Posts Tagged ‘Crime Mystery’

City Of Lies by January Bain ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: April 26, 2024 in Excerpt, giveaways, Mystery
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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for City Of Lies organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author January Bain will award a $25 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

City Of Lies

by January Bain

 

 

Genre: Hard Boiled Crime Mystery

Synopsis

A Gripping Tale of Identity, Crime, and Survival… Claire Preston, a script reader for a Hollywood movie studio, has recently lost her mother. Discovering she was adopted as a baby, she goes on a perilous quest for her true identity.

Assisted by her mentor, the seasoned private investigator, Jake Sterling, Claire delves deeper into her past, only to unearth a labyrinth of secrets more daunting than she ever envisioned. Soon, she finds herself in the crosshairs of a ruthless serial killer—an ex-Nazi fugitive evading justice for decades.

As Claire confronts her heritage, grapples with danger, and races against time to evade the clutches of a deadly predator, she finds herself wondering: Is uncovering the truth in a city of lies even possible?

Experience the chilling twists and turns of a tale where identity, mystery, and survival converge in the heart of 1968 Los Angeles.

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Enjoy this peek inside:

The Sounds of Silence

The streets were dark with something more than night.

~Raymond Chandler

Hollywood, April 1968

“Of all the dirty rotten maggoty things to do. That’s my twist. You stole my ending,” Claire Preston hissed at the movie screen.

The story about a woman going missing and the authorities arresting her abusive husband for murder had seemed familiar from the opening credits. His going to prison for life and swearing his innocence, with no one—not even his lawyer—believing him anything but guilty. Then the dramatic twist. Her showing up on screen alive at the end, twenty-five years later, in the visiting room at the prison and driving the knife home. The motive and name of the movie: Retribution. The woman had lost her unborn baby from the ongoing abuse and could never have another, more than enough motive to do the nasty. And all Claire’s idea.

A plot she’d skimmed as a script reader from the seemingly endless slush pile over at New Pictures Studio. Someone had used her notes to save the lame script from the dustbin.

“Is there a problem here?” The usher shone a flashlight directly in her face, giving her a new target.

You bet your sweet ass there’s a problem. “No problem. I was just leaving.” It wasn’t fair to take out her ire on the pimply-faced attendant in his ill-fitting burgundy jacket.

She fumed all the way down the red carpeted aisle to the street exit before shoving the cold metal door open with more force than strictly necessary, more upset with herself for letting it get to her, than by what she’d just witnessed.

The door clanked closed behind her, and the cool, moist air instantly enveloped her like a heavy embrace. An unusual turn of weather for LA in the fall, but welcomed. Maybe it would head off the usual rash of fires? She tugged the collar of her coat closed and yanked the belt tight around her waist. No credit for the idea, okay, she could live with that. But they could have at least said thank you or done something—taken her out for a drink or a decent meal or sent her flowers. Instead, they’re pretending it never happened.

Not cool.

She got into her white Ford Fairlane in front of the Starlight Theatre at the headwaters of the Los Angeles River and headed west toward the Sunset Strip and her small apartment on Sycamore Avenue. Why had she bothered to stop and see the movie her friend Serena had insisted she’d like? Now she had to live with knowing what the studio was capable of. But then again, knowledge was power.

She pulled out a Salem cigarette, slipped it between her lips, then punched in the knob for the electric heater on the dash. When it was ready, she applied the red-hot wire to the tip while drawing the soothing heat deep into her lungs, feeling the head rush, before letting it escape into a series of satisfying smoke rings.

The sun was dying a slow death, making her squint in self-defense. The glare kept her from seeing what needed to be seen, a black dog streaking out in front of her car on the bridge. She braked hard, catching sight of it at the last second, slamming her left foot right down to the floorboards, the cigarette flying out of her mouth.

Her body slammed forward, the seat belt cutting painfully into her chest. The vehicle lurched sideways and into the path of another vehicle, eastbound. The blacktop vanished. Unable to comprehend the speed at which her world had imploded, Claire was helpless, the vehicle air born. Something wet dripped into her eyes, stinging, and making her blink rapidly in efforts to see clearly.

“Oh my god!” The words burst from numb lips, her hands clutching at the steering wheel in horror.

The car slammed into the water a few seconds later, a river swollen and angry from a torrential rainstorm earlier in the day. Terrified, she watched the water rising around her. She struggled to undo her seat belt, but her hands shook so badly it seemed an impossible challenge.

