s Finest City,” would be tormented by yet another serial killer, but for the third time in the last five years a depraved maniac is stalking the streets of San Diego. Based on her qualifications and prior successes dealing with multiple murders, who else would Captain Davison assign to head the investigation? Different from Sami’s past experiences, this fanatic is like no other. His methods of killing defy everything profilers think they know about serial killers. As an intense investigation begins and bits and pieces of evidence emerge, no one can understand his motivation. He’s merciful, yet brutal. And just to make things even more confusing, all of his victims are blood-related. Is he settling a vendetta? Did he randomly pick a name out of the phone book and begin a rampage? Or is there a deeper story? Based on very little evidence and a lot of gut instincts, Detective Rizzo pieces together a complex puzzle and narrows the field of possible suspects. She learns that the killings may connect in some way to powerful people within the judicial system and doesn’t know who to trust. Ultimately, she comes face to face with the killer for a battle of brain and brawn. Can she outwit the shrewd killer, or will she be his next victim?

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How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

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Book Partners In Crime Promotions

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Blind Shuffle

by Austin Williams

on Tour Nov 2 – 13, 2015

“I wanted to take a bite out of BLIND SHUFFLE before breakfast but ended up reading straight through lunch. I finished it on a plane to Tijuana. This was my first Rusty Diamond novel…it won’t be my last. Dig in.”

—Patrick Hasburgh, creator of 21 JUMP STREET

Synopsis

Far from the neon lights of Bourbon Street, heinous crimes are being committed against young women, and a street magician seeks to pull off his greatest trick by staying alive long enough to see justice done. The stage is set for a New Orleans noir perfect for fans of James Lee Burke and George Pelecanos.

Rusty Diamond abandoned the Crescent City years ago to pursue fame in Las Vegas, leaving Marceline Lavalle, the daughter of his mentor, with a broken heart. Now Rusty has come back to make amends with his former teacher and his first love—but Prosper Lavalle won’t face him, and no one has seen Marceline for days.

Five months pregnant, Marceline’s vanished without a trace. Her estranged boyfriend, a casino boss with criminal ties and a hair-trigger temper, claims no knowledge of her whereabouts. With the police not yet ready to declare foul play, Rusty launches his own investigation.

The search for Marceline will take Rusty into the darkest corners of New Orleans, where enormous profit can be made from human misery, where desperate people hunt on the fringes, and where not all magic is sleight of hand. It will force him to confront the mistakes of his past, and offer him a shot at redemption. And it will leave him—if he’s not careful—at the bottom of a bayou.

Genre: THRILLER/MYSTERY.

Published by: Diversion Books

Publication Date: October 20th, 2015

Number of Pages: 266

ISBN: 1626817782 (ISBN13: 9781626817784)

Series: 2nd Rusty Diamond Novel

Purchase Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble Goodreads

 

Read an excerpt:

Excerpted from Chapter 1

The brunette hadn’t said a word the whole flight. Rusty detected an aloof vibe from the moment he took an aisle seat next to her when boarding the 737 in Baltimore. He made a cursory stab at conversation and got only an annoyed shake of the head. From the preflight safety spiel through takeoff and into cruising altitude, his comely seatmate did a fine job of acting like he wasn’t there.

It didn’t bother Rusty, but it made him curious. He wasn’t the easiest guy to ignore, based on appearance alone.

The brunette’s refusal to even glance at him rendered an uneasy feeling that he’d somehow become invisible. She looked up from her laptop only twice—both times to tell the flight attendant she’d like another glass of Pinot Grigio.

Maybe it’s the tattoos, Rusty thought.

He’d taken off his leather jacket and stuffed it under the seat, wearing a black t-shirt underneath, leaving the snaking vines of symbols and incantations covering both arms from shoulder to wrist open to plain view. His seatmate didn’t look like the kind of woman apt to recoil from some well-inked body art, but then it was sometimes hard to tell.

They occupied the two port seats in row 3. First class, the way it ought to be, located in front of the gangway and separated by a curtain from coach. Rusty was no snob, but after shelling out more than a grand to upgrade his ticket, he felt the difference should be noticeable.

He scratched his goatee and pondered draining another glass of scotch. The dimly-lit cabin filled with searingly bright illumination, making him blink. Huge flashes of lightning strobed through the windows, followed by an ominous roll of thunder deep enough to induce vibrations in his seat.

