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

SINS OF THE FATHER

by James L’Etoile

August 4 – 29, 2025

Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

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

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

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Book Description

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

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

Sins of the Father

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

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My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

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

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

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

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

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

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Excerpt

Chapter One

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I told you guys to wait in the van.”

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

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

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

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

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

“What?”

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

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

“Oh my God.”

“Is it a dead person? Chase said.

“Back to the van boys,” Cope said.

“But—”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Everyone’s going with Mr. Cope.”

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

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

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

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

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

The arms were flayed out over his broken head.

“Oh God.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

***

Author Bio

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

Social Media Links

Website: https://jamesletoile.com/

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

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

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

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

Purchase Links

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

Goodreads: https://pictbooks.tours/LPTBlXux

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KINGSUMO GIVEAWAY

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

Book Tour/Feature Post and Mini Book Review: The Friendship List by Beth Miller

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Mini Book Review for THE FRIENDSHIP LIST by Beth Miller on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog tour.

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

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Book Description

Wiping away her tears, Kay looks at her old photos, of friends who have come and gone through life’s big moments. But then there’s Rose, her one constant through everything. Now Rose is missing. Does the key to finding her lie in their past?

It should have been the happiest day of Kay’s life. Getting married with her best friend and maid of honour, Rose at her side. But then Rose messages Kay moments before the ceremony, I’m so sorry. I can’t do this. Please don’t look for me. Kay is heartbroken. What could have possibly driven Rose to leave?

Kay doesn’t know a life without Rose in it. They’ve stuck together through thick and thin; getting each other through tough break-ups, the rollercoaster of children and losing Kay’s beloved mum.

Searching through a lifetime of belongings, desperate for clues, Kay finds a box of old photos. As she looks at pictures of them dancing with their friends from years ago, she suddenly wonders whether the key to finding Rose lies in their past. Writing down a list of long-lost friendships, Kay feels certain one of them will know what happened to Rose.

But as Kay begins to uncover a lifetime of memories to help her find her friend, will she also find herself?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/236571077-the-friendship-list?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=D6YjbO2UJB&rank=2

Purchase Link: Amazon – https://geni.us/B0FCXXK2THsocial

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My Mini Book Review

RATING: 3.5 out of 5 Stars

THE FRIENDSHIP LIST by Beth Miller is a women’s fiction story about a woman’s search through her long-term friendships and the choices she made throughout her life to keep them or let them go. While the concept had me interested in reading this standalone novel, it turned out to be a mediocre read for me.

Kay is the protagonist the reader follows from her best friend, not showing up for her second wedding through the many years of their friendship to a twist of an ending. For the first few chapters, I had a difficult time liking Kay, from her reactions to Rose not attending her wedding and subsequently being told by Rose not to contact her again. As she goes back through their friendship, there are moments I could relate to in my own friendships over time which kept me reading, but I found it mundane until the revelations regarding her new husband. I was hoping for more, but these characters did not deliver for me.

It is a book that many could relate to regarding long-term friendships, and I liked that it had mature characters. It was written well, but it just did not have the “fall into the story and be swept away” quality for me.

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Author Bio

Beth Miller is the author of four novels, including The Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom and the bestselling The Missing Letters of Mrs Bright. She has also written two non-fiction titles, including For the Love of The Archers. She has worked as a sexual health trainer, a journalist and a psychology lecturer and is now a book coach and creative writing teacher. Beth has a PhD in Psychology, and an advanced diploma in tea-drinking.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.bethmiller.co.uk

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

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

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

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women’s Sports by Christine Brennan

Book Description

America has never seen an athlete quite like Caitlin Clark. Attracting record-shattering attendance and TV ratings, she has riveted the nation with her famous logo threes and thrilling passes and changed how fans across the country view women’s sports. Drawing on dozens of extensive interviews and exclusive, behind-the-scenes reporting, veteran journalist Christine Brennan narrates Clark’s rise—including the formative experiences that led to her scoring more points than any woman or man in major college basketball history—and delivers fascinating new details about Clark’s Olympic snub by USA Basketball, the safety concerns around her that led to charter flights for all players, the WNBA’s lack of preparation for heightened national scrutiny, and troubling outbreaks of jealousy and resentment as a white player became the top story in a predominantly Black league.

