Today, I am excited to be on the Saint Justice Blog Tour. I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SAINT JUSTICE (Christopher Wren #1) by Mike Grist. I love reading action packed vigilante hero thrillers that let you cheer for no-holds-barred elimination of bad guys!
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
Hundreds of human cages hidden in the desert. One man with nothing to lose.
Christopher Wren pulls off I-70 after three weeks on the road and walks into a biker bar in Price, Utah. An arbitrary decision he’s about to regret.
The bikers attack Wren, leave him for dead and steal his truck.
Now he’s going to get it back.
From a secure warehouse in the desert. Ringed with fences. Filled with human cages.
As Wren digs deeper, a dark national conspiracy unravels and the body count mounts, but one thing is for sure.
SAINT JUSTICE (Christopher Wren #1) by Mike Grist is the start of a new vigilante thriller series featuring an ex-CIA operative. I love these over-the-top, action packed vigilante thrillers especially when they give me a protagonist like Christopher Wren and escapism writing where evil always loses and I cannot put the book down.
The soon to be ex-CIA operative who goes by the name of Christopher Wren has been dismantling cults, cartels and corporate conspiracies all around the world. What the company did not know is that Wren had a kept a secret life outside of his job. While working cases for the government, Wren collected a vigilante army of his own called the Foundation.
Wren is looking for a fight and he finds it at a biker bar, but they are not an average club. The Vikings are a small part of a large chain in a human trafficking organization with ulterior motives. There is nothing more abhorrent to Wren than human trafficking. He calls for help from members of the Foundation and they come without hesitation.
As Wren works to uncover the leaders of the trafficking organization, he needs all the help he can get and he finds that this may be turn out to be his last fight.
I love this genre of thrillers. Yes, the protagonist can be so wounded there is no way he can plausibly continue on, but he does. And yes, the protagonist can get out of any situation to fight again, but that is what makes them so much fun. Christopher Wren, as other heroes such as Jack Reacher and John Wick, has a moral code that can step over the legal lines, but is always on the side of justice. And do not forget, there is always a tortured past or incident that sets them on their path and a terrible injustice that they must correct or stop.
Mr. Grist has written this type of genre book perfectly with a great balance of tortured protagonist and a fast-paced plot with plenty of action, weapons, and blood. I could not put it down and cannot wait for more adventures with Wren.
I highly recommend this vigilante thriller with a great, new protagonist – Christopher Wren!
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Aboutthe Author
Mike Grist is the British/American author of the Christopher Wren thriller series. For 11 years Mike lived in Tokyo, Japan, exploring and photographing the dark side of the city and the country: gangs, cults and abandonedplaces. Now he writes from London, UK, about rogue DELTA operator Christopher Wren – an anti-hero vigilante who uses his off-book team of ex-cons to bring brutal payback for dark crimes.
Today I am on the blog tour and sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for LITTLE FALLS by Elizabeth Lewes.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
She tried to forget the horrors of war–but her quiet hometown conceals a litany of new evils.
Sergeant Camille Waresch did everything she could to forget Iraq. She went home to Eastern Washington and got a quiet job. She connected with her daughter, Sophie, whom she had left as a baby. She got sober. But the ghosts of her past were never far behind.
While conducting a routine property tax inspection on an isolated ranch, Camille discovers a teenager’s tortured corpse hanging in a dilapidated outbuilding. In a flash, her combat-related PTSD resurges–and in her dreams, the hanging boy merges with a young soldier whose eerily similar death still haunts her. The case hits home when Sophie reveals that the victim was her ex-boyfriend–and as Camille investigates, she uncovers a tangled trail that leads to his jealous younger brother and her own daughter, wild, defiant, and ensnared.
The closer Camille gets to the truth, the closer she is driven to the edge. Her home is broken into. Her truck is blown up. Evidence and witnesses she remembers clearly are erased. And when Sophie disappears, Camille’s hunt for justice becomes a hunt for her child. At a remote compound where the terrifying truth is finally revealed, Camille has one last chance to save her daughter–and redeem her own shattered soul.
Little Falls by Elizabeth Lewes is an intense debut suspense/thriller/mystery mash-up from this author and I would be interested in seeing it become a series. I was pulled right into the story which not only has plenty of action and suspense, but it is seen by the reader through the eyes of the main character who is still suffering from PTSD after returning from service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Camille Waresch returned to her small hometown in Eastern Washington after serving several tours as a frontline medic. She is trying to connect with her teenage daughter who grew up with Camille’s parents while she was overseas and is always angry with her, deal with her PTSD and keep her job as a county property tax inspector. Her father also left her the local gas mart as a permanent income and place to live about the shop.
