Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE SICILIAN SECRET by Angela Petch on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour book tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Italy, 1943. With war raging across the rugged cliffs and turquoise waters of his beloved Sicily, Savio’s pen scrawls desperately across the page. His letter must be sent in secret – or his life will be in terrible danger…
England, present day. Paige is devastated when her reclusive but beloved Aunt Florence dies – the only family she’s ever known. Inheriting her crumbling cottage, Paige finds an unfinished note. ‘I am sorry, Paige. It’s time to tell you everything. It all began in Sicily…’
Beside the note is a faded envelope – addressed to a woman called Joy – with an Italian postage stamp from 1943. The letter inside is made up of Roman numerals and snippets of sentences written in Italian. But who is Joy? Was someone sending a coded message? Paige is desperate to piece together the truth. But she soon discovers it will change everything she’s ever believed about her aunt, and her family history.
1943. Lady Joy Harrison may have grown up in a manor house, but she’s determined to fight for what’s right and use her fluent Italian to help the Allies. Breaking code on a long night shift, Joy reads a secret message that makes her whole body shake. A dark-eyed young man she once loved is in terrible danger on the shores of Sicily. Was the message sent by him? And will she ever see him again – or will the war tear them apart for good?
THE SICILIAN SECRET by Angela Petch is a captivating dual timeline historical fiction with protagonists in both the 1970’s and 1940’s that had me engrossed from beginning to end. This is a new-to-me author, and I will be checking out her back catalogue that I am surprised I have not read before.
In the 1940’s timeline, Lady Joy Harrison is determined to help in the war effort. When she trains for secret service, she meets an unlikely confidant. Savio is British born, but because of his Sicilian parents, they are gathered up and incarcerated. He is now training for service also. They fall in love but are separated without notice. Joy is sent to and works at Bletchley Park and Savio is sent to be a part of the invasion by the allies on Sicily.
In the 1970’s timeline, Paige is devastated when her Aunt Flo, the person who raised her, is killed in a traffic accident. As she is cleaning her aunt’s room, she discovers a box left for her with a mysterious amulet and an unfinished note telling her she has a secret to tell her, but it is unfinished. There is also a cryptic message in some sort of code and post marked from Sicily. After being shocked by what she learns at home in England, she is off to Sicily to hopefully discover more.
I loved this story so much even when I was crying. This author was able to emotionally connect me with all the protagonists in each timeline. I also liked that the plot was written in a way that was not only believable but also plausible. The research is obvious and extensive, from the internment camps on the Isle of Mann to the allied campaign in Sicily. All the plotlines intertwine and seamlessly reveal the plot secrets and heartbreaks. This is a historical fiction story that has everything I enjoy reading in this genre of book and it is beautifully written.
I highly recommend this beautiful and emotional historical fiction story.
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Author Bio
Author bio:
I’m an award winning writer of fiction – and the occasional poem.
Every summer I move to Tuscany for six months where my husband and I own a renovated watermill which we let out. When not exploring our unspoilt corner of the Apennines, I disappear to my writing desk at the top of our converted stable.
In my Italian handbag or hiking rucksack I always make sure to store notebook and pen to jot down ideas.
The winter months are spent in Sussex where most of our family live. When I’m not helping out with grandchildren, I catch up with writer friends.
It’s 1942, and as far as her father knows, Evelyn Bishop, heiress to an aeronautics fortune, is working as a translator in London. In truth, Evelyn—daring, beautiful, and as adept with a rifle as she is in five languages—has joined the Office of Strategic Services as a spy. Her goal is personal: to find her brother, who is being held as a POW in a Nazi labor camp. Through one high-risk mission after another she is paired with the reckless and rebellious Nick Gallagher, growing ever close to him until the war’s end brings with it an act of deep betrayal.
Six years later, Evelyn is back home in Los Angeles, working as a private investigator. The war was supposed to change everything, yet Evelyn, contemplating marriage to her childhood sweetheart, feels stifled by convention. Then the suspected cheating husband she’s tailing is murdered, and suddenly Evelyn is back in Nick’s orbit again.
Teaming up for a final mission, Evelyn and Nick begin to uncover the true nature of her case— and realize that the war has followed them home. For beyond the public horrors waged by nations there are countless secret, desperate acts that still reverberate on both continents, and threaten everything Evelyn holds dear…
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Elise’s Thoughts
Under The Paper Moon by Shaina Steinberg is a fun read. Between the scenes of WWII and the murder of someone in 1948 this blends a mystery and thriller. There is love, duty, loyalty, and forgiveness.
