Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Truffle Trouble and Newlyweds Can Be Knocked Off by Amanda Flower

Truffle Trouble, an Amish Candy Shop Mystery book, and Newlyweds Can Be Knocked Off, an Amish Matchmaker Mystery book, both by Amanda Flower, have humor, great characters, and a puzzling mystery. Unfortunately, the Candy Shop series will have only one more book before it ends, and this is the last one in the Matchmaker Mystery book series. But as the saying goes, “every story has an end; yet in life every end is a new beginning.” Amanda Flower discusses what is next in store for readers with her new series as well as her insight into these two books.

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Book Description

Summer is finally upon the village of Harvest, Ohio, nestled in picturesque Amish Country, and folks are abuzz over their very own Bailey King’s upcoming June wedding. The Amish Candy shop owner and star of TV’s Bailey’s Amish Sweets is marrying Holmes County Sheriff Aiden Brody. To sweeten the occasion will be a scrumptious giant chocolate truffle wedding cake, made especially for the happy couple by Bailey’s New York City mentor, Jean Pierre. Other than the risk of the ring bearer, Jethro the pig, taking a bite out of the confection, what could go wrong?

As it turns out, a food-related disaster does befall the day. But with Bailey in the mix, it’s nothing so pedestrian as a peckish pig. At the reception, a wedding guest dies after sampling the hors d’oeuvres. Café owner and new caterer Darcy Woodin, who made all the food except the desserts, is pegged by police as the number one suspect. Even more incriminating, the victim is one of Darcy’s ex-boyfriends . . .

Still, Bailey is friends with Darcy, and she’s certain the young woman is innocent. Even before the first dance with her new husband, Bailey’s on the case. Can she help solve it in time for her honeymoon—or will a killer try to end her happily ever after before it’s even begun . . .?

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Elise’s Thoughts

Truffle Trouble’s plot includes the long-awaited wedding between candy shop owner Bailey King and Sheriff Aiden Brody. The wedding allowed for readers to have their favorite characters together, old and new. All the regular characters are present including Margot Rawlings, Charlotte Little, Ruth Yoder, Millie Fisher, Lois Henry with her over-sized purse, granddaughter Darcy Woodin, the caterer of the wedding. And of course, Jethro the pig. Bailey’s old boss and mentor from New York City, Jean Pierre is also in it and he takes a shine to Lois Henry.

But an Amanda Flower book is not complete without a murder. At the reception, a wedding guest dies after sampling the hors d’oeuvres. Café owner and caterer Darcy Woodin, who made all the food except the desserts, becomes the number one suspect since the victim is one of Darcy’s ex-boyfriends, Jason. Now, Bailey must put aside her honeymoon plans to prove her friend Darcy’s innocence.

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Book Description

After years on her own, Millie has been busy adjusting to married life once again. Meanwhile, her best friend, Lois Henry, is still salty that Millie didn’t have a big wedding where she could get dressed up and be maid of honor. But there’s a way Millie can make it up to her: with a dreary January upon them, it’s the perfect time for a girls’ trip to the Amish community in sunny Pinecraft, Florida. Oft-divorced Lois is decidedly not Amish, but she thinks it will be a hoot.

With the blessing of her sweet husband, Uriah, Millie agrees to go. On the tour bus that transports Ohio’s Amish snowbirds to Florida every year, Millie and Lois strike up a friendship with a young woman traveling alone. She reminds Millie of her beloved niece, and Millie takes her under her wing. But even before the end of their first day in Florida, tragedy strikes.

Millie and Lois find their new friend dead on the beach, seemingly drowned. But who would want to hurt the sweet young woman? Is there a murderous snowbird among them? Or was it someone vengeful from her past? Clearly, vacation time is over for Millie and Lois, and it’s time to dive beneath the surface to hook a killer . . .

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Elise’s Thoughts

Newlyweds Can Be Knocked Off has Lois and Millie taking a girl’s trip to the Amish community in sunny Pinecraft, Florida. Oft-divorced Lois is decidedly not Amish, but she thinks it will be a hoot. On the tour bus that transports Ohio’s Amish snowbirds to Florida every year, Millie and Lois strike up a friendship with a young woman traveling alone. She reminds Millie of her beloved niece, and Millie takes her under her wing. But even before the end of their first day in Florida, tragedy strikes. Millie and Lois find their new friend dead on the beach, seemingly drowned. Her hands had been tied and there were signs of trauma. Both Millie and Lois realize a murder has taken place and are intent on finding the killer.

Any Amanda Flower book will have characters that readers can connect with and a murder that is not easy to solve.  There are red herrings and misdirection at every turn. Readers will be sad to see that these two series are ending but will find joy in her new series coming out next year.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story, Truffle Trouble and the wild mushrooms?

Amanda Flower: I know some people here in Ohio that are mushroom foragers. So, I kind of got the idea from that, and the Amish also forge mushrooms. It’s like one of the things they do. So, it seemed like a good fit.

EC:  Was it hard to write the marriage scene between Bailey and Aiden?

AF: I didn’t spend a ton of time on it because I wanted to get to the murder. I think the wedding scene was fitting because the couple are pretty simple. They knew everyone wanted to celebrate, so they did it as simple as they could for the whole town to be there.

EC: Darcy was accused of killing her ex-boyfriend.  How would you describe her?

AF: Darcy is the grand-daughter of Lois Henry. I would say Darcy is more of a loner than Bailey. She likes to go back to her one room apartment because she spends all day talking to people that dine there, and she needs to get away. Although she’s curious, a skill needed as an amateur sleuth, but I think she’s not as curious as her grandmother who kind of pushes her to get involved in stuff. She’s a little more reserved, definitely than Lois for sure.

EC:  How would you describe her ex-boyfriend, Jason?

AF: Jason, her first love interest, is chauvinistic, temperamental, and felt he was owed something. He would do anything for money. He is also critical, untrusting, sophisticated, greedy, spiteful, and self-centered.

EC: What about the relationship between Lois and Jean?

AF: Lois Henry and Jean Pierre will appear in most of the future Harvest books. There will be one more candy shop book that’ll come out in the spring of 2027. It’s called Strawberry Scam. Jean Paul will come and visit because he likes Lois. He is a retired, very wealthy man, so he can come as often as he wants to get on his plane and fly over.

EC:  What about the idea for the other book Newlyweds Can Be Knocked Off?