While doing a routine property tax inspection, Camille discovers a badly tortured young boy hung by barbwire in a barn. She immediately has a severe PTSD flashback to a similar scene from her time in Iraq. The two victims merge in her dreams and she does not know if she can trust her memories, but the dead boy was her daughter’s boyfriend and she becomes involved in the investigation over the concerns of her childhood friend, Sergeant Darren Moses.
The closer Camille gets to the truth the more danger she is in. The gas mart is broken into, her truck in blown up and evidence she discovers for Darren disappears. The two cases, past and present converge. Her daughter disappears and she has one last chance to save her daughter and herself.
I love a protagonist like Camille when they are trying to be “normal”, but everyone and everything is against them. I feel the author did a great job of portraying her PTSD, difficulty in returning to civilian life and the inability to tell if Camille was telling the truth, remembering something from the past or having false memories. The plot moves at a fast pace between past and present and occasionally I was confused because you are only viewing everything through Camille’s eyes. I am hoping Ms. Lewes picks up these characters again in future books because I think there is still so much she can do with Camille and the other secondary characters.
I recommend this debut suspense/thriller/mystery and I am hoping for more.
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About Elizabeth Lewes
Elizabeth Lewes is a U.S. Navy veteran who served during Operation Enduring Freedom as a linguist. A practicing attorney, she resides in Seattle with her family.
Today is once again my turn on the Harlequin Trade Publishing Mystery & Thriller 2020 Summer Reads Blog Tour. I am excited to share my Feature Post and Book Review for LIES, LIES, LIES by Adele Parks.
Below you will find an author Q&A, a book summary, my book review, an excerpt from the book and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Author Q&A
Q: Please give an elevator pitch for Lies, Lies, Lies.
A: Daisy and Simon’s marriage is great. Isn’t it? After years together, the arrival of longed-for daughter Millie sealed everything in place. A happy little family of three. But Simon drinks too much and one night at a party, things spiral horribly out of control. The consequences are horrific, their little family of three will never be the same again. Lies Lies Lies explores the darkest corners of a relationship in freefall as lies are exposed and secrets will not stay hidden. A domestic noir with themes such as addiction, jealousy and secrecy raging throughout.
Q: Which came first: the characters or plot line?
A: The two things are intrinsically linked and need to work together, but for me it is nearly always plot line that comes first, a hare’s breath before characters. My domestic noir or psychological thrillers (call it what you will!) are dependent on reveals, rug-pulls and twists. They only work if the author is confident about where the plot is going from the beginning. That way every word written works harder. If the author is making it up as they go along in this genre it can get complicated at best, farcical at worst! So, I had a plot. Then I thought, ‘which people in the entire world would this be most devastating for?’ At that point I draw my characters. The same circumstances that Daisy and Simon endure would have a different outcome if they didn’t have particular character traits.
Q: Why do you love Daisy and why should readers root for her?
A: Honestly, hand in the air, time to confess – Daisy is tricky to love to start with. She’s reserved, closed, a little judgemental. However, the more you get to know her, the more you’ll understand she’s incredibly resilient, has a strong moral compass, an incredible sense of loyalty and is a fiercely strong mom! All great qualities.
Q: What was your last 5 star read?
A: The Guest List by Lucy Foley This is a classic whodunit? Set on a beautiful windswept Irish island, the Wedding of the Year is about to take place between beautiful fashion-forwards magazine editor Jules Keegan and her TV star finance Will Slater. The novel shimmers with tension: past rivalries, family rifts and barely disguised grudges. The cake has just been cut when a body is found. As a storm is raging, no one can get on or off the island, so which of the guests is the murderer and who is dead? It’s tense, brilliantly paced and keeps the reader guessing!
Q: What is one thing about publishing you wish someone would have told you?
A: It is an industry for the kind and patient. That is a great thing, right? Two fabulous qualities. Nearly everyone I’ve ever met in publishing has been genuinely lovely, with a sincere passion for their work, good intentions and big hearts. However, it is not a speedy industry! I worked in a global management consultancy before I became a published novelist and was used to a very fast pace in my working life. Publishing is generally rather sedate. I hope I am known for my kindness, but I doubt I am known for my patience! I’m so glad that my last three books have been published by HarperCollins. Luckily for me, they are an incredibly nimble publishing house, not only responsive and reactive, but proactive too.
