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Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Cat & Mouse: A Parker City Mystery by Justin M. Kiska

CAT & MOUSE

by Justin M. Kiska

March 30 – May 1, 2026

Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for CAT & MOUSE: A Parker City Mystery by Justin M. Kiska on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

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

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Book Description

Twenty years ago, Elizabeth Blakely was the target of a relentless stalker—someone who sent threatening letters, invaded her life, and left her living in fear. The case made headlines. The threats were chilling. And then… it all stopped.

Now, in the summer of 1985, Elizabeth’s past has come roaring back. A new letter appears—eerily familiar and signed just like the ones before. Then her husband is stabbed in their home.

Parker City Police Detectives Ben Winters and Tommy Mason are handed the case and quickly find themselves trapped in a decades-old maze of obsession, secrets, and psychological scars. As they peel back the layers of the original investigation, they begin to suspect the truth was never what it seemed—and the stalker may have never left.

With pressure mounting, the detectives must solve a mystery rooted in the past to prevent another tragedy in the present. But what they uncover will challenge everything they thought they knew about guilt, innocence, and what it means to be a victim.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/249061798-cat-mouse?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=cLAC9MOban&rank=1

Cat & Mouse: A Parker City Mystery

Genre: Traditional Police Procedural with a Dual Timeline element
Published by: Level Best Books
Publication Date: March 31, 2026
Number of Pages: 320
ISBN: 979-8898202118
Series: A Parker City Mystery, Book 6

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

CAT & MOUSE: A Parker City Mystery (Book #6) by Justin M. Kiska is another intricately plotted and intriguing dual timeline classic detective mystery. The Parker City Mysteries feature two recurring main detective protagonists in the mid 1980’s and two historic crime fighters in the past, but also always in Parker City. Despite spanning various decades or centuries, these crimes consistently exhibit a common theme, clue, or character. You get two exciting well plotted mysteries in one book which can easily be read as a standalone, but I have enjoyed reading all the books in the series.

Parker City 1965. Elizabeth Blakely is one of many women in Parker City receiving menacing letters from an unknown stalker, but her letters are handwritten and very personal. While the women of the town are all terrified only Elizabeth is singled out with escalating crimes. The police in 1965 have little to go on and no clues that help them find Elizabeth’s stalker.

Parker City 1985. After twenty years, Elizabeth and her husband returned to Parker City. She gets another chilling letter which is identical to the threatening letters from before. She and her husband bring the letter to the current police department, and Detectives Ben Winters and Tommy Mason are on the case now. With alternating decade narratives, can Winters and Mason solve this twenty-year mystery?

I always enjoy getting into a new book in the Parker City mystery series. The recurring detective protagonists in 1985, Ben and Tommy, are a smart, memorable, and enjoyable duo that I enjoy returning to in each book. The second past mystery in this book was interesting with the same cast of characters and continuation of the crime in 1965 and 1985. This story pulls you in with the police procedurals in both timelines and the differences in the handling of the case. I was engrossed in both and while not surprised at the conclusion, it was plotted well throughout both timelines. I always find it entertaining that 1985 is classified as historical, but it makes me think about the clues more, which the author is always fair on, because you do not have all the scientific expertise of present-day crime fighting.

I highly recommend this dual timeline historical traditional detective mystery in the Parker City series. I also recommend the entire series which are all worth reading.

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Excerpt

June 1985 . . .

“All I’m saying,” Detective Tommy Mason said to his partner as they walked down the sidewalk, “is that this was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. And I’ve seen crazy. You know I’ve seen crazy. But this…this was crazy.”

“I don’t see why a trip to the vet has gotten you so worked up,” Ben Winters, Tommy’s partner, friend, and commanding officer of the Parker City Police Department’s Detective Squad said, shaking his head.

“I’m getting to it. I’m trying to set the mood. Let me tell it, will you?”

Ben rolled his eyes and chuckled but let him continue. He should have known. This was just how Tommy was. The two men had known each other since they were kids. They’d grown up together, gone to school together, joined the academy together, and put on the uniform together. They weren’t just friends; they were more like brothers. Which is why Ben was well aware of Tommy’s penchant for storytelling. The trick was to only believe about half of what he said. Tommy had a flair for the dramatic.