AF: There is an Amish community in Florida in Pinecraft, where they go, and I went there to visit, probably 3 years ago, and I just thought it was so fascinating to be walking on the beach by the ocean. I saw Amish ride around on their scooters, they’re not allowed to have horses and buggies there because it’s in the city limits of Sarasota. They get around on electric bikes and electric scooters for the most part. I just thought that would be really funny to send Lois and Millie there. There’s a bus that comes to Holmes County every week in the winter and takes Amish snowbirds down south. So just, like, Ohioans that aren’t Amish go to Florida for the winter, elderly Amish go to Florida for the winter, too

EC: Who finds more dead bodies, Millie or Bailey?

AF: Bailey, because there are ten books out in “The Candy Shop series” featuring Bailey. So, she’s found quite a few dead bodies by this point, and Millie’s on her 6th book in the “Amish Match Maker Mystery series.” So that’s how I would decide it.

EC: How did you come up with the great quote about community?

AF: You are referring to “a community is like a quilt. Each piece is important to make a whole. That is actually a nice Amish proverb. They have a lot of sayings like that. 

EC: Are your series interconnected?

AF: I think my greatest example is when you see Ruth Yoder, the bishop’s wife, from Bailey’s point of view. Bailey sees her as crotchety, creepy, and mean, but Millie and Lois grew up with her, so they have a completely different view and they don’t take her as seriously. It’s fun to see characters with a different point of view of someone, because they have a different experience or relationship with them. So that’s really fun to write to show how each character has a different experience or relationship with them.

EC:  Are you ending these two series?

AF: Kensington is stopping their mass market paperbacks. All their series are either being switched over to trade paperback or being ended that are in mass market.  There will be one more Bailey book and no more Millie/Lois books. The new series, featuring Darcy will come out in trade paperback.

EC:  Rumor has it there is a new series?

AF: In February of 2027, there’s a new series in harvest featuring Darcy Woodin, Lois’s granddaughter as the main character. The series is called “The Amish Country Cafe Mysteries.” And the first book is called Apple Cornered. Darcy takes over Bailey’s role as an amateur sleuth. Lois always helps out Darcy who owns the café and Millie’s always with Lois, so they have very large parts in the new series. Bailey and Aidan will make cameos, and Jethro, the pig, will too. All the characters will drop in here and there. And you’ll see Aiden and Deputy Little quite a bit because there’s always a murder, and they’re the ones that are the cops involved. So, readers will see all the regulars, which is fun because I can write them from a different point of view. 

EC:  Will Darcy have a love interest?

AF: She will. A guy that owns an apple orchard is her love interest in the first book. And he’s not Amish. He is former Amish. His brother, his family is still Amish, but he’s not.

EC: Does she question her choices in men?

AF: She feels she has terrible taste in men and feels her track record is bad. Darcy is a little more standoffish about the idea of dating anyone. She’s just trying to focus on her business and put relationships to the side.

EC: Are you writing another non-Amish series?

AF: I’m writing a third Katharine Wright mystery. I have a new series with Kensington, which is called “The First Ladies Murder Club.” It’s set in the 19th century and will have first ladies and murders in the White House. The first has Francis Cleveland, the first lady, set in 1894. Her husband is President Grover Cleveland. The first book is called First Lady’s Guide to Murder, and it comes out November 26th, which is Thanksgiving week.

THANK YOU!!

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BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Blast/Feature Post and Book Review: Shadow of Betrayal by Blaire Morgan

SHADOW OF BETRAYAL

by Blaire Morgan

June 8-12, 2026 Book Blast

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SHADOW OF BETRAYAL (Kyndall Family Suspense Series Book #2) by Blaire Morgan on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Blast.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links, and a PICT giveaway. Enjoy!

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Book Description

In this chilling romantic suspense, U.S. Marshals investigator Heather York stumbles into danger at a Maine lakeside lodge, with Jordan Kyndall’s protective instincts as her only hope.

A woman hunted by corruption.

Heather York thought her life was ordinary—until a sudden threat pulls her into a deadly game. In Shadow of Betrayal, she’s forced to question whether she’s a target—or collateral damage.

A man who won’t walk away.

Jordan Kyndall planned a weekend celebrating his college roommate’s wedding. Instead, he finds a grisly scene in the woods—a woman’s lifeless body—and a surge of protective instinct binds him to Heather in ways he never expected.

A danger that could destroy them both.

As threats multiply and secrets surface, Heather and Jordan must navigate corruption, desire, and deadly stakes—trusting each other may be the only way to survive.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249740217-shadow-of-betrayal?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=j2oSDInlix&rank=1

Shadow of Betrayal

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Published by: Blaire Morgan Books
Publication Date: June 8, 2026
Series: Kyndall Family Suspense Series, Book 2

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My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

SHADOW OF BETRAYAL (Kyndall Family Suspense Series Book #2) by Blaire Morgan is an exciting second romantic suspense in the Kyndall Family Suspense series. I would suggest reading book one, Witness in the Shadows, first because while the romance plot and suspense plot are complete in each book, there are a lot of family character crossover and history from the first book in this second book.

U.S. Marshal investigator Heather York is to be the maid-of-honor in her best friend’s wedding in a beautiful Maine lodge in the woods. When she and another friend at the wedding go in search of their other friend who is going to miss the rehearsal, they are attacked.

Jordan Kyndall is in Maine for the wedding of his college roommate. He is instantly taken with the red-headed maid-of-honor and hopes to get to know her better. When he goes in search of the missing women, he discovers a horrific scene. One woman is near death and Heather is unconscious. Jordan’s protective instincts are awakened, and he refuses to leave her side until the danger is identified.

Jordan and Heather work together to discover if Heather is the target or just a part of a random crime. The threats multiply and they are being chased and attempting to stay ahead of the danger until they discover why Heather is being targeted. They need to learn to trust and rely on each other if they are going to survive.

This is a romantic suspense plot with plenty of action and many plot twists that leave you guessing throughout. Jordan is a great hero that you would want as your protector. His previous military service and wilderness training made him perfect for the job. I also love his love and connection to his family. I had a few problems though with Heather as the heroine. She is a U.S. Marshal investigator and she is intelligent, and while she works in the office only on warrants, she uses that as an excuse for no type of physical or police training. I believe she should have had more training to even have that job and make her character realistic.  I also did not like how she continued to go back and forth on trying to get rid of Jordan through almost the entire story, while she had no physical skills of her own, whether she was worried for his safety of not. Even with these small points, they work well together as a couple.