Q: Can you tell us what you’re working on now?
A: The next novel of mine that will hit the States is a novel called Just My Luck. It’s about – a lottery win so big, it changes everything for a group of friends who learn to understand what money can, can’t should and definitely should not buy!
For fifteen years, Lexi and Jake have played the same six numbers with their friends, the Pearsons and the Heathcotes. Over dinner parties, fish & chip suppers and summer barbecues, they’ve discussed the important stuff – the kids, marriages, jobs and houses – and they’ve laughed off their disappointment when they failed to win anything more than a tenner.
But then, one Saturday night, the unthinkable happens. There’s a rift in the group. Someone doesn’t tell the truth. And soon after, six numbers come up which change everything forever.
Lexi and Jake have a ticket worth £18 million. And their friends are determined to claim a share of it.A look at the dark side of wealth, in this gripping take on friendship, money, betrayal, and good luck gone bad…
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Book Summary
LIES LIES LIES (MIRA Trade Paperback; August 4, 2020; $17.99) centers on the story of Simon and Daisy Barnes. To the outside world, Simon and Daisy look like they have a perfect life. They have jobs they love, an angelic, talented daughter, a tight group of friends… and they have secrets too. Secrets that will find their way to the light, one way or the other.
Daisy and Simon spent almost a decade hoping for the child that fate cruelly seemed to keep from them. It wasn’t until, with their marriage nearly in shambles and Daisy driven to desperation, little Millie was born. Perfect in every way, healing the Barnes family into a happy unit of three. Ever indulgent Simon hopes for one more miracle, one more baby. But his doctor’s visit shatters the illusion of the family he holds so dear.
Now, Simon has turned to the bottle to deal with his revelation and Daisy is trying to keep both of their secrets from spilling outside of their home. But Daisy’s silence and Simon’s habit begin to build until they set off a catastrophic chain of events that will destroy life as they know it.
Lies, Lies, Lies by Adele Parks is a domestic noir/psychological thriller that managed to surprise me with several plot twists. I have not had an easy time with this genre lately and been in a slump, but I was pleasantly surprised with this story.
Daisy and Simon were married young along with their circle of friends. While their friends started having families, Daisy and Simon had difficulty getting pregnant. Finally, after years of trying they were blessed with a beautiful baby girl they named Millie.
Their family of three was perfect in every way, so when Millie turned five-years-old, Simon asked Daisy if they could try for another child. Daisy does not want another child, but she will not tell Simon why. Simon’s drinking has been a problem and it is only getting worse. As they argue on their way home from a party with friends where Simon has once again been drinking and out of control, they are in an auto accident that will change the happy little family of three forever.
This is a tale of a marriage that has each partner keeping secrets that lead to lies that ultimately poison the relationship and after a tragedy, the marriage implodes. Ms. Parks does an excellent job of keeping the reader engaged with plot twists that can completely change their perspectives. I feel she also does an excellent job of describing the fall from functional alcoholic to nonfunctioning. Yes, most of the problems, except for Simon’s alcoholism could have been solved if they just told the truth as problems occurred, but that does not happen until “The End”.
I recommend this domestic noir/psychological thriller.
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Excerpt
Prologue
May 1976
Simon was six years old when he first tasted beer.
He was bathed and ready for bed wearing soft pyjamas, even though it was light outside; still early. Other kids were in the street, playing on their bikes, kicking a football. He could hear them through the open window, although he couldn’t see them because the blinds were closed. His daddy didn’t like the evening light glaring on the TV screen, his mummy didn’t like the neighbours looking in; keeping the room dark was something they agreed on.
His mummy didn’t like a lot of things: wasted food, messy bedrooms, Daddy driving too fast, his sister throwing a tantrum in public. Mummy liked ‘having standards’. He didn’t know what that meant, exactly. There was a standard-bearer at Cubs; he was a big boy and got to wave the flag at the front of the parade, but his mummy didn’t have a flag, so it was unclear. What was clear was that she didn’t like him to be in the street after six o’clock. She thought it was common. He wasn’t sure what common was either, something to do with having fun. She bathed him straight after tea and made him put on pyjamas, so that he couldn’t sneak outside.