“Just hear me out,” Tommy pleaded, stopping under an awning to get out of the warm sun for a moment. “So, I’m spending the day with Christine, right? And she tells me her cat has a vet appointment. Okay, I mean, I’m not a fan of her cat. Truth is, I hate the thing. It’s pure evil wrapped in fur. But, as the good boyfriend that I am, I said I’d tag along. You know, trying to be sensitive and show an interest in things she cares about blah, blah, blah.”

“You’re terrible,” Ben interrupted.

“Hey! That cat cornered me one morning and tried to kill me.”

“Is this the time you hid in the bathroom like a five-year-old?”

“Really? You’re going to take the cat’s side when I’ve saved your life how many times now?”

“You’re a trained police officer. You shouldn’t be afraid of a little cat. And don’t even try to say you’ve saved my life more than I’ve saved yours.”  

Anyone who spent any amount of time around the two detectives, whether on duty or off, knew this is how they talked to one another. They were like an old married couple. Constantly taking shots at each other and making wisecracks. It was their friendly jibes that helped to keep them grounded. Especially when they were working a particularly difficult case. And after only four years as detectives, they’d already seen more than their fair share of tough cases. 

“Anyway,” Tommy said. “We take Satan’s pussy cat to this little townhouse out there on 9th. I swear, the sign in the window was written on cardboard, which made me start to question this vet’s credentials. Turns out, she’s some sort of all natural astrological pet healer. I didn’t even know that was a thing. But this vet—and I use that term loosely because she looked more like a gypsy fortune teller—comes out and takes the demon cat—”

“Satan’s pussy cat,” Ben reminded with a smirk.

“Satan’s pussy cat—and puts it on this card table to examine it.”

“Is the cat male or female?”

“I don’t know.”

“What’s its name?”

“Hellraiser…it doesn’t matter.”

“I’m just trying to get all the facts,” Ben said, knowing he was getting under Tommy’s skin. “It’s kind of what we do.”

Ignoring him, Tommy continued. “So, Lucifur is on the table, doing everything possible to get away and this voodoo priestess pulls out a tuning fork. She puts her hand on the cat’s back, then she whacks the back of her own hand with the tuning fork and listens. She does it a second time and turns to Christine and says the cat hasn’t been eating because it’s unhappy with where she moved the food bowl.”

Ben stared at him. “You’re kidding me.”

“I shit-you-not. And the worst part is, Christine then paid this hippie. Paid her!”

“I’m really not sure what to say. But I do have a question. Did Christine move the bowl back to wherever it was before?”

“Yes.”

“And?” Ben found himself surprisingly eager to hear the answer.

Tommy looked away, clearly annoyed. “Damn cat ate the whole bowl of food.”

Ben burst out laughing. He couldn’t help it. The whole story was so ridiculous. Absolutely absurd yet fitting somehow. Leave it to Tommy to find himself in a situation like that. But he was happy to see his friend getting so serious with someone. He and Christine weren’t just going out on wild dates anymore. They were doing the more mundane things couples did together. This was the longest relationship Ben could remember Tommy ever being in. Long enough that Christine was going to be Tommy’s date at his and Natalie’s wedding. Nat was thrilled. Not just because she liked Chistine, but she didn’t have to worry about Tommy sleeping with one of the bridesmaids now. And with the wedding only a matter of weeks away, it was nice to have one less thing to fret about.

Taking a final sip of the soda he was carrying, Ben tossed the empty cup in the trashcan next to the curb as the two continued walking down Commerce Street.

Today was a special day in Parker City. Six blocks of downtown had been shut down for the Summer in the Streets festival. Shops and restaurants had set up booths, offering local goods, special menus, and giveaways. The sidewalks were packed with residents and visitors. As music from local bands and church choirs echoed through the air.

An event like this would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. In 1978, Parker was devastated by a terrible flood that destroyed the city’s business district, leaving the once thriving commercial corridor in ruins. The damage had been so extensive, most business owners simply boarded up the windows and walked away, leaving empty, derelict buildings sitting for years. Right in the heart of the city.

