Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Audiobook Review for TROUBLE ONMAIN STREET (Sugar Mountain Book #1) by Kirsten Fullmer on this Audio Book Empire Audiobook Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my audiobook review, the author’s bio and social media links and the narrator’s bio. Enjoy!
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Book Description
A cozy mountain town, a sweet romance, and a secret society of sneaky women…
The sleepy hamlet of Sugar Mountain harbors a secret society of women. Don’t misunderstand—the society itself is not secret—it’s the true nature of the group that is hush-hush.
Sugar Mountain is the kind of charming village that tourists adore. If you like small-town charm, quirky shops, and local art, this is the place for you. But when a blood smeared package shows up at the post office and it appears to be linked to a scheme that threatens Heidi Collinsworth’s historic home, the town takes on a sinister vibe. Heidi would lay odds that slimy Mayor Winslow is involved, but even with the enquiring skills of The Sugar Mountain Ladies Historical Society at work, proof is scarce.
The new guy in town, Adam Williams, is determined not to get involved in Sugar Mountain’s business. His last job in a big city planning office ruined his life, but Heidi needs his help. No matter how hard he tries to stay detached, Adam finds himself eyeball deep in Heidi’s problems, as well as the needs of her teenage son and a homeless dog.
With conflicting theories abound and tensions running high, it’s up to the ladies of the society to don disguises and go undercover. If they’re not careful, the town may fall to a wrecking ball, Heidi may fall for Adam, and the secret society will be exposed.
Meet the cast of colorful characters in this charming and zany introduction to a whole new series of romantic, cozy mysteries!
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My Audiobook Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
TROUBLE ON MAIN STREET (Sugar Mountain Book #1) by Kirsten Fullmer is an entertaining small town cozy mystery with romance elements. This first book in the series introduces the ladies of the Sugar Mountain Historical Society and features their president, Heidi Collinsworth. This Historical Society is not quite what it seems. I listened to the audiobook.
Heidi Collinsworth is the town’s postmaster, a widow, a single mom, and the current grand master of the Sugar Mountain Historical Society which is also her home. A package with a bloody handprint shows up at the post office and at the same time Heidi learns that the Historical Society is due to be demolished. All the ladies of the society come together to investigate and discover a plan that could not only make Heidi homeless, but also destroy Sugar Mountain’s unique downtown shopping district.
Adam Williams has moved to Sugar Mountain for a complete change in his life. He is intrigued by the postmaster and when she asks for his help, he reluctantly agrees since his old job is just what Heidi needs. For someone who wants to stay to himself, he is completely drawn into Heidi’s problem, spending time with Heidi’s son and adopting a sad homeless dog.
Heidi is hiding a secret that she cannot reveal to Adam even as she begins to fall for him. The entire town may be destroyed, and the society exposed if they are not careful.
I really enjoyed listening to this cozy mystery and its fun cast of ladies in the Historical Society. The idea of the Historical Society and their terrible reenactments being the cover for a group of women who come together to better the town and its inhabitants without interference, since no one really knows what they are doing, is an idea that can lead to many more plots. The characters kept me listening, but the plot that started out interesting and well paced, ended up rushed and was not as satisfying as I believe it could have been. I do enjoy scenic small town locations and Sugar Mountain, NC is set in the high country of the Blue Ridge Mountains and I know that is beautiful country. The narrator was an excellent choice for this story, and I enjoyed listening to her bring life to the characters.
I look forward to listening to more Sugar Mountain series audiobooks.
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About theAuthor
Kirsten is a writer with a love of art and design. She worked in the engineering field, taught college, and consulted free lance. Due to health problems, she retired in 2012 to travel with her husband. They live and work full time in a 40′ travel trailer with their little dog Bingo. Besides writing romance novels, she enjoys selling art on Etsy and spoiling their four grandchildren.
As a writer, Kirsten’s goal is to create strong female characters who face challenging, painful, and sometimes comical situations. She believes that the best way to deal with struggle is through friendship and women helping women. She knows good stories are based on interesting and relatable characters.
Barbara’s journey into voice acting began by volunteering with Learning Ally, a non-profit organization. After her experience helping to transform the lives of struggling readers, she knew that narrating audiobooks was the perfect path toward her life’s second act after working in the corporate world for many years.
Her mid-tone voice is friendly, warm, smooth, lyrical, clear, and professional. She can also hold her own in suspenseful tones for the scariest of stories. Her natural accent is Texan, and she can adapt to General American, Appalachian or any American southern accent. Her acting coaches are award winning Carol Monda, Joel Froomkin, Johnny Heller and Elise Arsenault.