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About Author January Bain:

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January Bain firmly believes that stories unite us, that good stories help us to discover the commonality of the human experience by supporting values, empathy and understanding. January writes with her heart, mind, and soul, hoping that her novels will touch your life, giving you moments of freedom as you fly with her to other worlds.

The award-winning author has had the pleasure of select novels being turned into games, while her work is also available in different languages.

January and her husband live in rural Canada on peaceful acreage where a variety of wildlife comes to visit regularly and expects to be fed and paid attention to.

Author Links: Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Goodreads / Instagram

Buy Link: Amazon

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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 go HERE.

The Damned Lovely by Adam Frost ~ Excerpt and Giveaway

Posted: September 10, 2022 in giveaways, Mystery
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The Damned Lovely

by Adam Frost

August 29 – September 23, 2022 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

“She wasn’t pretty but she was ours…”

Sandwiched between seedy businesses in the scorching east LA suburb of Glendale, The Damned Lovely dive bar is as scarred as its regulars: ex-cops, misfits and loners. And for Sam Goss, it’s a refuge from the promising life he’s walked away from, a place to write and a hole to hide in. But when a beautiful and mysterious new patron to the bar turns up murdered, Sam can’t stop himself from getting involved. Despite their fleeting interaction, or perhaps because of it, something about her ghost won’t let go… Armed with the playbook from the burned-out ex-cops, Sam challenges the police’s theory on the killing, butting heads with hardened detectives and asking questions nobody wants to answer. As his obsession takes hold so does his sense of purpose—as if uncovering the truth about the killer might heal some part of his own broken life. But the chase sets him on a collision course with a crooked charity, violent fundamentalists, corrupt cops, brazen embezzlers and someone dangerously close to home—all who want to make sure the truth never comes out.

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Praise for The Damned Lovely:

“The Damned Lovely is the LA crime story born anew, an addictive mystery and a love letter to the careworn and forgotten places of Los Angeles—Los Angeles as it is right now. Adam Frost is a crime writer with a sharp new voice, telling a tale about the one thing everyone in Los Angeles has: desire. Desire for truth, for justice, for love, or maybe just a place to call home. Highly recommended.”

Jordan Harper, Edgar Award-winning author of She Rides Shotgun

“Frost’s crackling debut novel belongs on the shelf right next to Joseph Wambaugh and Michael Connelly. Crisp prose. An intricate plot worthy of Raymond Chandler, packed with scruffy, lovable, and lived-in characters that leap off the page. Frost brings a fresh voice and much-needed new blood to LA crime fiction.”

Will Beall, author of L.A. Rex and creator of CBS’s Training Day

“An unputdownable and suspenseful whodunnit: anchored in the quandary of manifesting destiny in grief and lost opportunity.”

Blake Howard, producer and host of the One Heat Minute podcast and Film Critic

“Every bourbon-soaked sentence in this endlessly entertaining first novel proves Joseph Wambaugh dipped Adam Frost by his ankle into the L.A. river. Roll over Michael Connelly, tell Raymond Chandler the news.”

Adam Novak, author of Rat Park and Take Fountain

 

Book Details:

Genre: Mystery, Crime

Published by: Down & Out Books Publication Date: Number of Pages: ISBN: 1643962531 (ISBN-13: 978-1643962535)

Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads | The Down & Out Bookstore

