Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Hard Town by Adam Plantinga

Book Description

After surviving a deadly prison break, ex-Detroit cop Kurt Argento is ready for some quiet. Still working through his grief over the passing of his wife, Argento finds himself house-sitting for a friend with his loyal companion, Hudson, a Chow Chow-Shepard mix. It’s a simple life, but it’s one that Argento is content to live. Then Kristin Reed shows up, begging Argento to find her missing husband and son.

Argento starts to notice that Fenton, Arizona is more than meets the eye. First there’s the large, overly equipped public safety team complete with specialized tactics and sophisticated weaponry. Then there’s the unusual financial boosting of failing small businesses by the U.S. government. Finally, there’s a man with no name with unprecedented control over the town. Argento finds himself unraveling not just the truth behind the disappearance of a family, but a conspiracy that’s taken a whole town to cover up.

Fenton, Arizona is going to push him further than he’s ever had to go. And along the way, he may just lose a part of himself. Because justice isn’t as black and white as Argento would like to believe.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Hard Town by Adam Plantinga blends action, humor, and moral dilemmas for the main character, Kurt Argento. Jack Reacher and Harry Bosch will move over for Kurt Argento, someone with a combination of their qualities. Argento emerges as a character where his reputation precedes him, with a desire to help others in dire straits.

Argento is a former Detroit beat copy and SWAT team member who served for over twenty years. In these first two books of the series readers see him as a wounded man, both physically and mentally. He has a stubborn, uncompromising sense of justice and formidable street-fighting skills, and is now grieving over the loss of his beloved wife to cancer.

Hard Town begins with Argento housesitting with his loyal companion, Hudson, A Chow-Chow Shepherd mix, for an old SWAT buddy in Fenton Arizona. At a diner he is approached by a woman, Kristin Reed, with her toddler who asks his help to find her missing husband. But after she fails to arrive for their appointment Argento decides to investigate the disappearance of the Reed family. Unfortunately, he is met with hostility and suspicion. Argento starts to notice that Fenton, Arizona is more than meets the eye.

He is up against government forces and ex-military special operators who have quietly taken over this small Arizona town, for the purpose, as they see it, of keeping America safe. There’s the large, overly equipped public safety team complete with specialized tactics and sophisticated weaponry. Then there’s the unusual financial boosting of failing small businesses by the U.S. government. Finally, there’s a man known only as “Silver Haired Man” with unprecedented control over the town. Argento finds himself needing to unravel, not just the truth behind the disappearance of a family, but a conspiracy that’s covered up by many in the town. He must contend with gangland assassins, mercenaries, and a mysterious psychopath with a huge intellect who is working on a secret project for the government.

There is quick witted dialogue, realistic scenes, and a great action plot, with well-written, detailed, and complex characterizations.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Did you use your personal experience to write these stories?

Adam Plantinga: I am a police sergeant in San Francisco. I can use my police training and tactics for my main character, who is a former cop. His outlook on life is like mine. I spend a fair amount of time around felons, so I get a sense of how they speak and act. Many times, when they say and do something I use it in the books.

EC: How are you like your main character, Kurt Argento?

AP: He is hard driving who does not have a lot of patience for disorder. He is relentless. I like to think I have these qualities as well when going after wanted felons. He is a straight shooter just like me. And we both had/have wonderful wives.

EC: What other qualities does Argento have?

AP: In the first book, The Ascent, there are a lot of flashbacks about his wife who he lost to cancer. He is caring, inquisitive, can read people, a problem solver, stubborn, former SWAT, can connect the dots, and is a hunter and fisher. He is a handy guy.

EC: What is the difference between The Ascent and this book?

AP: The first book took place indoors in a violent maximum-security prison and this second book was outdoors, with many scenes in the desert. In The Ascent, Argento operates in black and white regarding moral choices whereas in the second book there are shades of grey that include him blinded by rage.

EC: Why did you kill a child and a dog?

AP: I speak to it in the acknowledgement of the book. In a writing conference the moderator said the only rule that matters is that it can be done if it powers the story, and it works. The killing of the dog is the fuel for Argento throughout the rest of the book. The role of Hudson is to spur Argento because the bad guys crossed the red line in the sand.

