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.
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.
Haunted by her family’s unsolved murder sixteen years ago, Leonora Spencer is familiar with death. As an assistant in her elderly uncle’s London morgue, she uses her photographic memory to catalogue details for his coroner reports. She also isn’t opposed to helping during postmortems, when his skilled hands begin to shake. After a thief breaks into the morgue and steals a locket from a corpse, Leo is determined to understand why, even if it means going against Detective Inspector Jasper Reid’s express orders to keep her nose out of it.
A closely guarded past
Born and bred in the East End slums, Jasper Reid’s recent promotion to the detective’s branch at Scotland Yard is a long step up from his murky past…a past he can’t afford to reveal to anyone. The last thing he needs is a muddled case connecting to the criminals he once associated with—and to the well-known eccentric Leo Spencer. Her stubborn resolve to undermine Jasper’s investigation tests his patience and the complicated history they share.
A murderer closing in
When the missing locket and a handful of suspicious deaths point to a mysterious buried object, Jasper grudgingly accepts Leo’s help to locate it. But someone is watching, and the more they uncover about a deadly blackmail plot, the closer Leo and Jasper get to becoming the killer’s next targets.
SHADOW AT THE MORGUE (Spencer & Reid Mysteries Book #1) by Cara Devlin is an exciting start to a new historical mystery series set in Victorian London in the 1880’s and featuring a young woman who does not conform to society’s rules and a newly promoted Detective Inspector. This is a story that starts off strong and continually kept me turning the pages with each new clue and twist in the case.
Fifteen years ago, Leonora ‘Leo’ Spenser was the sole surviving member of her family who were all brutally murdered. Now living with her uncle and aunt, she is an unofficial assistant to her uncle in a London morgue. With her photographic memory and her curiosity, she catalogues details for his coroner’s reports. Her best friend is a young female matron in the women and children’s side of the city jail while all others find her work in the morgue strange and unladylike.
Leo’s uncle is called away one evening and a man with a knife threatens Leo and locks her in a back room and then leaves after stealing a dead man’s case. Detective Inspector Jasper Reid is called and discovers Leo in the back room. While Jasper is wondering what was so important in the case, with Leo’s memory she knows nothing important was in it, but a dead woman in the morgue is missing a locket.
As Leo and Jasper follow the clues, more dead bodies are discovered and tied to the case. Then they uncover a blackmail plot that ties all the missing pieces together, but it also places them in the killer’s path and makes them disposable.
This is a great introduction to these new protagonists, and the mystery plot was full of red herrings and twists that continually surprised me. I love intelligent characters like Leo who buck convention and are ahead of the times they live in, but she also has a mystery in her past that can play out in future books. Jasper also has a past that was only touched on and I am sure will play into future stories. The dialogue between the two is snappy and while it can seem as if they are fighting like siblings, their feelings are a little more involved than that. The emotional ties between Leo and Jasper will be interesting to follow and see how they progress in future books. The author does an excellent job with her descriptions of atmosphere and historical depictions of London.
I highly recommend this new historical mystery and am looking forward to reading many more in this series!
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About the Author
Cara is an author, reader, and history lover. She reads and writes across genres, but her heart is reserved for romantic historical fiction and mystery. Her Bow Street Duchess books are fast-paced historical mysteries featuring a slow-burn romance taking place in Regency London. The series begins with Murder at the Seven Dials. Cara lives in rural New England with her family, where she is at work on her next series, the Spencer & Reid Mysteries.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SHADOWED WITNESS (The Secrets of Kincaid Book #2) by Angela Carlisle on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, and excerpt from the book, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
A haunting attack. A killer in the shadows. A protective love.
Murder–that’s what photographer Allye Jessup knows she witnessed as she departed her studio one evening. Waking with bruises on her neck and a foggy memory, she believes she survived an attack, but everyone seems to think she simply sustained a head injury from falling down the stairs outside her studio. Plagued by an undiagnosed health condition, she is torn between the haunting reality of what she may have seen and the possibility that her mind is playing tricks on her.