Genres she enjoys narrating are suspense, horror, mysteries, cozy mysteries, literary fiction, non-fiction, and memoirs. And anything magical ranging from fun and fantastical all the way to dark sorcery.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for HOT ASH (The Angela Hardwicke Mysteries Book #3) by Russ Colchamiro on this Black Phoenix Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Intergalactic private Angela Hardwicke is Eternity’s most daring spy for hire…
Following the mysterious and ill-timed death of her elderly husband, Camille Engquist was set to inherit the family’s real estate development company. But her stepkids stole it from her first. Or so she claims.
As Hardwicke and her protégé Eric Whistler dive into the world of affordable housing, synthetic concrete, and corporate succession planning, their investigation put them face-to-face with the haves and have-nots, a new form of cocaine, a boundary-pushing neurobiologist, a majestic domed city and a violent conspiracy that stretches farther and deeper than they ever could have imaged. But the most insidious betrayals are sometimes closer to home.
In Hot Ash, Russ Colchamiro’s most action-packed Sci-Fi mystery yet, Angela Hardwicke must grapple with the worst pain of all—that the people we love are the ones we should fear most.
HOT ASH (The Angela Hardwicke Mysteries Book #3) by Russ Colchamiro is a fast-paced mash-up of science fiction/urban fantasy and gritty hard-boiled fiction P.I. mystery with unique worldbuilding and a kick-butt female P.I. protagonist. This is the third book in the series, and it can easily be read as a standalone P.I. mystery, but there is some character change and growth from book one, so I enjoyed reading them in order.
P.I. Angela Hardwicke and her trainee turned protégé, Eric Whistler meet with Camille Engquist regarding her request for their service. They listen to her rage about her treacherous stepchildren and her belief they killed her husband and falsified his recently signed last will and testament kicking her out of their real estate development company without her knowledge. Angela accepts the case because the timing of the husband’s death and the signing of new will seems suspicious.
As Angela and Eric investigate, they are thrown into the darker side of real estate development, building scams, synthetic concrete, inheritance, and drugs. They end up having to go off-world and discover a dangerous and dark conspiracy. Will Angela be able to solve and survive this case?
Angela and this series keep getting better and better. Angela’s character growth has made me like her more and more. At first, she was more of a noir caricature who was like a man in female clothes, but she is becoming a hardcore action P.I. female character who I can cheer for. All the characters are fully fleshed and realistic to this world. The mystery murder and conspiracy plots are intriguing and believable no matter the universe with plenty of exciting twists. The science fiction world in which Angela exists is unique and an interesting worldview twist.
I enjoy Angela Hardwicke and this unique universe, and I am looking forward to reading many more books in this series.
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About the Author
Russ Colchamiro is the author of the sci-fi mystery novels Crackle and Fire and Fractured Lives, featuring his hardboiled intergalactic private eye Angela Hardwicke. He is also the author of the rollicking time travel/space adventure, Crossline, the SFF backpacking comedy series Finders Keepers, Genius de Milo, and Astropalooza, editor of the sci-fi mystery anthology Love, Murder & Mayhem, and co-author of the noir anthology Murder in Montague Falls.
A member of the Mystery Writers Association, Russ is currently publishing the third book in his Angela Hardwicke series, and has written more than a dozen short stories for various anthologies. He is also host of the long-running podcast Russ’s Rockin’ Rollercoaster, interviewing a who’s who of science fiction, crime, and mystery authors. Russ lives in New Jersey with his wife, two ninjas, and his black lab Jinx.
For as long as Lucia Gomez has been the police chief in the city of Highland Isle, near Kindle County, she has known that any woman in law enforcement must walk a precarious line between authority and camaraderie to gain respect. She has maintained a spotless reputation—until now. Three male police officers have accused her of soliciting sex in exchange for promotions to higher ranks. With few people left who she can trust, Chief Gomez turns to an old friend, Rik Dudek, to act as her attorney in the federal grand jury investigation, insisting to Rik that the accusations against her are part of an ugly smear campaign designed to destroy her career and empower her enemies—both outside the police force and within..
Clarice “Pinky” Granum spent most of her youth experimenting with an impressive array of drugs and failing out of various professions, including the police academy. Pinky knows that in the eyes of most people, she’s nothing but a screwup—but she doesn’t trust most people’s opinions anyway. Moreover, she finally has a respectable-enough job as a licensed P.I. working for Rik on his roster of mostly minor cases, like workman’s comp, DUIs and bar fights. Rik’s shabby office and even shabbier cases are a far cry from the kinds of high-profile criminal matters Pinky became familiar with in the law office of her grandfather, Sandy Stern. But Rik and Pinky feel that Chief Gomez’s case, which has attracted national attention, is their chance to break into the legal big leagues.
Guided by her gut instinct and razor-sharp investigative skills, Pinky dives headfirst into a twisted scandal that will draw her into the deepest recesses of the city’s criminal networks, as well as the human mind. But she will need every scrap of tenacity and courage to unravel the dark secrets those closest to her are determined to keep hidden.
