Tag: #aboutauthor

Blog Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Trust No One by Roger Stelljes

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for TRUST NO ONE (Agent Tori Hunter Book #8) by Roger Stelljes on this blog tour.

Below you will 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

In a cabin by a lake, a mother and father tuck their little girl into bed and kiss her goodnight. But they can’t enjoy the evening summer breeze—because this is no ordinary family on vacation. This is a family with nowhere left to run… and no one left to trust.

When FBI Agent Tori Hunter and Detective Will Braddock are called to a crime scene at a remote hunting cabin, they find blood everywhere. A small pink suitcase has been left behind, filled with children’s clothes and medicine. Has a family been murdered on vacation, or did they run just in time?

The team quickly tracks down the details of the family renting the cabin. But Braddock freezes at the last name. He claims to have never heard it before… but Tori can always tell when her partner is lying.

Furious that Braddock might keep something from her when lives are at stake, when two New York City detectives show up in Minnesota with questions for Braddock her fears are proved right… because there’s a murder case in Braddock’s past he never told Tori about. It took over his life just after his wife died, and forced him out of the city for good. Why did he keep it secret?

Tori has no time for games. Tracking down suppliers of the medicine from the cabin is her one lead to find this family before it’s too late. But with fingers pointing at Braddock, and her own instincts screaming that he’d never betray her or the shield, Tori will have to put her own career on the line to defend the man she trusts above all else—and find the real killer with a deadly score to settle.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/239555373-trust-no-one?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=uRTxVkJLtJ&rank=1

Purchase link: https://geni.us/B0FKNJBZX8social

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

TRUST NO ONE (Agent Tori Hunter Book #8) by Roger Stelljes is an action-packed thrilling tangled web of a crime plot that intertwines flashbacks in Detective Will Braddock’s past in the NYCPD which seems to jeopardize his present life with former FBI agent Tori Hunter in Minnesota. This is the eighth book in this great series and can be easily read as a standalone, but I read the books in order to follow the two main protagonist’s growing relationship.

Detective Will Braddock gets a call from a snitch from an old case in NYC who has come to Manchester Bay for help. The case involved one of his friends from the NYPD who was killed while he worked the case because his nephew was involved. At the time, Will’s wife was dying of cancer, and he just did not want to work on it as he normally would. He refuses to get involved, but the next day Tori and Will get called to a hunting cabin riddled with bullet holes and blood everywhere, but no bodies.

Two NYC cops from Will’s past show up at the police station and accuse Will of being dirty. After leaving the station, they are both nearly killed. Tori has had enough and decides with the help of their friends to turn this hunt around and go after the hunters by becoming the hunters themselves to keep those she loves safe.

This series is amazing, and this book even topped the rest for me. I could not put it down. The book is intricately plotted and full of surprises, so I was never sure what to believe so I had to keep turning the pages. Tori is smart, strong, and intelligent and so is Will, which makes for head butting along the way, but it also is what made them attracted to each other. The beautiful descriptions of the lake they live on and all the different types of weather and terrain in Minnesota brings it to life.

This is an all around well written and very strong police procedural/crime thriller series that I highly recommend to all lovers of the genre.

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About the Author

Roger Stelljes is the acclaimed New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of pulse-pounding murder mystery and suspense novels, including the Tori Hunter and McRyan Mystery Series. Roger’s crime thrillers are noted for their fast-paced, yet intricate plots filled with layered and complex characters.

Roger started his first novel in July 2002 while on vacation in Minnesota’s Brainerd Lakes area and has been writing ever since. His debut book, The St. Paul Conspiracy, was nominated in genre fiction for the Minnesota Book Awards along with finalists Brian Freeman and William Kent Krueger. With his follow-up, Deadly Stillwater, where Vince Flynn hailed Roger as a “powerful new thriller voice”, he won the Midwest Independent Book Publishers award for commercial fiction.

Born and raised in Minnesota, Roger still lives there with his family. In addition to his work as an author, Roger is a partner in his law firm. Roger is an avid sports enthusiast and enjoys spending time outdoors boating, attending hockey games, and honing his golf game.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.rogerstelljes.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roger.stelljes

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rogerstelljes/#

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/trust-no-one-an-utterly-gripping-mystery-thriller-novel-agent-tori-hunter-book-8-by-roger-stelljes

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 16th 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 11th 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

Feature Post and Book Review: Buried by Anna J. Stewart

Book Description

Solving her biggest case means facing her greatest fear.

Trust can kill.