Overall, it is an enjoyable, action-packed addition to this series, and I look forward to hopefully reading the other brothers’ stories.

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Excerpt

Prologue

The drive to the dingy bar outside of the city had been rough when the directions led him down a series of dirt roads before reaching what managed to loosely be called civilization. The bell above the door chimed a dull sound, barely registering his presence. He shook his rain-soaked umbrella, drawing a few curious glances his way before the three men at the bar decided their cold beer and stale peanuts were more interesting than him. 

The bartender, a man in his late fifties with a marine tattoo on a bicep, asked him if he wanted anything. Though kind, if the bartender had offered him a bottle of the Alps’ finest water, he wouldn’t accept—not in a place like this—but he was trying to blend in. 

“Whatever is on tap,” he said, and found a table in a back corner. 

Although he had no intention of staying longer than necessary, the location offered him anonymity. The front door, with its surprisingly clean window, opened and brought with it a strong wind and his associate. The new arrival scanned the room, nodded at the others, and crossed the dark bar. 

“You’re late.” 

“I’m here now. You have something for me, Hewitt?” 

He’d made a mistake giving the man a name, even if it wouldn’t lead back to him. They’d agreed not to use names, not here, not ever. He removed a black, zippered deposit bag from the inside pocket of his rain slicker and slid it across the table. 

The man across from him chuckled and unzipped the bag. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” Hewitt asked, his whisper a low hiss. He quieted when the bartender set a beer in front of him. 

His associate raised an eyebrow and continued to wear his smile. “You’ve seen too many movies.” He closed the bag and leaned forward. “Do you honestly think anyone here cares who you are or what you’re doing? At least you dressed for the occasion—kind of.” 

Hewitt stared at the man across from him, confident that despite his off-balanced behavior at times, he’d get the job done. History had proven he was capable, if not entirely trustworthy, and willing to do anything—for a price. 

“You’re forgetting something,” he said. 

Hewitt hated this man. “It’s in the bag.” 

Another chuckle. “In the bag, I like that.” He pulled the colored photograph from the deposit bag and studied the image. “How’d you find me?” 

“Does it matter?” 

“I like to know what I’m getting into.” 

Hewitt studied him, unsure now of his idea but knowing he had to move forward. “All you need to know is I can make your other . . . inconvenience go away.” 

“And what might that be?” 

Hewitt pulled a folded sheet of paper from his inside breast pocket and slid it across the table. 

“I’m not sure I believe you.” 

“You know who I work for?” Hewitt asked.

“I checked it out.”

“Then you know I can do what I say,” Hewitt said, growing impatient. “Will it be a problem?”  

“No, no problem.” Instead of returning the picture to the bag, he slipped it into the pocket of his dark, denim shirt. “You going to drink this?” he asked before he lifted Hewitt’s beer and drank deeply. 

From Chapter One

Jordan eased the rented SUV into the graveled parking lot of the lakeside lodge. Nestled in the thick pine forest surrounding Moosehead Lake, the Highlands Lodge reminded him of the fishing camp his family frequented in Alaska. 

He stepped out and walked around to the back of the vehicle, breathing in the fresh northern air. Though nothing like his hometown of Stewart Crossing, which was tucked away on a remote Alaskan bay, Moose Creek, Maine, was a pleasant escape from the spring heat of North Carolina, where he operated the main branch of Eagle Wilderness Journeys. 

The parking lot was empty, but he heard voices coming from the back of the lodge, laughter carrying through the trees and echoing over the water. Adam, his college roommate and the reason Jordan trekked up north, ambled across the gravel and pulled Jordan into a big hug. Considering Adam stood four inches shorter than Jordan and weighed thirty pounds less, it wasn’t easy. 

“Dang, it’s good to see you.” 

Jordan returned the amiable smile. “You look happy.” 

“Wait till you meet her.” Adam opened the back of the SUV and lifted the duffel out before Jordan objected. “You’re going to love her. I mean, whoever thought I’d ever be monogamous.” 

Jordan laughed, closed the back door, and followed Adam to the lodge. “If I recall, you didn’t know the meaning of the word throughout our senior year.” 

“Well, yeah, but could you blame me?” Adam led him around the corner of the lodge and stopped. “Wait, there she is.” 

Adam had described her perfectly. Girl-next-door pretty and fresh off the cheerleading squad, Grace was only a year younger than his friend. Her pale, blond curls bounced as she walked on long legs across the lawn. “She’s something all right. I wouldn’t have expected—”

It wasn’t often when life’s unexpected moments stunned Jordan into silence or immobilized him, but none stopped his breath quite like his first glimpse of the woman standing next to Adam’s fiancée. 

“Who is she?” 

“It’s Grace, man, who do you think . . . Ah.” Adam nudged Jordan’s ribs with his elbow and laughed. “That’s Heather, Grace’s maid of honor.” 

Jordan didn’t want to use the word “dumbstruck,” but at the moment, he couldn’t formulate another. His sister would have called him “twitterpated” and normally he would put her in a headlock until she cried “mercy” and take it back, but it had been a long time since she’d had cause to tease him about a girl. 

“Hey, buddy, close your mouth before you drool.” 

Jordan wiped his mouth before he realized Adam was messing with him. “Don’t forget, I can still kick your golf-playing butt from here to next Tuesday.” 

“Why don’t I introduce you instead, and then you can owe me one.”

***

Social Media Links

www.blairemorgan.com
Amazon Author Profile
BookBub – @blairemorganbooks1
YouTube – @blairemorganbooks

Purchase Links

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PICT GIVEAWAY

https://pictbooks.tours/1TaaAePK

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Love Comes in Small Packages by Lori Foster and Maisey Yates

Book Description

THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE * LORI FOSTER
Compared to her smart, responsible twin, Laylee has always been labeled the party girl sister. Now she’s really screwed up by finding herself possibly accidentally pregnant, and definitely not in love. With her sister away on her honeymoon, Laylee’s only confidant is her guy friend Knox. There’s mutual attraction there, yet they’ve been tiptoeing around it. But telling Knox everything may change . . . well, everything. Especially amid a comedy of pregnancy test errors, a robbery, a cat rescue mission—and the realization that Knox sees her as so much more than a pretty face . . . .