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Elise’s Thoughts
Suspect by best-selling author Scott Turow turns the victim-harasser relationship on its head. This legal thriller exposes the vulnerability of the legal system where someone with an agenda can use it to their advantage.
The story has Lucy Gomez, the police chief of Highland Isle being accused by three male officers of soliciting sex in exchange for promotions. Unfortunately, it seems that any woman in law enforcement must gain respect by walking a fine line between camaraderie and respect. Now accused, she hires Rik Dudek as her defense attorney in the federal grand jury investigation. She insists that the accusations against her are part of an ugly smear campaign to destroy her career and reputation. Working alongside Rik is Clarice “Pinky” Granum, a licensed PI. Both she and Rik must sort through all the lies, secrets, and claims to find what is true and what is not.
This legal thriller has intense courtroom scenes and shows the process of how an investigation is conducted. Although more of a plot driven story than a character driven story readers will turn the pages to find the outcome.
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Author Interview
Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?
Scott Turow: Pinky was a character in the last novel and jumped off the page there. Years ago, when I was a prosecutor, I conducted two police investigations of a police beating. After I left the US Attorney’s office I was hired as a Special Prosecutor to investigate a suburban police department of Chicago where officers were stealing recovered evidence. I have seen how the disciplinary hearings work and used my experience to write scenes.
EC: Why did you make the police chief accused of sexual harassment a female?
ST: I can remember a whippet little thrill when I thought of it. It seemed to me it would turn a lot of things on their head. I thought it was provocative and interesting. The law does not look different when the gender roles are reversed. Pinky says that she does not understand how a female chief can force guys six inches taller than her. The defense attorney and Pinky’s boss replies there would be no question if the sides were reversed. There is still an imbalance of power.
EC: To me, it does not matter the size of someone but their position of power in a company?
ST: She was the Chief who made overtures. It was not right. At no point does anyone tell her it was a good idea. The Chief does not think it was especially wrong. I do not think people would be as quick to accept that if she was a he. There is hypocrisy because she was supposed to think about it. She should not walk away from it. It was wrong. People will see what they are inclined to see. There is no universe on what she did is not a crime.
EC: How would you describe “The Ritz?”
ST: I have never written anyone like him before who is bad to the bone. He is Nietzshe-like. He is such an inscrutable human being. His gratification comes from proving he is the smartest guy in the room. He has feelings for his ex-wife but has no moral compass and enjoys the power over everybody. This is another demonstration of how smart he is. Lucy found a way to exert power over him, which really angers him.
EC: How would you describe the Chief, Lucy?
ST: She thought of herself as one of the guys, on an equal footing. As a female officer she had to put up with all the jokes and had to be thin-skinned. She is smart, defiant, kind, and a liar. I admire her but she is a mixed character. A reformer of a corrupt department who at times plays the system. People in the city of Chicago come into office and then get worn down by the corruption. This is Lucy. Her instincts after twelve years are less defined than they once were.
EC: How would you describe Pinky and will you write a series?
ST: I have no commitment to write another Pinky novel. She is brass, instinctive, never follows the rules, has her own internal sense of right and wrong. She believes that the ends justify the means. Pinky is coming to terms with the fact that she is different than anyone else, including not looking for a partner. The pandemic was a great time for her because she does not like to deal with people. She is successful at her job.
EC: What was the relationship between the Chief and Pinky?
ST: Pinky hero-worshipped her and wanted her approval. She wanted the Chief to be of a certain ideal and she was not. Pinky is shocked that the Chief cares what Pinky thinks of her, but she is very honest with her.
EC: How about Rik?
ST: He is the most uncompromised character of the book. He is a good lawyer and dedicated to his client. He does not sell himself out. He is a good boss. As a younger person he fell on hard times. He is a good guy. He knows that clients have done wrong, do not tell the truth, and are trying to hide it. They undermine their lawyers with their process.
EC: Chapter titles as sentences of first paragraph?
ST: This is the first book in which I did it. If you go through my books readers will not find it. It felt right here, to move the reader from where they were in the last chapter to where they are going in this chapter.
EC: Any movies/TV shows on the horizon?
ST: David Kelley who has optioned the book before this, for TV, sees it as a series. Suspect was also optioned by him. Apple TV Plus is remaking Presumed Innocent, in which David Kelley is involved with J.J. Abrams. This is green lighted and is in production now. They were very faithful to who my characters were. Even though I was the architect of that universe, Kelley had the characters doing things I never expected. The writer is always the last to know. There will be changes. It will be eight episodes and the shooting starts in January. I would guess that it will go on the air in 2023.
EC: How about your next book?
ST: I am working on it. It will be out probably two years from now. I want to get further down the road before I talk about it. This is my own little playground and I do not want to allow anyone else in until it is more fixed.