Without proof the other victim ever existed, Detective Eric Thornton can hardly declare the area a murder scene. Still, he adds Allye’s report to his already full caseload. But when new evidence surfaces to support her claims, Eric must stay one step ahead of a ruthless killer and uncover the truth before the suspect closes in on Allye again.
Genre: Romantic Suspense Published by: Bethany House Publishers Publication Date: July 1, 2025 Number of Pages: 336 ISBN: 9780764242519 (ISBN10: 0764242512) Series: The Secrets of Kincaid, Book 2 (Amazon | Goodreads)
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My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
SHADOWED WITNESS (The Secrets of Kincaid Book #2) by Angela Carlisle is a fast-paced Christian romantic suspense featuring a female protagonist who does not know if she can believe what she remembers about a murder she witnessed, or did she? This is the second book in the Secrets of Kincaid series, and it can easily be read as a standalone book.
Photographer Allye Jessup has always been a little clumsy, but lately she has had mysterious symptoms that are severely affecting her daily life. As she waits for further testing, she is leaving her office one night and believes she hears something behind her building. She gets off a scream before she is choked into unconsciousness, but when she wakes up, the mayor who finds her believes she just fell down her office stairs and knocked herself out. When she is attacked in her home, the story is so strange that even her friend, one of the town’s detectives, is having trouble believing her.
Detective Eric Thornton wants to believe Allye, but there is no proof at either scene and he is consumed with other cases. When a body surfaces in a shallow grave in the park, it appears to have evidence that proves Allye’s story. Could Allye have seen more than she knows and really be in danger?
This is a page turner full of suspense and unknowns. Allye is dealing with mysterious health issues and does not want her family to worry, so she is bearing the burden alone until she is diagnosed, but it also puts her in even more danger. Eric has his own problems not only with his workload, but with family trauma while growing up. Even with all their personal problems, they feel an attraction and the threats to Allye make Eric more protective. This is a Christian romantic suspense and with Allye’s health issues there are no sex scenes. The suspense is constant and kept me turning the pages. I only guessed part of the crime plot conclusion and the solution to Allye’s health problems was a surprise until it was suggested as a cause.
I recommend this second Christian romantic suspense in this series and look forward to more.
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Excerpt
1
LIGHTS? CHECK.
Camera? Check.
Three bags and a purse? Check.
Allye Jessup looped all four sets of straps over her left shoulder and stepped out of her small second- story photography studio into a warm autumn evening. The sun had just set, but it was still light enough that the dusk- to- dawn light above the landing hadn’t kicked on yet. That wouldn’t last long, especially with the fog already beginning to move in.
Tightly gripping the rail, she started down the metal stairs. She didn’t need another fall, and the way her equilibrium had been off lately, she wasn’t taking any chances. When she was nearly at the bottom, a dull thud sounded from behind the building. Someone stifled a cry. Another thud.
What in the world? Allye hurried down the last few stairs and toward the noise. She slowed before she reached the corner. Fished in her pocket for her phone. She groaned silently. Not there. No telling which bag she’d stuffed it into. Or if she’d left it in her studio. Wouldn’t be the first time.
As she edged toward the back of the building, she heard a louder ka- thump as if something heavy had fallen. The sounds changed to a muted, almost rhythmic thumping. She reached the corner and peered around.
Two men. One standing back in the shadows, watching. The second man delivered another savage kick to something— no, someone— unmoving on the ground. The blow left the fallen man’s head tilted at an unnatural angle. Allye sucked in a breath.
The attacker swung around, chest heaving. Looked her straight in the eyes.
No. Allye pushed off the building and ran, bags flopping against her back and side. Pursuing footfalls pounded the gravel behind her. She didn’t dare look back. She had to get out into the open. Had to—
A heavy weight plowed into her back. She screamed. Tried to catch herself as she went down in a tangle of bags. Pain shot through her knees and wrists, but she pushed herself up. Turned to fight.
Her attacker shoved her against the side of the building. The back of her head bounced against the wall.
She screamed again. A rough hand closed around her throat, cutting off her cry and pinning her against the rough brick. Her hands flew to his, but his grip was like steel. Too tight for another scream. Just loose enough to allow her the slightest bit of oxygen.
