Suspense/Thriller – Page 8 – Avonna Loves Genres

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Dead Line by Marc Cameron

Book Description

In the White Mountain Wilderness of Interior Alaska, twenty-four-year-old protected witness Sam Lujan is lonely for his old life. So much so, the young Apache not only breaks the cardinal rule of the Witness Protection Program—by revealing his whereabouts to his mother, he invites her to join him to see the Northern Lights. It’s her lifelong dream. No worries. It’ll be safe.

When Deputy U.S. Marshals Arliss Cutter and Lola Teariki discover Sam has gone missing, they’re asked to make a quick trip into the remote wild to make sure the witness is indeed protected. But there’s no such thing as a quick trip. Not when they’re plunging headlong into the frozen unknown at fifty-eight degrees below zero. And not when they aren’t the only ones searching. Valeria Kot, the vengeful daughter of the criminal Sam testified against, has been waiting and watching for years for just the opportunity to strike back. She’s found it—and has dispatched a sadistic hit squad to make sure Sam pays in the most savage way possible.

Once Arliss and Lola reach the trailhead it doesn’t take long for them to realize they’re dealing with more than a witness who’s broken protocol. Tracks in the snow and tell-tale signs signal an armed team—one that’s already a step ahead of them. For Arliss and Lola, and a desperate mother and son on the run, the death-defying, frigid temperatures are the least of their worries.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Dead Line by Marc Cameron, a former US Marshal, is very realistic. This is no surprise considering he draws upon his past experiences to create riveting storylines.

This story has Deputy U.S. Marshals Arliss Cutter and Lola Teariki chasing multiple killers. Royce Decker, a former member of the St. Louis Metro PD, is on the run in Alaska for hiring a hit man to kill his pregnant wife. Also, there is Butch Pritchard, a killer-for-hire, who ruthlessly killed the woman and her unborn baby. While this is going on, a mob hit squad is heading into their area to take out a snitch in witness protection.

Besides pursuing these killers, Cutter and Teariki must contend with the Alaskan weather. Readers feel the wind chill factor with Cameron’s vivid descriptions along with the frigid coldness that has the temperature falling to minus seventy-two degrees.

Along with these plotlines, readers get more of Cutter’s backstory. He is now trying to come to terms with his estranged mother, Ursula, who left him with his grandfather when he was five years old. She has now suddenly appeared and has hit him with a new revelation. There is also the continuing saga of how Mim, Cutter’s late brother’s wife, and he are trying to forge a relationship. Then there is the relationship between Cutter and his partner Lola who he looks upon as a daughter, yet realizes she is too impulsive and may need to take a step back before she reacts.

All of this makes for a wonderful story that has personal relationships which humanize the characters. But not to be forgotten is the intense action that will have readers quickly turning the pages.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: The idea for the story?

Marc Cameron: About 25 years ago I was on a training mission with the tactical tracking unit. It is like a real SWAT team that we operate in the woods. This happened right after I moved to Alaska.

EC: Did you get the ideas for weather playing a role in the story from your experiences?

MC: Yes. When I was working there it was winter. There was a case where the Marshals drove through Fairbanks, and the sign said 58 degrees below. As we drove North it got colder. Having spent 4 days in a cabin and deployed from it in snow machines, we learned about wind chill. Plus, the scene when I had Lola fall through the ice was realistic. I have been out on the lake ice. There is a time when people should not go out because of the cracking underneath their feet. There were times I had to chase people across the ice and thought ‘this is pretty dangerous.’

EC: Did you ever fall through the ice?

MC: I have never fallen through the ice. But I did jump through a hole in the ice to know what it is like and to learn how to get out. Falling through the ice in a river is dangerous because of the current. The key to falling through the ice on a lake is for people to relax and swim their way out, kicking their feet up, to come out of the water like a seal. It is doable if someone does not panic.

EC: Did you ever track human traffickers, one of the plot lines in this story?

MC: I have dealt with lots of human trafficking. When I first moved to Alaska in 1991 there was a bunch of exotic dancers who were pimped out and trafficked by the Russian mob. I take bits of pieces of cases I worked on.

EC: What about tracking law enforcement criminals, the other plot line?

MC: There is a whole new set of dangers to be aware of when trying to find a fugitive that is former law enforcement or former military Online there is so much out there we now assume people have a lot of skills.