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 and Book Review for SWEETWATER & THEWITCH (A Ghost Hunter/Harmony Novel Book #16) by Jayne Castle on this Berkley blog tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
If there’s something Ravenna Chastain knows, it’s when to end things. And after she almost winds up the victim of a cult that believes she’s a witch, it’s easy to walk away from her dead-end career, ready for a new start. But where to find a job that would allow her to use her very specialized skill set? The answer is clear: she becomes a matchmaker.
But even a successful matchmaker can’t find someone for everyone, and Ravenna considers Ethan Sweetwater her first professional failure. After nine failed dates, Ravenna knows it’s time to cut Ethan loose. But Ethan refuses to be fired as a client—he needs one final date to a business function. Since Ravenna needs a date herself to a family event, they agree to a deal: she will be his (business) date if he will be her (fake) date to her grandparents’ anniversary celebration.
What Ethan fails to mention is that attending the business function is a cover for some industrial espionage that he’s doing as a favor to the new Illusion Town Guild boss. Ravenna is happy to help, but their relationship gets even more complicated when things heat up—the chemistry between them is explosive, as explosive as the danger that’s stalking Ravenna. Lucky for her, Ethan isn’t just an engineer—he’s also a Sweetwater, and Sweetwaters are known for hunting down monsters…
SWEETWATER & THE WITCH (A Ghost Hunters/Harmony Novel Book #16) by Jayne Castle is another fun and exciting trip back to Harmony. This paranormal/romantic suspense matches the infamous Sweetwater with a matchmaking fire witch just trying to make a living in Illusion and the dust bunny who adopts her. This book is easily read as a standalone, but characters from previous books do appear and with the overall family and character arcs, I just prefer to read them in order.
Ravenna Chastain is a criminal profiler who volunteers to be the bait for a trap to take down a cult, but she almost ends up in a waking coma when her backup is late to arrive, but a dust bunny appears instead to help. Ravenna is ready for a change and uses her skills to work for the premiere matchmaking company in Illusion. She is excited to be given the chance to match a Sweetwater even though his past may make it difficult.
Ethan Sweetwater has gone on nine terrible dates, and he is demanding Ravenna be his final contracted date. Ravenna takes him up on his demand and then adds her own request for him to accompany her as a “fake” date to a family function. Ethan has gotten what he wants and more than he is willing to admit, but their dates never seem to go smoothly. Ravenna has dates from her past trying to kill her and Ethan’s investigations have assassins coming after them both.
I always enjoy returning to Jayne Castle’s world. The worldbuilding has been interesting from the start with the variety of para talents, the alien Underworld, the generations of families and the dust bunnies. The romance and suspense are equally represented. The banter between Ravenna and Ethan is entertaining as each attempt to keep their heart safe as they increasingly care for each other, even though it is clear Ethan purposefully picked Ravenna. The sex scene was steamy, but it was not gratuitous.
I always love the chance to return to Harmony for a romantic suspense that always satisfies. And the dust bunnies.
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Excerpt
“You can’t dump me,” Ethan Sweetwater said. “I’ve got a contract with this matchmaking agency. You owe me one more date.”
“To be clear,” Ravenna said, “I am not dumping you. I am trying to explain that I cannot help you.”
“I don’t believe it. When my nephew Jeff recommended you, he said you have the eye.”
“Your nephew met me one time, and that was several months ago, when I was doing criminal profiling, not matchmaking. This work is quite different.”
Actually, it was not all that different, she reflected. It turned out that criminal profiling had a lot in common with matchmaking. The emotional drivers were key.
“Maybe you’re not trying hard enough,” Ethan suggested. That was nothing less than an insult.
“I am a professional, Mr. Sweetwater,” She said coldly. “ I assure you I have given your case my closest attention. In fact, all four of us here at Ottoway, including Ms. Ottoway herself, have gone through the files several times trying to find good matches for you.”
She did not add that there were only two reason Ethan Sweetwater—aka the client from green hell—was still on the books. The primary one was the contract. It stipulated that he was to receive a minimum of ten matches. The second reason, of course, was that Bernice Ottoway, the proprietor of Ottoway Matchmakers, was desperate not to lose such a high-profile client. The Sweetwater name carried a lot of weight, not just in Illusion Town but throughout the four city-states. A successful match for a member of the notoriously private clan that controlled a huge chunk of the amber market would give Ottoway a major promotional hit. It also would do a lot for her career, Ravenna thought. Sadly, a successful outcome did not appear to be in the cards.
“We will be happy to refund your money and refer you to another agency,” Ravenna said. Mentally she crossed her fingers. Bernice Ottoway never returned a client’s money if she could help it, but surely she would understand that Ethan Sweetwater was a hopeless case.