EC: How would you describe the “Silver-Haired Man?”

AP: He is not a sympathetic character. He is diabolical. He uses his power and intellect for pure evil with no redeeming qualities. He is cold-blooded with tendencies to being a psychopath: narcissistic, without empathy.

EC: Why pit off the former Special Forces military against a former cop?

AP: I do work with a lot of those who are former military and are now in law enforcement. The plot has these former Special Forces people pretending to be cops. While in the military they saw and had to do bad things in the service of their country. When they were offered a million plus dollars for this assignment, they figured it was their just due. But they lost their way in the process with only one appearing to have a conscience, Redfinger. He cannot square what he did with who he is. The others have committed atrocities without guilt.

EC: Why the desert setting?

AP: I was able to put in how someone lost will get headaches, dehydration, pain, and thirst with the extreme heat. I did some research by speaking with a desert survivalist and a burn expert to

make it realistic. I also read a book, Death Watch, as a child that is a desert survival tale. There are passages from that book that are in my memory, and I wanted to recreate that setting. My wife and I love the desert setting.

EC: Next book?

AP: There are two more books in the series. The plot has Argento finding himself in a small South Dakota town. He decides to help a teenager who is in a lot of trouble. The working title is Run Through Walls, probably out in 2026.

THANK YOU!!

***

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.

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Dark Rising by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson

Book Description

Victor is dead. But out of the chaos, a new dark power rises …

Only weeks ago, former Navy SEAL Jedidiah Johnson, head of Joshua Bravo team at the Shepherds, helped to defeat Victor, the leader of the devil’s Dark Ones. Now, his boss, Ben Morvant, has tasked him with an even harder mission: Take a vacation.

But before Jed has even managed to hit the beach in the Dominican Republic, he comes face-to-face with a new evil: Orphans are being abducted right off the streets of Santo Domingo. Are these disappearances just an unfortunate crime in an unfamiliar country, or do they hint at something bigger—a new threat emerging out of the power vacuum Victor left behind?

When Jed needs help after a violent encounter, he finds himself with an unexpected new ally: CIA liaison Gayle James. Together, the two of them must follow the trail of the missing orphans before it runs cold. Soon they find themselves immersed in a dangerous world of murder, betrayal, and voodoo. Jed will need Gayle, the Watchers Sarah Beth and Corbin, his old friend Ben Morvant, and the entire team of Shepherds at his side to expose the new threat—and to prevent a new dark power from rising …

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Dark Rising is the fourth book by Brian Andrews and Jeff Wilson in the Shepherds Series. Brian, a former submarine officer and Jeff, a former combat surgeon, use their experiences to write riveting novels, this one no different. Readers are never disappointed when they pick up one of their series, whether “Sons of Valor,” “Tier One”, “Four Minutes”, and the “Shepherds Series” along with the Tom Clancy series. What sets this series apart from the others is the spiritual component that has some supernatural components, supported by scripture.

The first book in the series, Dark Intercept, has Navy SEAL Jedidiah Johnson retiring. As he tries to figure out his next step he receives a frantic call from his estranged childhood best friend David Yarnell, now married to Jed’s high school sweetheart Rachel, that their daughter, Sarah Beth, has been kidnapped. Since the police have no suspects and no leads Jed reluctantly agrees to help. Dark memories and strange abilities he thought he’d put behind him resurface that include the ability to hear other people’s thoughts, and internal voices. Jed is helped by the Shepherds, a military organization of religious soldiers tasked with protecting the world from evil spiritual threats, and the Watchers, teenagers who provide intelligence and reconnaissance to the Shepherds.

Dark Angel, the next book, pits Jed, the Shepherds, and the Watchers, against Nicholas Woland, who betrayed the Shepherds and joined their enemies, the Dark Ones. He is tasked by the leader of the Dark Ones, Victor, to execute a sinister plot causing hundreds of deaths and inciting worldwide religious warfare.

Dark Fall, the third book, has Jed as the Shepherds team leader using his skills, his team, CIA liaison Gayle James, and the Watchers to track an energy-based weapon that Victor wants to control.