The heroine, Evelyn Bishop, has joined the OSS as a spy. Besides wanting to help the allies she is trying to rescue her brother, held in a German POW camp. Her supervisor is Nick Gallagher. They become intimate and grow close during the war until he betrays her.
Six years later, Evelyn is working as a private investigator. After trailing a suspected cheating husband, the suspect is murdered. Evelyn finds out that Nick is also a PI, who was working with the murdered victim. Teaming up for a final mission, Evelyn and Nick begin to uncover the true nature of her case, realizing that the war has followed them home.
The banter in the story adds humor to the story. There is a lot of action with some romance that includes a love triangle.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the series?
Shaina Steinberg: This is the first in a three-book deal, but I am hoping that I can continue writing more in the series. I love old movies and I started to watch movies from the 1940s. These had strong women like Katherine Hepburn or Ingrid Bergman. This is partly why I set it during this period. Plus, there is a correlation with my grandmother who was a strong and vibrant woman. She got married and did everything society expected of her. She had regrets because she really wanted to be a doctor or a nurse. She did not have many options in her life. My heroine, Evelyn, explores what my grandmother could have been.
EC: How did you get the idea for this story?
SS: I have been fascinated by WWII and my father read bedtime stories written by Elie Wiesel. He always said, ‘it can happen here so we must be vigilant.’ I see this is as a story that delved into the war, but not just that aspect. It shows what war can do to someone and the sacrifices made, especially what a parent would do to keep their child safe.
EC: Do you think there is a corollary between being a spy and a private investigator?
SS: Absolutely. Evelyn as a spy was extremely competent. She was taught to be undetected and how to notice small clues that might lead to something bigger.
EC: How would you describe Evelyn?
SS: She is very talented, good with a gun and able to speak five languages. She is a feminist and loves the adrenaline rush. She could be selfish, petty, sarcastic, stubborn but is also loyal, fearless, funny, and brave. She is from a privileged background. But after the war, her eyes are open, which gives her empathy.
EC: As with many of those in the military who have retired, they miss it. Please explain how you explored this in the story with Evelyn.
SS: There were two quotes in the book that refer to this. The first, “There is no place for me. Not here. Not there. Not anywhere.” The second, “Those first week’s home Evelyn felt as if she was under water. Sometimes it felt like sitting on the ocean floor with the weight of the water pressing down on her.” The second quote is like someone grieving and that grief encompasses everything in someone’s life. While later, after the grief is not so fresh, the person can be functional. The weight of the ocean water is the numbness. The first quote refers to how after the war she feels useless. Evelyn does not want to be a stay-at-home wife because she actively saved lives during the war and had a sense of purpose.
EC: How would you describe the hero, Nick?
SS: He was Evelyn’s commander during the war. During the war he felt fulfillment, a sense of purpose, confident, fearless, and self-assured. Now, after the war he feels hopeless with a sense of failure. He feels rage and anger. The anger is an undercurrent as to when he was abandoned by his family when he was so young, feeling his life was unjust and unfair. He uses that anger to motivate him.
EC: What about the relationship between Evelyn and Nick?
SS: Evelyn gave him stability, hope, and happiness. During the war they were bonded by danger. They are in love even though he betrayed her. From Evelyn he saw that she is kind, good, and has a belief in the goodness in people. Nick sees the world from her point of view, through her eyes. Nick gets a sense of purpose from Evelyn. I think she helps him channel all his anger into ways he can help others. After the war when he loses her, he loses his sense of purpose. I also think the war gave her a sense of purpose. She felt like she was doing something important that could save lives. I think a big part of Nick’s appeal is that he was her partner in that purpose, and he never thought of her as anything less than strong and capable.
EC: Is there a love triangle between Evelyn, Nick, and her current fiancé?
SS: Yes. There is a scene in the book where Evelyn describes James, her current fiancé,as “romantic, sweet, kind, and chivalrous.” Nick sees James as “desperate, needy, and old-fashioned.” If there was never WWII, she probably would have married James when she was twenty-two. Before she went to war that would have been enough because she did not know anything different. To her James is safe and represents her being home and her innocence as well as her living breathing connection to her brother. But what he represents is not enough for her anymore. Evelyn does not see a compability between her world before the war and one after the war. Her appeal for Nick is beyond more than their chemistry, but he was also there when she grew into the person she is now. But because of his betrayal she questions everything she saw and knew about him as well as how she sees herself.