The economics of the ‘70s had already taken its toll on Parker City to begin with, so the flood was the final nail in the coffin. A once bustling city practically turned into a ghost town in the span of three days as the rain fell and the murky waters surged through the streets. Once it was all over, the destruction was so severe, no one could see a clear path to restore the area. No one except the city’s young, energetic mayor. He made it his mission to return the downtown to its former glory. And though it had been slow going, the fruits of his labor were beginning to show. The abandoned buildings were being cleaned up, renovated, and leased, welcoming new shops and restaurants, and even a small art gallery. There was still a long way to go, but this outdoor market was a chance to show that the city was coming back to life.

As Ben looked around at the crowded festival, he figured at least half the city had shown up, not to mention the out-of-town visitors. Ben wasn’t sure who’d be happier with the turnout, the president of the Chamber of Commerce or the mayor. Regardless, it looked like the first Summer in the Streets was a huge success. 

As members of the Parker City Police Department’s Detective Squad—albeit the only members of the Parker City Police Department’s Detective Squad—Ben and Tommy would not usually be on the street like this. But with an event of this nature, they’d been asked to lend a helping hand. Both were happy to do so, though Tommy made it very clear he would not be putting on his old uniform. Not on a hot June day in Maryland. Instead, the detectives were comfortably patrolling while wearing simple white polo shirts with the word POLICE emblazoned on the back and their badges hanging around their necks on silver chains.    

If it were up to Tommy, that’s how they’d dress every day. But Ben insisted that they wear full suits and that only the police detectives on television and in the movies wore T-shirts, leather jackets, and jeans. Though he grumbled about it every chance he got, Tommy begrudgingly listened to his supervisor, Detective Sergeant Winters, and put on a suit in the mornings. 

As they reached the corner of Commerce and 1st, Tommy glanced up the block. With wooden barricades set up at every intersection, there was no vehicular traffic, leaving cross streets virtually empty. Halfway up that particular block, next to a sandwich shop Tommy frequented, was a Maryland United Bank branch. Looking at his watch, seeing that it was one o’clock, he was just about to suggest they grab a bite to eat when something caught his eye.

A flash of red.

Doing a double take to make sure his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, he turned to Ben and asked, “It’s still June, right?”

Ben gave him a puzzled look. “Yeah. Still June. Why?”

“And it’s pretty warm out here today? About eighty-five degrees or so?”

“Right…” Ben nodded.

“Then seeing a guy dressed as Santa Claus would be considered suspicious,” Tommy said pointing up the street toward the bank.

Following his finger, sure enough, Ben saw a man in full Santa gear pacing around outside the bank, shifting his weight nervously, swinging a sack from shoulder to shoulder.

Unhooking the walkie-talkie from his belt, Ben keyed the button on the side and said, “Dispatch, this is PC-12. Come in.”

“Hey, Ben. How’s it goin’ out there, sugar,” the voice crackled over the radio.

“It’s a beautiful day and there’s a big crowd,” Ben answered. “So, Shirley, Tommy and I are looking at a suspicious person outside the Maryland United Bank on 1st. We’re going to check him out.”

There was a momentary pause before she came back with, “I show Spurrier on patrol in that area. I’ll send him your way. Do you have a description for me?”

Ben hesitated. “Um…yeah. It’s Santa Claus.”

“Come again?” she asked, her surprise coming over the radio loud and clear. “I don’t think I heard you right, puddin.’”

“No. You heard me. The guy’s dressed as Santa Claus. Full suit. Sack and all.”

“Well, ho, ho, ho,” Shirley said before sighing off.

Tommy looked at Ben. “So…think we’re looking at a robbery, or just a nutjob?”

Ben shrugged. “Either way, it’s going to be interesting.”

***

Author Bio

Justin is a theatre producer, director, and mystery writer who can usually be found sitting in his library devising new and clever ways to kill people (for his mysteries). In addition to writing the Parker City Mysteries Series, which includes Now & Then, Vice & Virtue, Fact & Fiction, Black & White, and Cops & Robbers, he is also the mastermind behind Marquee Mysteries, a series of interactive mystery events he has been writing and producing for nearly twenty years. Justin and his wife, Jessica, live along Lake Linganore outside of Frederick, Maryland with their pups Brownie and Cocoa.