Forensic specialist Dr. Cassia Davis learned that lesson when she placed her faith—and her life—in the hands of the man she loved. Four years later, despite debilitating agoraphobia and PTSS, she lives a virtual life teaching and consulting online, locked away from the world she’s come to fear. Her expertise and guidance helped to uncover a mass burial site in the Hollywood Hills, the biggest case of her career, but her inability to actively work the scene calls her competence into question. Work is all she has left. If she’s going to remain in charge, she’s going to need someone on the ground. Someone who understands how she thinks and what she can do. Someone willing to do anything to make up for the past.

Some mistakes can’t be forgotten. Or forgiven.

FBI Special Investigator Mitchell Keaton’s lapse in judgement nearly cost Cass her life. It did cost him her love. Every case he’s worked since has been an exercise in redemption. Becoming Cass’s eyes and hands out in the field means reconnecting to her in ways that reignites old desires. Despite his unforgivable betrayal, Mitch can’t help but feel there may be hope for them after all.

But the deeper they dig into the burial site, the further into danger they fall. Invisible enemies determined to stay in the shadows have plans to stop them. Plans that begin with exploiting the one thing Mitch and Cass have no defense against: the past.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236362600-buried?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=hxwA8noALi&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

BURIED (Circle of the Red Lily Book #3) by Anna J. Stewart is an exciting, edge-of-your-seat addition to the Circle of the Red Lily romantic suspense series. This can be read as a standalone because Ms. Stewart does an excellent job of filling in information from the overarching conspiracy of the Circle of the Red Lily, but I feel they are best read in order to keep continuity with all the changes in the characters’ personal lives and relationships.

 Dr. Cassia “Cass” Davis is one of the foremost forensic specialists in the country, but for the last four years she has lived her life virtually after barely escaping a serial killer she has severe PTSS and agoraphobia. She and her assistant, Nox, have helped their friends, the women of Temple House, with their investigation and discovered a mass grave in the Hollywood Hills. She is frustrated with her inability to work on the crime scene in person and someone behind the scenes is calling her competency into question. She is told she needs someone on the ground she can trust from the FBI, and she knows just who to call.

FBI Special Investigator Mitchell “Mitch” Keaton has waited four years for a call from Cass. Becoming Cass’s person on the ground at the mass grave is a way to not only ask for forgiveness, but to hopefully receive a second chance with her. Mitch has been keeping a secret though and an enemy from their shared past has new plans for them both besides the Circle of the Red Lily.

This series just keeps getting better and better. The women of Temple House are all interesting in their own right but add the intrigue and danger of the Circle of the Red Lily, and the men who have become involved with them, you have a read that is impossible to put down. Ms. Stewart does a wonderful job at showing Cassia’s abilities even while dealing with her life cocooned in her apartment and the empathy shown by her female friends when they discover why she is so isolated. Mitch is a steady and loving with Cass and when the romance heats up, sparks are flying. I enjoyed more time spent in the story with Elliot, Cass’s service dog, his back story and his pivotal role in the plot. I will say that while this series always offers many surprise twists throughout, the epilogue in this book left me shocked! I need the next book sooner rather than later!

I highly recommend this thrilling romantic suspense and the entire Circle of the Red Lily series.

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About the Author

Award-winning, USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J Stewart writes sweet to sexy romances for Harlequin and ARC Manor’s CAEZIK (Kay-Zehk) Romance. Her sweet Harlequin Heartwarming books include the Butterfly Harbor series as well as the ongoing Blackwell continuity series. She also writes the Honor Bound series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense and has contributed to the bestselling Coltons. Her Circle of the Red Lily romantic suspense series, published by CAEZIK, will launch with EXPOSED in November of 2022.

A Holt Medallion winner (BRIDE ON THE RUN), as well as a Golden Heart, Daphne DuMaurier, and National Reader’s Choice finalist, Anna loves writing big community stories where family found is always the theme. Since her first published novella with Harlequin in 2014, Anna has released more than fifty novels and novellas and hopes to branch out even more (horror romance, anyone?). Anna lives in Northern California where (at the best times) she loves going to the movies, attending fan conventions, and heading to Disneyland, her favorite place on earth. When she’s not writing, she is usually binge-watching her newest TV addiction, re-watching her all-time favorite show, Supernatural, and wrangling two monstrous cats named Rosie and Sherlock.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.authorannastewart.com/

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

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/buried-circle-of-the-red-lily-3-by-anna-j-stewart

Book Review: Murder at the White Palace by Allison Montclair

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

MURDER AT THE WHITE PALACE (A Sparks & Bainbridge Mystery Book #6) by Allison Montclair is an intriguing historical mystery that has not one, but two mysteries, past and present, that may be connected and many personal changes occurring in the lives of the two main protagonists. Each book has a unique mystery that is solved, but the main characters continue to evolve and for continuity, I feel these books are best read in order of publication.