“I don’t want to waste my time starting from scratch at another agency,” Ethan said. “I was assured that here at Ottoway the process would be efficient and professional.”
“It would have helped if you had been more forthcoming on the Ottoway questionnaire,” Ravenna said.
“Don’t try to blame this on me, Ms. Chastain.” I’m the client, remember? The customer is always right.”
He was standing in front of her desk. He reached down somewhat absently to scratch Harriet behind her ears. The dust bunny was in the process of rearranging the pens in the tray. She paused to chortle appreciatively. Ravenna stifled a groan. She and the entire staff at Ottoway might have a problem with Ethan, but Harriet’s relationship with him was just fine. Uncomplicated, she thought. Unlike me.
“I must tell you that, according to the after-action reports I received from the nine dates I arranged for you, your dating technique leaves something to be desired,” she said.
“There you go, blaming the client again. If I’ve got a technique problem, you should help me fix it.”
“Ethan adjusted his black-framed glasses, turned away from the desk, and crossed the office. He took a stance at the window overlooking the quiet residential street.
She liked watching him move, Ravenna thought. He reminded her of a specter-cat, all prowling grace and elegant strength. He had the eyes to match. They were a dark amber gold and infused with the cold heat of controlled power—the eyes of an apex predator. The amber stone in his gold signet ring was the same color.
Eyes like Ethan’s probably made some people nervous, she thought. Maybe that was the reason he chose to wear glasses. Or maybe he thought they went with the rest of his persona.
Jayne Castle, the author of Guild Boss, Illusion Town, Siren’s Call, The Hot Zone, Deception Cove, The Lost Night, Canyons of Night, Midnight Crystal, Obsidian Prey, Dark Light, Silver Master, Ghost Hunter, After Glow, and After Dark, is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author of more than fifty New York Times bestsellers. She writes contemporary romantic suspense novels under the Krentz name, as well as historical novels under the pseudonym Amanda Quick.
Today is my turn to share my Feature Post and Book Review for SECRETS ON THE ISLAND (DI Liam O’Reilly Book #8) by Stewart Giles on this Books ‘n’ All Promotions Blog Tour.
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
School reunions are not something Detective Inspector Liam O’Reilly is particularly fond of.
But when a man is murdered days before the reunion of a prestigious school on the island he’s forced to get involved.
The guests attending the reunion are reluctant to talk and O’Reilly knows not everything is as it seems.
A famous actress, a celebrity chef, a controversial author, a US senator, an English MP and a whole host of other public figures happened to attend the school in the class of ’89.
When more guests at the reunion are murdered, O’Reilly finds himself in the middle of the most bizarre mystery he’s ever encountered.
SECRETS ON THE ISLAND (DI Liam O’Reilly Book #8) by Stewart Giles is another intriguing mystery featuring DI Liam O’Reilly and his team on Guernsey Island. All the books in this series can be read as standalone mysteries/police procedurals, but the characters continue to evolve, so I prefer to read them in order.
DI Liam O’Reilly does not understand why he must attend a meeting regarding the 1989 class reunion at the prestigious Queen Elizabeth College. While several of that year’s graduates are now quite famous, the members of government all have their own security.
The day before the festivities are to begin, O’Reilly and his team are called out to the college when the grounds keeper is found dead in his cottage. No clues are left behind except a balloon tied to the dead man’s neck with the picture of a wolf stamped on it. A second man who was a 1989 graduate is found dead after trying to talk to O’Reilly and only a letter is found on the man with picture of a wolf.
None of the remaining attendees will talk about a wolf or wolf pack. O’Reilly has no clues that lead to the killer and the attendees seem to be willing to die to keep their secret.
This is my favorite series and protagonist by this author. DI Liam O’Reilly is always meticulous in his investigation and even though he can be slightly cantankerous at times, he always treats his team well, loves his daughter and girlfriend and solves the crime. Mr. Giles is always able to keep me guessing right up to the end and is great at throwing out red herring and twists. This is a fast read and exciting who-done-it with a surprising end.
I highly recommend the entire DI Liam O’Reilly series and this addition to the series!
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Author Bio
After reading English at 3 Universities and graduating from none of them, I set off travelling around the world with my wife, Ann, finally settling in South Africa, where we still live.
In 2014 Ann dropped a rather large speaker on my head and I came up with the idea for a detective series. DS Jason Smith was born. Smith, the first in the series was finished a few months later.
3 years and 8 DS Smith books later, Joffe Books wondered if I would be interested in working with them. As a self-published author, I agreed. However, we decided on a new series – the DC Harriet Taylor: Cornwall series.
The Beekeeper was published and soon hit the number one spot in Australia. The second in the series, The Perfect Murder did just as well.
I continued to self-publish the Smith series and Unworthy hit the shelves in 2018 with amazing results. I therefore made the decision to self-publish The Backpacker which is book 3 in the Detective Harriet Taylor series which was published in July 2018.