The 2024 season was a watershed. Always taking the high road in the face of criticism, Clark proceeded to write herself into WNBA record books as one of the league’s most talented rookies ever. And her winning persona—on full display whether surrounded by children begging for autographs or reporters hanging on her every word—made Clark such a fan favorite that increasingly larger arenas needed to be found to accommodate the hordes who traveled hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of miles to watch her play.

Clark arrived as a sports and cultural icon a little more than fifty years after the passage of Title IX, the 1972 law that opened the floodgates for girls and women to play sports in America. On Her Game is a sports story, certainly, but it’s also the story of a nation falling in love with what it has created because of that law—millions of new athletes, led by the magical Caitlin Clark.

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Elise’s Thoughts

On Her Game by Christine Brennan is a portrait of sports phenomenon Caitlin Clark. Brennan has been at the forefront of women’s sports and has been selected multiple times as one of the country’s top sports columnists. Readers will understand why she is a renowned journalist and commentator because she asks tough questions and uses facts for her answers.

The book mainly chronicles Clark’s 2024 WNBA rookie season with the Indiana Fever. It follows Clark as she helped to break attendance and TV ratings records, her extra-long-distance three-pointers, and incredible passes. Brennan does not shy away from the controversies regarding herself, Clark, and the league that also show the hypocrisy of those involved with the WNBA.

As Michael Jordan said, “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen,” which is exactly what Brennan has done in writing this book. She has hit nothing but net.

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Why write this book?

Christine Brennan: I was watching Caitlin Clark during her junior and senior years at college. I have covered a lot of Final Fours and WNBA games since the 1990s but was just watching on TV and when I saw her buzzer-beater against Indiana, a crazy, sideways shot, and couldn’t stop watching the replays, I started thinking if a veteran journalist like me was intrigued by her, how about other Americans? I saw how the crowds were standing in line, many times in the cold, to watch a woman play basketball. It was like the lines at a Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, or Beyonce concert. On July 11, 2024, without a book proposal, Scribner offered me a contract to write this book. It came out July 8, 2025. On July 16, 2025, it debuted at No. 2 on the New York Times bestseller list. It all was so magical and whimsical.

EC: Do you think that women’s basketball is more like old-time basketball?

CB: Yes, it is team game, played below the rim, not so much freelancing as in the men’s game. It is much more a game of fundamentals: passing, teamwork, defense. Also, many top male players leave college after a year. In the women’s game, they stay for four years so fans get to know them.

EC: In your first chapter you refer to Title IX and I was wondering if you want to comment on biological men in women’s sports?

CB: People look at the election of Donald Trump as the catalyst on this. There is a certain validity to that because within a few days, the NCAA ruled, based on a Trump Executive Order, that if someone has gone through male puberty they cannot compete in women’s sports. The LPGA did the same thing. In the last few weeks, the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee also said basically the same thing, pendingthe decisions of the national governing bodies of every sport. But even during the Biden Administration, the international swimming and track and field federations ruled that if someone has gone through male puberty, they cannot compete in the women’s category at the world championships or at the Olympic Games.I believe this is a good policy, but it’s happening no matter what we believe. Especially in kids’ sports, though, leaders need to move forward with compassion and understanding, combined with science. The name-calling and hatred on this issue need to stop.

EC: What about refereeing in college and professional women’s basketball?

CB: Interest in the women’s game has never been greater, because of Caitlin Clark, the ultimate attention magnet, yet what do these millions of new fans see? The referees are terrible, and the league seems to be doing nothing about it. I deal with this in the book in a chapter titled ‘Hip Check.’ Last year, Chicago’s Chennedy Carter hit Caitlin Clark with an ugly cheap shot, but the referees did not even review the play on the video monitor. The next day it was upgraded to a flagrant foul, but Carter didn’t miss any games. Fast forward to this year when Connecticut’s Marina Mabrey plowed into Clark with a terrible dead ball foul. She was lucky Clark wasn’t injured because as Clark goes, so goes the WNBA. TV ratings plummet when she’s out. Clark is the economic rocket ship for all the players but again, Mabrey was allowed to keep playing.

EC: How would you describe Caitlin Clark’s persona?

CB: She is 23 years old going on 40 or 50. She gets tough questions about race and politics but never flinches and answers each one directly. She is a remarkable person: mature, kind, old school — and hilarious. She’s very smart and very funny. She signs autographs for girls and boys before and after every game, which is so rare. Children will be inspired by her for years to come. She is the perfect role model for millions of kids around the world who love sports.

EC: How would you describe Caitlin Clark’s basketball skills?