The brunette jerked her head up from her laptop to raise the window shade. Her posture had gone rigid. Rusty turned to look over her shoulder. A menacing mass of dark clouds filled the oval glass partition, pierced by another burst of lightning.
The brunette pulled down the shade and recoiled into her seat. Rusty suddenly understood the source of her withdrawn demeanor.

She’s scared out of her wits.

Not an unjustified reaction, on this flight. The first two hours had passed calmly enough, but they ran into the outer rim of a massive cyclonic event shortly after entering Louisiana airspace. The “fasten seat belts” sign came on with a ping as the captain casually intoned over the intercom things might get a bit choppy between here and the tarmac.

That proved to be an understatement. For the past half hour, this 737 felt more like an ill-conceived amusement park ride than an airliner. Rusty had only flown through one serious storm before, years ago, and at the time he was so blasted on muscle relaxants and champagne he’d found it more entertaining than frightening. He was enjoying this flight considerably less.

“Shit!” his seatmate yelped as the plane banked ten degrees to the right, sending a splash of Pinot Grigio onto her laptop. The glass rolled off the tray table as its emptied contents trickled down the computer screen.

“Christ, I hate flying,” she said with an embarrassed glance at Rusty. “Did I spill on you?”

“Nah. Just missed me.”

He reached down to retrieve the errant glass and set it on her tray table. “Dead soldier, I’m afraid.”

“Doesn’t make any difference. I could hammer back a whole bottle and I’d still be a wreck.”

“It was supposed to be a clear evening, at least when I checked at BWI. Then again, I learned a long time ago not to trust the weather where we’re going.”

“Do you live in New Orleans?” she asked. “Used to. This is my first visit in a while.” The plane bucked again, harder than before. “Oh Jesus,” the brunette muttered, gripping the seat divider. Rusty saw her expending great effort to maintain a polished
facade, and failing. He couldn’t help but sympathize. “I’m a little nervous myself,” he said, leaning just a bit closer. “But not about getting there safely. That’s the least of my worries.” She looked at him with new interest, a trace of the fear removed from her eyes. “Why’s that?”

Rusty paused before answering. He saw no reason to confide in this stranger, other than passing the time a bit faster before they landed.

“I plan to visit some people I haven’t seen in a long time. They don’t know I’m coming, and I have no reason to think they’ll be glad to see me.”

“Do they owe you money or something?” she asked, amused by the question.

“Just the opposite. I owe them a hell of a lot, more than I can ever repay. Especially the old man. He taught me my trade, asked for nothing except loyalty.”

Rusty paused before adding, “I let him down. His daughter too.” “So you’re coming to ask their forgiveness?” The question hit a nerve. A sense of obligation cutting deeper than common regret had propelled Rusty from his comfortable rented home in coastal Maryland, all the way to the airport in Baltimore and into the first class cabin of this airliner. When he actually reached New Orleans and looked Prosper Lavalle in the eye for the first time in more than half a decade… he had no idea what might happen at that point.

“I just want to clean things up, if possible.”

He turned to his seatmate and detected an innate kindness in her face, tucked away beneath the glossy veneer.

“I hope it goes well,” she said. “People can forgive a lot if you’re sincere in asking for it. Seems like you are.”

“I appreciate that,” he replied, offering his hand. “My name’s Rusty.”

She reciprocated with a businesslike shake. “Erin.” Another jolt to the cabin caused her hand to close tightly on his. Five lacquered nails dug into his skin in a way Rusty didn’t entirely dislike.

“God, I fucking hate this,” Erin said hoarsely. “Last time I ever get on a plane, guaranteed.”

“This is a homebound flight, then?” She nodded. “I’m a sales rep for Revlon. When I interviewed for the job I told them: no travel. So far they’ve honored that, but I really felt pressured to make the convention in Baltimore.”

“We’ll be all right,” Rusty said, looking at his watch and noticing she hadn’t freed his hand. “Less than an hour, you’ll have Louisiana soil beneath your feet.”

“I might just kiss it.” A new ping on the intercom claimed their attention. “Hey folks, this is Captain Thompson. I want to apologize for that last little dip. We ran into a microscale atmospheric gradient, also known as a wind shear. That tends to happen more often during clear air turbulence, but stormy conditions can sometimes produce the same result. Our aircraft is equipped with a reliable on-board detection system, so it’s extremely uncommon for us to fly directly into one of these pesky things. That wasn’t a very big one, even if it felt like it. Unfortunately the scope and severity of this storm may have confused our system regarding its exact location.”