Social Media Links

JustinKiska.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads – @JustinKiska
BookBub – @JMKiska
Instagram – @JMKiska
Facebook – @JMKiska

Purchase Links

Amazon – https://pictbooks.tours/0TX1Laq3

Kindle – https://pictbooks.tours/RX5nvBBy

Goodreads – https://pictbooks.tours/uZXhOaoO

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PICT GIVEAWAY

https://pictbooks.tours/fDCUcN8A

ARC Feature Post and Book Review: In the Spirit of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

Book Description

Tabitha has enjoyed an entertaining afternoon in Julia’s kitchen, but her return home is a bit jarring. As she arrives at her grandfather’s rue de l’Université mansion, a woman bursts out the door babbling about messages from spirits and a warning Grand-père must heed. Oncle Rafe angrily sends the woman on her way, and neither man will answer Tabitha’s questions.

It’s not the last she sees of the mysterious visitor. While she’s on a date that evening, she’s accosted by her again—and learns that Madame Vierca is a medium who claims to have visions of a dark fate that awaits Grand-père and Oncle Rafe. The very next night, Tabitha’s messieurs host a soiree at their new restaurant, inviting fellow Resistance fighters from the war known as the Nine Bluets. To commemorate the work of the Resistance network, the vase on the dinner table sports nine of the pretty blue flowers.

But shortly after the revelers leave the restaurant, one of Grand-père’s old friends is found dead on the street . . . and one of the nine flowers is missing from the vase. When a second member of the Nine Bluets is found poisoned the next day, and a bluet flower is left with the body, Tabitha cannot ignore Madame Vierca’s frightening predictions about her dear messieurs. She has no choice but to share her suspicions and fears with the enigmatic and unruffled Inspecteur Merveille.

Tabitha soon finds herself caught up in an investigation that takes her and Merveille to the seediest, most dangerous parts of the Left Bank—home of strange, fantastical legends, disquieting events, and unusual people. As she and Merveille desperately try to find a killer, they know they don’t have much time before the rest of the Nine Bluets are targeted . . . including Grand-père and Oncle Rafe.

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

IN THE SPIRIT OF FRENCH MURDER (An American in Paris Book #4) by Colleen Cambridge is another wonderful addition to this entertaining, intriguing, and informative historical mystery series featuring Tabitha Knight, an American in Paris and her best friend and fellow ex-pat, Julia Child. While the main cast of characters continue to evolve in their relationships, each book contains a complete mystery, so these books can be read as standalone books. I have read them all in order and loved every single one.

Tabitha is excited about the opening night party of her Grand-pere and Oncle Rafe’s new restaurant. While she still has questions regarding an old medium, Madame Vierca, who visited the pair yesterday and warned her of danger as she left, she is fascinated by the Resistance group that her Grand-pere and Oncle reunited. Called the Nine Bluets, Tabitha is told tales of the group as they worked against the Nazis.

As the revelers depart the restaurant, one of the group of fighters is found dead on the street with his throat slit. Another is found the next day poisoned in an old home previously used as a safe house by the group. Tabitha is extremely worried about her messieurs as the predictions from the old medium appear to be coming true with a wilted bluet found by each dead body. Once again, she is caught up in a murder investigation with Inspecteur Merveille.

As Tabitha and Merveille investigate the murders, Tabitha is especially frantic when her Grand-pere and Oncle are kidnapped. Can she follow to clues to discover the killer in time to save those she loves?

I always look forward to getting a new book in this series. Tabitha is a wonderful protagonist who just seems to have dead people fall at her feet to the eternal consternation of Inspecteur Merveille. These two follow the clues with plenty of twists and surprises along the way to an always satisfactory resolution. Having Julia Child as Tabitha’s best friend sets the stage for wonderful, mouthwatering descriptions of recipes and cooking, as well as a sounding board for Tabitha’s adventures. The descriptions of Paris and its inhabitants in 1950 demonstrate the author’s obvious research and add to the richness of the story. This time period and location is especially intriguing because while Paris is free and rebuilding, it has only been five years since the war and the atrocities of the Nazi occupation.

I highly recommend this engaging historical mystery and encourage you to try all the books in this series.

***

About the Author

Colleen Cambridge is the pen name for an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. From a young age, Colleen has loved reading mysteries and now she couldn’t be happier that she is able to write them.

Under several pseudonyms, she has written more than 36 books in a variety of genres and is always plotting her next murder—er, book.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.colleengleason.com/colleen-cambridge/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ColleenGleason.Author

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/in-the-spirit-of-french-murder-an-american-in-paris-mystery-book-4-by-colleen-cambridge

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Body Man by Al Pessin

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for BODY MAN: A THRILLER by Al Pessin on this Book Amplifier Tour.