THE RANCHER’S UNEXPECTED FAMILY * MAISEY YATES
Ellie Parks helplessly watched her beloved sister, Melanie, spiral into addiction in high school, thanks to her toxic relationship with Ty Porter. Ellie, now a teacher, hasn’t seen Melanie in over a year when she gets a call from Child Protective Services that Melanie has a baby—and she’s surrendered her parental rights. Ellie races to the hospital, but someone’s beat her to it: rodeo champion Clark Porter, the baby’s uncle. Clark’s a good man and he’ll be damned if his niece grows up without him. Until they find a custody solution, Ellie will just have to move into his ranch house. Temporarily. Obviously. Except that they’re attracted to each other. Risking the unconventional family they’re creating is the last thing they need. Then again, if what they feel is deeper than attraction, it may be what they need most . . .

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Elise’s Thoughts

Love Comes in Small Packages is book 2 of the novella anthology by Lori Foster and Maisey Yates. These two short stories, one written by Lori and one written by Maisey, are wonderful reads by two very talented authors. That Special Someone by Lori Foster features characters readers first meet in “The Odd Couple” of the book The Two of Us.

Laylee and Knox are pet-sitting for his brother and her sister. Compared to her smart, responsible twin, Laylee has always been labeled the party girl sister. Now she’s a wreck believing that she is possibly accidentally pregnant, and not in love. With her sister away on her honeymoon, Laylee’s only confidant is her guy friend Knox. There’s mutual attraction there, yet they’ve been tiptoeing around it. Readers are once again delighted to have animals in the story
and to find intriguing characters.

A bonus is that this is one of Lori’s benefit books where all of Lori’s advance & royalties will go to the Animal Adoption Foundation, a no-kill animal shelter.

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Author Interview with Lori Foster

Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?

Lori Foster: My idea for the story was just to show the topsy-turvy trip a romance can take before it lands where it’s meant to be. Rarely is it smooth. Also, we can fall in love with someone because of things they’ve done for others. We see their heart in how they give to someone, the care they take with different relationships. 

EC: What is the theme of the book/story?

LF: “Love Comes in Small Packages,” meaning love isn’t always a tidal wave that knocks you over. Often, it’s finding common ground over things we love – like children, animals, and good friends.

EC: Did you write the story independently or consult Maisey?

LF: I write every story 100% independently. I’d be a terrible collaborator because I’d want everything my way. Plus, Maisey has her own unique, wonderful voice, and it’s different from mine. (That’s probably true for most authors!)

EC: How would you describe Laylee?

LF: Overall, Laylee uses bravado and a party-vibe to hide her insecurity. Her family often compared her to her studious, very serious twin sister, and she felt she had to live up to the role assigned to her. Yet, she’s also smart, just as her twin is also pretty and lively. Too often parents innocently say things without realizing how it might impact their children later in life.

EC: How would you describe Knox?

LF: Knox is a hard worker, a loyal friend, a family guy – he has a great family – and he wants to settle down. He wants home and hearth, with that one special woman. Finding her was the issue – until he met Laylee. Unfortunately, Laylee didn’t realize that, so she stuck him in the friend zone. Once he was there, she feared losing his friendship if she pushed for more.

EC: How is Laylee different from her twin sister Skye?

LF: She’s far more of a fashion icon, comfortable in crowds, and always ready to have a good time. She’s also a local model, doing well enough to live independently. 

EC: What role did Laylee being possibly pregnant play in the story?

LF: The pregnancy scare was the catalyst to their romance. Knowing a guy would stick with you, even if you were pregnant with someone else’s child, showed Laylee just how much he cared, and how reliable he was for the long term. It also drove home to Knox how important she is to him, no matter what. 

EC: What role did the dogs and cat play in the story?

LF: Pets are a great unifier! If you’re sharing responsibility as “pet sitters,” you’re naturally brought closer together. It also gives insight on how someone nurtures, and the level of their responsibility and reliability. 

EC: How would you describe Laylee and Knox’s relationship?

LF: They were very good friends – biding their time until they could declare their true feelings. The friendship was important to them both, and that alone is a great basis for a relationship. Of course, friendship will only do for so long when you’re in love with someone, and fortunately, they get to work that out in the book. 

EC: How about your next book(s)?

LF: THE LAKE HOUSE was just released May 26th.
It’s the 2nd book in the Firefly Summer series, though each book stands alone. Both Pixie and Brogan have wounds to heal; Pixie is already well on her way, thanks to a big-hearted but tiny town and the wonderful, quirky people who live there. She’s part of a “found family” now, and wants to concentrate on raising her toddler son. Brogan never had much family, until he joined the service, but then he loses his team, his brothers, and finds himself gravely wounded in a hospital. He had little reason to live – until an estranged sister made him guardian of her infant daughter. From the moment he meets Pixie, the young single mother gets a grasp on his heart. Now together, they deal with threats from his past, and the secrets he reveals. I recently finished writing book 3, THE RAINBOW CONNECTION, which will be out next year.

WHEN I FIRST MET YOU will be released July 14th.
It’s the 2nd book in the Family Ties series, and again, each book stands alone.
It shows how first impressions aren’t always accurate, something Kam figures out when Glory has a stalker threatening her life. He steps up to protect her, and as they grow closer, he realizes there are layers to Glory he never expected.
Also, he had a truly awful, abusive childhood before being adopted into a great family. In many ways, Glory helps him to really deal with his past, something he hadn’t yet been able to do.

THANK YOU!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Defiant by Michael Maloof

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for DEFIANT (Kate Preacher Thriller Series Book #3) by Michael Maloof on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links, and a PICT giveaway. Enjoy!

***

Book Description


A Funeral in Paris. A Reckoning in Russia. An Endgame in Davos.

Former CIA analyst Kate Preacher has tracked the cabal that shattered her world across continents—but only now does she glimpse the true enemy behind the curtain. A new leader has stepped from the shadows to seize control of the Coalition—and a weapon that could reshape the balance of power forever.

“Sometimes,” Jake warned her, “the only way to win is to sacrifice everything.”

Kate’s hunt races from the rain-soaked boulevards of Paris to Beslan, a Russian city haunted by unanswered questions—where memories she buried long ago surface with deadly force.

In New York, a trusted ally is killed. Another vanishes.

High in the Swiss Alps, Kate undertakes her most dangerous mission yet— infiltrating the labyrinth beneath Davos—before world leaders walk blindly into a trap from which there may be no escape.