Dark Rising has Jed on a vacation. But his restfulness comes to an end after realizing that children are being abducted in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. He is immersed in a dangerous world of murder, betrayal, and Voudou with Zombies. Jed will need Gayle, the Watchers Sarah Beth and Corbin, the leader of the Shepherds, Ben Morvant, as well as the entire team of Shepherds at his side to expose the new threat.

This series has an interesting take on good versus evil. It has the elements that Andrews & Wilson have become known for: covert operations, intrigue, fast-paced action sequences, and nefarious plots with a spiritual component.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Since you both are writing four series, “Sons of Valor,” “Tier One”, “Four Minutes”, and the “Shepherds Series” which one came first?

Brian Andrews/Jeff Wilson: “Tier One” is the first series that began in 2016 with eight books. Usually, the first three books relate to an arc, a three-book trilogy.

EC: What is the difference between each series?

BA/JW: They have different universes. The “Shepherds Series” has the speculative element as faith based but is grounded in the present with normal human life that includes spirituality and religious elements. The “Four Minutes” series is a speculative near future thriller that has a technological breakthrough that affects people, the military, and the intelligence communities. The “Tier One,” “Sons of Valor,” and the Tom Clancy Series are military thrillers set in the present with no speculative element at all with real-life mirroring current geo-politics.

EC: The following questions will be based solely on the “Shepherds Series.” How did you get the idea for it?

BA/JW: We wanted to write something rooted in what could be feasible based on biblical interpretations. Our stories imagine that evil is actively sowing chaos, misery, and deception to bring about ruin to mankind. Evil does not fight fair and the forces of good must combat them.

EC: How would you describe the bad guys, the Dark Ones?

BA/JW: They are every day human beings that turned to evil and are the host for a demon. The demon inside them gives them superhuman strength, the glowing eyes, and the transforming of their body. Imagine injecting someone with adrenaline or drugs that allows the person to push themselves to a limit beyond what a normal person’s biology could do. They have no fear of death. After the Demons process them, the body develops certain “powers” that gives them superhuman strength and power where they feel no pain. They represent hate and evil.

EC: Can you explain this quote from the Shepherds books, “The nature of good and evil, and things we feel, deep in our bones, but can’t see with our rational eyes. The raw questions about the existence of God?” I thought immediately of October 7th and the Holocaust.

BA/JW: Anyone who has been in combat or has seen horrific things can’t help but ask that question. This is an important part of the Shepherds Series. We assume readers go on this journey. In our own lives and military service, we’ve had to deal with burning questions about the nature of God, His role in the world and our lives, good and evil, and supernatural, spiritual

warfare the Bible tells us rages around us every day. There are so many possibilities where some might walk away from God, or maybe some will come to the same conclusions Jeff, myself, and our character Jed believe that God must give people free will. Part of the journey is where does organize religion factor into the equation for individuals. God in the story provides guidance, inspiration, and a set of moral principles for the Shepherds.

EC: In this story there are the Shepherds, Watchers, and Keepers. What is the difference?

BA/JW: The Watchers are a spiritual, intelligence, reconnaissance group. They replaced the satellites, listening devices, and professional spies. They are young people that are gifted with second sight that will age out. They can get into someone’s mind, can communicate with each other silently over a distance, and they are the ears and the eyes of the Shepherds. They locate a target, and certain watchers have an extra ability to project their consciousness to a physical location, an out of body experience.

The Shepherds are not divine and can be killed. They are a multinational task force to combat evil forces, the Dark Ones. They use spiritual warfare. They are a covert operations organization.

The Keepers are mentors, advisors, and handlers to the Watchers.

EC: What about some of the characters?

BA/JW: Jed is the main character, a Shepherd. He has anger issues, resentful, bitter, empathetic, compassionate, honorable, courageous, lonely, regretful, and has a Spidey-sense. Some of these characteristics dissipate in the fourth book, Dark Rising. In the first book he is going through a professional and spiritual crisis, having run away from his demons, both figuratively and literally. He became a Navy SEAL, the ultimate warrior. He is aging out of this job. He is becoming adrift and regrets walking away from his true love, Rachel. His journey in these books is the second act of his life where he finds a new place for himself after becoming a Shepherd leader, the head of Joshua Bravo. In Dark Rising he is put through the wringer and develops a sense of vulnerability and humiliation. He is emotionally spent. In this book he is starting a new journey.