EC: How would you describe Alriss’s mom, Ursula?

MC: She has secrets, can be fearless, and he has a lot of her personality. She left her sons when they were young and now Arliss has found out he has a stepsister. She is imperfect. When she was younger Ursula realized she was not going to be a good mother for her sons. Now she is trying. She was never evil.

EC: What about the Mim/Cutter relationship?

MC: Readers will see where it is going by the end of this book. Over the course of the next couple of books there will be some struggles, trying to figure out how to move forward. It was clear at the end of the last book, Bad River, that they were moving forward. It will be a journey for them.

EC: What about the next book?

MC: The next book is titled Back Track, out this time next year. There will be more of a progression in the Mim/Cutter relationship. Half of the next story will go back to 1977 when Grumpy is in his 40’s, moving from Texas to Florida. This is the year Arliss is born. Part of the book will happen in 1977, and part will be in present day, landing in Arliss’s lap. It is sort of a Cold Case of Grumpys.

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 Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: A Kind of Hush by JoDee Neathery

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for A KIND OF HUSH by JoDee Neathery on this Black Coffee Book Tour.

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

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Book Description

A Kind of Hush examines how life is seldom a tidy affair exploring whether there is a gray area between right and wrong.

The Mackie family, after enduring an unthinkable tragedy with the death of their young son, finally moved toward a new life until one June day while enjoying an outing at a nearby rugged park, their lives again turned upside down. A plunge off a shale cliff left one parent dead and the other solely responsible for their teenage daughter and seven-year-old son. Was this an accident or something more heinous, and if so whodunnit and whydunit? The heart of the novel centers on how each survivor deals with the circumstances and subsequent revelations surrounding the incident while a mantle of ambiguity – a kind of hush – hangs between them like a live grenade without its pin.

Awards

2024 FINALIST AMERICAN LEGACY BOOK AWARDS, Literary Fiction
2022 SILVER MEDAL WINNER, READERS’ FAVORITE ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS, Literary Fiction
2022 WINNER INTERNATIONAL FIREBIRD BOOK AWARDS, Literary Fiction
2022 FINALIST, NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE AWARDS, Mystery
2022 MILLENNIUM BOOK AWARDS SHORTLISTED CANDIDATE AND CATEGORY WINNER, Literary Fiction

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58509546-a-kind-of-hush?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=d39Gx6kCnd&rank=1

Universal link for the book on Amazon

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

A KIND OF HUSH by JoDee Neathery is a fictional family drama and suspense story that follows a family through tragedy, family drama, healing, and compassion while trying to determine the correct choices and consequences of their actions. There are a lot of gray areas and complex circumstances throughout this standalone fictional story that kept me questioning what I would have done in the same situations.

This story starts awhile after a family tragedy. The Mackie family loses their middle son, Boo, to a choking accident while his older ten-year-old sister, Willa, is babysitting. The family is just starting to come back together, but there is still deep-rooted blame from mother to daughter and back from daughter to mother.

The family goes to a local park and waterfall where another tragedy occurs. Both parents and their teenage daughter, Willa fall down a shale drop. Their youngest seven-year-old son, Gabe, is hiding by a tree. Was this an accident? If not, who did it and why?

Each character in this story is given a voice. They discuss and react to the circumstances of the fall and the revelations surrounding the fall. There are other players involved in the family’s lives that work to help them heal and find justice for the dead parent. I have to say that the character I truly loved was Gabe. His sense of love, wonder, and innocence even throughout all the upheaval of the other characters gave me moments of laughter and a feeling of wonder. He is one of those children that is young but has an old soul and he was a good break from all the others. This book will keep you questioning decisions made and if you would make the same.

I highly recommend this fictional drama and suspense, and the conclusion still has me waffling.

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About the Author

East Texas author, JoDee Neathery, has written two award-winning novels, Life in a Box, published 2017, and A Kind of Hush released July 2021. Both have won the International Firebird Book Awards for literary fiction and were awarded Readers’ Favorite 5-Star designations. A Kind of Hush received critical acclaim as one of five finalists in the highly contested mystery category of the 16^th annual 2022 National Indie Excellence Awards, the 2022 Silver Medal Winner, Readers’ Favorite Annual International Book Awards, Literary Fiction, and was a shortlisted finalist in the 11^th annual 2022 Millennium Book Awards and Winner in the literary fiction category

Her journey to publication followed an unconventional path void of author credentials, but with the encouragement of her book club, a passion for the written word, a vivid imagination, a sense of humor, and a story to tell she plucked a few personalities off the family tree and Life in a Box debuted asking the question, how much would you sacrifice to hide a secret. “One of those all too rare literary gems.” Midwest Book Review and a 5-Star review posted on Amazon UK offered this assessment, “There is an understated audacity to her style of writing which I find quite spellbinding.”