“What do we have here?” He studied her, ignoring her strug- gles. He touched her hair, letting a curl wind around his finger, then slide off. His lips curved in a predatory grin. “Pretty little thing, aren’t you?”
A new wave of fear skittered up her spine. She kicked, and the tip of her shoe connected solidly with his shin. He slapped her, then shifted his hold on her throat, lifting so her toes barely touched the ground. Rage glittered in his eyes.
And he started to squeeze.
She clawed at his fingers, his arm. He snatched both her hands in his free one with a grip that threatened to snap her wrists. Her vision darkened, punctuated by pinpricks of light. She tried to kick again, but he was too close and her strength was fading.
Someone shouted— the words garbled by the rushing in her ears. Hope flared.
Her attacker looked to the side, but the force of his grip didn’t diminish.
Lungs feeling ready to burst, she jerked one last time against his hold. He didn’t budge. The glimmer of hope faded.
Allye succumbed to the darkness.
“ALLYE. ALLYE!” A voice penetrated the smothering black hole of unconsciousness. Someone gripped her shoulders and gently shook her. “Are you okay?”
Allye groaned, and her throat rebelled against the sound. Pain. The attack. Panic flooded in.
She clawed her way to the light, ready to fight for her life. But rather than cooperating with her brain, her eyelids fluttered, and her body declined to move at all.
“Allye?” The voice came again, and this time she recognized it. Mayor Jennings. Not the attacker.
The edge of her panic eased. She concentrated her efforts on opening her eyes, and this time, they obeyed. Mayor Jennings leaned over her, his face a picture of concern.
“Oh, thank God, you’re awake! Are you in pain?” “Where . . . is he?” She forced the words out, her throat pro- testing every word.
Confusion etched new lines onto the mayor’s forehead. “Who?” “That man.” Allye planted her elbows in the gravel and gathered her strength to rise. Her first attempt was pitiful, and she let her head fall back against the ground. Ouch. She waited a moment and tried again. She was partially successful, and Mayor Jennings assisted her into a full sitting position. She bit back another groan and straightened her glasses as she focused on regulating her breathing. Everything hurt. Especially her throat. She raised a shaky hand to her neck. “The man . . . choking me.” She could hear the hoarseness in her voice, and every syllable scraped pain- fully across her damaged windpipe.
Mayor Jennings sat back on his heels. “There wasn’t anyone else out here.”
“A man came after me. Choked me because I saw—” The man on the ground. Could he still be alive?
She pushed to her feet. Dizziness washed over her, and her purse swung against her body. She clutched at the staircase rail- ing. Instantly, she felt the mayor’s strong hand cupping her elbow.
“Easy, Allye. You had a hard fall.” She shook her head, making the dizziness worse. She squeezed her eyes shut for a count of ten. “I didn’t fall.”
“You didn’t?” His gaze dropped to her knees, and she glanced down. Despite the harsh shadows cast by the light above the landing, she could make out the shredded mess of her leggings. She blinked and thought back.
“Well, I did fall when he was chasing me,” she corrected. “When who was chasing you?” “The man.” And she needed to see if the other person being beaten had survived— though she wasn’t sure how he could have. She shook off the mayor’s hold and stumbled toward the back of the building. He followed, hovering as if he expected her to collapse at any second.
“There was a man— men— back here,” she explained. “One of them was beating another, and the one on the ground wasn’t moving. I’m not sure he was even still alive.” She rounded the corner and stopped short, nearly losing her balance. Mayor Jennings again reached out to steady her. No one was here now. No attacker. No victim.
She spun in a slow circle, even that motion increasing her dizziness. Had she confused the buildings? She crossed the space between structures and peered into the dimly lit area behind the newspaper office. Only an industrial- size dumpster and empty parking spaces met her gaze. That didn’t match. Again she turned. What she’d seen had definitely been behind her building.
“I need to call 911. Maybe they’ll be able to find trace evidence.” “Allye, you need to go home and rest.” The mayor’s voice was gentle, fatherly. “Or get a doctor to check you out. You fell down the steps.”