Ben is the head of the Shepherds who was a former Navy SEAL. He decides what and where the mission will be. He decides to have a SEAL Team 6 type of unit for the real tricky and toughest missions which Jed will oversee.

Victor is the main bad guy in the first three books who is possessed by a legion of demons. He is the head of the Dark Ones. He can get into people’s minds. He is malicious, very intimidating, calm, hateful, mission oriented, results driven with a lot of rage. He is a little bit of a Darth Vader metaphor where he at one time was a person with humanity who over time was very corrupted and transformed. Victor allowed himself to be taken over by the Devil as was Darth Vader taken over by the emperor.

Woland is another bad guy, a Dark One. He is Lucifer-like, a sadist, powerful, and arrogant. He is a fallen Shepherd who wanted to use his skills for his own benefit.

David is Sarah Beth’s father. He is Yen to Jed’s Yang. He, Rachel, and Jed were like the Three Musketeers in high school. He is jealous of Jed for his abilities. Their dynamic is the heart of the story. He works with the Shepherds providing guidance.

Rachel is Sarah Beth’s mother. She is a private person, secure, confident, independent, protective, bitter, angry, and has abandonment issues. She was once in love with Jed. She still has the ability in her daughter’s presence to use some of her former Watcher skills.

Sarah Beth is a Watcher. She is an intricate player of the books. Looks on Jed as her family and uncle. She feels different. She is inexperienced and has powerful skills. Her courage is the most impressive. Throughout the books readers see her navigating the world. She encapsulates for us, the father of daughters, that to change the world there is no hiding at home.

Corbin is also a Watcher. She is sister-like to Sarah Beth. She is loyal, a tactician, analytical, and older beyond her years. She is what Sarah Beth can be if she tries and fulfills her potential.

Maria Perez: In the first three books she filled the emotional void for Jed. She was a police detective. She tries to manipulate Jed. Readers will see her as an anti-hero, a redemption character.

Gayle is the CIA liaison to the Shepherds. She is trustworthy, honorable, straight-shooter, calm, self-assured, tenacious, and brave. She is a critical thinker.

EC: The rest of the questions apply to the fourth book, Dark Rising. What about the relationship between Jed and Gayle?

BA/JW: They have bonded and like each other’s company. They can talk easily to each other. Gayle wishes Jed would confide in her more. There are sparks flying between them. In the first three books Jed had a preconceived idea that Rachel was his only soul mate and there will never be anyone else.

EC: In the latest book, is Sani a lot like Sarah-Beth?

BA/JW: She is a leader, defiant, strong-willed, and fearless. She is living in poverty with her grandma.

EC: The first three books were military thrillers with some science fiction but then while reading this book that had Voudou and Zombies I thought fantasy. Please explain.

BA/JW: They are not literal Zombies. Gayle explained that Voudou was based on hallucinogenic and paralytic drugs. Peoples’ heart rates slowed down with the drugs, putting a person into a

near death state in a coffin, buried alive. Just before the effects wear off, they are brought out of their coma state, the Priest digs up the victim and brainwashes them into thinking they’ve died and were brought back as a Zombie. The book quote, “They would be completely paralyzed and unable to speak or move. Their pulse would be faint to the point of undetectable…They would look dead, but they would be fully aware and awake.” In this culture the fear is becoming a Zombie. The victims had gone under PTSD.

EC: Is the new bad person, Manbo, the next female Victor and her aide, Calypso the next Woland?

BA/JW: Yes. She is pure evil. She tried to move the chess pieces to make herself the next Victor or at least someone else she can control. Calypso is the similar character as in the Odyssey. She is twisted, malignant, and tried to use her powers to keep people trapped and subservient.

EC: Next books?

BA/JW: We will continue writing more books in each series. In July will be the next “Sons of Valor” book, False Flag. This will be a new plot arc that has the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia murdered, and the blame is pointed at Mossad, the Israeli Intelligence. The company goes to the Middle East to help figure out who killed the Crown Prince and obviously the title of the book sort of gives it away.