A Kind of Hush was born in the middle of the night when the first sentence, the ending, and a profile of a young boy appeared. “I didn’t know the whole story but knew Gabriel Edward Mackie had to be in whatever I wrote next.” Praise followed. “This family drama is steeped in suspense, but its likable cast of characters is its main draw,” Kirkus Reviews. “Witty, warm, uplifting, and utterly heartbreaking.” Book Viral Review. “Poignant and emotionally rich.” Book View Gold Medallion. “Intelligent, crisp prose.” The Prairies Book Review.

JoDee chairs her community book club, is writing another novel, Dust in the Wind, and contributes a lighthearted look at life with her byline, Back Porch Musings, to a local newspaper.

Social Media Links

Website: https://jodeeneathery.com/

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/a-kind-of-hush-by-jodee-neathery

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Believe Me Now by S.M. Govett

Book Description

Natalie Campbell loses time. She’ll wake up in different places with no memory of how she got there. The blackouts are a symptom of her PTSD, which began after she was sexually assaulted by her boss, who was found not guilty. But she found ways to cope by setting up routines and relying on her supportive husband, Ryan. Then one day, her husband is accused of committing the same crime that ruined her life.

Natalie desperately wants to believe he is innocent, but when Alice Lytton, the young woman who accused him, is found murdered in the woods near their house, she begins to doubt the man she married.

DI Helen Stratton is also healing from old wounds. Her older sister disappeared when she was 16, and the police didn’t bother to investigate. Vowing to help other lost and vulnerable girls, she joined the force. Stratton is ready to do whatever it takes to catch the killer and bring justice to her sister and Alice.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Believe Me Now by S. M. Govett is a gripping thriller with a very puzzling case. The dual narration between a victim and a detective help to make the story more suspenseful.

The victim is Natalie Campbell, who ten years ago was sexually assaulted by her boss who was found not guilty. One day later, he died of a heart attack and ever since Natalie has been receiving threatening letters. She has blackouts, a symptom of PTSD. Now ten years later she has found ways to cope by setting up routines and relying on her supportive husband, Ryan. But that comes to an end when Ryan is accused of committing the same crime of sexual assault. To make matters worse, Ryan’s accuser is found dead in the woods.

Investigating the crime, DI Helen Stratton thinks Ryan is guilty. She, like Natalie, is suffering from a backstory of the disappearance of her sister Karen. She joined the police to help other lost and vulnerable girls and to do whatever it takes to catch the preparators.

This story is fast paced and riveting. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they try to figure out who can be believed and who cannot. It appears most of the characters are suspects and are guilty including Natalie and her husband Ryan. The twists add to the suspense and will throw people a curveball.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Does this book have two stories about bosses making advances?

Sarah (S. M.) Govett: I wanted to write how there are power imbalances that come into play and how power can be abused. There was a mutual one and one without consent. Detective Helen Stratton had a mutual one but did face additional challenges. Yet, her boss still had some power over her.

EC: How did you get the idea for the story?

SMG: I wanted to write a thriller with belief systems. For example, there is such a thing as rule of law, innocent people will walk free, guilty people will go to jail, or if someone works hard, they will succeed. I wanted to take them away from my protagonist, Natalie, one by one, so her whole world crumbles.

EC: How would you relate both characters, Detective Stratton and Natalie?

SMG: I wanted them to seem like chalk and cheese characters. They both had traumatic events in their life. Natalie responded by cocooning her life where her home is her only safe place, and she does not want to step outside of it. Whereas Stratton has overcome her trauma by developing a tough as nails exterior with a softer underbelly that very few people see. I like the idea that “home” represents safety and a prison. These are two women whose life and personalities have changed because something happened in their past and they were not believed. Stratton and her mom were not believed by the police when they said Karen, the sister/daughter, had not runaway. Both Natalie and Stratton coped in completely different ways.

EC: How would you describe Natalie’s PTSD?