“I don’t need a doctor, and I didn’t fall—” “I heard your scream from my office.” He took her arm and led her back the way they’d come. “I came outside immediately and found you at the bottom of the stairs. No one else was around.” “But—” They passed by the stairs, and her other bags lay as if she’d dropped them there. She slowed. “I need to get those.” “Let me get you to my car, then I’ll collect them for you.” “My car’s parked out front. I can drive.” “No.” His tone brooked no debate. “You hit your head and passed out. I am not letting you on the road. It wouldn’t be safe. Besides”— he winked at her—“your mother would never forgive me if something happened to you.”
She tried to muster a smile, but the attempt fell flat. Mayor Jennings and her mom had been dating for the past three months, and Allye still hadn’t quite gotten used to it. She had nothing against the man, who’d been Kincaid’s mayor for well over a de- cade and a member of their church for much longer, or against her mom for exploring the possibility of finding love again. It was just new territory.
When they’d lost Allye’s dad during what would have been his last active- duty tour in Afghanistan eighteen years ago, Julie Jessup had stepped into life as a single mom. In all these years, she’d shown little interest in dating— even after she abruptly entered the empty- nest stage when Allye’s younger brother, Derryck, was killed in a car accident at fifteen. No, she’d just thrown herself more fully into her thriving realty career and spent her free time in volunteer work. Or hovering over her remaining two children as much as they let her.
As they reached the sidewalk, the mayor decisively steered them toward the parking lot on the other side of city hall— and away from her Jetta. Allye glanced over her shoulder. She didn’t want to leave her car here and be stranded at home, but . . . the mayor was probably right about her driving. Regardless of how it came about, she had lost consciousness, and her brain still felt fuzzy. And truth be told, she didn’t have the energy to argue any further. She bit back a sigh and allowed him to lead her to his shiny black Mercedes. He insisted on helping her inside before heading back for her bags.
After hitting the locks, she slumped in the leather passenger seat and watched until he disappeared around the corner of the newspaper office. Could he be right? She replayed the moments before everything went dark. Though her memories weren’t as crisp as normal— or what had been normal until the last couple of months— they were solid. Real.
She frowned. No matter what the mayor thought, she hadn’t fallen down the steps. She’d seen someone getting attacked, and the attacker had chased her— choked her.
So where had everyone gone? And why was she still alive? None of it made any sense. But she knew what she’d seen. Felt. There was another victim out there, and the more she thought about it, the less she believed he’d be found alive. And if that was the case . . . she’d witnessed a murder tonight.
Her stomach flipped as the realization sank in. She needed to call the police, and the sooner the better. She dug in her purse for her phone but again failed to find it. She’d have to search her other bags once Mayor Jennings returned. Or just ask to borrow his phone.
When he rejoined her a moment later, she cleared her throat and grimaced at the pain. “I can’t leave until I call the police. I’m almost positive that was a murder in progress, and at the very least, the man attempted to kill me.” She saw the protest on Mayor Jennings’s face, but before he could voice it, she plowed ahead. “I know you think I just fell, but what will it hurt to have them look?” He sighed and rubbed the skin between his eyes. “How about this? I’ll call the police and have them take a look around. But first let me take care of you. The last thing you need is to be stuck out here while we wait for an available officer to arrive and investigate.”
“But they’ll need my statement.” “If they find anything, yes. And they can follow up with you with any questions they have.”
A wave of fatigue washed over her, making it hard to think. Would an extra ten or twenty minutes make a difference at this point? The men were gone, and she doubted they’d return any- time soon. And though she had no intention of admitting it, she needed to lie down. Holding herself upright was taking nearly all the energy she had left.
“Okay.” Satisfied with her one- word acquiescence, the mayor started the engine. “Am I taking you home or to the ER?”
“Home.” The ER wouldn’t do anything for bruises that she couldn’t do just as well herself, and she had enough medical bills and doctor appointments as it was. She wasn’t going to add one she didn’t need.
They pulled onto the road, and the mayor aimed his car toward her house.
“Now, tell me what you think you saw, so I can give the police an accurate description.”
Allye resisted the urge to correct his use of the word think. “I was coming down from my studio and heard what sounded like someone getting hit behind the building. I went to the corner and looked around and saw three men. One was on the ground like he’d fallen, and another was kicking him.” She swallowed. “I think I made a noise because the attacker looked up and saw me. I tried to run, but . . .”