“Very reassuring,” Erin said, clutching Rusty’s hand tighter.

“I’m guessing that’s not part of the airline’s approved spiel,” he answered.

“Not to worry,” Captain Thompson continued. “We’re lowering our altitude now as we approach our initial descent. This should cut down on the turbulence signifi—”

The plane banked hard, fifteen degrees to the left. Rusty and Erin tipped toward the window in unison. She cried out briefly before clamping her mouth shut. More than a few startled noises arose within the first class cabin, with one full-out scream emanating from coach.

“Just sit tight, folks,” the captain cautioned over the intercom, sounding noticeably less relaxed. “We’ll be out of this soon. It might not be the smoothest landing in aviation history, but we’ll get you on the ground as quickly and safely as possible.”

Erin had released Rusty’s hand, both of hers folded tightly in her lap. A trickle of sweat ran from her brow, sending a runny line of mascara down her cheek.

“Shit, shit, shit,” she muttered in a strained whisper. “Say something to me, please.”

“What would sound good right about now?” “Anything, doesn’t matter. Just take my mind off this.” Rusty considered offering some statistics about the safety of flight as opposed to other forms of transportation, but that wasn’t what was called for. What this woman needed was some misdirection.

“Look me in the eye, Erin.” In response to her wary glance, he added: “Trust me, this is a great distraction.”

“OK.”

“Good. I want you to think of someone. Someone you know personally. Don’t tell me who it is, just form a clear picture of this person in your mind.”

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes. Then she opened them and said, “OK, I’ve got someone.”

“All right. Now give me both hands.”

She hesitated as he held his own hands out, palms up, then did as he’d asked. Rusty closed his fingers around each hand, pressing gently on the webbed flesh located between her thumbs and forefingers. He felt the inner play of muscles and tendons as her pulse slowed by degrees.

“OK. You’re thinking of a man, that’s obvious.” She gave a wan nod. “Fifty-fifty chance of getting that one right.” “I’ll try to get a little more specific. Keep looking me in the eye.” Rusty’s thumbs pressed more closely, feeling out the part of her hands known in medical texts as the thenar eminence. He picked up on each tiny throb, felt the muscles tense and relax in sequence as his touch grew heavier.

Reading her gaze, he spoke with better than moderate confidence:

“This guy’s name begins with an M.”

A small spark lit Erin’s eye, and he saw her smile for the first time.

“Not bad,” she said, “but come on. You had a 1-in-26 chance of getting that right. Probably one of the more common letters in a first name.”

Rusty heard the words, but kept his focus on the way she was unconsciously communicating with him. The faint wrinkling of her nose, a tightening of the jawline so minute as to be undetectable by anyone who hadn’t spent years studying the vast range of facial and bodily gestures people employ to transmit information without being aware of it.

“It’s not Matt,” he said. “No, definitely not. And it’s not Martin.”

Erin replied with a nod, sensing that to speak would offer an unintended clue.

“I won’t even bother asking if it’s Monty. And Mycroft is a long shot, unless his parents are really into Sherlock Holmes.”

“You’re just fishing now.”

That was partially true, but in replying Erin supplied him with another telling bit of insight—the emphasis she placed on the first syllable of fishing.

“Nope,” Rusty answered casually as he released her hands. “I knew his name was Michael all along.”

He let that hang there for a moment, clocking her reaction. The smile that grew on Erin’s face, free of any tension or anxiety, made up for her earlier standoffishness.

“He goes by Michael, right? Not Mike.” “Michael it is. I’m impressed.” “And he’s your…fiancé. Yeah. Probably waiting to greet you at the airport with a big kiss.” Now the smile changed shape, widening to express something beyond passing amusement. “Not bad. So you’re, what, a magician?” Rusty was pondering an adequate reply to that question when the 737 hit a massive wind shear at two hundred miles per hour. The plane’s nose buckled down sharply like it had been nailed with a gigantic fly swatter.

Erin screamed. A genuine scream, pulled from her lungs with the force of real terror, and hers wasn’t the only one.