EC: What is the relevance of the song, “Paper Moon?”
SS: Everything she felt about Nick was turned around once she thought he betrayed her. The song represents the way Evelyn sees their love. She thought their love was real and after he betrayed her, she now feels it was hollow. On a personal level it was one of my grandmother’s favorite songs, so it reminds me of her.
EC: Next book?
SS: It will be published in May of next year, with a working title An Unquiet Peace. One of my regrets was that I did not explore Evelyn’s female friendships in this book, but it is part of the second book. There are still conflicts between Nick and Evelyn. It will take place in October 1948 around the Berlin Airlift. Nick also has a case of a woman who wants to leave her marriage.
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.
Four Minutes by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson is a new techno-thriller series. It is different than most futuristic novels in that it does not alter the timeline completely as in the first Superman movie when Lois Lane lived instead of died.
The premise allows for intelligence gathering in the future to be used in the present to prevent an event from happening. Pat Moody leads a new elite squad, Task Force Omega to jump into the future for a short period of time, four minutes.
Another of their books is a Tom Clancy novel, Act of Defiance, to be published in May. It is a sequel of sorts to The Hunt for Red October. Instead of Jack Ryan trying to stop a Russian rogue submarine, it is daughter Katie who must put the pieces together.
As with all their series, Andrews and Wilson never seem to disappoint their readers. The plots are riveting and action-packed with premises that are mind boggling. Suspense is ratcheted up and the characters are compelling.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for Four Minutes?
Brian Andrews/Jeffrey Wilson: It will probably be a limited series but is open ended right now. We like our stories to start with these ‘what if’ questions. Both of us have backgrounds with the military and other government services. What if someone had a crystal ball to look into the future that can say what can happen? For example, what if days beforehand people knew about 9/11? Then we tied it to the cover Special Forces grounded in real math and physics. We did not want it to be a sci-fi book but rather a techno-thriller.
EC: What about the premise?
BA/JW: If someone could look forward and anticipate consequences then in the present it is possible to act. It is about gaining intelligence and coming back to the present to stop the event. They do not get a do over and do not know if the mission will really work. This technology could be invented soon. The questions we want to ask: can there be technology that goes into the near future; if so, how could someone manipulate it; what would the limits be? We put these limits where the team could go into the future 28 days and only stay for four minutes. They must use that information in the present to solve the problem.
EC: What did you mean by the book quote, “everyone wants to see us fail?”
BA/JW: It was not meant to target a real-world administration or political organization. Yet, the powers external to the US: China, Russia, and Iran, want to see us fail. They want to tear us down piece by piece, trying to destroy us from within, and trying to destroy us from outside. America needs to be united because when we are divided, we are weak, and our enemies realize it. They cannot beat us in the Cold War, economically, and militarily so they are trying philosophically and politically.
EC: How would you describe Moody?
BA/JW: Confident, charming, smooth, secretive, and the rest of the team do not trust him. When we first started writing him, we were not sure if he was a bad guy or good guy. He is apologetic for lying to his team, but not when it will help them complete the mission, safeguarding the country. He sees the need to make compromises and hard choices.
EC: Is this where your personal experiences come in?
BA/JW: Yes. This is what it is like when in command. Some people must put themselves in danger. Brian says, for instance, as a submarine officer, I had to wear a radiation monitor. This team is making a big physical sacrifice. Our combined military service is what drives the engine of a lot of our work including the missions.
EC: Can you describe each member of the team starting with Tyler?
BA/JW: Man of action, direct, and intuitive. He embodies the Special Operations officer being dedicated and committed. He is a natural leader and motivator. He is like Dempsey in our “Tier One series.” He has courage, honor, and integrity.
EC: Zee?
BA/JW: She is a perfectionist and takes her intelligence analyst role very seriously. She feels as an outsider. Moody wants her to be a “spy.” She immediately tells Tyler because she wants to be a part of the team, not considered an outsider. Zee is the moral compass, the emotional glue, to keep the team grounded and not dysfunctional.
EC: Ben, Martin, Stan, and Adela?
BA/JW: We wanted to create a colorful cast. They are all dynamic. Stan is the fact checker and the researcher. Ben is the optimist. Adela is the Devil’s Advocate.