The next “Tier One” book comes out in November and the title is the Adversary. The plot continues where the last book, Ember, left off. A Chinese agent was helping the terrorist organization al Qaeda that was responsible for the bombing that killed President Warner and the Indian Prime Minister. Richard Wang of the task force is kidnapped so it’s about trying to figure who took him and how to thwart the Chinese and the terrorists.

THANK YOU!!

***

ARC Feature Post and Book Review: Hidden Nature by Nora Roberts

Book Description

Natural Resources police officer, Sloan Cooper, and her partner had just taken down three men preying on hikers in the Western Maryland mountains. Driving back, she pulled in at a convenience store—and walked right into a robbery in progress. One gunshot from a jittery thief was about to change her world.

After being shocked back to life on the operating table, she has a long recovery ahead, so she moves back to her parents’ peaceful house in Heron’s Rest. As for the boyfriend who dumped her via text while she was in the hospital, good riddance.

She may be down, but she’s not out. So when a woman vanishes, leaving her car behind in a supermarket parking lot, Sloan searches online for similar cases. She finds them, spread across three states. Men and women, old and young—the missing seem to have nothing in common. And the abductions keep happening.

Luckily, the new man in her life shares her passion for solving this mystery. But it will take every ounce of endurance to get to the dark heart of this bizarre case—and she’s willing to risk her life again if that’s what it takes to stop the horror.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217388081-hidden-nature?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=ZVurAHIy6W&rank=1

Hidden Nature

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DDJC6XS2
Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin’s Press (May 27, 2025)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 27, 2025
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Print length ‏ : ‎ 448 pages

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

HIDDEN NATURE by Nora Roberts is an intriguing mash-up of mystery, crime thriller, investigation, and romance with a bit of HGTV like home renovation going on throughout. The setting of this story is the beautiful Maryland mountains with a main character who is not only a member of the Natural Resources Police but is a genuine lover of nature and all its varied seasons. This is a standalone novel.

Sloan Cooper grew up knowing exactly what she wanted to do with her life. While her family runs a successful year-round vacation resort in the Heron’s Rest, she has her heart set on a career with the Natural Resources Police of Maryland. After closing a successful case, she and her partner stop at a small-town convenience store. Sloan walks into a robbery in progress and is shot in the chest.

After being shocked back to life, she has a long recuperation ahead. She returns to her childhood home, but even though she cannot return to work, she is bored. When she hears about the case of a missing woman which intrigues her. She decides to do a bit of online searching on her own and soon discovers there are more missing people in the tri-state area of Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia that appear to have no connections other than their disappearances.

As the investigation continues with several jurisdictions on the case, Sloan realizes what the connection is between all the missing, but it is so bazaar, others find it hard to believe, but Sloan knows she is right. When a local friend goes missing, she is determined to find him and bring him home and stop the killer or killers because she may be on their list, too.

This is another great all-around, intriguing and satisfying book by Ms. Roberts. I opened this book and could not stop. Sloan is a strong, intelligent protagonist who is put through difficult physical and mental trials and doggedly continues forward. Her family and friends are all fully developed characters that are a strong support system and interesting in their own rights. The HGTV home renovations add a unique twist to the dialogue and focus when they are not discussing or chasing down the missing. I also loved the beautifully integrated descriptions of nature and wildlife in the area. The crime thriller plotline is woven throughout the book at an ever-increasing pace. The perpetrators are seriously scary and depraved and made the hair on my arms stand-up.

I highly recommend this amazing mash-up! Ms. Roberts is one of my all-time favorite authors and I always look forward to her books.

***

About the Author

Nora Roberts is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including Shelter in Place, Year One, Come Sundown, and many more. She is also the author of the bestselling In Death series written under the pen name J.D. Robb. There are more than five hundred million copies of her books in print.

Social Media Links

Website: https://noraroberts.com/

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

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/hidden-nature-by-nora-roberts

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: The Organ Broker by Deven Greene

THE ORGAN BROKER

by Deven Greene

March 31 – April 25, 2025 Virtual Book Tour

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE ORGAN BROKER by Deven Greene 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!

***

Book Description

A devoted wife and mother faces the unimaginable as her life crumbles.