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

Book Introduction

Loyalty can be a steady force—or a dangerous one—depending on where it’s placed and how far it’s pushed. When circumstances begin to shift, that loyalty is tested in ways that challenge both identity and purpose. In Body Man by Al Pessin, those tests unfold under mounting pressure.

A presidency marked by bold policy changes becomes the center of escalating national tension. When an assassination attempt fails, it triggers a chain reaction that spreads across the country.

Spencer, the president’s closest aide, steps into a position of influence that few others hold. As leadership becomes increasingly unstable, he must make decisions that carry significant consequences.

Carl, a disgraced Marine sniper, is recruited into a militant movement that believes decisive action is necessary. His mission begins with clarity but becomes increasingly uncertain as events spiral.

As unrest intensifies and institutions begin to fracture, both men are drawn deeper into conflict. Each believes he is acting to protect the country, even as the outcome remains uncertain.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235788913-body-man

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

BODY MAN: A Thriller by Al Pessin is a thought-provoking political thriller that could have come right from the present-day headlines. This story is told in dual POV alternating chapters by the two main protagonists who both believe they are saving the country.

Spencer is idealistic and fresh out of college when he lands a job writing speeches and press releases for the new freshman Senator Wade Brick from Michigan. As the Senator’s star rises and he runs for President, he focuses on gun control as his main issue. Spencer becomes Brick’s body man when the campaign goes national. The body man is the invisible person behind the President that makes his life as easy as possible. When tragedy strikes, Spencer believes in helping the President in any way he can, but will he feelings for and belief in the President have him crossing a line?

Carl is a high school graduate with no ambitions who goes into the Marines just to get away from his life in Michigan and for the pay. He takes to the discipline and discovers he is an exceptional shooter. He is drawn into a group that believes black people and immigrants are destroying the country and the libs are going to take away all guns. He is skeptical at first but slowly gets indoctrinated by the group. Carl gets accepted to Sniper School, but just as he graduates, he gets into a fight with a fellow sniper who is black and drinking and being friendly with a white girl and he is dishonorably discharged. At home, he finds himself pulled into local militia groups and they have a job for him that could change the terrible course he believes the country is on.

This thriller is so terrifying because it is so believable. Not taking political sides, you can watch the train wreck in real time that both young men are leading up to and understand that they truly believe that their views are the right ones. Even when I felt I knew where the story was going, the author would throw in a slight twist that would change the direction of both main characters’ lives right up to the end. With crisp intense writing and compelling realistic characters, I could not stop reading this story from start to finish.

I highly recommend this compelling political thriller.

***

Excerpt

Chapter 1

Spencer

I’m the best person to tell you this story.

I was there. Saw the whole thing. I was the fly on the wall, the shadow, the potted plant. It was my job. I was the closest aide to the most powerful man in the world…

What I did, I did for the good of the country. There was no one else to do it. I stepped up and

did what needed to be done.

And that’s the reason you’re all living your lives like nothing happened.

Chapter 2

Carl

I woke up to what was really happening in America, and I did something. I defended it. I gave

everything.

Because that’s what American patriots do.

And that’s what I continued to do, no matter what you think, even when the Corps fucked me, even when the world turned upside down and inside out, even when “defend the Constitution

of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic” became more of a curse than an oath.

I’m Carl Reddy and this is my story.

I know you’ll remember my name. Everybody will.

But also remember that I’m an American patriot. Always was. Always will be.

***

About the Author

Al Pessin is an award-winning author and veteran foreign correspondent whose decades of frontline reporting fuel his high-tension political thrillers. He’s covered war zones from Iraq to Afghanistan, interviewed militants in Gaza, and was once expelled from China for “fomenting counter-revolutionary rebellion.”

Before turning to fiction, Pessin spent nearly four decades with Voice of America, serving as a White House and Pentagon correspondent and reporting from global hotspots across Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe. His debut thriller Sandblast launched the Task Force Epsilon series and was followed by Blowback and Shock Wave.

He lives in Florida with his wife and their Labrador, Rory.