SMG: She has an inner strength and is stronger than she thinks she is, which she discovers at the end. She has a form of PTSD. Hers has come about because she was sexually assaulted by her boss and then she is not believed in court. This has fractured her memory system giving her blackouts during stressful triggering situations and has her carry out tasks she will not remember. There are three strikes for her: she was assaulted by her boss, she was not believed, and had a stalker, her attacker’s wife.

EC: How would you describe Natalie?

SMG: She feels powerless. She runs from trauma, insecure, anxious, and paranoid. In the book she thinks she is existing rather than living.

EC: How would you describe Ryan?

SMG: Protective, calm, controlled, and gets frustrated.

EC: How would you describe the relationship between Ryan and Natalie?

SMG: He wants her to push herself, engaging more with the outside world other than with her best friend, Rachel. He is very supportive. He agreed to move and not be around families with young children since she could no longer become pregnant after the rape. She considers him her soulmate who represents her home, rock, and stability. Yet, she chased Ryan away and does not take any responsibility that in some ways the marriage is faltering. She still really loves him, but his touch can be triggering.

EC: How would you describe Detective Stratton?

SMG: Untrusting, sarcastic, can be seen as caring, and wants answers. She has a fire in her to get cases having to do with young women who have disappeared. For her, these women always represent her sister.

EC: What about the role of Alice?

SMG: She accuses Ryan of rape. Now Natalie has her trauma played all over again. She wants to make something of herself and is considered charming, a people person. Ryan became intimate with her once. I think Ryan’s actions are flawed but understandable but there are a lot of readers who think he is an absolute baddie for what he has done. Natalie at first believed her because besides Ryan no one believed her. She is very wary of doubting the testimony of women when it comes to sexual assault.

EC: How would you describe Stratton’s boss who had the affair with her, Parker?

SMG: He is a jerk, wants power over her. He is gutless. I want all my characters to be flawed instead of incredibly bad. He is a weak flawed man. He is attracted to Stratton, wants sex with her, but also wants to be married. He is weak. He wants to have what he wants. When it becomes difficult for him, he wants to walk away unscathed. She sees him as a weak man. She could destroy his life by making the affair public and she knows he is a little bit scared of her. But she will not do it. Because he knows this is the anniversary of her sister’s disappearance, he is mistakenly trying to protect her by sheltering her from work. Whereas what she really needs to do is to drown herself in work.

EC: Next books?

SMG: There will be more Stratton, but I’m also excited about a sci-fi thriller that I’ve recently completed.

THANK YOU!!

***

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Sins of the Father by James L’Etoile

SINS OF THE FATHER

by James L’Etoile

August 4 – 29, 2025

Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SINS OF THE FATHER (A Detective Nathan Parker Novel Book #4) by James L’Etoile on this Partners In Crime Book Tour.

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

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Book Description

Detective Nathan Parker discovers an unidentified man tossed to his death from an airplane is connected to the emergence of a new criminal organization, Red Dawn, when a secretive Joint Terrorism Task Force appears in Phoenix. The leader of the Task Force coerces Parker to support their efforts or his ex-coyote friend, Billie Carson, could face federal charges for supporting a terrorist organization. With Billie’s freedom in jeopardy, Parker agrees and one-by-one, people associated with the Task Force are picked off. When a target close to Parker is attacked, and the Task Force leader vanishes, Parker seeks help from an unusual ally to expose Red Dawn’s mastermind. Familiar foes, lies, secrets, and a father’s sin converge in a deadly standoff.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235376868-sins-of-the-father?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=amRRrM9UwQ&rank=1

Sins of the Father

Genre: Thriller; Police Procedural
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: July 15, 2025
Number of Pages: 320
ISBN: 978-1-68512-992-7
Series: The Detective Nathan Parker Novels, Book 4

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

SINS OF THE FATHER (A Detective Nathan Parker Novel Book #4) by James L’Etoile is an action-packed police procedural crime thriller and another great addition to this series. The series follows Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office Detective Nathan Parker, his co-workers, family, and friends as they deal with immigrants, cartels, gangs and drugs on both sides of the border. While each book has a main crime plot which is unique to that book, I feel the books should be read in order for character continuity and because of some carryover antagonists from prior books.