CB: Great shooter, especially the logo threes, a magical passer, competitive, confident, determined, incredible court vision, a perfectionist. A generational player, and perhaps even a once in a lifetime player. She is unique in sports history: a women’s team sport athlete who isn’t just one of the most popular athletes in the nation, she’s one of the most popular people in the nation.

EC: What about the quotes from Nancy Lieberman and Billie Jean King about Caitlin Clark; too bad Cathy Engelbert could not have said it?

CB: Part of Nancy Lieberman’s quote from the book is: “I just want to say thank you to you, Caitlin Clark, for just lifting our game up…we shouldn’t hate on her, we should celebrate her, not tolerate her.” Part of Billie Jean King’s quote from the book: “This year is a turning point, and it’s because of Caitlin…with all these sellouts and all this interest…whether you like it or not, Caitlin is the reason…She’s a superstar. When she does well, everyone does better…This generation has a chance to set this league on fire. Don’t blow it with animosity. Do not blow it. Just play ball. Play hard, but no cheap shots.” I used these quotes because how anyone could look at what was going on last year with the record TV viewership and attendance and minimize Caitlin Clark is just ridiculous. Throughout the book I wanted to use quotes and anecdotes to show just how wrong the naysayers are.

EC: Do you agree Caitlin Clark brought higher attendance and ratings to the league?

CB: It’s undeniable. Facts are facts. In my ‘Overtime’ chapter at the end of the book, I show how the Indiana Fever’s attendance during Caitlin Clark’s rookie year was higher than the average home attendance of five NBA teams last year. That is an unbelievable statistic, and there are many more like it.

EC: Then there was Sheila Johnson, the co-owner of the WNBA team, the Washington Mystics, that was so hypocritical. You talk about that in your book?

CB: She told CNN that the whole league should have been put on the Time athlete of the year cover instead of just one player, the player who won the award, Caitlin Clark. That is so bizarre, especially considering Johnson moved the Mystics’ two home Indiana Fever games from her 4,200-seat arena to the huge Capital One Arena, seating over 20,000, so Johnson could make more money off Clark’s appearance.

EC: Does race play a role in the reaction to her?

CB: Race definitely is a factor because the WNBA is a 74% Black league that was ignored by the male-dominated sports media for years. Now here comes a white woman who gets all the attention — which she deserves, and she is bringing a spotlight that shines on all the players — but there definitely was and is animosity toward her. Legendary civil rights leader Dr. Harry Edwards says in the book, “The league failed the players…. The league needed to do a better job in preparing…to take advantage of the tsunami of popularity that is raising all of the boats.”

EC: What would you like to say about the controversy that surrounded your question for DiJonai Carrington, after her fingers hit Clark’s eye? The players’ union called you “indecent and downright insincere.”

CB: I am a journalist who covers the WNBA just like I cover the Olympics and the NFL. They all deserve my respect as big-time sports, yet the WNBA was utterly unprepared for this moment of national scrutiny. After Carrington’s fingers went into Clark’s eye in the playoffs, millions of people on social media accused Carrington of purposely hitting Clark, so you must ask her if she did — which I did in two basic questions. Then the player’s union tried to banish me for asking the questions. I’ve asked male athletes hundreds of tougher questions. Is the union saying that women cannot handle those types of questions? Is that the message they’re sending, that women deserve easier questions? Most athletes want those kinds of questions so they can clear the air and hit it out of the park. By the way, I was not banned. The player’s union embarrassed themselves, their league, and their players.

EC: Will the lightbulb ever go on in this league where those in the WNBA will wake up and embrace Clark?

CB: There needs to be a leader who leads. If Cathy Engelbert can’t do it, get another commissioner. The players’ agents also are not being honest with their players about the impact of Caitlin Clark. Nor are some of the beat writers who cover the WNBA. I take a journalistic look at everything in this book. I tell stories and anecdotes that show that the league had no idea how big Caitlin Clark was. Unbelievable, but true.

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.

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

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

Book Description

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

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

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

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Elise’s Thoughts

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

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

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

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

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Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Idea for the story?

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

EC: What is the theme of the book?

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

EC: Why all the natural disasters?

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

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

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

EC: How would you describe Kit?

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

EC: How would you describe Cullen?

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

EC: How about the relationship?

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

EC: What is the role of the baby Tot?

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

EC: Why the sex trafficking angle?

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

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

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

EC: What did the stuffed bear symbolize?

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

EC: Next book?

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

THANK YOU!!

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