Social Media Links

Website: https://alpessin.com/

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

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

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Life or Death by Andrea Kane

LIFE OR DEATH

by Andrea Kane

March 16 – April 10, 2026

Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for LIFE OR DEATH (Forensics Instincts Bok #11) by Andrea Kane on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.

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

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Book Description

In suburban Westchester County, just outside the frenetic pace of New York City, a deadly murder occurs. After a violent struggle, FBI agent Shane Walsh is dead and his wife, Caitlin, has vanished. At the urging of a mysterious text, the Walshes’ nine-year-old daughter, Kennedy, has been safely whisked away by a close family member.

The FBI is determined to bring down whoever assassinated one of its own and is focusing on Caitlin as a prime suspect. Ryan McKay, Forensic Instincts’ chief technology officer, as well as Shane’s cousin and lifelong friend, vehemently disagrees. Ryan knows the Walsh family well. He insists that Caitlin is innocent, and that she, herself, is in danger.

After convincing his team to cast a wider net, Ryan leads FI on a zigzag course across two continents to locate Caitlin, sidestepping the FBI at every turn, and protecting Kennedy at all costs. But the FBI is on the warpath, and threatens to permanently shut down Forensic Instincts if they don’t back off. Undeterred by the FBI’s threats, FI goes underground in pursuit of their rogue mission.

As the pace quickens, Kennedy becomes the target of unnerving text messages. Both The FBI and the Forensic Instincts teams sense that the end game is near and that the chess match is spiraling to a stunning conclusion. Determined to declare “checkmate” before the killer, Forensic Instincts must not only protect Kennedy but make sure that their team doesn’t end up as collateral damage when the king falls.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236454142-life-or-death?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=UwfGwJ0txh&rank=1

Life or Death

Genre: Suspense Thriller
Published by: Bonnie Meadow Publishing, LLC
Publication Date: March 17, 2026
Number of Pages: 304, HC
ISBN: 9781682320686 (ISBN10: 1682320685), HC
Series: Forensic Instincts, Book 11 | Each is a stand-alone novel

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

LIFE OR DEATH (Forensic Instincts Book #11) by Andrea Kane is another addition to this always gripping crime thriller series featuring an eclectic group of talented crime fighters who have come together to form Forensic Instincts (FI). They are not always on the technically right side of the law, but they always get their prey and solve the case. While the characters have continually evolved over the now eleven books, the individual crime plots are always solved in each book so they can be read as standalones.

Ryan McKay is the tech genius for Forensic Instincts (FI), and he is devastated when he learns his cousin and FBI agent, Shane Walsh, has been found murdered in his home and his wife, Caitlin, is missing. Ryan’s mother receives a text to pick up Shane’s eight-year-old daughter, Kennedy, from school and to keep her safe.

While FI gets to work immediately on the case, the FBI has warned them not to interfere, or they will be shut down. FI refuses to back down and goes underground with the help of another secretive off-the-record group that fights crimes internationally. In a race to prove Caitlin innocent and keep Kennedy safe, the FI group is going to need every resource and friend they have available to discover the motive and killer.

I always love returning to the Forensic Instincts world. I get a great crime thriller as well as a comfortable cast of fully developed characters. Ryan and Claire are the focal characters from FI throughout this book as well as Shane’s daughter Kennedy, but everyone appears with everyone’s skills necessary to solve this case. The crime plot is intricately plotted with plenty of twists along the way, but it also has a very clever misdirection that changes the entire focus of the case. I always enjoy getting my hands on a new FI book and following this familiar group of characters as they investigate a new crime.

I highly recommend this fast-paced crime thriller and encourage you to try the entire Forensic Instincts series!

***

Author Bio

Andrea Kane is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thirty-three novels, including nineteen psychological thrillers and fourteen historical romantic suspense titles. With her signature style, Kane creates unforgettable characters and confronts them with life-threatening danger. As a master of suspense, she weaves them into exciting, carefully-researched stories, pushing them to the edge—and keeping her readers up all night.

Kane’s first contemporary suspense thriller, Run for Your Life, became an instant New York Times bestseller.

She followed with a string of bestselling psychological thrillers including No Way Out, Twisted and Drawn in Blood.