Read an excerpt:
I took a sip and checked my phone. Waiting for the screen to siiiing. Praying. Hoping. She held her ground and I lost the fight. The empty telephone. Reminding me, I had no excuses. To be in a better place. To be successful. I was an American. I was white. I grew up safe and surrounded by love. There was money for birthday parties and proper schools. I had a college degree in communications. I’d traveled to Southeast Asia. Seen Europe. Touched down in South Africa. I had a sweet girl who liked to cook and wanted a ring. We had an apartment in West Hollywood with good light. I’d found a marketing gig early and wrote ad copy for seven years. Logos. Corporate promos. Internet ribbons. Microcopy drawl. Quippy garbage that paid the rent and then some. I was on the right track. Until I broke. Crashed the cart and pulled the plug on my world of California lies. Staring into those smiling faces across a Doheny dinner table one night. The masquerade of happiness. The Instagram sham. There was no substance. No truth. No intent for anything more than gain. I had sealed the truth for years. Locked and bottled that depression south, convinced I could kick it. Convinced the gnaw would pass. Things are great, I kept saying. Things are great. But something about those faces on that very Doheny night popped the cork and shattered the glass. I called it out. I let it rip ugly. These weren’t my friends. They were assets. Nothing more. This wasn’t love. This was compliance on rails. I needed something pure. Something with purpose and mine all mine. That I truly adored. So I quit the girl who liked to cook. Lost the apartment with the light and moved to Glendale. Where it was cheaper. Where there was no good light. And worst of all. I was compelled by a force inside my bones to write something real. Something long and from the heart. Something maybe even wise. This, more and more it seemed, may have been a grave mistake. It was in no way working out. Still, I refused to believe in misery. An honest rut is all. It’ll turn around soon. It has to. Because when you’re going through hell in Glendale, keep going. Right? So. Soldier on. Live with intent and drown those voices out. Drown. Them. Out. Soldier! Swish. Swish. A red Trojan alpha bro was swipin’ right at the bar. Americana run off sipping a sea breezer with a skinny lime. Slice and I shared a healthy glare of disdain when Jewels crossed behind me and nodded to stool 9. “She’s baaaack,” Jewels cooed. And there she was. Hiding her green eyes under a black felt fedora and a worn-out paperback of To the Lighthouse. She had dark brown hair pinned low at the back. Wore a simple tight white V-neck tee exposing that soft skin around her collarbones. She sat straight. With her legs crossed in black jeans that pinched in at her waist and exposing a band of flawless smooth lower back. She kept her face down. Never spoke to a soul beyond ordering a drink. And never looked at her phone. Not once. Not once had I seen her look at her phone. Instead, she just buried her eyes in that book. Drowning out the world with a Negroni and Woolf’s words like some kinda mystery from a different era. She’d been in four times now by my count. And it was consistent. Early in the afternoon. Same drink. Same book. Alone. Like an oasis in this godforsaken Glendale desert. *** Excerpt from The Damned Lovely by Adam Frost. Copyright 2022 by Adam Frost. Reproduced with permission from Adam Frost. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:
 

ADAM FROST was born and raised in Vancouver. He began as an actor, and now works as a television writer and producer, best known for the crime shows Tribal and Castle. He lives on the east side of Los Angeles. He’s also one helluva T-ball coach.

Catch Up With Adam Frost: www.AdamFrostWrites.com Instagram – @thedamnedlovely Twitter – @Afrostbite23 Facebook – @adam.frost.9655

 

 

Tour Participants:

Visit these other great hosts on this tour for more great reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!  

 

GIVEAWAY:

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Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Tours

 

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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 go HERE.

Lethal Assumptions ~ A C.O.P. On The Scene Mystery by Kassandra Lamb

Posted: December 17, 2021 in giveaways, Interview, Mystery
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Lethal Assumptions

The C.o.P. on the Scene Mysteries Book 1

by Kassandra Lamb

Genre: Crime Mystery

Judith Anderson’s no-nonsense attitude and confidence served her well in her climb to homicide lieutenant in the Baltimore County PD, but that confidence is shaken when she finds herself one step behind a serial killer—just eight days into her new job as Chief of Police in a small Florida city.

The first victim, a female college student, may be a case of wrong place, wrong time. But the bodies keep coming, with a mishmash of MOs, and the murders may be linked to various cases in nearby Jacksonville.

While Judith assumed the CoP job would be challenging, she’s finding it harder than she imagined to establish her authority without alienating and be more hands-on without micro-managing. Plus, evidence is stacking up that there’s a leak in her department.

Who can she trust? If she makes the wrong assumption, the wrong decision, it may be her last. In a race to save lives, she’ll draw on every talent and instinct that made her a star in Baltimore. But will it be enough this time?

Fans of JA Jance’s Sheriff Joanna Brady and JD Robb’s Eve Dallas will love this new female cop on the scene!

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Add to Goodreads

Amazon * Apple * B&N * Google * Kobo

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Check out the related series here where Judith from Lethal Assumptions makes her first appearance in Police Protection!

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An Interview with Kassandra Lamb, Author of the New Series, A C.o.P. on the Scene Mysteries

 

Welcome, Kassandra! First I’ve got to ask, what does the name of the series mean?

 

I debated long and hard about that, and asked for input from the other authors at misterio press.