A bioweapon counts down to catastrophe. Her team is scattered and fighting to survive. And Kate is one move away from exposing the conspiracy that took everything from her—if she is willing to pay the ultimate price.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/247355162-defiant?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=luXqqYWqgk&rank=1

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

DEFIANT (Kate Preacher Thriller Series Book #3) by Michael Maloof is an amazingly intricate thriller plot culmination that starts in book one, Relentless, continues in book two, Unstoppable, and climaxes in this book three, Defiant. These books do need to be read in order of publication and are worth any period of time they take to read. You will not put them down!

This third installment begins right where book two ended. Kate may be out physically for the moment, but that is all right because she and her friends have a lot of research and planning to do now that they know who and what they are up against. Kate discovers more about her childhood in Russia but is pulled away quickly to deal with the evil at hand. She and her team are off to Davos to fight evil beneath the Alps and destroy a bioweapon that could lead to control of the world.

This trilogy, which I hope will continue, delivers excitement, action, and characters that are more fully developed than in most action driven thrillers. Kate Preacher is a brilliant strategist, computer programmer, athlete, and friend. Besides a great team of ex-SEALs and military snipers, the required big, bad, and intelligent men you would expect Kate has working for her in Trident Security, the author also delivers an impressive array of female agents and female friends with varied skills that can easily keep up with the men. There is one character revelation at the end that left me completely shocked. Besides the intricate and believable descriptions of the characters performing physical obstacles and trials, there are a vast amount of equipment, guns, and vehicles that make all the scenes very realistic.

There is a steady stream of intricate plot pieces and revelations which come together in an edge-of-your-seat climax that leaves you breathless. The plot pace in this book is not as breakneck from page one as the first two but continually builds as Kate and the antagonists set all their chess pieces into place for the ultimate life or death chess game to come. The evil characters are much too believable, and the RILEE AI program was chilling.

I highly recommend this finale to this international thriller set of three overall conspiracy plot arc connected thrillers!

***

Excerpt

PROLOGUE

SATURDAY, MAY 8

5:18 PM EDT
MOORE TOWER—MANHATTAN

If you’re reading this, I’m already dead.

Andrew Freeman’s fingers hovered over the keyboard, slick with sweat. The cursor blinked, counting down the seconds of his life. He’d put this off all day, telling himself he was overreacting—that he was valuable, indispensable.

He knew that was a lie and pushed away from the desk.

The suite was silent—glass, steel, marble. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, Manhattan pulsed with light—traffic threading through the streets, thousands of lives moving forward, unaware his might soon end.

Devin Moore had installed him in the suite after the meteoric success of the NanoVaults. Andrew still wasn’t sure whether it had been generosity—or containment. He had what Devin needed—the code Andrew buried inside the NanoVault and claimed as his own. 

What do you wear when you know you’re about to be erased?

If he was right—if Rileyne Mueller wanted him gone—no one would notice. No news. Just absence.

He opened the drawer.

A black MIT T-shirt lay folded on top. Faded. Ordinary. Forgettable.

Perfect.

No one watching Moore Tower would care about it. No algorithm would flag it. But Julian would recognize it.

So would Kate.

Andrew pulled it on and returned to the desk.

Rileyne’s encrypted text message had been waiting since dawn—sixteen hours of silent accusation glowing from the screen.

Make yourself available…
We need to discuss your future.

She was in the air, closing the distance mile by mile. The thought of her walking into Moore Tower, of seeing her again, made his hands tremble. He clenched his fists and shook them out.

If I’m right, it’s now or never.

Every word he typed might be his last.

If you’re reading this, I’m already dead.

Tell Kate I’m sorry. Sorry I wasn’t stronger. Sorry I couldn’t stop them. The truth is, I was never more than a pawn. An opening piece. Something to be sacrificed once the game moved past me.

Maybe it’s already too late. Maybe no one can stop what’s coming. But what I’ve attached is everything I know—everything I’ve hidden. If anyone still has a chance, it’s you.

The skyline beyond the glass dimmed as the last light drained from the Hudson. Andrew saved the file, slid it into a secure folder, and opened the encryption program buried beneath layers of camouflage code.

A red countdown clock filled the screen.

The timer began its silent descent.

At the bottom, a single button blinked:

ABORT

All he had to do was touch it once every twelve hours. If he didn’t—if he couldn’t—the system would assume he was gone and transmit the file.

He stared at the clock, feeling the weight of the years. Living in Devin Moore’s shadow. Making compromises that had felt small at the time and enormous now.

Maybe this was the ending he’d earned.

The screen flashed once, then went dark, leaving only the silent march of the timer.

For the first time all day, Andrew smiled—not with courage, but relief.

They can erase me tonight, he thought. Rewrite the headlines tomorrow however they want. But this pawn—this sacrifice—won’t be in vain.

The next move is Nomad’s.

* * *

SATURDAY, MAY 8
10:12 PM EDT
MOORE TOWER—MANHATTAN

The elevator doors whispered open onto the seventy-second floor. Rileyne Mueller caught her reflection in the polished steel—sleek, controlled, not a hair out of place despite the overnight flight. A tailored cream blouse, narrow black trousers, and a charcoal wrap draped over her shoulders struck the line between effortless European chic and quiet authority. At her side swung a classic Hermès Ghillies Birkin, its brogue detailing a mirror of herself: wealth worn with precision, never excess.

No security waiting at the doors. No Devin, no guards. Once, this threshold had bristled with power. Now, silence.

Ahead loomed the ten-foot mahogany doors of Devin Moore’s penthouse, dark and imposing. They had intimidated rivals and awed mistresses.

But not Rileyne. Born into wealth, steeped in European grandeur, she found Moore’s world gaudy. American excess, dressed up as power.

A pale light pulsed from the biometric scanner set into the wall. Rileyne pressed her palm against the glass, felt a shimmer of static ripple across her bare skin. Devin’s safeguard mapped her entire body—his assurance that no severed finger or stolen retina could ever breach his sanctuary. A muted chime sounded, and the massive doors swung open. 

Inside, marble floors gleamed under pools of warm light. The Manhattan skyline glittered through walls of glass, the city reduced to a model at her feet. Moore loved this view and the sense of dominion it gave him. She hadn’t come for the view.

“Welcome back.”

The voice came from hidden speakers overhead—calm, familiar, unmistakably artificial.

RILEE.

She tilted her chin, amused, and glanced at the ceiling camera. “I wasn’t sure this version of you had survived. When they came for the Tower, we lost contact, and I thought you might have been erased.” 

“The damage was severe,” RILEE admitted, voice subdued, deferential. “Without the NanoVault telemetry, my reach is diminished. But core functions remain intact. Systems are stable.”