Crystal Rigler seems to have a perfect marriage. Derek, her handsome and charismatic husband, and their adult daughter, Cordelia, are her whole world. In addition to her already busy life, Crystal supports the volunteer organization she and Derek started: STOP (Stop Transplants of Organs from Prisoners).

STOP aims to end a new government policy of harvesting organs from executed prisoners. They learn that these organs are not distributed by the national transplant list, established to allocate organs fairly. Instead, a shadowy figure known as Broker Al pulls the strings. He expedites the execution of young and healthy prisoners and sells their organs at a high price to the rich and well-connected.

After Crystal learns a disturbing secret, events are set in motion that will potentially dismantle STOP, change her life, and cost her everything. Unless she is willing to do the unthinkable.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223533884-the-organ-broker?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=l36CX8lXiE&rank=4

The Organ Broker

Genre: Psychological Suspense
Published by: Panthera Publishing
Publication Date: April 2025
Number of Pages: 321
ISBN: 9781964620060 (ISBN10: 1964620066)

***

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE ORGAN BROKER by Deven Greene is a dark thriller which poses many ethical questions surrounding the morality of organ donation from death row prisoners. I have a feeling this is going to be one of those books that the readers either love or hate.

Crystal and Derek Rigler are a married couple with a grown daughter, Callie. They run the local office of a volunteer organization called STOP (Stop Transplants of Organs from Prisoners). Crystal does a lot of the work and writes all of Derek speeches, but Derek gets most of the attention due to his looks and magnetic personality. An investigative journalist, who helps with STOP, gets insider information about corruption in the distribution of the transplant organs from prisoners facilitated by a shadowy figure called Broker Al.

When Callie comes home from college ill and needs a liver transplant, this sets into motion very personal decisions and moral dilemmas that will change all their lives.

The questions are intriguing and made me interested in reading this book and I was not surprised by the morally bankrupt, money hungry evil antagonists but what I was not expecting was the main characters to be unlikable, also. Derek is a narcissist, and I did not like him from the start, so I was hoping Crystal would be a strong female character to balance his character out, but no, while not evil, I had difficulty with many of her decisions. Usually, this would put me off the book, but the author writes them into so many thought-provoking situations that I could not put it down. I do think the story has too much devoted to their marriage and its problems in the beginning of the book that could have been edited out.

The moral questions surrounding who gets donated organs and in what order have always interested me. You hear about corruption, but supposedly the system is set up for it not to happen, but this author takes you down the rabbit hole of “what if?” There are plenty of plot twists and surprises that do lead to a satisfactory ending even with the slower start.

I recommend this dark thriller for its ability to keep me engrossed with its intriguing concept.

***

Excerpt

Chapter 1

The East Texas sun was hotter than usual for September, the few clouds high above providing no relief. A half-hour earlier, overcome by heat and exhaustion, Crystal had let her sign reading “Save Kwami” slip to the ground. Standing near the front of the crowd, Crystal pushed up the visor on her baseball cap to get a better look at her surroundings. She was pleased with the impressive turnout which she estimated to be close to one thousand people. It was the largest they’d ever had. Most of the other protestors continue to hold their placards high, displaying myriad slogans such as “Justice for Kwami,” “Let Kwami Live,” “Impeach Gov. Percy,” and the most popular, “STOP.” She took a deep breath and lifted her sign again, fighting the pain in her fingers as she held it as high as she could.

The crowd of protestors was comprised of a cross-section of the community— young, old, couples, families, Black, White, Hispanic, and Asian. A colorful array of baseball caps, bucket hats, visors, straw hats, and cowboy hats protected most of the heads from the constant flood of the sun’s rays.

The makeshift podium and public address system were rudimentary, and there was the usual milling around often seen in large gatherings, but the audience, for the most part, was paying attention to the pudgy young man with a man bun speaking to them. At times, the crowd burst out in synchronous claps and hoots of approval. The assembly was peaceful, with only a few skirmishes breaking out at the edges where police stood watch.

Still thirsty after having finished her bottle of water, Crystal let her mind wander as the speaker droned on about the immorality of what was about to take place. Her clothes clung to her sweaty body, and despite wearing sunglasses with polarized lenses, the bright sun hurt her eyes. Looking down, she swatted away a bug that landed on her arm. Uncomfortable and impatient, she was eagerly awaiting the next speaker.