A new criminal organization, Red Dawn, is attacking the cartels over the border and has moved to killing FBI Terrorism Task Force members and innocents in Nathan’s jurisdiction. Nathan gets pulled into the investigation by the Task Force’s leader by applying legal pressure on his friend, Billie. While every clue in this investigation leads to Red Dawn, it also has Nathan believing it ties to his past with Esteban Castaneda, the vicious leader of the Los Muertos gang, but he is in solitaire in the Federal Colorado Supermax.

With several dead bodies and one of his own shot and fighting for his life, Nathan and his team are finding more questions than answers. With an unrelenting pace, danger all around them, and twists that continually change the direction of the investigation, Nathan and his team must discover the truth before any more people die.

I always look forward to a new Nathan Parker crime thriller. Nathan, his friends, coworkers, and adopted family are all fully developed and interesting. The information the reader receives through the character of Billie is informative and thought-provoking as she just wants to help people no matter who they are or their legal status. The locations on both sides of the border are all brought to life with Mr. L’Etoile’s descriptive and well researched writing. The crime plots could come right out of the current news cycles and have many layers, twists, and surprises that keep the reader turning the pages. I never quite get the entire picture before the resolution, which I enjoy.

I highly recommend this gripping crime thriller and cannot wait for more!

***

Excerpt

Chapter One

Death to a ten-year-old is a pause in a video game. It’s temporary. A momentary setback until you’re back into the game again. At their age, the boys of Boy Scout Troop 116 thought they were immortal. Or they did until they got their first glimpse of human remains.

Ken Dryden stood on the brakes, sending the fifteen-passenger van into a skid on the hard-packed desert road. A flock of eight turkey vultures pecked and tore hunks of flesh from their prey. The enormous birds didn’t budge at the approach of the speeding white passenger van. Only one bothered to look up with a flap of meat hanging from its curved beak.

The birds ignored a loud burst from the van’s horn. Dryden unbuckled and turned to the eight boys in the back. “Stay here.”

Dryden and the assistant scoutmaster, Bill Cope stepped from the van and approached the circle of birds.

“Must’ve found themselves a coyote or something,” Cope said. “Why you insist we take this road? It’s in the middle of—”

“This can’t be…” Dryden trailed off and crept toward the flock of scavengers.

“Whatever they found, they sure don’t want to give it up,” Dryden said as he waved his arms trying to chase the birds off the road.”

“Don’t blame them. Pickings are probably a bit thin out here.”

From behind, a high-pitched voice called out. “Oh, cool. What did they kill?”

Dryden turned and three ten-year-old boys stood a few feet away gawking at the feeding frenzy on the hardscrabble dirt road.

“I told you guys to wait in the van.”

“What did they find?” The tallest boy asked.

“Probably a coyote or something run over on the road, Chase.”

“There’s no tracks in the dirt but ours,” Chase said.

The birds fought and squawked at one another, tearing bits of flesh out from the beaks of weaker birds in the flock. Wings flared and cupped over the remains, claiming them.

“Mr. Dryden? What’s that?” Chase asked.

“What?”

“That,” the boy said with a trembling finger, pointing toward the largest vulture with a torn hunk of flesh hanging from its red beak.

Dryden followed the boy’s line of sight and under the bird’s talons were the remains. He felt sick when he saw it. A brown work boot. Coyotes didn’t wear boots.

“Oh my God.”

“Is it a dead person? Chase said.

“Back to the van boys,” Cope said.

“But—”

“Now!” Dryden barked the order, and the three scouts scurried back to the van.

“Why did you take us on this back road to begin with? What do we do now?” Cope asked Dryden. The two adult supervisors of this scout troop stood at the desert crossroads.

Cope pulled out his cell phone. “No signal out here. We need to call 911.”

Dryden looked back to the van and all eight boys pressed up against the windows gawking at the human remains as the carrion birds devoured their treasure.

“We gotta get them outta here,” Dryden said.

He charged the birds, and most of them backed away. Dryden got a good look at what lay in the desert crossroads—a man, twisted, mangled, and broken. Huge swaths of flesh torn away by the feeding birds. Dryden’s shoulders drooped at the sight—a dead man left in the crossroads.

“I’ll try and keep them away. Drive the boys back out to Quartzite. Call 911. I’ll wait.”

“You wanna stay out here? In this heat?” Cope said.

“It’s early, the heat won’t top out for a couple of hours. I’ll take my pack and all the water we can spare. I’ll be fine. There’s a little shade over there under that Palo Verde.”