Multiple bags tumbled from overhead containers jolted open by the drop. A service cart near the flight deck rolled from the galley into the aisle on spinning wheels, its brake set loose. A plump flight attendant fell to her knees trying to stop a heavy roller bag from falling onto an elderly man in 4C. The attendant’s head struck the metal edge of an armrest, opening up a deep gash. Blood sprayed from the wound, prompting a fresh volley of screams from the first class cabin. The noise coming from coach sounded like a packed theater in the middle of a particularly intense horror movie.

Another first class attendant ran to assist his partner, yelling for calm over the panicked cries. It was a futile effort, even the captain’s voice on the intercom was lost in the din.

Rusty and Erin huddled in their seats, arms wrapped around each other in an instinctive clinch. The cabin trembled and heaved, everything rattling hard enough to loosen hinges and splinter apart.

The 737 kept dropping into a sharp dive for well over a thousand feet. Three thousand. Five. The engine roar overlapped what sounded like a hurricane raging outside the shuddering windows. It seemed to go on and on, as if the ground below kept racing away to delay the inevitable, catastrophic impact.

Finally, Rusty felt the cabin start to level out. He and Erin were shoved back into their seats as the plane’s nose pushed upward. Some measure of calm returned to the first class cabin.

“Flight personnel be seated immediately,” Captain Thompson resumed on the intercom, his voice hardened to a drill instructor’s bark. “Suspend normal cross-check.” The wounded flight attendant lowered herself into a galley seat. She pressed a towel seeped in red to her face and strapped on an over-the-shoulder safety belt. Her partner scrambled into the adjacent seat. Rusty clutched Erin tightly, feeling her heartbeat hammering against his chest. His eyes blinked shut against another burst of lightning off the plane’s port side. He felt no particular fear. He sensed, on a gut level that had nothing to do with logic, this plane would reach the ground safely.

I know it, without knowing why.

Secure in his intuition of momentary safety, Rusty inhaled deeply, allowing oxygen to fill his lungs at a slow controlled pace. He felt completely alive. He felt good. Yet at the same time, he couldn’t entirely dismiss an unnerving sense that whatever awaited him down on the Louisiana soil threatened him more gravely than the prospect of crashing to it from high above.

.

Author Austin Williams

authorAustin Williams is the author of The Rusty Diamond Series of crime thrillers published by Diversion Books. The second novel in the series, Blind Shuffle, was released in October 2015.

Other books by Williams include the cult suspense novels Crimson Orgy and The Platinum Loop. He is the co-author (with Erik Quisling) of Straight Whisky: A Living History of Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll on the Sunset Strip.

He lives in Los Angeles.

Catch Up:
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Tour Participants


Giveaway

. This is a giveaway hosted by Diversion Books for Austin Williams. There will be 8 winners of 1 eBook copy of Blind Shuffle by Austin Williams. The giveaway begins on November 2nd, 2015 and runs through November 13th, 2015. a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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affected banner
Presented by:
logotrans

affected covergif
Title: Affected
Series: The Affected Trilogy
Vol or Book #: Book One
Author: Randi Lee
Audience: New Adult & Adult
Genre: Mystery/Suspense/Thriller & Dystopian
Format: paperback & ebook
Publisher: Abuzz Press
Cover by: Todd Engel, Engel Creative Graphic Design
Editor: Randi Lee
Pages: 292
ISBN: 978-1632639462
ASIN: B00WYBWL9G
Date Published: April 1, 2015

blurb (2)


Eight years ago, there was no World Government. There were no agents, no carts. The fear of a nosebleed did not exist. Then came The Affection—an incurable disease that ran rampant across the planet, killing off roughly 60% of the human population. Two years later—with order in shambles and governments all over the world in ruins—the World Government formed. That’s when the real trouble began. The WG made it its mission to segregate the sick (known as “Affected”) from the rest of the population in an attempt to keep the disease from spreading. Agents were put into place to corral the ill and the God-forsaken carts were introduced.
For the past six years, Ethan has lived a quiet life. He has done his best to remain out of the public eye and, more importantly, off of the agents’ radars. However, when his ex-girlfriend, daughter of the famous scientist who first discovered the disease, is captured by agents and taken to World Government
headquarters to be experimented upon, Ethan can no longer pretend the world around him doesn’t exist. On his way to save her, Ethan is thrust into a place of turmoil, espionage and conspiracies. Will he be able to handle the pressures of reality? Will he be able to save her in time?