EC: Not harping on the math and physics but what is Spooky Time?
BA/JW: Conservation of time. When the team jumps the present is still moving by four minutes. When they return from their jump, they will always return to the present four minutes after they left. But what if they jumped two minutes into the future? The present would have moved by four minutes. We put in the Einstein quote, “The past, present, and future is an illusion.” There is a diagram in the book that explains it.
EC: You are now writing Tom Clancy novels so can you talk a little about your premise in Act of Defiance? This book was “Clancyesque.”
BA/JW: This, our first installment in the Clancy Universe come on the 40th Anniversary of The Hunt for Red October. We feel Tom Clancy invented the techno-thriller genre with that book. We are updating this story with the new technology and the new warriors.
EC: Were you able to use “real life” military technology?
BA/JW: The navy gave us unprecedented access to the modern submarine force. We were able to go on the USS Indiana, a Virginia class submarine, and toured the Black Fish. We were able to see what a day is like for this current submarine officer. We are indebted to the navy and the admiral in charge of the submarine force. The US Navy should have been listed as a co-author since they supported this project.
EC: Do you agree that the Russian submarine captain, Ramius, would not have been able to disappear today considering social media and drones?
BA/JW: We agree completely. This is why we went in another direction. Konstantin, the new Russian submarine captain, has motivations completely different and far more dangerous.
EC: You included that very famous scene, getting Jack Ryan on the submarine, only this time it was his daughter Katie. Please explain.
BA/JW: This scene was not in the book but was in the movie. We wanted to play homage to the book and the movie by picking out some key, super cool incidents that we wanted to replicate in this story. This was an iconic scene in the film. We used a tightrope to put just enough of the nostalgia without alienating people who never read the book or saw the movie.
EC: How would you describe Katie, the female Jack Ryan?
BA/JW: This series has two dozen books. She is an original character, but readers do not know much about her. We can build up her character. Katie is sensitive, confident, thoughtful, analytical, and she has studied Konstantin just as her father studied Ramius in the first book. She is literally Jack Ryan’s DNA because she is his daughter, very similar to her dad. Yet, she does not see it. Just like the hilarious commercial that says, ‘you turned into your parents.’
EC: How would you describe Konstantin?
BA/JW: A warrior, stoic, unyielding, motivated, tenacious, and is a Russian patriot who hates America. He is also an angry guy and bitter about his father’s past, his wife’s illness, and his own disease. He is seeking vengeance and is self-destructive.
EC: Next book?
BA/JW: The next Four Minutes Book is dependent on the screenplay because it is optioned for television or the movies. Since the first book is left with a cliffhanger our intention is to figure out what happens to Moody and some of the other characters.
The next Clancy book is titled, Defense Protocol, coming out in November/December of this year. The plot has a what if with China making moves on Taiwan. Katie is trying to prevent having American and China in a shooting war.
The next “Tier One” book is titled Ember, coming out in July of next year. John Dempsey is back with his team. But the team must handle another new threat. There will be more of the team dynamics.
Sons Of Valor IV will come out in summer of 2025. It has not been written yet.
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.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post for THE HOME FRONT GIRLS (The Home Front Girls Book #1) by Susanna Bavin on this Bookouture Blog Tour.
Below you will find a book description, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
The war is raging in Europe. These girls will do everything they can on the home front – but is a happy ever after possible in such dark and uncertain times?
Manchester, 1940: The minute war was declared, best friends Sally and Deborah volunteered for the home guard, willing to do anything to help their boys fighting overseas. An Auxiliary Fire Service girl by night, Sally ends up stationed at the salvage depot by day. Working amidst the scrap metal and waste paper, helping to make do and mend, isn’t quite the glamorous life in uniform she’d imagined! But she’s determined to do her best, and turn saucepans into Spitfires.
When Sally meets Andrew, a quiet carpenter with a heart-breaking smile who understands how important her work is, she finally feels as though her efforts to keep calm and carry on are making a difference. As love blossoms, Sally feels herself opening up to Andrew in a way she’d never imagined possible.
But then, just as Sally feels as hopeful as she can be in these times of war, a devastating air raid threatens everything she holds dear. As bombs rain down all over Manchester, deadly fires begin to destroy homes, and lives. With Andrew out rescuing families from the rubble, Sally rushes towards the plumes of smoke that fill the night sky. And is horrified to realize the very worst hit area has the salvage yard right at its heart.