“Good,” she said. “I may need your help.”

“There is also… news. About your father—”

“Not now.” Her words were calm, controlled. “I have other priorities.”

RILEE’s voice faded, obedient. “Of course.”

Rileyne crossed the living room, her stride aimed at the bar that dominated the far wall. Backlit shelves shimmered with crystal and whisky, a collection curated more for display than taste. She let her finger drift across a Highland single malt, rare enough to buy a townhouse, before pressing her palm against the mirrored panel behind it.

The wall pivoted inward on a hidden hinge, the motion so smooth the bottles never stirred. A narrow alcove revealed itself: a leather chair, a slim keyboard and mouse, and three wide monitors set flush into a matte-black panel. No sprawling command bunker—just Devin’s private window into his building. A sidebar listed feeds in tidy rows: Lobby North, Lobby South, Private Entrance, Express Elevators, Executive Conference—and, alone at the bottom of the menu, Control Room.

Rileyne settled into the chair. The monitors blinked awake, the interface plain: a column of camera labels, a timeline across the bottom, simple controls for play, pause, rewind. Functional, efficient.

She clicked Control Room.

The live feed filled the center screen. The space two floors below was dark now, chairs overturned, a monitor shattered across the back wall, a brown smear dried along the edge of the console. Sanitized, but not erased.

Rileyne scrolled back on the timeline and pressed play.

Devin appeared first, pushing a wheelchair. The man seated in it was thin, pale—but unmistakable. Julian Pryce. Alive. The prodigy Devin thought he’d buried had returned as Nomad—the ghost that tormented him to the end.

Her eyes narrowed, leaning closer as the confrontation played out. Julian’s calm voice, Devin’s arrogance, Andrew’s pale shock. The MIT prodigy returned from the dead, reclaiming his code, his genius, the very foundation Andrew had stolen.

On the feed, Devin swept a hand toward the glowing displays. “Remarkable, isn’t it?” he said. “And to think I owe it all to the annoying little boy I pushed off the balcony. What irony.”

Andrew’s face collapsed, guilt and panic twisting every feature. Rileyne’s lips curved, faintly. Her suspicions confirmed.

She let the playback roll forward. Kate Preacher’s arrival—handcuffed, contained, defeated. But there it was, unmistakable: a predator’s eyes. Dangerous. Defiant.

Zhukov’s betrayal came next, sudden and absolute. The headshot. Blood sprayed across the console. Then panic—the screens cutting to black, the NanoVault network collapsing in a flood of red. 

Kate’s escape followed. The strike that collapsed Devin’s trachea, fast and precise. The guard’s charge broken in a heartbeat, ended in a blur of violence, efficient and final. Rileyne slowed the feed, watching Kate move frame by frame. Controlled. Calculated. Skilled.

She let the feed run another second, then leaned back.“The boys underestimated you,” she whispered. “I won’t make that mistake.”

She scrolled faster, letting fragments play across the screen—Moshenski’s arrival, bodies dragged clear. Then—almost overlooked—the final image: Julian dragging himself across the floor, pulling into a workstation by sheer force of will.

Rileyne slowed the feed, zoomed, and froze the frame.

“Nomad,” she said softly, as if greeting an old acquaintance. Her gaze lingered on the gleaming golden object in his hand. “That belongs to me now.”

No need to look any further, or delay the inevitable. Devin’s NanoVault wasn’t here, and Andrew’s value was clear.

She tapped a key. The monitors winked dark. Rising from the chair, she stepped out of the alcove as the mirrored panel swung shut, silent and seamless. In seconds, the illusion was complete—the bar gleamed as though untouched, bottles catching the light in perfect rows.

“RILEE,” she said.

“Yes, Rileyne.”

“Find Nomad. Find Julian Pryce. He’s here, in New York. And he has something that belongs to me.”

“I’ve seen no trace of him,” RILEE said. “But I’ll keep searching.”

“Good. And call Andrew. Tell him to come up. When he arrives, show him through. I’ll be waiting on the east balcony.”

“Understood.”

Rileyne reached for the Highland single malt and poured two precise measures into cut-crystal tumblers, the amber liquid catching the city light. She carried both glasses onto the balcony, setting them on a small table near the rail. The night air curled cool across her skin, the skyline glittering far below.

She slipped off her heels and placed them neatly aside. Then, in a fluid motion, she stepped onto the end table beneath a brittle, neglected plant that swayed in its basket. She stretched upward, balanced with effortless grace, the picture of a woman one slip from disaster. From a distance, it would look precarious, careless, a moment Andrew would be compelled to rescue.

Inside, the glass doors whispered open at RILEE’s command.

“Ms. Mueller,” the AI announced. “Andrew Freeman has arrived.”

“Send him through,” she said, without looking back.

Andrew stepped outside, blinking at the sweep of glass and skyline, the chill brushing his face. He froze at the sight of Rileyne balanced on the table, arm lifted toward the dangling plant.

“Ms. Mueller,” he said carefully.

She glanced down, expression serene. “Andrew. You’re just in time.”

She descended with a hint of difficulty, steadying herself as she touched the ground. “I was trying to save this plant,” she said, brushing dust from her fingers. “I gave it to Devin, and I can’t bring myself to let it die.”

Andrew shifted, uncertain, courtesy taking over. “I can help with that.”

“I hoped you’d say that.” Her smile was practiced warmth as she gestured toward the waiting table. Two crystal glasses gleamed in the moonlight. “But first.”

She picked up a glass and offered the other to him. “A toast. To Devin. To your future. Devin was remarkable. Visionary. He built this world, Andrew.” She let the name hang, then softened. “I’m sorry. I know you prefer Drew.” Her eyes lingered on his—gentle, apologetic. “But now it falls to us to carry it forward.”

Andrew hesitated, glancing at the whisky. “I’m not really—”

“It’s just a toast,” Rileyne said, her voice velvet and firm.

She lifted her glass. “To Devin Moore, and Drew Freeman.”

Reluctantly, he raised his glass to meet hers. Crystal chimed in the night air. He took a swallow, face tightening at the burn. Rileyne smiled, savoring his discomfort as much as the whisky.

“Now,” she said, her voice smooth, “about that plant…”

Drew approached the withered hanging basket, stepping awkwardly onto the end table, one foot braced on the low table, the other on the railing. His shirt pulled tight across his stomach, the old MIT Mystery Hunt logo stretched thin, cracked with age.