 

links
Amazon (1)  goodreads  apple

 

 
excerpt (2)

 

The agents lead the chef out of the restaurant. Things do not go back to normal so easily, not the way they did back at the ball game. Awash with the tragedy of the moment, people mourn the loss of the chef in different ways. Some leave, some bow their heads and others lose the battle to tears. The hostess gives a speech about the man the chef is. A round of clapping follows.
“This doesn’t make sense,” Grant says. “The chef was Affected. Doesn’t that mean he was serving Affected food? He could have made us all sick.”
“What’s your point?” I ask.
“My point is that those agents could easily take us all in for fear of contagion. What’s stopping them?”
Cameron’s card comes to mind—the one with the embossed gold lettering and three contact numbers. I sift through my wallet and pull it out.
“Me,” I say, staring at the card. “I’m stopping them.”

author
Randi Lee

Randi Lee is a writer and blogger who lives in New England with her family and much-loved dogs. She studied Communications, Media and Theater Arts and is an avid fan of live theater. Randi often incorporates techniques she’s learned from her studies into her writing. Believing that her areas of study have much in common with and can benefit the writing world, she shares her knowledge on her blog—often providing fellow writers with a different perspective on the craft via tips and advice.
A world traveler, Randi finds great inspiration in the places she visits. Whether it be a different country or the next town over, Randi uses all of her senses to take in each experience and learn something new. She strongly believes that visiting new places and interacting with different cultures strengthens the soul—and the creative muscles.
Randi is always excited to meet new people and exchange ideas. She can be contacted via e-mail at: randi@randileewrites.com.

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Until the next time……

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm.

TeaserTuesdays2014e

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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My Tease for this week is from

Don’t Try To Find Me

by Holly Brown

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My Teaser from page 48 and page 74 in the Paperback.

From Page 48

This could blow up in Paul’s face. And in mine, and Marley’s, too. He has no idea what I’ve been keeping private.

From Page 74

Then why. I wanted to ask, do I sometimes feel like I don’t know you at all, now that we’re finally in the same room?

~~~~

Synopsis

When a 14-year-old runs away, her parents turn to social media to find her-launching a public campaign that will expose their darkest secrets and change their family forever, in this suspenseful and gripping debut for fans of Reconstructing Amelia and Gone Girl

Don’t try to find me. Though the message on the kitchen white board is written in Marley’s hand, her mother Rachel knows there has to be some other explanation. Marley would never run away.

As the days pass and it sinks in that the impossible has occurred, Rachel and her husband Paul are informed that the police have “limited resources.” If they want their 14-year-old daughter back, they will have to find her themselves. Desperation becomes determination when Paul turns to Facebook and Twitter, and launches FindMarley.com.

But Marley isn’t the only one with secrets.

With public exposure comes scrutiny, and when Rachel blows a television interview, the dirty speculation begins. Now, the blogosphere is convinced Rachel is hiding something. It’s not what they think; Rachel would never hurt Marley. Not intentionally, anyway. But when it’s discovered that she’s lied, even to the police, the devoted mother becomes a suspect in Marley’s disappearance.

Is Marley out there somewhere, watching it all happen, or is the truth something far worse?

~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

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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

Dark Places

by Gillian Flynn

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My 56 

“Fact: Somewhere around 2 a.m. on January 3, 1985, a person or persons killed three members of the Day family in their farmhouse in Kinnakee, Kansas.

~~~

Synopsis

Libby Day was just seven years old when her evidence put her fifteen-year-old brother behind bars.

Since then, she has been drifting. But when she is contacted by a group who are convinced of Ben’s innocence, Libby starts to ask questions she never dared to before. Was the voice she heard her brother’s? Ben was a misfit in their small town, but was he capable of murder? Are there secrets to uncover at the family farm or is Libby deluding herself because she wants her brother back?

She begins to realise that everyone in her family had something to hide that day… especially Ben. Now, twenty-four years later, the truth is going to be even harder to find.