After The Backpacker I had an idea for a totally new start to a series – a collaboration between the Smith and Harriet thrillers and The Enigma was born. It brought together the broody, enigmatic Jason Smith and the more level-headed Harriet Taylor.
The Miranda trilogy is something totally different. A psychological thriller trilogy. It is a real departure from anything else I’ve written before.
The Detective Jason Smith series continues to grow. I also have another series featuring an Irish detective who relocated to Guernsey. The first 8 books in the Detective Liam O’Reilly series are now available. There are also 3 stand alone novels.
DS JASON SMITH SERIES Book 0.5 – Phobia Book 1 – Smith Book 2 – Boomerang Book 3 – Ladybird Book 4 – Occam’s Razor Book 5 – Harlequin Book 6 – Selene Book 7 – Horsemen Book 8 – Unworthy Book 9 – Venom Book 10 – Severed Book 11 – Demons Book 12 – Deadeye Book 13 – Motive Book 14 – Australia
Book 16 – Wishbone
Book 17 – Ghosts
DI O’REILLY MYSTERIES Book 1 – Blood on the Island Book 2 – Lies on the Island
Book 3 – Fear on the Island
Book 4 – Malice on the Island
Book 5 – Revenge on the Island
Book 6 – Christmas on the Island
Book 7 – Silence on the Island
Book 8 – Secrets on the Island
DC HARRIET TAYLOR SERIES Book 1-The Beekeeper Book 2-The Perfect Murder Book 3-The Backpacker Trotterdown a box set of DC Harriet Taylor books 1-3
DS JASON SMITH &DC HARRIET TAYLOR SERIES Book 1 – The Enigma Book 2 – Dropzone Book 3 – The Raven Girl
Trilogy: The DS Smith & Harriet Taylor box set
THE MIRANDA TRILOGY (psychological thrillers) Miranda Mistress Medusa
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE 13th HOUR : CHAOS by Richard Doetsch on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an excerpt from the book, the author’s bio and social media links and a Kingsumo giveaway. Good luck on the giveaway and enjoy!
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Book Description
A Mesmerizing Thriller Told in Reverse
On a warm Fourth of July in the quiet town of Byram Hills, Nick Quinn watches as his wife and daughter die in an unprecedented terrorist attack. Amid the disaster, Nick is approached by a dying friend who hands Nick an antique pocket watch.
Emotionally shattered and desperate, Nick takes the watch and is shocked to find himself propelled back in time to where he was an hour ago, before the attack on his town. Quickly stopping the course of events, his relief is shattered as life spirals in an even more tragic direction.
At the top of each hour, the watch sends Nick back two hours to live one hour again, a backwards march to relive each hour of his day. A twelve-hour journey providing precious but limited time to protect Julia and Katy and uncover the source of the ever growing threat.
But each time Nick thinks he’s solved the crime and secured the future, he uncovers new levels of deception, agony, and betrayal, ultimately revealing a far more sinister plot with unexpected players and grim, global consequences.
If Nick hasn’t set things right by the 13th hour, not only will his wife and daughter be lost forever to the chaos, but an even greater catastrophe will be unleashed upon the world.
Genre: Time Travel Thriller Published by: Permuted Press Publication Date: May 3rd 2022 Number of Pages: 384 ISBN: 1637583060 (ISBN13: 9781637583067) Series: A Nick Quinn Thriller; The 13th Hour Series
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My Book Review
RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars
THE 13th HOUR: CHAOS (The Nick Quinn Thriller Book #2) by Richard Doetsch is an exciting and fast-paced time travel thriller featuring Nick Quinn. This story is the second in the series but can easily be read as a standalone thriller.
Nick Quinn is celebrating with his family and friends at the town’s Fourth of July party when one of his best friends appears telling Nick to take his backpack and pocket watch as he dies from a gunshot wound at his feet. Nick knows what the pocket watch does, but before he can even consider going back in time to save his friend, a terrorist attack leaves everyone he loves dead.
As Nick travels back two hours, he begins to discover betrayal, deception and a plot that will have worldwide consequences. Each time he goes back in time, he discovers another unexpected twist in the hours he repeats. Unless he can set everything right before The 13th Hour his wife and daughter could be lost forever and the world thrown into war.
I really loved this edge-of-your-seat thriller. The time travel plot was unique with the characters only able to go back at two-hour intervals and not just anywhere in time. The plotting was done in a unique way which had Nick and Zane having to keep changing what they were doing in the future because of the changes they caused in the past. It sounds confusing, but as you read it, it is makes sense and keeps you turning the pages. Nick is a likable protagonist with close friends who are always there for him and his family no matter the consequences and the antagonists were all deceptive with personal motives which keep you guessing. Zane is a great pivotal character that I hated, felt sorry for and then was happy for him in the end.