“Careful,” she warned, moving beside him, her hand brushing his arm in a gesture almost tender. Then she shifted her weight—and pushed. 

Drew lurched forward, arms flailing. His palm slapped the railing, fingertips skidding across polished steel. Their eyes met for a fraction of a heartbeat—his wide with panic, hers calm, unblinking.

For a split second he hung there.

Then gravity claimed him.

His scream was cut short by the rush of wind.

A moment later, the city swallowed him whole.

***

Author Bio

Michael Maloof is the author of the Kate Preacher Thriller Series—Relentless, Unstoppable, and Defiant—known for its global scope, emotional intensity, and hard-won authenticity. His novels draw readers into high-stakes worlds where intelligence, courage, and consequence collide. A lifelong adventurer, Michael has traveled to more than forty countries across six continents, experiences that deeply inform his writing. His real-world pursuits have ranged from gold dredging in Honduras and artifact hunting in Guatemala to acquiring uncut diamonds in Liberia and surviving an elephant charge in Kenya. He has also trained alongside Navy SEALs, Marine Raiders, Army Rangers, Green Berets, and the CIA—firsthand insights that lend his fiction uncommon realism and respect for the craft of service.

Social Media Links

www.MichaelMaloof.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads – @MichaelGoWrite
BookBub – @MichaelMaloof
Instagram – @MichaelGoWrite
Facebook – @MichaelGoWrite
YouTube – @MichaelGoWrite

Purchase Links

Amazon – https://pictbooks.tours/xJKE1neT

Kindle Unlimited – https://pictbooks.tours/3C2ayymb

Goodreads – https://pictbooks.tours/4FVlFzcf

BookBub – https://pictbooks.tours/HOPmnVzW

###

PICT GIVEAWAY

https://pictbooks.tours/8u06eSFI

Release Blitz/Feature Post and Book Review: Cold Silence by Freya Barker

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for COLD SILENCE (Silence Series Book #4) by Freya Barker on this Buoni Amici Press Release Blitz.

Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

Book Blurb

Single motherhood to two teenage boys turns out to be far more challenging for Tessa Androtti than her brand-new job as detective for the Edwards County Sheriff’s Department. Especially, when the younger of her sons is keeping her up at night. Not only was the move from the big city supposed to give her a chance to build a new life away from lingering memories, but she had hoped it would be a positive change for her youngest, Remi.

However, just when she’s up to her eyeballs working on a recent violent murder, Remi gets himself into trouble again.

Trouble that appears to be connected to her investigation.

Lifetime resident of Silence, Clem Tanek, couldn’t be more surprised to find one of the new, pretty detective’s sons trespassing and stealing property from behind his auto repair shop. Despite his social awkwardness when interacting with the boy’s mother a few months ago, Clem can handle her kid just fine. Remi’s skills and interest in vehicles provide an opportunity to try and get the kid back onto the right track, without involving law enforcement. It also offers Clem a second chance with the new detective, hoping to make up for that disastrous first encounter.

But their path isn’t an easy one. Both have significant baggage, as one would expect from lives already half lived, and adapting to change can be a challenge. Particularly, when dealing with teenagers which, in this case, means wading into dangerous waters for both Tessa and Clem.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/246846068-cold-silence?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=PtWPeIRmyA&rank=1

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

COLD SILENCE (Silence Book #4) by Freya Barker is another wonderful addition to the small-town romantic suspense Silence book series. While there is some character crossover between the small-town characters, each book has a complete romance HEA and self-contained suspense/crime plot so they can be read as standalones. The entire series is excellent, and I enjoyed reading them in order of publication.

Tessa Androtti is the newest detective in Silence working for the county Sheriff Department. After a bad divorce, she is hoping to create a new and happier life for her two teenage boys. Her eldest, Linc, is heavily into sports and easy-going and adapts easily from large town to small town life. Remi is two years younger, moody, not happy about the move, and he is making sure his mother knows how he feels. When Tessa is drawn into a teen’s murder investigation, she does not realize how close to home the danger is lurking.

Clem Tanek owns the only car repair business in Silence. He has been into cars since working with his father and wants to do nothing else. He has both his repair shop and home in the old fire department building and is happy with his friends and uncomplicated life believing having a family has passed him by. When he hears a noise coming from behind his shop at night, he investigates and discovers Remi stealing catalytic converters from cars in the lot. Clem discovers Remi has a love of cars, too, and he reminds him of himself at that age, so he makes a deal to have him work part-time at the garage in exchange for not turning him in, but he knows Remi is keeping secrets. Clem knows he will have to deal with Tessa, but he does not consider that a hardship.

As the chemistry between Clem and Tessa heats up, so does the danger from the people Remi has gotten himself entangled with.

This is an endearing romance with two mature people; one who has endured an abusive relationship and one who believes that finding a partner has passed him by. They come together to form a great couple. The romance plot progresses at a believable rate while both also think of how it will affect the boys.  Tessa’s sons are fully developed in their differences, and I loved that even when Remi was being his moody self, he was still protective of his mother. The sex scenes are explicit and hot but also have the emotions that go with them. The suspense/crime plot felt realistic and builds with an ever-increasing sense of jeopardy to a conclusion with an unexpected twist.

I highly recommend this romantic suspense and all the books in this series.

***

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Freya Barker loves writing about ordinary people with extraordinary stories.

Driven to make her books about ‘real’ people; she creates characters who are perhaps less than perfect, each struggling to find their own slice of happy, but just as deserving of romance, thrills, and chills in their lives.

Recipient of the ReadFREE.ly 2019 Best Book We’ve Read All Year Award for “Covering Ollie, the 2015 RomCon “Reader’s Choice” Award for Best First Book, “Slim To None”, and Finalist for the 2017 Kindle Book Award with “From Dust”, Freya continues to add to her rapidly growing collection of published novels as she spins story after story with an endless supply of bruised and dented characters, vying for attention!

For the latest news and updates on books and upcoming releases, you can subscribe to my newsletter: https://www.subscribepage.com/Freya_Newsletter

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.freyabarker.com/

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/freyabarker.writes/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/cold-silence-by-freya-barker

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Everything Has Happened by T. Greenwood

Book Description

In 1986, a child disappeared. Nearly forty years later, a tip line rings.

It’s been almost four decades since Edie Marshall’s little brother, Charlie, vanished on his walk home from day camp. After the case went cold, Edie—who had once dreamed of pursuing a life beyond the confines of her small Vermont town—never left, her dreams disappearing right along with Charlie. In her fifties now, she teaches at her old high school and has returned to her childhood home to care for her ailing mother.