Who did massacre the Day family?

~~~

This book is so intense and so freakin good!

~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

Leave your link and I’ll drop by your 56.

Welcome to my stop on the Barrage for Gone by Barb Han presented by CBLS Promotions.

Enjoy the synopsis and excerpt and check out her wonderful cover art.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

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Gone

by Barb Han

Romantic Women’s Fiction

Category(ies): Mystery/Thriller

Publisher: Etopia Press

Release Date: January 11, 2013

Heat Level: Steamy

Word Count: 77,000

 

Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gone-ebook/dp/B00AZDI3PQ/

ARe: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-gone-1041392-152.html

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gone-barb-han/1114108626

Blurb

How far would you go to find a child that never existed?

Elizabeth Walker awakens in a mental institution, the aftermath of a nightmare in her veins. All she can think of is saving a little boy—her son. But the orderlies who rush in and jab her with needles assure her she has no son. So does her mother, who demands her doctors keep her calm and prevent her from these troubling delusions. But Elizabeth’s nightmares are so real, and her arms still feel the memory of holding her son. And her instincts tell her to trust no one. Her child is gone. Her memories are gone. Everything is just…gone.

Ex-military medic David Kerrigan will never stop blaming himself for the childhood tragedy that took his younger sister’s life. Working on assignment at the facility, he’s drawn to Elizabeth, and he’s not sure that everything about her case is on the up and up. David knows full well he can’t change the past, but what if he can save this one person? And maybe helping Elizabeth might just save them both…

Warning: This title is intended for readers over the age of 18 as it contains adult sexual situations and/or adult language, and may be considered offensive to some readers.
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Excerpt

If memories were liquids, then Elizabeth Walker’s would be blood. Not warm, life-giving, tissue-bathing blood, but cold, coagulated, dried up, and stepped-over-on-the-sidewalk blood.

Memories weren’t liquids.

They were more like fireflies blinking in the dark, daring to be caught, disappearing a moment before they could be reached. And the only liquid left in Elizabeth’s body was a few unshed tears. They hardly ever fell now. Even they seemed to be drying up on her.

Nightmare or not, she would claw her way through any level of consciousness to save the boy. The last ounce of breath she drew from her lungs burst out as a scream, leaving her choking and gasping for air.

The sense of urgency to save him, to do something, burned frustrated holes through the bottoms of her feet—feet that did not touch pavement no matter how fast she moved.

She had to do something. But what?

She calculated the likelihood of reaching him and came up short. He was far. No way could she reach him in time.  Yet waiting, doing nothing, wasn’t an option either. Protective instinct propelled her legs forward, and damn the odds.

“Somebody. Help.” She pushed herself from the dream.

She dug her fingers into her mattress, discharging a crush of bleach into her hyperventilated nostrils. A drowning sensation filled her lungs. She clenched her chest muscles. She gasped, struggling for oxygen.

A door slamming against a wall made her sit bolt upright. Two bulky men in blue scrubs burst into the room.

Giveaway

Enter for a chance to win a $25 Starbucks Gift Card.

Rafflecopter Giveaway

Contest is tour-wide, open internationally and ends Mar 19. Must be 18 years of
age or older to enter.

Check out the Tour Schedule for more fun stops.

Thank you for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

About the Author

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Barb Han lives in North Texas with her husband, has three beautiful children, a spunky Golden Retriever/Standard Poodle mix, and too many books to count.

When she’s not writing, researching, or otherwise getting lost in a story, she volunteers at her children’s school, is in the kitchen ‘creating’ dinner, or can be found on or around a basketball court.

Writing contemporary romance and romantic suspense has been a dream come true for Barb–something she’s wanted to do for as long as she can remember. She left her corporate job, at her husband’s urging, and has been happily playing with imaginary friends ever since.

Learn more about her latest releases at http://www.barbhan.com and don’t forget to say hi. She loves hearing from readers.

Connect with Barb Han

Website: http://www.barbhan.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarbHan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BarbHanAuthor

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/barbhan/

In July I did a post asking for help with choosing the next books I should review. To view it you can go here: http://wp.me/p27ipo-cL .  A Human Element was one of the books chosen for me to review next. The author kindly provided me with a copy of her book and I am so happy to tell you about it.

 A Human Element

by Donna Galanti

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Doesn’t this cover just grab you?

In my review of the first book on the list, I mentioned that I had received two books in the mail on the same day and thought I was reading the one about aliens. Nope, I was wrong. It turns out A Human Element was the book with aliens.