This time travel thriller is well worth the read and I hope there will be more in this series.
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Excerpt
from Chapter 1
…[A side door opened, and a man stumbled through, looking barely coherent, and fell into Nick’s arms. His clothes were wet, his salt-and-pepper hair damp. Shocked, Nick realized he knew the man and knew him well. It was his close friend Paul Dreyfus, who had been at the top of the guest list and uncharacteristically late.
Nick supported his friend’s sagging weight and led him to a large couch on the far side of the lobby, where Dreyfus collapsed heavily.
“Are you okay?” Nick asked Paul. “What the hell happened?”
“Listen to me,” Dreyfus whispered.
As Nick let go of his friend, he saw blood covering his hands. Quickly, Nick ripped open Dreyfus’s shirt, revealing what looked like a bullet wound to the chest.
“Oh my God,” Nick breathed. “Julia?”
Julia was immediately at his side.
“Bonnie,” Julia turned to the babysitter, “could you take Katy to the bathroom in the back?”
Bonnie averted her eyes as she pulled Katy down through the back hall.
“What happened?” Nick asked his friend again.
Dreyfus pulled the strap of a dark leather satchel from about his neck and shoulder and looped it over Nick’s. “Listen to me, Nick. Listen very carefully….” Dreyfus paused to breathe, struggling to get the words out. “Don’t let that bag out of your sight…. He’s coming for you. He’s…coming for Julia.”
“Who? What are you talking about?”
Dreyfus reached into the bag and withdrew a single picture that made Nick’s blood run cold. It was an image of a man floating against the rocky shoreline of a lake, water lapping at his body, his face having lost all color, the skin white and curdled like rotted cheese, lips blue, cracked, and wet. There was no question that the man had died a painful death. In fact, he had almost surely drowned, his wet body and vacant stare leaving little doubt about the means of his demise.
Nick tried to catch his panicked breath. He knew the man, knew him well, better than anyone: he was looking into his own lifeless eyes.
“You all die….” Dreyfus whispered.
Julia turned to Nick, her skin flushing red as confusion filled her eyes. “Nick?” Her voice trembled.
Nick stared at Dreyfus, the impossibility of his words echoing in his head.
“You, Julia….” Dreyfus struggled to draw another breath. “Katy. Everyone.”
Nick turned and looked through the glass doors at the gathered crowd, which listened in rapt attention to the senator’s speech. Everyone Nick cared about was here, most listening to political rhetoric they couldn’t care less about. They were all attending as a favor to Nick and Julia.
“When?” Nick whispered to his dying friend.
Dreyfus seized Nick’s hand, locking eyes with him. “It’s all in the bag.”
“What’s in the bag?”
“You have to find me….” Dreyfus’s words sounded like a plea.
“I don’t understand…find you where?”
“I’m so sorry—”
A sudden roar exploded from the room, cheers and applause, as if the senator had concluded the speech of his life. The rising voices of the now-standing audience only amplified Nick’s dread.
And then a rumble shook the world, deep and foreboding.
Another rumble, an explosion, like a bomb, and then another and another and another….
The crowd fell silent, eyes darting about in confusion. New York was not the land of earthquakes, but the shaking earth said otherwise. Deep heavy rumblings seemed to roll the flagstone floor.
“Nick?” Julia looked around the lobby in fear as a hum began to grow. “What the hell is that?”
As the rumble grew in intensity, a collective panic took over the reception room, chaos filling the air as everyone tried to flee from the unknown with incoherent screams of fear, cramming through the doors to escape whatever danger was approaching.
The deep roar grew deafening, drowning out the screams, shaking the castle’s foundations. And then, as if hell had been unleashed, the reception room’s outer windows shattered; incomprehensibly, a wall of water drove through the space, rising toward the ceiling in seconds. Like a tidal wave, the barrage of water tore the room apart. Tables, chairs, fixtures, and carpets spun into a churning maelstrom. Men and woman were scooped up, helplessly tossed about, bodies hurled and twisted into dark whirlpools.
The light of day dimmed as the wall sconces winked out. Emergency lights reacted to the loss of power, their bright halogen rays flicking on, impervious to the water’s assault within their clear plastic housings, their beams like shafts of lightning, piercing the murky, rising, roiling waters.
An enormous howl of wind groaned as air was driven from the building, its gusts sweeping the water’s surface into blinding mist. Husbands and wives, friends and neighbors were quickly swept away, their screams doused as they were pulled under and sucked out through the narrow window openings like water through a drain.
From behind the thick glass doors, Nick and Julia watched in horror as their friends drowned, their twisted bodies becoming human flotsam and jetsam before being sucked out through the shattered picture windows on a violent tide into oblivion.