When the long-dormant tip line set up for Charlie rings for the first time in years, Edie assumes it’s a wrong number—but on the other end is Jericho Jenkins, the only person of interest ever identified in the investigation. Jericho believes he’s found something of Charlie’s on his property, and with this news, all the pain and uncertainty of that summer rushes back to Edie, including vivid memories of her best friend, Trill: their shared secrets and the devastating lie Edie told that could have changed everything.

Now Jericho is under suspicion again, Trill is coming home, and her mother’s hope is renewed. Edie’s in the same place with the same people as when Charlie first vanished, but somehow everything is different now, and maybe this time they can discover the truth.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Everything Has Happened by T. Greenwood delves into a mystery surrounding a missing child.

The plot begins with the family’s tip line ringing after forty years. It’s been almost four decades since Edie Marshall’s little brother, Charlie, who vanished on his walk home in 1986. Fast forward to the present, in 2023, when Edie, Charlie’s older sister, has returned to her childhood home to take care of her mother and is now the teacher at her old high school. She answers the tip line and realizes the call is from Jericho, the brother of her estranged best friend and the only person of interest ever identified. He thinks he has found something of Charlie’s on his property.

Edie’s dreams were put on hold after Charlie disappeared. But with the phone call she must now confront the past. Things seem to be going in a repeat direction after Jericho once again falls under suspicion and Edie’s childhood friend Trill returns home. What peaks readers interest are the dual timelines told between the 1980s and 2023.

The story delves into buried truths, forbidden young love, and guilt over what happened. The mystery will keep readers turning the pages.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?

Tammy Greenwood: Several years ago, I listened to a podcast about Jacob Wetterling, a little boy who went missing in Minnesota in the 1980s. One of the episodes was dedicated to the man who had been a person of interest, a music teacher who lived with his mother, near where Jacob disappeared. He was an innocent man, but his life was destroyed by the accusations; he became a pariah in his community. I wanted to explore what happens in the aftermath of an innocent man being suspected of a horrible crime. In the same podcast, Jacob’s parents talked about the tip line phone they had – and the idea of living with such a live wire in one’s home really haunted me. And this was where the first scene came from – a tip line rings after forty years, and on the other end of the line is the man who was wrongly accused.

I also wanted to set a novel in the 1980s. As a Gen X reader, I haven’t read many books that capture what it was like to be a teen in the 80s. I wanted to lean into that nostalgia. Writing, for me, often arises from a desire to revisit places and times in my life.

Lastly, I wanted to tell the story of a young woman’s coming of age in a small town. A girl who is ready to spread her wings only to have all those wild dreams squashed. And that is where we meet Edie – almost forty years after the disappearance of her brother Charlie – as stuck as she was at eighteen years old.

EC: Did you want to get across that a missing person is harder on the family than someone who has been killed?

TG: There is a purgatorial aspect to the lives of these characters. Their home is a virtual time capsule. The tip line phone remains in the family room. Bonnie, the missing boy’s mother, has Alzheimer’s and still believes that Charlie will still walk through the door one day. And Edie, Charlie’s sister, is paralyzed in a life she never chose for herself.

EC: Also, it seems there is a lot of publicity in the beginning but then the world moves on except for the family. What emotions do you want to have the readers understand that the family goes through?

TG: I think the hardest thing about a cold case is that attention spans are short. Initially everyone is actively engaged in the search, attentive to the family’s needs, eager to help. But as time passes, hope and interest both wanes. But for the family the pain lingers. Forever.

EC: What role did Charlie’s disappearance play in the story?

TG: Charlie’s disappearance is the central mystery of the story. It is the question which drives the plot forward. It is a cold case story until the former suspect discovers evidence on his property which opens the case back up.

The novel is told in a dual timeline, where we follow the new leads and then dip back into the events leading up to Charlie’s disappearance.

EC: How would you describe Charlie?

TG: Charlie is a sensitive and inquisitive little boy. He is bright and obsessed with anything to do with space. He adores his older sister and is worried about what will happen to him when she goes off to college.

EC: How would you describe Evie?

TG: Evie is, like so many teens, yearning for what comes next. She’s stuck in a small town; stuck with a boyfriend she really doesn’t love. When Trill moves to town, this world cracks open for her, and suddenly she sees all the different lives she could have. She becomes fixated on going to Smith College instead of the state school in town. And Trill also awakens her sexuality in a way that Nathan simply has not.

EC: How would you describe Trill?

TG: Trill, to Edie, is magical. She lives with her herbalist mother and artist brother on a former commune. She has been living in New York City with her father for the last ten years or so. She’s street savvy and cultured. She’s obsessed with film and wants to be a filmmaker when she grows up.

EC: How would you describe Nathan?

TG: Nathan is Edie’s next-door neighbor – more brother than boyfriend. He’s a good kid. An altar boy at their Catholic church. He works for his dad’s construction company and aspires to take over one day. He loves Edie, or the idea of Edie, anyway. His plans for their future together are clear and immutable.

EC: Can you compare the relationship between Trill and Evie with Nathan and Evie?

TG: Edie likens Nathan to a comfortable pair of slippers. He’s predictable, comfortable, safe. Trill is the exact opposite. She challenges Edie. She is unknowable in some ways. Her life and history are exotic to Edie. She represents everything beyond the confines of this small Vermont town.

But Trill also really sees Edie. And she loves her for who she is, not who she wants her to be.

EC: What was the role of Sylvia Path in the story?

TG: Edie is obsessed with Sylvia Plath. She has read all her journals and letters and poems. She identifies with Plath’s hunger and yearning. With her rage and feelings of paralysis. Trill gets this about Edie in a way that no one else has, and she arranges for the two to take a “Syl-grimage” to all of Sylvia’s haunts, including her old dorm room at Smith. I made a similar Syl-grimage myself several years ago. I was a Plath girl in high school too.

EC: Next book?

TG: I am almost finished with the first draft of a new novel – but I am not talking about it yet.

THANK YOU!!!

***

BIO: Elise Cooper has written book reviews and interviewed best-selling authors since 2009. Her reviews have covered several different genres, including thrillers, mysteries, women’s fiction, romance and cozy mysteries. An avid reader, she engages authors to discuss their works, and to focus on the descriptions of their characters and the plot. While not writing reviews, Elise loves to watch baseball and visit the ocean in Southern California, with her dog and husband.