The mayor stopped at a light and turned to look at her. “And?” “He pushed me down.” She blinked. “Or I fell. I don’t remem- ber now. But when I got up, he grabbed me. Held me against the wall and started choking me. I blacked out. Then you were there.” The light changed, and the mayor returned his attention to the road. “You said you think you saw the attack behind the building. Right or left from the alley?” “Right. And I did see it.” He didn’t respond. Tired as she was, Allye couldn’t let the silence ride for long. “How did you find me?”
“I heard you scream and came looking.” “No, I mean how was I positioned? What did you see?” His fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “When I came around the corner, I saw you face down at the base of the stairs. I turned you over and checked your pulse. Made sure you were breathing.” He wiped his forehead. “You scared me, Allye.”
His concern was comforting, but his statement didn’t make sense. She’d been a couple of yards past the steps when the at- tacker caught up to her. He’d pinned her against the wall, choked her, and . . . what? She had no idea what had happened afterward, but much time couldn’t have passed if the mayor had come look- ing for her when she screamed.
She realized she was holding her throat again. It still hurt, and her voice was becoming weaker the more she talked. Wasn’t that proof of her being attacked?
“I didn’t fall down the steps,” she said quietly. “I passed out because he choked me.”
“Allye”—the mayor sounded weary—“there wasn’t anyone out there with you.”
“Then why is my throat so sore?” Her raspy challenge was pitiful.
“You screamed pretty loud.” He met her eyes for a brief sec- ond before returning his attention to the road. “And that purse you’re carrying looks heavy. When you fell, it could have yanked against your neck.”
She glanced down. She normally carried the bag slung over one shoulder, but the mayor was right. It hung cross- body. She couldn’t remember doing that before leaving her studio. But with the brain fog she’d been fighting the last couple of months, that didn’t mean much. She sighed and lapsed into silence, this time for the rest of the short drive to her duplex.
When they arrived, the mayor insisted on guiding her to the door. She reluctantly agreed, but only because she felt so awful. She unlocked her duplex and allowed him to set her bags just inside.
“Are you feeling up to staying by yourself? I could call your mother for you.”
“No.” Allye forced her aching body straighter. “I’m fine— just sore. Please don’t tell my mom about tonight. I don’t want her to worry.”
The mayor frowned. “If your mom finds out you fell down the steps and I didn’t let her know—”
“She won’t.” Allye forced a grin. “I’m sure not going to tell her, and if we were the only ones there . . .”
His expression didn’t clear. “Okay.” He took her hand. “But only if you promise me you’ll go straight to bed and you’ll be careful on those steps from now on.”
“Deal.” She hadn’t fallen down the stairs, but she would con- tinue to be careful when navigating them.
He patted her hand, then released it and headed for his car. “And, Mayor Jennings?” He turned back to her. “Thank you.” He flashed the smile that had earned him nine- tenths of the vote last election cycle. “I’m always here when you need me.”
Allye closed and locked her door, then limped to a nearby recliner. She hadn’t lied to him exactly. But between the sore- ness and a renewed weight of fatigue, she didn’t have it in her to make it to her bed tonight.
***
Author Bio
Angela Carlisle resides in the hills of northern Kentucky and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and The Christian PEN. Angela’s debut novel, Secondary Target, was a Parable Weekly top seller and was included in the Library Journal Stars So Far listing. Angela is an editor by day and prefers to spend her free time reading, baking, and drinking ridiculous quantities of hot tea.
Only The Dead Within, The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise, and Personal Security by Lisa Childs shows her ability to write in multiple genres. These three recent books show how diverse Childs is with her writing style because she writes thrillers, mysteries, and family-oriented stories. Only the Dead Within is the thriller, The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise is the family story, and Personal Security is the mystery.
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Only The Dead Within
Grave Diggers Book 2
Kensington Pub
Book Description
Between mysterious missing persons cases, unsolved murders, and the menacing specter of an eternally blood-thirsty grave digger’s ghost, the town of Gold Creek, Michigan, has a grim reputation, and so does the wealthy, ruthless Gold family, who run the local funeral home and cemetery—and may be behind it all . . .