The lobby had already become a deep pool, the waters rising to Nick and Julia’s shoulders. Then, as if a tornado had struck, the glass doors were torn from their moorings and thrown into the tidal flow. A rush of water quickly rose toward the ceiling, sweeping Dreyfus’s body away.
Water filled the vestibule, its polished granite walls momentarily looking like an Italian pool. The couch where Dreyfus had lain, the tables and chairs splintered in the onslaught, all flushed through the main doors, carried on a raging current.
“Katy!” Julia screamed.
In the rising water, Nick swam for the bathroom where Katy and Bonnie had gone, the leather satchel looped about his body complicating the impossible task. The bathroom was at the far end of the vestibule, sequestered in a corner where the water’s attack had been delayed by the turns of the hallway. But the small, high windows now exploded, water pouring through as if from the spigots of heaven.
Julia swam hard in the same direction, battling the raging waters that rose higher and higher. She fought with all her might, kicking and pulling against the current, but the suction created by the millions of gallons of flowing water took hold of her. Despite all her years of swimming, in spite of her natural strength, she was losing, drawn inch by inch toward the door where death awaited.
Nick caught hold of her hand, his other arm wrapped tightly around a chandelier overhead. They were pulled and tossed by the water as it rose, pushing them up against the ceiling. Holding on with all his strength, Nick pulled her to him, but the suction made her feel like a two-ton weight, straining his arms, his grip.
“Hold on!” Nick yelled as their heads banged the ceiling, the water continuing to rise around them.
“We have to get Katy!” Julia struggled to hold on as Nick fought with every fiber of his being to not let her slip away.
“Mommy!” Katy’s cry pierced the cacophony of churning waters.
“Katy!” Julia screamed back. “Mommy’s coming!”
As the water pulled at them, Nick and Julia’s eyes locked in an unspoken understanding of what was happening. In order to get to Katy, to have any hope of saving her….
“Let me go,” Julia pleaded. “Save Katy, please. Please save Katy.”
Nick looked deep into his wife’s eyes; he couldn’t bear to do what she was asking. She was everything to him, his life, his heart. She was his soul.
“No,” Nick said. “Hold on.”
“It’s okay,” she said, holding his gaze. “Let me go.”
With her free hand, she grasped Nick’s fingers and gently pried them loose.
And with their eyes still locked, she released Nick’s hand. Her body, caught in the suction, instantly disappeared.
Despite the agony in his heart, Nick turned his body toward the bathroom. He reached and caught hold of one of the brass wall sconces mounted on the granite wall as the water continued its rise, only an inch of breathable air remaining.
Nick plunged under, into the current. The brass sconces lined the wall leading to the bathroom like a horizontal ladder. Hand over hand he pulled himself along, fighting with all his might, his arms burning with the impossible effort.
He briefly surfaced. “Katy!” he screamed in the narrow airway as he gulped sweet oxygen. “I’m coming!”
But the force of the current, the draw of the millions of gallons of water flowing through the building, had grown tenfold. Sapped of strength, Nick dug deep within himself…he couldn’t let her die, he wouldn’t fail her.
“Peas, Daddy!” Katy cried from up ahead. “Peas.…”
As the rising water squeezed away the last bit of air, Nick took a deep breath and dived under again.
He spotted the door, its giant brass handle gleaming with the refracted beams of the emergency lights. The thick mahogany portal opened outward, seated against a heavy metal frame, its design still withstanding the building pressure of the rising waters. But Nick knew it wouldn’t hold for long, the waters were surely pouring under the door, through any and every crack as it sought the path of least resistance.
“Daddy!”
Even under the churning water, Nick could hear Katy’s cry.
The violence of the current grew unbeatable. The weight of the satchel around his neck, like a bag of lead; his lungs burning, fighting the rush of water that pulled at him like a colossal magnet.
Nick reached for the handle of the door, his fingertips swiping the brass; straining for purchase, he planted his legs against the wall and used his last bit of strength to grasp the door.
The fire in his lungs pushed him to the brink, twinkling spots dancing before his eyes as his brain thirsted for oxygen.
And the suction caught hold of him, yanking him away, pulling him backwards toward the shattered windows.
With utter despair, his heart broken, having failed his wife and daughter, Nick knew he would join them in death.
Unable to resist, he gasped, and the water invaded his lungs….
And his world fell to darkness.]
***
Author Bio
Richard Doetsch is the author of six international bestsellers published in twenty-eight countries, with several acquired for film and television. He is an adrenaline junkie with a passion for kitesurfing, skydiving, SCUBA diving, triathlons, and defying gravity in Zero G aircraft. He has served as CEO, president, and director in the real-estate industry, managing, creating, and preserving more than 50,000 units of affordable housing with an emphasis on social and community programs.
He is married to his childhood sweetheart, Virginia, who is the impetus and inspiration behind everything he writes.