Desperate to help in any way she can, Sally, with her fellow salvage girls by her side, sets to work. But what will they find when the smoke clears? Will Sally and Andrew get the happy ending they so deserve? Or will her one chance at true love be lost forever as the morning dawns…?
Susanna Bavin has written 4 standalone sagas and her new WW2 trilogy, The Home Front Girls, will be published by Bookouture in 2024. She also writes as Polly Heron (The Surplus Girls 1920s saga series) and Maisie Thomas (The Railway Girls WW2 saga series)
Susanna lives on the beautiful North Wales coast with her husband and their two rescue cats. She is originally from Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester, where her family has lived for several generations and which provides the setting for her family sagas.
November 1866: The grisly murder site in London’s East End is thronged with onlookers. None of them expect the calmly efficient young woman among them to be a medical doctor, arrived to examine the corpse. Inspector Richard Tennant, overseeing the investigation, at first makes no effort to disguise his skepticism. But Dr. Julia Lewis is accustomed to such condescension . . .
To study medicine, Julia had to leave Britain, where universities still bar their doors to women, and travel to America. She returned home to work in her grandfather’s practice—and to find London in the grip of a devastating cholera epidemic. In four years, however, she has seen nothing quite like this—a local clergyman’s body sexually mutilated and displayed in a manner that she—and Tennant—both suspect is personal.
Days later, another body is found with links to the first, and Tennant calls in Dr. Lewis again. The murderer begins sending the police taunting letters and tantalizing clues—though the trail leads in multiple directions, from London’s music halls to its grim workhouses and dank sewers. Lewis and Tennant struggle to understand the killer’s dark obsessions and motivations. But there is new urgency, for the doctor’s role appears to have shifted from expert to target. And this killer is no impulsive monster, but a fiendishly calculating opponent, determined to see his plan through to its terrifying conclusion . . .
MURDER BY LAMPLIGHT (A Dr. Lewis Mystery Book #!) by Patrice McDonough is an intriguing historical crime mystery that pulls you into a world of poverty and depravity in Victorian London. One of England’s first female physicians and a taciturn Detective Inspector find themselves working together to solve a series of heinous murders. This is the first book in the series and a realistic look at society in 1866.
Dr. Julia Lewis has always wanted to study medicine and become a physician like her father and grandfather, but to achieve that goal she had to travel to relatives in the United States to attend medical college. She returns to live with and practice with her grandfather in Victorian London.
While her grandfather is on another call, Julia responds to the request of the police to study a corpse at a murder scene. Detective Inspector Richard Tennant of Scotland Yard is shocked when a female doctor arrives, but Julia is used to the skepticism and goes on to prove her professionalism with the lurid scene. When another body is found with similar clues, Tennant reaches out to Julia to inspect the body once again. The killer is having a laugh at Tennant and the authorities with written clues and misdirection but when Julia is targeted, there is a new urgency to find this killer.
I loved this introduction to these new well-developed main characters and am very happy this will be a series. Julia is a strong, independent female lead who lives outside the norms of the society of her times and I always enjoy reading about and following these types of characters. Richard is her perfect foil. He seems to be a man of his times, but he has demons from his past and yet he finds something about this female doctor not only aggravating, but intriguing. I am looking forward to reading about how the author moves this hint of a relationship forward in future books.
I found the research into this period in London very thorough and it brought me right into the dark, gritty slums of Whitechapel and the debates about the cholera outbreaks. The murder mystery plot is full of twists and suspects, and I was shocked with the discovery at the climax. This book is graphic with descriptions of the violence done to the murder victims, sexual assault, male rape, prostitution, and homosexuality. The descriptions of living in the slums of London are also written with the truth of the times and not watered down.
I recommend this historically realistic first crime mystery in the Dr. Lewis Mystery series and I am looking forward to many more.
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About the Author
Patrice McDonough, a native of the Garden State, has a master’s degree in history from Rutgers University/NJIT. She teaches history and serves as Department Chair at a college preparatory high school for girls, was named an Outstanding Educator by the Archdiocese of Newark in 1995, and is a member of the Historical Writers of America. She spends her leisure time begging her golf ball to land on the fairway or reading the histories, mysteries, and historical novels piled high on her night table. While thinking about her World History and Western Civilization students and sitting in front of a 1789 map of Paris, she wrote Clock Master’s Daughter: A Novel of the French Revolution.