 

I very much wanted to convey that this was a police procedural series. At first, I’d considered calling them police thrillers, but that implies a really, really rapid pace. The stories are definitely fast-paced, but they are also character-driven, so maybe not quite thriller pace.

 

The protagonist is a homicide lieutenant from Baltimore who takes a job as Chief of Police in a small Florida city. One of her reasons for making the move is that she’s tired of riding a desk. She figures that, in a small department, she can be more hands-on, i.e., go to the scenes of major crimes.

 

So C.o.P. means Chief of Police, but actually spells out the word cop. That, plus “on the Scene” seemed to best convey the theme of the series.

 

What inspired you to write this particular series?

 

Bottom line, I bore easily. I like a lot of variety in my life and in my writing.

 

Well, except for men… let me take a moment to reassure my husband of 45 years about that exception.

 

But in most things, I like variety. I’m an avid mystery reader, as well as a writer in that genre. So I love to explore the various subgenres of mysteries.

 

My first series, the Kate Huntington Mysteries, were traditional whodunnits with an amateur sleuth. But I had one book in that series that was more like a cozy and one that was definitely a thriller, complete with a ticking clock.

 

My second series, the Marcia Banks and Buddy Mysteries, are cozies (not quite finished that series).

 

So I felt the urge to try something different—police procedurals!

 

Tell us more about your main character in this series. Is she at all like you?

 

Heavens no! The main character that is most like me is Kate Huntington, in the first series. But even she is more patient and more consistently caring than I am. I like to think of her as my better self.

 

The protagonist in this new series, Judith Anderson, was a secondary character in the Kate books. She was the police detective who sometimes helped amateur sleuth Kate and sometimes was at odds with her.

 

Also, Kate is a psychotherapist, so at times Judith called on her as a consultant.

 

And in the new series, Judith occasionally calls Kate up from Florida, to pick her brain about cases.

 

Why is your first series set in Maryland, and the other two in Florida?

 

When I started writing the Kate Huntington Mysteries, I still lived in Maryland, where I grew up. But it wasn’t until my husband and I retired to Florida that I really had time to complete and polish the first few books in that series. So I set the rest of the series in Towson, Maryland as well, the county seat of Baltimore County, the county where I lived as a child and young adult.

 

Towson holds a special place in my heart because that is where I first taught psychology, at Towson University. That was my all-time favorite job. I loved the folks in the psych department, and I loved teaching there.

 

But I love living in Florida now. I started the second series after we moved there, so it seemed natural to set it in Florida. Also, it’s a lot easier to explore places where I want to have certain events happen when I live close by.

 

As for this new series, in Police Protection, the last book in the Kate series, Judith Anderson plays a key role, and she is getting a little fed up with the bureaucracy and politics of a big police department.

 

So I decided to move her to Florida, to a small force where she’s in charge. And after living in north central Florida for 17 years, I now know that area as well as I once knew Towson.

 

What are your plans for this new series?

 

With my first two series, with amateur sleuths, it was challenging to come up with plausible reasons why they would keep getting involved in murder investigations.

 

Well, the really cool thing about a police procedural series is that you don’t have to explain why the protagonist keeps tripping over dead bodies. So Judith will have a major homicide case every few months—as fast as I can write the stories!

 

Thanks, Kassandra, for meeting with me today. Best of luck with your new series.

 

Thank you for having me!

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The Kate Huntington Mystery Series

Start reading the series for FREE!

Amazon Series Page

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In her youth, Kassandra Lamb had two great passions—psychology and writing. Advised that writers need day jobs—and being partial to eating—she studied psychology. Her career as a psychotherapist and college professor taught her much about the dark side of human nature, but also much about resilience, perseverance, and the healing power of laughter. Now retired, she spends most of her time in an alternate universe populated by her fictional characters. The portal to this universe (aka her computer) is located in North Central Florida where her husband and dog catch occasional glimpses of her.

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Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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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 go HERE.