Yet another teen has gone missing from the Gold Memorial Gardens, and Child Protective Services Investigator Claire Underwood isn’t giving up until she finds him. For Claire, solving the case is more than business. Years ago, she lost a friend in that cemetery.
Over time, the authorities deemed all the disappeared teens runaways, while local legend blamed the ghost of the murderous grave digger—much to the satisfaction of the Golds, also known as the “Ghouls.” Claire has always suspected the Golds were involved, including in some recent murders among their own. She went to high school with Noah Gold. He was very quiet, and very intense. Like someone with something to hide.
Noah is sick of being cast in the same light as his conniving, money-hungry family. He’s still a bit anti-social, but he’s just as determined as Clare to unearth the truth—and finally bury the legend of the grave digger. With a common goal, he and Claire join forces, but it’s a quest that puts them in mortal danger. Only with the help of the local sheriff—whose own brother vanished years ago—do they have a chance of surviving. Yet, the truth that awaits them is more terrifying than any ghost . . .
Elise’s Thoughts
Only The Dead Within tells the story of Child Protective Services Investigator Claire Underwood looking for a missing teen last seen in the cemetery. Over time, the authorities deemed that there were multiple teenage disappearances there, but it was determined that the teens were runaways since no bodies were found. But this time it is different because Tyler Hicks’ body was found by the grave digger Noah Gold who becomes a person of interest. Now he wants to join forces with Claire to find out who is behind the murder and the missing teens.
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The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise
Bachelor Cowboy’s Romance Book 1
Harlequin Pub
Book Description
A baby found in the barn means…
An instant cowboy dad!
When a baby is abandoned on the Four Corners Ranch, CPS investigator Elise Shaw drops everything to find the parents. She can’t understand why Liam Lemmon, the bachelor cowboy who found the child, first denies being her father, then claims her as his own! Elise visits the Wyoming ranch regularly to check up on them and soon starts to feel like part of the family. But her heart is getting too involved with the case…and with Liam. And when she learns the cowboy’s secret, will she be forced to take away the child they’ve both come to love?
Elise’s Thoughts
The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise opens with rancher Liam Lemmon finding an abandoned baby in his barn. Child Protective Services investigator Elise Shaw is called in to help find the parents. Elise visits the Wyoming ranch regularly to check up on Liam and baby Lucy. Elise grows closer to both, yet knows her duty is to find the missing parents.
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Personal Security
Bachelor Bodyguard Book 15
Harlequin Pub
Book Description
He’ll risk anything to protect her…
Even his heart.
Watching over Blair Etheridge as she reopens her family’s art gallery is Ivan Chekov’s first chance to prove himself as a bodyguard. He hopes it’s also a chance to start over. But this job brings up bad memories, and Blair doesn’t want him anywhere near her. Ivan overcomes her stubborn streak after an attack on her life proves she’s in danger. The undeniable attraction sizzling between them makes posing as her boyfriend easy, while the thought of losing her frightens him more than he’s willing to admit.
Elise’s Thoughts
Personal Security has Ivan Chekov hired as a bodyguard for Blair Etheridge as she reopens her family’s art gallery. At first reluctant to have a bodyguard, Blair overcomes her stubborn streak and relents after multiple attempts on her life. The undeniable attraction sizzles between them since he poses as her boyfriend.
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All three books will keep readers furiously turning the pages to find out what happens.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: Idea for story?
Lisa Childs: Only The Dead Within is a thriller based on my daughter’s profession, a child protective service investigator, which is a difficult job. I wanted to use her field because I
like writing more than law enforcement professionals. I was able to speak with her to make sure I got everything correct because the heroine in two of my books works as a child protective services investigator.
The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise is a more lighthearted book after writing Only the Dead Within. It is part of my Bachelor Cowboy series. The main character, Elise Shaw, is very near and dear to my heart because of my daughter.
Personal Security is a series that has been going on for many years. This is a redemption storyline where the hero was forced to do things in his past that he is not proud of but was able to turn his life around.