The Right Sort of Marriage Bureau is doing well, so Gwendolyn Bainbridge decides she and her partner, Iris Sparks, should throw a New Year’s Eve party for their clientele. With limited availability this close to the new year, they look at an old club being repaired by Iris’ boyfriend, Archie Spelling. While investigating the basement, a wall crumbles and a long dead body is discovered.

Though they both want to be done with murder investigations, the recovered body matches some information surrounding that of a missing thief from a trio of robbers from before the war which all tied back to Archie and Des’ murdered fathers. Are they safe as they investigate the cold cases, or could the past be coming back to clean up any ties to a murderer among them?

The murder mysteries, past and present, are intertwined throughout a more intense and personal character driven story line than previous books. Gwen is now free to control her own life and destiny and is finding freedom intoxicating, while Iris is on track to make more permanent decisions regarding her personal life. The duo’s true friendship, no matter their differences or what occurs in their personal lives, is a reason that I love this series. This story leaned more towards the protagonist’s development, which could change the direction of the entire series, than the mysteries, but the mysteries themselves were interesting and well plotted. This addition to the series does leave a bit of a cliffhanger, but it is in Iris’ personal life and not a part of the mystery plot line.

I highly recommend this historical mystery series and continue to look forward to following Bainbridge in Sparks.

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About the Author

ALLISON MONTCLAIR grew up devouring hand-me-down Agatha Christie paperbacks and James Bond movies. As a result of this deplorable upbringing, Montclair became addicted to tales of crime, intrigue, and espionage. She now spends her spare time poking through the corners, nooks, and crannies of history, searching for the odd mysterious bits and transforming them into novels of her own. The Right Sort of Man is her debut novel.

Allison Montclair is a pseudonym of Alan Gordon.

Website: https://www.alan-gordon.com/

Feature Post and Book Review: Vanished by Anna J. Stewart

Book Description

She’ll risk everything to expose the truth.

Since her twin sister Sylvie’s disappearance seven years ago, single mother Mabel Reynolds has turned grief into action and become a strong voice for victims of violence and abuse.

When new revelations shed light on what may have happened not only to Sylvie, but dozens of other women, Mabel’s hope for answers is reignited. But the new oh-so-charming DA overseeing the investigation seems more interested in a quick rather than an accurate resolution.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/110185788-vanished?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=XtZuMnFFIi&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

VANISHED (Circle of the Red Lily Book #2) by Anna J. Stewart is a thrilling romantic suspense and the second book in the Circle of the Red Lily series. This book features Mabel Reynolds’ continuing search for answers and justice for her missing twin sister. While the romance, investigation, and capture of the criminal perpetrator are a complete story, the continuation of the overarching Circle of the Red Lily conspiracy suspense plot leads me to recommend the reading of this series of books in order.

Single mom Mabel Reynolds has been searching for answers regarding her missing twin, Sylvie, for eight years. While doing bookkeeping and taxes from home to support herself and her eight-year-old daughter, Keeley, she also volunteers with a local abuse shelter as a way to support others as she waits for word of her twin. As she is assisting a new abuse victim, events occur that follow the same pattern as what happened to her twin. It all begins to once again lead back to the Red Lily secret organization.

A special case District Attorney Paul Flynn is assigned to investigate the disappearance of the women tied to a mysterious historical mansion where all their pictures were discovered. Mabel shows up on his first day to find out if he truly wants answers or is like the rest of the DA ‘s office and just wants the case to go away. Paul discovers that not only does Mabel have information he needs, but that he has a personal attraction to her that he finds surprising.

As the danger around Mabel and Paul’s discoveries increases, so does their relationship. With threats coming from every direction, can Mabel and Paul, with help from the other inhabitants of Temple House, discover answers to where Sylvie is and who is involved in this 100-year-old Tinseltown criminal conspiracy?

This book had me captivated right away and I read it all in one sitting. Mabel is very strong and sympathetic, determined to raise her daughter in a loving home and find answers to the disappearance of her twin. Paul has a tragic back story of abuse, neglect, and loss which makes him determined to be the success he is but also makes him believe he cannot be more personally. The two of them together was a great demonstration of showing love and possibilities. I loved Keeley, Mabel’s daughter, she is a sweet and mature character for her age, and she has the right amount of emotional interaction between Mabel and Paul to move them forward. I also enjoyed Sylvie’s dream and spectral interactions with Mabel and Keeley. The overarching conspiracy plot from book #1, Exposed, continues and while some things were discovered, there are still many questions left for future books featuring the other inhabitants of Temple House.