Finally, the man at the podium looked up and announced, “And now, the man you’ve all been waiting to hear, the leader of our organization, Mr. Derek Rigler.”

The mood of the crowd changed, and participants started chanting “STOP” in unison as they raised and lowered their signs. A tall, muscular man with tan skin and wavy blond hair, took to the stage next to the previous speaker and scanned the crowd with his magnetic blue eyes. Crystal looked up and smiled. His handsome, chiseled features gave him the look of a confident leader. Although he was nearly fifty years old, he looked at least ten years younger. He hasn’t lost the ability to attract attention whenever he enters a room.

Derek took his place on the podium and held out his arms as if to give a benediction. After almost a full minute of roaring applause, he raised and lowered his hands several times to quiet the crowd.

Crystal looked around, energized by the enthusiasm bubbling over. She noted more press vans set up around the perimeter than in the previous protest. Their organization, STOP, was gaining traction.

She wondered if Derek had picked her out of the crowd. If she were taller, he’d probably see her—she wasn’t far from the front—but she imagined her five-foot two-inch frame made her visage difficult to identify in the sea of people. From what she could glean, Derek hadn’t spotted her. After all, she was just another brunette under a baseball cap, surrounded by many others. Even so, Crystal smiled widely, wondering if anyone nearby recognized her. After all, she was notable as Derek’s wife and the mother of his child, Cordelia.

As Derek started his familiar diatribe against the Texas death penalty laws, Crystal tried to lock eyes with him, but his eyes never found her. Instead, he focused on members of the audience near and far, concentrating his gaze on one person for several seconds before moving on to the next pair of waiting eyes.

Crystal recognized the usual arguments against the event that was scheduled to take place momentarily—the uneven death penalty sentencing, the ugliness of exacting revenge, and the irreversibility of the punishment once meted out. The speech was powerful, and she agreed with everything Derek said. She could recite the words by heart, not only because she had heard them during Derek’s practice sessions, but because she had written them herself. Every time the crowd reacted with hollers and claps, she felt taller, each breath a bit more satisfying. She’d been to over six of these rallies in the past year, each protesting the execution of a prisoner found guilty of a crime deemed fitting for capital punishment.

The death penalty had never sat well with Crystal, but over the past two years, the practice had escalated, with four more executions scheduled over the next six months in Texas alone. Not only was the ultimate punishment meted out more often, but the evidence leading to convictions was frequently less convincing. She’d made up her mind to do something to stop the injustice and had established STOP almost a year earlier. A small, grass-roots collection of like-minded people, it was taking hold, thanks to her speech writing, community outreach, and organizational skills, bolstered by her husband’s charisma. He was the face of the organization.

Derek’s address was interrupted by a loud commotion as the officers stationed around the perimeter began to forcefully clear a path through the protestors to the entryway of the large building looming behind the speaker. Despite shouting and resistance from the crowd, with the most passionate demonstrators being handcuffed and dragged away, the police were able to open a wide berth.

“We are nearing the time,” Derek shouted above the commotion, “the time when our brother Kwami will be taken from us in an act that can only be described as state-sponsored murder. Let all those who have participated in this mockery of justice one day pay for their crimes, and let all those who directly benefit from this violent act realize the wrong they have participated in.”

A police transport moved through the clearing in the crowd as demonstrators chanted “Kwami, Kwami” in unison. Although the windows of the vehicle were covered, all knew who was inside—Kwami McKinney, sentenced to be executed that day. The van didn’t stop until it was a mere five feet from the door to the building. A massive construction of cement and glass six stories high, the structure dwarfed the trees and other buildings nearby. Derek was silent as he turned to watch the Black prisoner, his head shaved, exit the van’s side door.

Dressed in an orange jumpsuit accessorized with ankle and wrist shackles, Kwami was escorted by two armed guards, each holding onto one of his arms. Two more prison officers took up the rear. As the party of five walked towards the glass doors of the building, a Black woman around fifty years old ran towards them screaming. She was forcibly stopped by police, who grabbed onto her arms long before she could interfere.