EC: How would you describe your heroines?
LC: Claire is the heroine in Only the Dead Within. She is a survivor, skeptic, felt numb and sometimes dead inside, was abused, and is untrusting. Yet she is also independent, caring, strong, and can connect the dots.
Elise is the heroine in The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise. She is mistrusting, direct, kind, strong, capable, and determined.
Blair is the heroine of Personal Security. She is naïve, strong, stubborn, independent, determined, intense, and a loner.
EC: How would you describe your heroes?
LC: Noah is the hero in Only the Dead Within. He is rich and influential but has the job as the grave digger. He can be a loner, resilient, protective, antisocial, and determined.
Liam is the hero in The Cowboy’s Baby Surprise. He is caring, has integrity, tender, sociable, gentle, responsible, and lonely. He assumes responsibility for a baby left in his barn. He steps up.
Ivan is the hero in Personal Security. He has become a protector while being someone’s bodyguard. He is cautious, charming, and a survivor.
EC: How about each relationship?
LC: At first in Only the Dead Within Claire suspects Noah of murder. Yet they have in common a loved one who is missing. He sees her as vulnerable with a hardened heart and a sharp tongue and worries about her safety. After they get over their first impressions they realize the attraction.
Elise wants love and stability. She is vulnerable and I had her forward in this story. They are both avoiding their attractiveness. The baby left in Liam’s barn brings them together and shows Elise a different side of him.
Both Blaire and Ivan are attracted to each other. They have in common that because of their last name people frown upon them. Ivan teases her a lot. Blaire is very vulnerable and has built walls where she is trying to avoid a relationship.
EC: Next books?
LC: The Unknown Colton is written with multiple authors and a setting of Alaska. It will be released in October. It features Lakin and Troy. She is pursuing her dream of creating a boutique hotel without Troy until it is discovered someone is stalking her. Troy sets aside his own personal problems to help her find out who is after her.
Christmas Security is the story of Blade and comes out in November. The plot has biophysicist Dr. Priscilla Pell fearing for her life, and the life of her unborn child. Living in the mansion where she’s still unwelcome among her late husband’s family, she doesn’t know whether the threats are coming from inside or outside. That’s why she hires professional security. She’s grateful for Blade Sparks’s around-the-clock protection.
The Cowboy’s Claim comes out in December. It is Blake’s story. The story features lawyer Maci Bluff who is under a lot of pressure to win a lawsuit for the Lemmon brothers so they can stay on their beloved ranch. Yet, as the legal battle escalates, so do her feelings for cowboy Blake Lemmon.
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.
Summer 1904.Katharine and her best friend from Oberlin College, Margaret Goodwin Meacham, are thrilled to attend the St. Louis Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri, for the centennial celebration of the Louisiana Purchase. Not only is it a grand, international event, it’s also the first time the young women have seen each other in quite a while, and they are giddy with excitement—despite warnings from Katharine’s old family friend, poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, to be careful of the fair’s less seemly side.
Undaunted, the girls have a lovely time—until the exposition turns from a girls’ trip to a misadventure when Katharine stumbles upon a woman in distress. It’s obvious that she has been attacked. Katharine does her best to save her, but tragically, before help can arrive, the woman dies. Yet just before her last breath, she utters the words aeronautics competition. . . . Katharine’s brothers Wilbur and Orville were asked to enter the competition with their successful 1903 flyer but declined. Katharine wonders how this young woman could be connected to such a prestigious event.
Now, unable to get the woman’s face out of her mind, Katharine convinces Margaret to join her investigation—and it’s soon clear that the race to be declared the first in flight might just be the deadliest competition of them all.
NOT THEY WHO SOAR (Katherine Wright Mystery Book #2) by Amanda Flower is the cozy historical amateur mystery I have been waiting for and is the second book in this smart series. Katharine Wright, the youngest sibling of the legendary Wright Brothers, is back and once again places herself in the middle of a murder investigation. This book is easily read as a standalone mystery, but the first book, To Slip the Bonds of Earth, is also an excellent read.