Before I start my review, I wanted to tell you that Donna has kindly offered 3 e-book copies for a giveaway. The details to enter will be after my review.

My Review of A Human Element by Donna Galanti

Ben is hiding from his parents on the shore of Coopersville Lake when it happens.

A meteorite crashes. What was once the sight of a dozen or so cabins, one of them containing his parents, is now only a huge crater of steam and fire. In one bright green flash, Ben’s life is forever changed and for another, it has just begun.

No one could know the long-reaching consequences of that fateful night. Or of the horrors to come.

9 months later.

A young girl struggles to bring her child into the world. She came to the doctor in secret. Not even the Armstrong’s, the kindly couple who took her in, know where she is. The doctor doesn’t know why the mysterious man waiting outside wants the baby, he just wants to get paid.

In a rush, the baby enters the world. Sadly, the young mother does not survive the delivery. But wait, another baby is fighting to be born, a twin, a beautiful baby girl.

An exchange is made. The mysterious man leaves with the thing, the baby boy, but the doctor doesn’t mention the girl. He will give her to the Armstrong’s to raise.

Many years later, the baby girl, Laura, is all grown up and back home to find out why the people closest to her are being slaughtered. The answer lies here. Laura has always had the headaches and nightmares and she knows things are coming together now –  the monster chasing her in her nightmares, the mysterious man in black, who has always been on the periphery of her life,  and whatever happened on the night of the meteorite. It is all connected.

Laura and Ben are thrown together as death races towards them. Both need answers about the night of the meteorite if they are to survive what is coming.

I want to keep telling you more. I’ve only scratched the surface of this story.

Two babies were born that night, Laura and the boy child called X-10. One looks human in every way and the other looks like a monster.

The many secondary characters made this story real for me.

Everybody should have a friend like Jim, a grumpy curmudgeon with a gentle soul and a fierce love and loyalty to Laura.

The Armstrong’s, Laura’s adoptive parents, who though they knew she was different, had special talents, loved her as their own.

The mysterious man in black, who has always been around, lurking in the shadows.

The cruel and sadistic Dr. Bjord, who thrills in tormenting X-10, his failed experiment.

And X-10, the monstrosity who’s only thought is getting out, finding Laura, and tearing her to pieces.

From the first page to the bitter-sweet end, I was totally immersed in this book. A story of wonder, love, humanity and absolute evil.

Donna Galanti’s debut novel has, at its core, an energy, an essence, that gives it life.

Superb writing and a thrilling all-out race to the end, A Human Element is an excellent read.

5 STARS

A bonus from Donna Galanti!

A Hidden Element (Book II)

When one family’s son is taken, they learn its by the same unearthly evil that brutalized them fifteen years ago. In a race to find her son’s kidnapper, they discover his horrifying mission that binds them all together. But the killer’s desire to own them – or destroy them – leads to a survival showdown that puts their son’s future, and their lives, at stake. They must sacrifice all again to defeat a new terrifying enemy – an enemy that wants to rule the world, with their son as his heir.

Tentative release date spring 2013.

Sounds like more thrilling reading from Donna Galanti.

The Giveaway

I have 3 e-book copies Of A human Element to give away to 3 lucky winners. To enter is easy. Just leave a comment with your email address and please click on that tweet button. That’s it.

While it isn’t required, it would be much appreciated if you would follow my blog. Also show some appreciation to Donna for this awesome giveaway. Her links are provided below.

This giveaway ends on August 18th.

Good luck everyone!

For more about the author:

Her blog: http://blog.donnagalanti.com/wp/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DonnaGalantiAuthor?-ref+hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DonnaGalanti

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5767306Donna_Galanti

A Human Element:

Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/dg-the-Kindle

B&N: http://tinyurl.com/dg-he-Nook

Donna Galanti writes suspense and middle grade fiction. She is a member of International Thriller Writers, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, Horror Writers Association, The Greater Lehigh Valley Writers Group, and Pennwriters. If she couldn’t write she would bike, hike, and kayak every day. She’s lived from England to Hawaii, including owning a campground in New Hampshire and as a photographer in the U.S. Navy. She operated a resume writing service for years until she closed up shop to write novels. Donna dreamed of being a writer at seven years old when she fell in love with Narnia and Roald Dahl. She lived in England at the time, attending school in a magical castle where her imagination ran wild in an itchy uniform. (bowling hat and tie included). She now lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, son,  and two crazy cats in an old farmhouse. It has lots of writing nooks, fireplaces, and stink bugs, but she’s still wishing for a castle again.

Thank you Donna for a thrilling and touching story and for allowing me to offer this giveaway. Keep wishing:)