He didn’t know what his daddy didn’t like, just what he did like. His daddy was always thirsty and liked a drink. When he was thirsty he was grumpy and when he had a drink, he laughed a lot. His daddy was an accountant and like to count in lots of different ways: “a swift one’, “a cold one’, and ‘one more for the road’. Sometimes Simon though his daddy was lying when he said he was an accountant; most likely, he was a pirate or a wizard. He said to people, “Pick your poison’, which sounded like something pirates might say, and he liked to drink, “the hair of a dog’ in the morning at the weekends, which was definitely a spell. Simon asked his mummy about it once and she told him to stop being silly and never to say those silly things outside the house.
He had been playing with his Etch A Sketch, which was only two months old and was a birthday present. Having seen it advertised on TV, Simon had begged for it, but it was disappointing. Just two silly knobs making lines that went up and down, side to side. Limited. Boring. He was bored. The furniture in the room was organised so all of it was pointing at the TV which was blaring but not interesting. The news. His parents liked watching the news, but he didn’t. His father was nursing a can of the grown ups’ pop that Simon was never allowed. The pop that smelt like nothing else, fruity and dark and tempting.
“Can I have a sip?” he asked.
“Don’t be silly, Simon,” his mother interjected. “You’re far too young. Beer is for daddies.” He thought she said ‘daddies’, but she might have said ‘baddies’.
His father put the can to his lips, glared at his mother, cold. A look that said, “Shut up woman, this is man’s business.” His mother had blushed, looked away as though she couldn’t stand to watch, but she held her tongue. Perhaps she thought the bitterness wouldn’t be to his taste, that one sip would put him off. He didn’t like the taste. But he enjoyed the collusion. He didn’t know that word then, but he instinctively understood the thrill. He and his daddy drinking grown ups’ pop! His father had looked satisfied when he swallowed back the first mouthful, then pushed for a second. He looked almost proud. Simon tasted the aluminium can, the snappy biting bitter bubbles and it lit a fuse.
After that, in the mornings, Simon would sometimes get up early, before Mummy or Daddy or his little sister, and he’d dash around the house before school, tidying up. He’d open the curtains, empty the ashtrays, clear away the discarded cans. Invariably his mother went to bed before his father. Perhaps she didn’t want to have to watch him drink himself into a stupor every night, perhaps she hoped denying him an audience might take away some of the fun for him, some of the need. She never saw just how bad the place looked by the time his father staggered upstairs to bed. Simon knew it was important that she didn’t see that particular brand of chaos.
Occasionally there would be a small amount of beer left in one of the cans. Simon would slurp it back. He found he liked the flat, forbidden, taste just as much as the fizzy hit of fresh beer. He’d throw open a window, so the cigarette smoke and the secrets could drift away. When his mother came downstairs, she would smile at him and thank him for tidying up.
“You’re a good boy, Simon,” she’d say with some relief. And no idea.
When there weren’t dregs to be slugged, he sometimes opened a new can. Threw half of it down his throat before eating his breakfast. His father never kept count.
Some people say their favourite smell is freshly baked bread, others say coffee or a campfire. From a very young age, few scents could pop Simon’s nerve endings like the scent of beer.
Adele Parks was born in Teesside, North-East England. Her first novel, Playing Away, was published in 2000 and since then she’s had seventeen international bestsellers, translated into twenty-six languages, including I Invited Her In. She’s been an Ambassador for The Reading Agency and a judge for the Costa. She’s lived in Italy, Botswana and London, and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey, with her husband, teenage son and cat.
Today I am posting for Blackthorn Book Tours Presents blog tour. My Feature Post and Book Review is for COME JOIN THE MURDER by Holly Rae Garcia.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. This is a poignant and dark murder thriller that kept me turning the pages.
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BookBlurb
“This is a novel I would read and reread and recommend to others. Fans of vigilante and desperado revenge will delight in this horror story.” — Horror Tree.
Rebecca Crow’s four-year-old son is dead, and her husband is missing.
Divers find her husband’s car at the bottom of a canal with their son’s small, lifeless body, inside. The police have no suspects and nothing to go on but a passing mention of a man driving a van. Guilt and grief cloud Rebecca’s thoughts as she stumbles towards her only mission: Revenge.
James Porter knows exactly what happened to them, but he’ll do anything to keep it a secret.
James didn’t plan to kill Rebecca’s son, but he’s not too broken up about it, either. There are more important things for him to worry about. He needs money, and his increasing appetite for murder is catching the attention of a nosy detective.
COME JOIN THE MURDER by Holly Rae Garcia is a short, poignant and dark crime thriller by a new author that kept me turning the pages. Graphic and at times difficult to read, I still could not put it down until I knew the final resolution for the dual narrators.