Tall, dry creosote brush and a few taller gangly green Palo Verde trees and Saguaro cactus lined the crossroads

“You sure? It’s not like you can help that guy?”

“Whoever he is, he doesn’t deserve to get eaten by these feathered desert rats either. How would you feel if it was someone you knew?”

Dryden retrieved his day pack and two canteens from the van.

“Guys, Mr. Cope is going to take you out. He’ll stop in Quartzite for a pee break.”

“I’ll stay with you, Mr. Dryden,” Chase said.

“Everyone’s going with Mr. Cope.”

A sigh of disappointment filled the back of the van. Dryden knew Chase’s mother was going to meltdown over her precious offspring’s exposure to the dark fringes of life. He figured the Scottsdale socialite would spirit her son away to a resort in Sedona for a crystal bath and chakra realignment.

Dryden hefted his pack and slung the canteens over his shoulder while the van cut a three-point turn and returned in the direction they came.

Once the dust and engine noise died down, all that remained was the breeze cutting through the dried brush and the cackling of the vultures fighting over their prize.

Setting his pack down, Dryden broke off a creosote branch and swung it in front of him forcing the birds away from the remains. Reluctantly, the birds gave up and hopped to the other side of the crossroads.

Dryden closed in on the dead man and grimaced at the mess the vultures made. Unrecognizable. Legs twisted and folded under the body, with a boot sticking out at an impossible angle. No way Chase would earn his first aid merit badge here.

The arms were flayed out over his broken head.

“Oh God.”

Dryden noted the wrists bound with zip ties. This wasn’t a lost hiker. This was a murder victim.

He snatched his cell phone and tried calling Cope to warn him, but the screen reminded him there was no cell signal out here. He shot a series of photos of the dead man, figuring the police would want to see what they found before the vultures could finish it off.

Dryden backed off into the shade and moved out when the vultures grew brave enough to advance. Back and forth for an hour until Dryden spotted a dust trail.

It was too soon for Cope to have summoned help. Quartzite was more than an hour away and the authorities would need time to respond after Cope called them. And this dust plume was coming from the other direction and building fast.

A dead man. Murdered. Alone in the desert. Only a twinge of relief. It wasn’t someone he knew. He knew what that kind of loss felt like and felt guilty about feeling thankful. The dust plume was coming in fast and there was the faint whine of an ATV engine—high pitched and loud.

Dryden snatched his pack and blended into the brush along a game trail, hoping he didn’t encounter an unfriendly javelina. Fifty feet from the road, he hunched down as a green ATV tore into the crossroads and skidded to a stop a few feet away from the body.

Two men stepped from the six-wheel ATV, and one used a bulky satellite phone. After a quick call, the two men donned gloves and picked up the remains, tossing them into the rear cargo compartment of the ATV. They weren’t gentle about it—they were hurried. They needed several trips to gather the bits and pieces.

Once they finished loading the dead man, they sped off in the direction they came from.

Dryden waited until the dust plume died down before he stepped out from his hiding place. He approached the spot in the center of the crossroads where the body had been. There was little to prove a life ended there. The red dirt was marked by a dark circle—what Dryden believed was blood. A single human finger was left behind by the men on the ATV.

A second trail of dust appeared on the horizon in the direction Cope and the boys used on their way out.

Dryden sank back into the brush again until the Black and Yellow Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office SUV pulled to a stop near the intersection.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the finger. Had they left the finger by mistake, or was it a message?

***

Author Bio

James L’Etoile uses his twenty-nine years behind bars as an influence in his award-winning novels, short stories, and screenplays. He is a former associate warden in a maximum-security prison, a hostage negotiator, and director of California’s state parole system. His novels have been shortlisted or awarded the Lefty, Anthony, Silver Falchion, and the Public Safety Writers Award. River of Lies, Served Cold, and Sins of the Father are his most recent novels. Look for Illusion of Truth coming soon.

Social Media Links

Website: https://jamesletoile.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/james.letoile

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorjamesletoile/

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/jamesletoile.bsky.social

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/sins-of-the-father-a-detective-nathan-parker-novel-by-james-l-etoile

Purchase Links

Amazon: https://pictbooks.tours/9mTcPYeg

Goodreads: https://pictbooks.tours/LPTBlXux

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KINGSUMO GIVEAWAY

https://www.promoamp.com/c/sins-of-the-father-james-letoile

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Skylark by Megan Michelle

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SKYLARK (The SEAL Saga Book #1) by Megan Michelle on this blog tour.