It is the summer of 1904, and Katharine has taken the train to meet her best friend from college, Margaret, to attend the St. Louis Exposition. While her brothers turned down the opportunity to share their flying machine at this event, she is still interested in seeing the aeronautics competition which has a hundred-thousand-dollar first prize. As they check out the hangers for the flying machines, Katharine stumbles upon a woman who has been fatally stabbed.
Even as Katharine and Margaret take in the many sights of the World Fair, Katharine cannot stop wondering who the young woman was who was killed and why. Katharine discovers the young woman was a mechanic interested in flight and everything seems ties back to the aeronautics competition. Can Katharine sort through all the evidence and suspects before she becomes a victim also?
I am very excited to see this series is going to continue. Katharine is an intelligent, inquisitive protagonist who while she may seem over-shadowed by her brothers’ notoriety, she is not intimidated by it and is a woman ahead of her time. This story took her out of Dayton and was full of interesting facts, both good and disturbing, regarding the 1904 World Fair in St. Louis which also hosted the Olympics at the same time. Ms. Flower’s descriptive writing of attractions at the fair demonstrated her extensive research for this story. Katharine’s intricately plotted mystery investigation is full of red herring, surprises, and multiple suspects which kept me guessing and turning the pages all the way to the end.
I highly recommend this cozy historical amateur mystery featuring Katharine Wright and am looking forward to many more in this series!
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About the Author
Amanda Flower is a USA Today bestselling and Agatha Award-winning author of over thirty-five mystery novels. Her novels have received starred reviews from Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Romantic Times, and she had been featured in USA Today, First for Women, and Woman’s World. She currently writes for Penguin-Random House (Berkley), Kensington, Hallmark Publishing, Crooked Lane Books, and Sourcebooks. In addition to being a writer, she was a librarian for fifteen years. Today, Flower and her husband own a farm and recording studio, and they live in Northeast Ohio with their two adorable cats.
A modern-day homicide detective is working as an undertaker’s assistant in Victorian Scotland when a serial poisoner attacks the men of Edinburgh and leaves their widows under suspicion. Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell—even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body—and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows… the latest of which is Gray’s oldest sister.
Poison is said to be a woman’s weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it’s as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.
THE POISONER’S RING (A Rip in Time Book #2) by Kelley Armstrong is the second book in this historical mystery/time-travel romance mash-up featuring a modern-day female homicide detective who is sent back in time into the body of a Scottish Victorian house maid. These books, at least books one and two, I feel need to be read in order because the first book focuses more on all the character development, how they all interact, and the problems caused by the time-travel, while the second book is focused more on a historical murder mystery.
Mallory is still carrying out the role of house maid for Dr. Duncan Gray and his sister, Isla, while she really wants to be more of an assistant to Duncan who is an undertaker, who also moonlights as a medical examiner. Duncan becomes involved with a case of a supposed poisoning ring which soon includes his older sister when she is accused of poisoning her husband. Mallory, Isla, and Duncan all work together to investigate the murders to exonerate Duncan and Isla’s sister to save her from the hangman’s rope.
I enjoyed the first book, but I liked this one even more because the characters are more settled in their belief in Mallory’s time-travel and the focus was more on a very well-paced and plotted Victorian murder mystery. It kept me guessing until almost the end and was a satisfying solution. The characters make me keep coming back for more. While they follow the rules for their time in Scottish Victorian history, they are also educated and open minded not only to Mallery’s story, but also for their time. Ms. Armstrong brings in serious topics such as racism, varied sexual orientations, and extreme poverty and handles each with not only comparisons between Duncan’s Victorian feelings and beliefs, but also Mallory’s more modern understanding. The chemistry and dialogue between Duncan and Mallory lead to not only serious discussions, but also humorous moments. I am looking forward to following their partnership and relationship in future books.
I highly recommend this mash-up series with memorable characters and intriguing historical mysteries.
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About the Author
Kelley Armstrong believes experience is the best teacher, though she’s been told this shouldn’t apply to writing her murder scenes. To craft her books, she has studied aikido, archery and fencing. She sucks at all of them. She has also crawled through very shallow cave systems and climbed half a mountain before chickening out. She is however an expert coffee drinker and a true connoisseur of chocolate-chip cookies.