Rebecca Crow and her husband, Jon tried for a long time to have a child. Now Oliver is four years old and a miniature copy of her husband. Rebecca stays home to catch up on work as her husband and Oliver head to the beach for the day. On the way home, their car has a flat. After calling AAA and Rebecca, she agrees to wait for them at the car repair shop, but they never show up.
Her husband’s car is found at the bottom of the canal with her son’s body inside. Her husband’s body is missing. Guilt and grief take over Rebecca’s every thought and all she can focus on is revenge against the person in the old van who destroyed her family.
James Porter did not plan to kill Rebecca’s son, but he is not feeling any guilt over it either. James needs money and he is finding it increasingly easier to kill to get it. As James’ trail of bodies begins to draw attention from a nosy detective, he also realizes someone else may be looking for him and his van.
Rebecca and James are dual narrators throughout this short novel. Rebecca is twisted by the pain, regret and loss she now endures into a woman seeking revenge and believing she can find some closure. James is a taker who finds he increasingly enjoys the kill. The plot spirals into a psychological thriller that leaves you comparing the two and finding that both may have started differently, but are they now truly different? This story has graphic violence, but I never felt it was gratuitous because it was demonstrated by both main characters.
I feel this is a gripping story of grief and murder that I find I cannot quit thinking about and analyzing.
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Author Bio
Holly Rae Garcia’s debut novel, Come Join the Murder, was released on March 27th, 2020 by Close to the Bone Publishing (UK). Her short fiction has been published by Siren’s Call, The Bookends Review, Rue Scribe, Pen to Print, The Australian Writers’ Centre, and Trembling With Fear along with a few anthologies. Holly lives on the Texas Coast with her family and five dogs.
Today is my turn on the Deadly Vengeance Blog Tour. I am very excited to be sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for DEADLY VENGEANCE (Detective Jane Phillips Book #3) by O.M.J. Ryan. I love this series!
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
Some people can never escape their past.
When the fifteen-year-old daughter of UK munitions dealer, Sir Richard Hawkins vanishes without a trace – the race is on to find her. But Sir Richard and his wife’s worst fears are realised when they receive a video of Hollie, tied to a chair, with a masked man holding a gun to her head.
The ransom demands are simple, pay four million pounds in cash – or they’ll never see their daughter again. DCI Jane Phillips is assigned to the case, and has no idea of who, or what she’s up against. But as the investigation unfolds, it becomes clear Hollie’s kidnapping was the work of a formidable gang – who operate in the shadows and will stop at nothing to get what they want.
As the pressure mounts, can Phillips and the team find Hollie before it’s too late? Or will this investigation signal not only the death of the Major Crimes Unit, but one of her beloved team, as well?
DEADLY VENGEANCE (Detective Jane Phillips Book #3) by O.M.J. Ryan is the latest suspense/thriller/ British police procedural in the DCI Jane Phillips series. I love this series and am always very happy to return to Manchester with Jane and all her teammates.
Holly Hawkins is kidnapped from a Halloween party at her parent’s country club. It was a precision job with no clues left behind. Her parents receive a video of a terrified Holly stating her father has exactly one week to get four million pounds together for the ransom drop with no excuses or Holly will be killed.
DCI Phillips and her team are assigned the case, but they also have to deal with a Hostage Negotiator from the Met who wants all the glory without doing any of the work. Every clue ends in a dead end and the money must be dropped.
Will Jane and her team be able to find Holly as the pressure mounts, or will they be too late? And when they finally have a chance to solve the kidnapping, one of Jane’s team may not see it to the end.
There are a few British police procedural series that I absolutely have to keep up with and they are Angela Marsons’ Kim Stone series, Robert Brynzda’s Erika Foster series and O.M.J. Ryan’s Jane Phillips is the third. Mr. Ryan has created wonderful characters that could walk right off the page. His plots are always intricate and the investigations intriguing. This book, as the rest, can be read as a standalone because the main plot/crime is always solved in each book, but the characters grow and evolve so in my opinion it is more satisfying to read them in order.
I highly recommend this book and the entire Detective Jane Phillips series!
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Aboutthe Author
Hailing from Yorkshire, OMJ Ryan worked in radio and entertainment for over twenty years, collaborating with household names and accumulating a host of international writing and radio awards. In 2018 he followed his passion to become a full-time novelist, writing stories for people who devour exciting, fast-paced thrillers by the pool, on their commute – or those rare moments of downtime before bed. Owen’s mission is to entertain from the first page to the last.