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

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Book Summary

Being the first female Navy SEAL is no easy job, but someone’s got to dismantle the patriarchy. Rachel Ryker, call sign ‘Skylark,’ can out run and out gun just about anybody, and with her second in command, Christopher Williams, by her side, she’s practically unstoppable. Christopher would follow Rachel to hell and back… or maybe just to the Middle East. When a top-secret malware code is stolen from the CIA, Rachel and Christopher lead their SEAL team through the Middle East in an attempt to recover it.

They both have their own reasons for fighting, but as the team gets closer to finding the stolen malware, Rachel discovers that the man they’re looking for may be closer to her than she thinks. Will Rachel’s obsession with completing their mission override her common sense and causes her to lose sight of what is really important- keeping women and children safe from the oppressive patriarchy they are all living in?

With secrets, pride, and a strict no fraternization policy keeping them apart, falling in love would mean sacrificing everything Rachel and Christopher have worked for. But when Rachel gets injured in combat, everything changes. Now Rachel will have to choose: does her devotion to the Navy outweigh her love for Christopher?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220574683-skylark?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=dkmbpqUD7t&rank=1

PUBLISHER: Bound Books LLC

ASIN: B0DKB5QGB3

ISBN-10: 8988886129

ISBN-13 979-8988886129

Print Length: 459 pages

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My Book Review

RATING: 4.5 out of 5

SKYLARK (The SEAL Saga Book #1) by Megan Michelle is a Special Units Navy SEAL action war thriller/romance mash-up featuring the first female SEAL and her team. This is the first book in the proposed series, and I was surprised that it is this author’s debut book.

Navy Commander Rachel Ryker and her ten-man team are exceptional at their jobs and every man on her team respects their female leader. She is especially close with her second in command Lt. Commander Christopher Williams who attended BUDs with her ten years previously, and while there is plenty of sexual tension and chemistry, neither is willing to break the regulation against fraternization.

Rachel and her SEAL team are assigned an undercover mission in Afghanistan to recover a USB with top secret malware in the possession of an Al Qaeda leader. Rachel always hates returning to Afghanistan due to her hatred of the extreme patriarchal system under the Taliban, but to find her quarry, she must blend in and befriend the women of the local mosque. What Rachel does not know is that there is more going on regarding their mission, and they are about to uncover an international plot that could get them all killed.

This is an exciting, fast-paced military action story that kept me turning the pages as Rachel and her team fight their way through terrorists in the Middle East and at home. The descriptions of operations and combat were well plotted and contained vivid descriptions. Rachel’s steadfast belief in women’s rights and equality was front and center in this story. Her family life was sad, and it made it even more important for her to have her chosen family in her team and to help others in bad situations. The slow burn romance between Rachel and Christopher was believable and hot. There are plenty of twists, turns, and surprises throughout.

I highly recommend this gripping genre mash-up and look forward to the next book in the series!

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About the Author

Megan Michelle writes dark romance for the fearless women who are ready to reclaim their power and confront the shadows of their past. Her stories blend the raw emotions of military life, the strength of feminism, and the passion of forbidden love, all while guiding readers on a journey of self-discovery and healing. Through dark romance, she explores the complexity of love, power, and identity. Her stories invite you to dive deep into the hearts of women who don’t just survive—they thrive, reclaiming their power and rewriting their stories on their own terms.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.megan-michelle.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megan_michelle_storytelling/

Purchase Links

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Bookshop.org

Friday Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Fire Mountain by Dana Mentink

Book Description

In the shadow of a threatening volcano, long-haul trucker Kit Garrido wakes up in her crashed big rig, unable to recall what happened or why she’s suddenly in possession of someone’s baby. Fiercely independent, she has to admit that perhaps this time she could use a little help.

As the threat of eruption grows, former cop Cullen Landry refuses to leave his cabin in the evacuation area, which is why he’s the only one left who can help Kit escape the crumpled cab of her truck. He doesn’t want to get tangled up in the mystery of the beautiful woman with an abandoned infant, but when he sees the bullet hole in the windshield and the bloody handprint on the interior, he realizes that he’s in this thing, like it or not.