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The Notorious Wolf Series by Judith Holstrom

Posted: March 13, 2021 in giveaways, Mystery
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Beautiful Death : Sleeping Beauty
The Notorious Wolf Series Book 1
by Judith Holstrom
Genre: Crime Mystery
The picturesque town of San Fallon has become the hunting ground of the Notorious Wolf: a serial killer who displays his victims as fairy tale characters for the police to find. After months of searching, he’s finally found his Sleeping Beauty.
Helena Sussex is everyone’s dream of a homecoming queen, with the quarterback boyfriend to match. The world is hers for the taking: whatever her looks and charm wouldn’t hand her could be earned by her quick wit. It’s left her bored and hungry for more, and she’s made a game out of controlling those around her. As long as no one realizes it was her constant manipulations led to the suicide of fellow cheerleader Wadelyn Fairchild, she can have it all.
Follow Helena’s path as she’s stalked by the Notorious Wolf to see if it leads to salvation, or if his Sleeping Beauty is denied her happily ever after.
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**Get it FREE!!**
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When Snow Falls: Snow White
The Notorious Wolf Series Book 2
The picturesque towns of San Fallon and St. Augustine has become the hunting ground of the Notorious Wolf: a serial killer who displays his victims as fairy tale characters for the police to find.
After months of searching, he’s finally found his Snow White.
Cloey Tridell is beautiful, in the prime of her life, and works hard for the things she wants, or that is what she wants everyone to believe.
But CLoey has a deep secret. She loves to take things that don’t belong to her and would hurt anyone to keep it.
Follow Cloey’s path as she’s stalked by the Notorious Wolf to see if it leads to salvation, or if his Snow White is denied her happily ever after.
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**Only .99 cents!!**
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Ripple: The Little Mermaid
The Notorious Wolf Series Book 3
The picturesque town of San Fallon has become the hunting ground of the Notorious Wolf: a serial killer who displays his victims as fairy tale characters for the police to find. He just found his Little Mermaid.
The third novel in the Notorious Wolf Series.
Amelia Conway and FBI Profiler, Anthony Brock, have to race against time to find who the Notorious Wolf’s third victim is, and make sure that this time his little Mermaid won’t be getting her tail. They only have 24 days to stop him.
Will the small time officer and lead FBI profiler find their man in time or will he slip through the cracks again an onto his next victim?
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**Only $1.99!!**
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Judith Holstrom is a full time author writing in the genre of mystery & thriller crime as well as horror. Both genre’s is her favorite to read and to watch as a viewer.
She has a very dangerous relationship with serial killers and can name them the way some people can name the presidents of the united states.
She has always been fascinated with the crime channel, binge watch it like some viewers binge watch their favorite series and horror isn’t far behind her love for mystery and thrillers.
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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
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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 go HERE.

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Dead Lawyer’s Don’t Lie ~ Book Tour and Giveaway

Posted: April 20, 2017 in giveaways, Mytery/Thriller
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Dead Lawyers Don’t Lie
Jake Wolfe Book 1
by Mark Nolan
Genre: Thriller, Crime Mystery
 
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A mysterious killer who calls himself The Artist is assassinating
wealthy lawyers in San Francisco. When war veteran Jake Wolfe
accidentally takes his picture during a murder, The Artist adds Jake
to his kill list and he becomes a target in a deadly game of cat and
mouse that only one of them can survive. How far would you go to
protect your loved ones from a killer? Jake wants to leave his top
secret, violent past life behind him. But the reluctant, flawed hero
can’t ignore his duty and his personal moral compass.
This gripping thriller is full of suspense, plot twists and surprises. It
features a cast of interesting characters, including several
strong-willed women, two wise-cracking San Francisco Police Homicide
Inspectors, one highly intelligent dog, and a philosophical killer
who shares Jake’s admiration for Van Gogh paintings but still plans
to kill him anyway. As Jake gets closer to unraveling a merciless
conspiracy, his life gets turned upside down and the danger level
increases, adding to the growing suspense. This entertaining
page-turner starts out as a murder mystery and then shifts gears into
a high-speed action thriller that takes you on a roller-coaster ride
to the riveting ending. A good read for those who enjoy mysteries,
suspense, action and adventure, vigilante justice, unique characters,
witty dialogue and a little romance too. Now on sale in over a dozen
countries around the world. Be the first among your friends to read
it.
 
 
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Mark Nolan began his writing career as a successful entrepreneur who
created news stories for businesses that were featured in The Wall
Street Journal, National Geographic, Parade, Reader’s Digest and The
Associated Press. Nolan was born in San Francisco, grew up in the Bay
Area of California, and has also lived in the Pacific Northwest and
Hawaii. He has raised two great kids and one very smart retriever
dog. Right now he’s busy writing the next book about Jake and Cody
(Book 2), but he also tries to make time every day to answer emails
from readers. You can reach him at marknolan.com/contact

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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

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