Deadly Vengeance is the third Detective Jane Phillips book in the series and OMJ’s fourth book with Inkubator Books.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for NO ONE SAW by Beverly Long. This is the second police procedural crime thriller featuring Detective A.L. McKittridge.
Below you will find an author Q&A, a book summary, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Author Q&A
1. Do you have any favorite authors?
There are authors that I routinely check to see if they have new books available. They include Ann Patchett, Kristin Hannah, and Lee Child.
2. For readers who haven’t tried your books yet, how do you think your editor or loyal readers would describe your books?
The feedback I’ve received from readers is that they enjoy my books because there’s a nice balance between suspense and character development. In TEN DAYS GONE and NO ONE SAW, the focus is the investigation of the crime. But along the way, the reader gets to know the two detectives, A.L. McKittridge and his partner, Rena Morgan.
3. Do your books have to be read in order or can they be read as standalones?
Over the years, I’ve written a number of books that have been branded as a series. However, every book has been written so that it could be read as a standalone. I personally really like to read within a series. I like starting with book one in the series and moving forward. So, that would be my suggestion but it’s not absolutely necessary.
4. Where did the inspiration for this story come from?
I’m not sure inspiration is the right word but I am always interested in the concept of family. What makes a family? What will break a family? What secrets will family keep? How does a family change when new people are added to it? In NO ONE SAW, I wanted to write a story where a family is stretched to its very limits when a child is suddenly missing and family, the people you should lean upon the most in these circumstances, are all suspects.
5. Will there be another book in this series?
That’s the plan. I’m currently working on the third book in the A.L. McKittridge series.
6. How do you maintain continuity in a continuing series? Do you keep charts or anything like that to remember from book to book?
No charts but I keep a list of characters, their relationship to others, as well as any mentions of specific places. I keep too much in my head and I spend too much time rechecking things from previous books in an effort to maintain consistency. I am constantly looking for new ways to be better at this.
7. Do you prefer to extensively plot your stories, or do you write them as they come to you?
I wouldn’t say that I plot extensively, but I certainly have a general idea of where the story is going before I start writing. Because I write suspense and police procedurals, it’s important that my stories unfold in a logical manner. Otherwise, the reader can get frustrated. Thus, that part of the story is pretty well mapped out in advance. The character development is more organic and sometimes I surprise myself at the direction the story takes. For example, when I started writing TEN DAYS GONE, I knew that I needed to give Tess Lyons, the next potential victim, a persuasive reason not to care what happened to her. That was necessary for the storyline to work. I didn’t know what that persuasive reason was going to be until I was almost halfway through the first draft.
8. Which character do you most relate to and why?
I relate to both of the lead characters in different ways. For A.L., his trials with his teenage daughter are fun for me (and perhaps somewhat cathartic) because I’ve had teenage daughters. For Rena, she’s a woman trying to balance work, a husband, and an extended family. She wants to make good decisions about everything. Been there, done that.
9. What has been the defining moment in your career that made you think “Yes, I am now a writer!”?
Early in my career, I sold a couple books but then there was a period of years where I wasn’t able to sell. I didn’t give up. I kept writing. I finished four manuscripts during this time. That’s when I knew for sure. Ultimately, I started selling again and I was very glad I had built up an inventory of work because I was able to meet the demands of a publisher who was very interested in getting my stories into the hands of readers.
10. What advantages or challenges does a writer in your genre face in today’s fiction market?
When writing thrillers and specifically police procedurals, technology and our ever-increasing instant access to data can quickly derail a storyline. No longer can a character realistically remain in the dark too long without the reader impatiently thinking “why not just look that up on your phone?”
11. What can you tell us about your next project?
Detectives A.L. McKittridge and Rena Morgan are back at it. This time it’s personal for A.L. because the murder victim is someone he knows and his father and his Uncle Joe are both suspects.
12. Has quarantine been better or worse for your writing?
Early on during quarantine, I wasn’t writing as much as usual. I spent too much time watching and reading the news. But after a while, I was able to do less of that and get back into a routine of writing every day. I really do miss taking my laptop to a coffee shop and look so forward to the days when I can do that again.
13. What was your last 5 star read?
I had the pleasure of joining a book club several years ago and, as a result, have had the opportunity to read books that would likely not have otherwise made it to my bedside table. For example, I read, Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of HUGUETTE CLARK and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by authors Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell, Jr. The story was fascinating and so different than anything I normally read.