When two armed men with ill intent approach, the race is on to stay alive, discover the truth, and find the baby’s missing mother–all while a deadly mountain rains fire from above.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Fire Mountain by Dana Mentink is a story that pits survival against impossible odds. It has nonstop action, adventure, some tender moments, and a bit of romance.

The story opens with Cullen Landry wakening a long-haul trucker in her crashed rig. Cullen did not flee after being warned of the imminent eruption of Mount Ember where he lives in his cabin. While making sure everything was secure, he sees the crash from his cabin and decides to check to see if there are any survivors. Landry finds Kit, a female trucker who appears to have memory loss, and realizes she is in immediate danger because of a bloody handprint on the window and bullet holes in the windshield. They also find an infant buckled into the back of the truck and because of the amnesia, Kit has no clue where the baby came from. In addition, very evil people are after Kit and the baby. The race begins as they try to save themselves from the villains and the volcano, which is also a character.

Besides the action-packed story there is a budding romance. As their trust grows, walls are broken down and a closeness develops that includes sharing some of their backstory. They realize that to survive they must support each other.

This is a gripping story filled with tension that will quickly hook readers.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?

Dana Mentink: Mt St. Helens erupted in 1980, and it made a big imprint on my mind. Now as a suspense writer I ask myself what it would be like to survive that even though my story takes place in the present? An eruption is such a rare occurrence yet we cannot take those for granted. The predictions have gotten a lot better so people can relocate if necessary.

EC: What is the theme of the book?

DM: It is an adventure story where the characters become tired, scared, hungry, and lost. It is a running for their life type of plot. After all the extraneous stuff is stripped away it is a good place to confront issues of forgiveness, and the interaction with others.

EC: Why all the natural disasters?

DM: Besides the volcanic eruptions the story had avalanches, boulder slides, storms, and landslides. Never a dull moment. Everything is volcano related and would have taken place in a volcanic eruption. It is what people would encounter. Natural disasters show how people can dive into their own skill set and survive. I enjoy writing stories of people versus natural disasters.

EC: Why the profession of the heroine a truck driver?

DM: I have a fascination with female truck drivers because it is a male dominated profession. What would it be like to live one’s life on the road with a constant mobile situation? They live out of truck stops yet maintain relationships. It is about a road trip but having to do it for a living. I got some good clarification from someone whose husband was a truck driver.

EC: How would you describe Kit?

DM: Vulnerable, bossy, witty, has a slight temper, tough, and a planner. She likes her quiet times and is a loner. She must be tough to compete in being an independent contractor truck driver. There is an element of safety that is risky for a woman truck driver. She has had to do things on her own since she was a young woman. It is her against the world.

EC: How would you describe Cullen?

DM: Sarcastic, a know it all, stubborn, a fixer, leader, kind, and sometimes sympathetic. He has a soft side that he does not like to show people but is able to handle the little baby in his care. He has a sense of purpose, a good family man.

EC: How about the relationship?

DM: She likes to hide her emotions, introverted, wants to be businesslike, and is against forming roots. She is a rolling stone. He is tender, and he wants to establish a relationship.

EC: What is the role of the baby Tot?

DM: She is innocent, spirited, and helpless. Through her Kit is learning responsibility and both Kit and Cullen are bonding through the baby. She is only ten months old, so she is a little one very dependent on others. I wanted to put humor within their banter. They are stuck in tough situations, so I felt a little laughter is a good thing.

EC: Why the sex trafficking angle?

DM: It is an enormous issue for our country, states, and I wanted an evil villain. There is not much someone eviler than someone who treats people as property.

EC: What do you want to say about Cullen’s former job, as a policeman?

DM: It is rough job. I went to the Citizen’s Police Academy. It takes such a mental toll on individuals. Police see the worst of humanity, and it does affect them. I wanted to consider how this would play out over the course of someone’s life. My husband was a police officer very briefly and then moved to fire prevention. Those in the police do not get that appreciation as much as they deserve.

EC: What did the stuffed bear symbolize?

DM: It was a connection to what Kit viewed as a happy childhood given to her by her dad. It is important throughout the story. I still have my favorite stuffed animal I had as a child.

EC: Next book?

DM: It is titled Raging Waters, coming out March 2026 this time. It features Gideon, Cullen’s brother. He is trapped in a town where this dam is failing.

THANK YOU!!

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