I highly recommend this romantic suspense in the Circle of the Red Lily series and am looking forward to discovering more answers and following more romances with the others in Temple House!

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About the Author

Award-winning, USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J Stewart writes sweet to sexy romances for Harlequin and ARC Manor’s CAEZIK (Kay-Zehk) Romance. Her sweet Harlequin Heartwarming books include the Butterfly Harbor series as well as the ongoing Blackwell continuity series. She also writes the Honor Bound series for Harlequin Romantic Suspense and has contributed to the bestselling Coltons. Her Circle of the Red Lily romantic suspense series, published by CAEZIK, will launch with EXPOSED in November of 2022.

A Holt Medallion winner (BRIDE ON THE RUN), as well as a Golden Heart, Daphne DuMaurier, and National Reader’s Choice finalist, Anna loves writing big community stories where family found is always the theme. Since her first published novella with Harlequin in 2014, Anna has released more than fifty novels and novellas and hopes to branch out even more (horror romance, anyone?). Anna lives in Northern California where (at the best times) she loves going to the movies, attending fan conventions, and heading to Disneyland, her favorite place on earth. When she’s not writing, she is usually binge-watching her newest TV addiction, re-watching her all-time favorite show, Supernatural, and wrangling two monstrous cats named Rosie and Sherlock.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.authorannastewart.com/

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

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

BookBub:https://www.bookbub.com/books/vanished-circle-of-the-red-lily-book-2-by-anna-j-stewart

ARC Feature Post and Book Review: The Last Assignment by Erika Robuck

Book Description

Manhattan, 1954.

Since her arrest for disobeying orders and going ashore at Iwo Jima almost a decade earlier, combat correspondent Georgette “Dickey” Chapelle has been unmoored. Her military accreditation revoked, her marriage failing, and her savings dwindling, Dickey jumps at the next opportunity. In the aftermath of a an assignment gone wrong, a flame is lit deep inside Dickey—to survive in order to be the world’s witness to war from the front lines.

Never content to report on battles unless her own boots are on the ground, Dickey and her camera journey with American and international soldiers from frozen wastelands to raging seas to luscious jungles, revealing one woman’s extraordinary courage and tenacity in the face of discrimination and danger. And it’s along the way, in Dickey’s desire to save the world, she realizes she might also be saving herself.

At a time when a woman’s heroic spirit often gave way to homeland reality, Dickey blazed a trail for the revolutionary hearts inside us all.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220481308-the-last-assignment?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=hOS3HkDeXo&rank=1

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE LAST ASSIGNMENT by Erika Robuck is a historical biographical fiction story featuring the later portion of photojournalist Georgette “Dickey” Chapelle’s life. Ms. Robuck does a wonderful job of bringing her to life not only writing about her achievements, but also her impetuosity which could get her into dangerous and terrible situations. This standalone story is a look at an impressive woman in history that I knew nothing about.

Dickey Chapelle led an awe-inspiring life photographing and writing about her favorite men, the Marines, on Iwo Jima during WWII, Europe’s reconstruction, Hungary’s revolution, dictators, refugees, and strife in foreign countries, all the way up to once again being with her Marines during the Vietnam War until her death in country. Her photography and stories were featured in many major magazines, and she received many awards, but that was never her goal. She always wanted to take that one picture that would end all wars. While her family and friends always worried about her, she could never sit still on the sidelines when she believed her photography could shine a light on injustice.

This is an intensive look into this female photojournalist’s later life. She always wanted to be first on the ground to uncover the truth. She was interested in the Civil Rights Movement, and it would have been safer for her to stay home in the states, but she needed and preferred to be out in the world and covering international conflicts. Dickey was by no means perfect and got in trouble, even imprisonment in Hungary for her actions, but it was always because she truly cared about the people she was covering.

This historical biography is brought to life through Dickey and with the obvious extensive research of Ms. Robuck. It is interesting to follow Dickey through this period and remember how the stories she covered were portrayed at that time and then the changes, or not, in perspective, as it became history to be analyzed and studied.

I highly recommend this engaging historical biographical fiction story, and I am very glad to be able to go back myself and see the important work Dickey left for the world.

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About the Author

Erika Robuck is the national bestselling author of historical fiction including SISTERS OF NIGHT AND FOG, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, and HEMINGWAY’S GIRL. Her articles have appeared in Writer Unboxed, Crime Reads, and Writer’s Digest, and she has been named a Maryland Writer’s Association Notable Writer of 2024. A boating enthusiast, amateur historian, and teacher, she resides in Annapolis with her husband and three sons.

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.erikarobuck.com/

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

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-last-assignment-by-erika-robuck