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Book Summary
Detective team A.L. McKittridge and Rena Morgan are back on their beat after solving the brutal Baywood serial killings, but crime doesn’t rest for long in their small Wisconsin town. In book two of Beverly Long’s electrifying A.L. McKittridge series, NO ONE SAW (MIRA Mass Market Paperback; June 30, 2020; $7.99), a child seemingly vanishes from a day care into thin air and A.L. and Rena must race to bring her home before time runs out.
Baywood police department detective A.L. McKittridge is no stranger to tough cases, but when five-year-old Emma Whitman disappears from her day care, there isn’t a single shred of evidence to go on. There are no witnesses, no trace of where she might have gone. There’s only one thing A.L. and his partner, Rena Morgan, are sure of—somebody is lying.
With the clock ticking, A.L. and Rena discover their instincts are correct: all is not as it seems. The Whitmans are a family with many secrets, and A.L. and Rena must untangle a growing web of lies if they’re going to find the thread that leads them to Emma… before it’s too late.
NO ONE SAW (A.L. McKittridge Book #2) by Beverly Long is the latest police procedural thriller featuring Det. A.L. McKittridge and his partner Det. Rena Morgan of the Baywood, Wisconsin. This book can be read as a standalone as far as the crime plot, but I found that I do want to go back to read the first book and catch-up with the main character’s relationships.
Det. A.L. McKittridge is just back from a long deserve vacation and immediately called in by his partner, Det. Rena Morgan about a missing 5-year-old child from her daycare. The grandmother who dropped her off and the daycare teacher of her class both are credible, but the child is still missing with no witnesses. As the town searches and the clock is ticking, A.L. and Rena start at the beginning with everyone involved and the one thing they are sure of is someone is lying.
I really enjoyed A.L. and Rena and all the characters in their lives. They are characters that I definitely want to follow into future books. (I am going back to read book #1 to fill in more of their personal lives that I missed.) The disappearance is every parents’ nightmare and I felt the emotions and revelations of secrets during the investigation is well done. I felt the final twist that solves the crime was deux ex machina which lowered the satisfaction for me. I did feel this was an easy to read thriller with memorable characters that I found entertaining.
I will be following A.L. and Rena on future adventures.
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Excerpt
One
With a week’s worth of mail in one hand, A.L. McKittridge unlocked his apartment door with the other. Then he dragged his carry-on suitcase inside, almost tripping over Felix, who had uncharacteristically left his spot by the window where the late afternoon sun poured in. He tossed the collection of envelopes and free weekly newspapers onto his kitchen table and bent down to scratch his cat. “You must have missed me,” he said. “Wasn’t Rena nice to you?”
His partner had sent a text every day. Always a picture. Felix eating. Felix taking a dump. Felix giving himself a bath. No messages. Just visual confirmation that all was well while he was off in sunny California, taking a vacation for the first time in four years.
I can take care of your damn cat, she’d insisted. And while he hadn’t wanted to bother her because she’d have plenty to do picking up the slack at work, she was the only one he felt he could ask. His ex-wife Jacqui would have said no. His just turned seventeen-year-old daughter, Traci, would have been willing but he hadn’t liked the idea of her coming round to an empty apartment on her own.
Baywood, Wisconsin—population fifty thousand and change—was generally pretty safe but he didn’t believe in taking chances. Not with Traci’s safety. She’d been back in school for just a week. Her senior year. How the hell was that even possible? College was less than a year away.
No wonder his knees ached. He was getting old.
Or maybe it was flying coach for four hours. But the trip had been worth it. Tess had wanted to see the ocean. Wanted to face her nemesis, she’d claimed. And she’d been a champ. Had stood on the beach where less than a year earlier, she’d almost died after a shark had ripped off a sizable portion of her left arm. Had lifted her pretty face to the wind and stared out into the vast Pacific.
She hadn’t surfed. Said she wasn’t ready for that yet. But he was pretty confident that she’d gotten the closure that she’d been looking for. She’d slept almost the entire flight home, her head resting on A.L.’s shoulder. On the hour-plus drive from Madison to Baywood, she’d been awake but quiet. When he’d dropped her off at her house, she hadn’t asked him in.
He wasn’t offended. He’d have said no anyway. After a week together, they could probably both benefit from a little space. Their relationship was just months old and while the sex was great and the conversation even better, neither of them wanted to screw it up by jumping in too fast or too deep.