Everyone has secrets, but not everyone has remorse…
A terrible accident.
Meghan Michaels is trying to find balance between being a single mom and working full time as an ICU nurse, when a patient named Caitlin arrives in her ward with a traumatic brain injury. They say she jumped from a bridge and plunged over twenty feet to the train tracks below.
A shocking revelation.
When a witness comes forward with new details about Caitlin’s fall, it calls everything they know into question. Was a crime committed? Did someone actually push Caitlin, and if so, who… and why?
No one is safe.
Meghan lets herself get close to Caitlin until she’s deeply entangled in the mystery surrounding her. Only when it’s too late, does she realize that she and her daughter could be the next victims…
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Elise’s Thoughts
She’s Not Sorry by Mary Kubica is a suspenseful thriller with a compelling twist. The characters are gripping although unreliable.
The main character is Meghan Michaels who is like any single mom, trying to find balance between working full time as an ICU nurse and being a doting mother. Now one of her patients, Caitlin Beckett, is in a coma with traumatic brain injury. As the story goes on authorities begin to question if she suicidally jumped from a bridge or was pushed.
Then there is Natalie (Nat) Cohen who Meghan runs into on the street. Nat was a high school classmate. After noticing a huge bruise on Nat’s face and having experience with abuse Meghan is worried and invites Nat to stay with her and her daughter Sienna.
Also wanting to make sure her teenage daughter is safe Meghan becomes a formidable character. Although thoughtful and caring she can become a “mama bear” if someone in her family is threatened.
As the story unveils readers see Meghan as strong but someone who has secrets that need to be kept. This is what compels readers to not want to put the book down.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Did you have the idea for the ending or the plot first?
Mary Kubica: I started with the twist first, which is unusual for me. I have a starting point and no idea where I am going with it. With this one the twist came first and then I stepped backwards and created the characters to go with it, building up to it.
EC: Comas played a role in the book?
MK: I did not know anyone who has been in a coma, but I did quite a bit of research. This book has a medical setting and there was a patient in a coma. I am also very fortunate to have several friends who are nurses, some ICU nurses. There is nothing like speaking to someone who knows the information and lives in that world. I asked them some very specific questions including the day-to-day experience of being a nurse. I wanted a couple of nurses to read the book after it was finished for accuracy.
EC: How would you describe the daughter Sienna?
MK: A typical sixteen-year-old girl. My daughter would have been the same age at the time I started writing this book. She is a little sassy, defiant, and likes to push the boundaries. She and her mother Meghan have a great relationship. They are close. She is obviously not shy and speaks her mind.
EC: How would you describe Meghan?
MK: I think characters will find her relatable. As a mother she puts her daughter first: Sienna’s happiness and safety. She has recently gone through a divorce and is trying to find her footing. Being a nurse and having to work she is trying to find the right balance between being a solo parent and working mom. She is very empathetic. But will do anything to protect those she loves. She is compassionate, guarded, and tough.
EC: What role did Nat play in the story?
MK: Meghan remembers her as a high school friend. She thought she knew her more than she did. She felt safe with her because Nat was someone she grew up with. Because she went through this divorce, she feels isolated, desperate, and alone so she confides in her a deep secret.
EC: How did you come up with the prologue scene at the beginning of the book?
MK: This was not the first thing I wrote. I knew I wanted to start something out with a bang that would grip the readers. As a parent the idea of someone taking their child is every parent’s worst nightmare.
EC: I never heard of virtual kidnapping, is it true?
MK: Sadly, this is prevalent these days. It is a way to get money even though there was never a kidnapping. They do not have that person.
EC: Would you have paid the money straight out?
MK: I do not know. This is one of the things I would bring up in my books. What would the reader do? Thankfully, most of us have never been in this situation. But if I thought someone had my child and had a short time to pay this ransom, I might have done it.
EC: Role of Caitlin?
MK: She is the patient in the ICU and unconscious. Because she cannot speak the readers get information from her parents, the Becketts. They reveal more and more about her over time. The more we learn about her, the less we like her. In the beginning Meghan bonds with Mrs. Beckett because they are both mothers who care so much about their daughters.
EC: Next book?
MK: I just started it so no title and no release date. It is another suspense novel. This has a new setting, the North Woods of Wisconsin. Two families go on vacation together and bad things start to happen.
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.