Her latest in the highly successful Forensic Instincts series, Life or Death, forces this eclectic team of investigators to navigate a high wire act between the FBI on one side and a vicious killer looking to terminate the rest of a young family on the other. The first showcase of Forensic Instincts’ talents came with the New York Times bestseller, The Girl Who Disappeared Twice, followed by The Line Between Here and Gone, The Stranger You Know, The Silence That Speaks, The Murder That Never Was, A Face To Die For, Dead In A Week, No Stone Unturned, At Any Cost, Struck Dead and Life or Death.

Kane’s beloved historical romantic suspense novels include My Heart’s Desire, Samantha, Echoes in the Mist, and Wishes in the Wind.

With a worldwide following of passionate readers, her books have been published in more than twenty languages.

Kane lives in New Jersey with her family. She’s an avid crossword puzzle solver and a diehard Yankees fan.

Social Media Links

AndreaKane.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads – @akane
BookBub – @writetome1
Instagram – @AuthorAndreaKane
Facebook – @AuthorAndreaKane
TikTok – @author.ak
RBmedia Audiobooks

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PROMOAMP GIVEAWAY

https://pictbooks.tours/P0YXx94S

Feature Post and Book Review: Maybe One Day by Catherine Bybee

Book Description

Mari D’Angelo’s life is complete. Her children are all married. Two grandbabies fill her days, with two more on the way, and her thriving family restaurant is running on autopilot. Not once in the ten years since she’s become a widow has Mari considered another love of her own. Until she sets sail on a singles cruise to placate her recently divorced best friend. Then James comes crashing into Mari’s world.

Charming, witty, and with two daughters of his own, James isn’t looking for love either. But Mari is as irresistible as she is beautiful. As their simmering attraction grows, Mari’s resolve to ignore the spark James has ignited slowly breaks away. She promised her beloved late husband she’d find someone new. Maybe that impossible day has come.

Knowing her protective sons would not approve, Mari chooses to keep the romance a secret. After all, there is no reason for her family to know about James if their relationship doesn’t work out. It’s up to James to prove he can be trusted with the heart of a woman he’s come to cherish. But without her family’s approval, their love doesn’t stand a chance.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230395129-maybe-one-day?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=0dQSZKuTxi&rank=2

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

MAYBE ONE DAY (The D’Angelos Book #5) by Catherine Bybee is a beautiful story of finding love for the second time when you least expect it. This is the fifth book in the series, but it can easily be read as a standalone slow burn mature romance.

When the D’Angelo matriarch, Mari, accompanies her divorced best friend on a singles cruise, she was only supposed to be the wingman. Widowed for ten years, she believes her life is complete with a successful Italian restaurant, all her children married, two grandchildren and two more on the way. As the two engage with the other singles in their group, Mari finds she is enjoying the new experiences.

With twin daughters about to leave the nest, successful businessman James has been divorced from the twin’s mother for many years, but they have a good relationship. When his ex-wife tells him the twins are arguing about which one should accept a college closer to home, so their father is not alone. He is shocked and agrees to go on a single cruise organized by a friend. He believes he can show the twins he is moving on and get some work done at the same time, until he notices a beautiful and feisty woman in their group.

Mari and James find they have an attraction that neither was looking for and yet they cannot deny. As the cruise comes to an end, Mari is worried about the relationship still working as they return to their everyday lives and how her two grown sons will feel about their mother dating again. At first, she wants to keep their meetings at home a secret, but life has a way of interfering. James is willing to go as slow as Mari wants, but now he finds he must also win over two overly protective Italian sons.

I loved this story so much! It is a slow burn romantic story of finding unexpected love, growing and experiencing new things even as we age, and family growing and accepting changes with love. Mari was already a wonderful character in the series, who was strong, loving, and feisty, but this book took her to a whole other level. I always have a strong emotional reaction to Ms. Bybee’s romances because they are so beautifully written and make you believe in romance and love.

I highly recommend this endearing and heartwarming second chance mature romance!

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About the Author

Catherine is a #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon, and Indie Reader bestselling author. In addition, her books have also graced The New York Times and USA Today bestsellers lists. In total she has written thirty-six beloved books that have collectively sold more than 10 million copies and have been translated into more than twenty languages.

Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in the hope of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban
emergency rooms. She now writes full time and has penned the Not Quite series, The Weekday Brides series, the Most Likely To series, and the First Wives series. Learn more about Catherine and her books at www.catherinebybee.com

Social Media Links

Website: http://www.catherinebybee.com 

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

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/maybe-one-day-by-catherine-bybee

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: For Honor Alone by Andrew J. Harvey

Hello everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for FOR HONOR ALONE (The Honor Trilogy Book #3) by Andrew J. Harvey on this Black Phoenix Book 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

The war is far from over. With the city of Pesh devastated by nuclear attack, the Cross-Temporal Empire, Sultan’s Angevine monarchy, and the Northern Caliphate unite to hunt the terrorists across shattered timelines-leading them to Nayarit, a lost world long thought destroyed.

Jade Carvello, missing and presumed dead, escapes captivity only to discover she’s the descendant of a legendary priestess-thrust into an ancient caste war in a decaying underground city. As Carlos Babineaux fights his way across a devastated alternate Europe to find her, Margaret Peric faces a different battlefield: her heart. While her upcoming marriage to Markus Ackov spins out of control, she’s also asked to become World Leader of Sultan.

Meanwhile, deep within Nayarit, an ancient AI prepares to defend the remnants of its world-and its guardian priestess, Xipil-at any cost.

From collapsing portals and engineered viruses to rebellion, romance, and rediscovery, For Honor Alone delivers an epic conclusion to the Honor Trilogy. In a final stand against destruction, loyalty, and love must span timelines-and shape the future of empires.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/243783329-for-honor-alone?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=7R5aF4qw1Q&rank=2

Book on Amazon

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

FOR HONOR ALONE (The Honor Trilogy Book #3) by Andrew J. Harvey is the stellar finale in The Honor Trilogy. This trilogy has been an epic read, and I have enjoyed all the characters, the thrilling and intriguing political plotline, and the multiverse worldbuilding. I am not a big sci-fi reader and yet this trilogy pulled me in and kept me reading from beginning to end.

As this book begins all the main characters are spread throughout the multiverse facing various perils. Jade Carvello escapes her kidnappers and wakes up in an underground society on what all thought to be extinct line of the multiverse, Carlos Babineaux is searching for Jade, praying she is alive, and Margaret Peric is trying to discover who is behind the destruction of Pesh while discovering she is to be a new World Leader while also becoming a wife and mother.

This trilogy is so much more than just characters involved in a multiverse sci-fi war plot. Many cultures throughout the multiverse find they must all come together and fight against past prejudices for all to survive. The AI ancient priestess and her Mirror add even more story high tension with the addition of a collapsing universe. The main characters are all emotionally connected by love and/or loyalty which keeps the reader emotionally tied to each and sitting on the edge of their seat during trials, tribulations, and major battles. This is a great addition to the trilogy which ties all the plot threads together for a very satisfying climatic conclusion.

I highly recommend this final addition to The Honor Trilogy series and would recommend the entire trilogy to any reader.

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About the Author

Andrew spent his high-school years in the school’s library lost in the worlds of Andre Norton, Robert Heinlein, and Isaac Asimov. Reading in turn led to writing, with the first draft of The Portal Adventures originally completed to read to his two sons at night. Now his children have left home he lives in Perth with his wife, one dog, and sixty four gold fish.

Andrew is presently the Principal of Hague Publishing, established in 2011 as an independent publisher of Science Fiction and Fantasy. Registered in Western Australia, it publishes original work by Australian and New Zealand authors.

Andrew’s first published short story (A Messenger to the Dragon) appeared in Aurealis – Australian Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1992. His most recent was the award winning 1827: Napoleon in Australia, which appeared in Sea Lion Press’ anthology Alternate Australias released in 2020.

His first novel, Nightfall (book one in the Clemhorn Trilogy) is an adult, alternate history set against the backdrop of the Cross-Temporal Empire and its fifty-four separate lines. Nightfall was released by Zmok Books in 2019. The series is distributed by Simon and Schuster.

Trouble on Teral and Crisis at Calista Station, the first two books in his new middle-grade, Science Fiction adventure series, The Portal Adventures, were released by Canada’s Peasantry Press in 2020. The open ended series is a combination of Caroline Lawrence’s Roman Mysteries and Andre Norton’s juvenile speculative fiction.

A passionate reader of Alternate History Andrew is working on completing a number of additional series of trilogies based on the Cross-Temporal Empire.

Social Media Links

Website: https://andrewjharvey.com/

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/andrew-j-harvey