Now he had groceries to buy and laundry to do. It was back to work tomorrow. He grabbed the handle of his suitcase and was halfway down the hall when his cell rang. He looked at the number. Rena. Probably wanted to make sure he was home and Felix-watch was over. “McKittridge,” he answered.
“Where are you?”
“Home.”
“Oh, thank God.”
He let go of his suitcase handle. Something was wrong. “What’s up?” he asked.
“We’ve got a missing kid. Five-year-old female. Lakeside Learning Center.”
Missing kid. Fuck. He glanced at his watch. Just after 6:00. That meant they had less than two hours of daylight left. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
The Lakeside Learning Center on Oak Avenue had a fancier name than building. It was a two-story building with brown clapboard siding on the first floor and tan vinyl siding on the second. There wasn’t a lake in sight.
The backyard was fenced with something a bit nicer than chain link but not much. Inside the fence was standard playground equipment: several small plastic playhouses, a sandbox on legs and a swing set. The building was located at the end of the block in a mixed-use zone. Across from the front door and on the left were single-person homes. To the right, directly across Wacker Avenue, was a sandwich shop, and kitty-corner was a psychic who could only see the future on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
A.L. took all this in as he beached his SUV in a no parking zone. Stepped over the yellow tape and made a quick stop to sign in with the cop who was at the door.
everybody who entered and exited the crime scene.
Once he was inside, his first impression was that the inside was much better than the outside. The interior had been gutted, erasing all signs that this had once been the downstairs of a 1960s two-story home. There was a large open space to his right. On the far wall hung a big-screen television and on the wall directly opposite the front door were rows of shelves, four high, stacked with books, games and small toys.
It was painted in a cheery yellow and white and the floor was a light gray tile. There was plenty of natural light coming through the front windows. The hallway he was standing in ran the entire length of the building and ended in a back door.
There was a small office area to his left. The door was open and there was a desk with a couple guest chairs. The space looked no bigger than ten feet by ten feet and was currently empty.
He sent Rena a text. Here.
A door at the far end of the hallway opened and Rena and a woman, middle-aged and white, dressed in khaki pants and a dark green button-down shirt, appeared. Rena waved at him and led the woman in his direction. “This is my partner, Detective McKittridge,” she said to the woman. She looked at A.L. “Alice Quest. Owner and director of Lakeside Learning Center.”
A.L. extended a hand to the woman. She shook it without saying anything.
“If you can excuse us,” Rena said to the woman. “I’d like to take a minute and bring Detective McKittridge up to speed.”
Alice nodded and stepped into the office. She pulled the door shut but not all the way. Rena motioned for A.L. to follow her. She crossed the big room and stopped under the television.
“What do we have?” he asked.
“Emma Whitman is a five-year-old female who has attended Lakeside Learning Center for the last two years. Her grandmother, Elaine Broadstreet, drops her off on Mondays and Wednesdays between 7:15 and 7:30.”
Today was Wednesday. “Did that happen today?”
“I have this secondhand, via her son-in-law who spoke to her minutes before I got here. It did.”
The hair on the back of A.L.’s neck stood up. When Traci had been little, she’d gone to day care. Not at Lakeside Learning Center. Her place had been bigger. “How many kids are here?” he asked.
“Forty. No one younger than three. No one older than five. They have two rooms, twenty kids to a room. Threes and early fours in one room. Older fours and fives in the other. Two staff members in each room. So four teachers. And a cook who works a few hours midday. And then there’s Alice. She fills in when a staff member needs a break or if someone is ill.”
Small operation. That didn’t mean bad. “Where are the other staff?”
“Majority of the kids get picked up by 5:30. According to Alice, she covers the center by herself from 5:30 to 6:00 most days to save on payroll costs. Emma Whitman is generally one of the last ones to be picked up. Everybody else was gone tonight and she’d already locked the outside door around 5:45 when the father pulled up and pounded on the door. At first, she assumed that somebody else had already picked up Emma. But once Troy called his wife and the grandmother, the only other people allowed to pick her up, she called Kara Wiese, one of Emma’s teachers, who said that Emma hadn’t been there all day. That was the first time Alice had thought about the fact that the parents had not reported an absence. She’d been covering for an ill staff member in the classroom that Emma is not assigned to.”
Beverly Long’s writing career has spanned more than two decades and twenty novels, including TEN DAYS GONE, the first book of her A.L. McKittridge series. She writes romantic suspense with sexy heroes and smart heroines. She can often be found with her laptop in a coffee shop with a cafe au lait and anything made with dark chocolate by her side.