Everyone there knew the woman was Sally McKinney, Kwami’s mother. She yelled and cried hysterically, flailing against those restraining her as her son was led through the automated doors that opened before him and the guards. They disappeared inside the structure as the glass doors shut.

People in the crowd yelled and cried, drowning out Ms. McKinney’s wails. Frustrated tears filled Crystal’s eyes; their protest had done nothing to dissuade the authorities from carrying out their sentence. She hadn’t expected the proceedings to be halted, but held onto a glimmer of hope until now, irrational as it was.

She looked to Derek for comfort, hoping they might finally lock gazes and convey their sadness to each other, but Crystal’s thoughts were interrupted by a female acquaintance. “Fantastic speech,” the woman said.

“I can’t disagree,” Crystal answered, buoyed momentarily by the woman’s words.

“You must be very proud, being his wife. He’s so handsome, and brilliant to boot. You two are the perfect couple. I’d sure like to be a fly on the wall at your dinner table to hear about all his great ideas.”

The words stung slightly, as Crystal chuckled politely. She was accustomed to being thought of as a mere appendage of her charismatic husband, but, she’d tried to convince herself that a successful protest, with Derek delivering a resounding speech, was all that was important. She didn’t need the admiration of others like he did. “Our dinners aren’t as interesting as you might think. Mostly, we talk about how we’re going to pay our bills.”

Members of the press, who until now had been scattered amongst the protestors while taking notes and silently recording videos, were now talking and interviewing people on camera. The crowd thinned, but Crystal didn’t want to leave. She’d have liked to remain until she knew Kwami had taken his last breath, but that moment was hours away.

She listened as a nearby male telecaster spoke into a camera. “Emotions are again high as another execution is about to take place. While many people feel that the crimes Kwami McKinney was convicted of, armed robbery and hostage-taking, justify the death sentence, some feel the punishment is too severe for the crimes the prisoner was convicted of. Still others believe he is innocent of the charges against him.”

The reporter turned to a middle-aged female bystander and asked, “What do you think of today’s events? Do you think justice is being carried out today?” After posing the question, he shoved the microphone close to the woman’s mouth.

“This is a travesty of justice,” she answered. “The real criminal was wearing a ski mask during the robbery, and escaped capture immediately following the crime. That was made clear during the trial. We also learned that Mr. McKinney was picked out in a lineup by two unreliable witnesses days later. There was a boatload of evidence that the so-called witnesses had drug charges against them dropped shortly after identifying Mr. McKinney. What kind of justice is that?”

The telecaster quickly turned to the camera and continued his reporting. “Despite the controversy, Kwami McKinney is still scheduled to be executed here and now at New Lake Hospital. While we are happy for the families of the six unnamed individuals who will be the recipients of much-needed organs, many are questioning the legality and morality of what is now becoming a common method of organ procurement. The objections are being led by the organization STOP, which stands for Stop Transplants of Organs from Prisoners.”

***

Author Bio

Deven Greene lives in Northern California, where she enjoys writing fiction, most of which involves science or medicine. She has degrees in biochemistry (PhD) and medicine (MD), and practiced pathology for over twenty years.

She has previously published the The Erica Rosen MD Trilogy (Unnatural, Unwitting, and Unforeseen), and Ties That Kill, as well as several short stories.

Social Media Links

www.DevenGreene.com
Subscribe to Deven’s Blog
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub @Deven_G1
Facebook @DevenGreeneFiction

Purchase Links

Amazon –    https://pictbooks.tours/jBbh4
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BookShop.org –    https://pictbooks.tours/NSQSN
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Kobo-    https://pictbooks.tours/L3NhV7lZ

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KINGSUMO GIVEAWAY

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Book Review: Outsider by Linda Castillo

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

OUTSIDER (Kate Burkholder Book #12) by Linda Castillo is another gripping and intricately plotted suspense/mystery police procedural featuring small town Chief of Police Kate Burkholder in Painters Mill, Ohio. I love curling up on the couch with each book in the series because I know I will get a great smalltown police procedural while also learning something new and interesting about the Anabaptist Amish life in Ohio.

Widower Adam Lengacher is out on a sleigh ride with his children on a snowy afternoon. They discover a pickup truck stuck in a snow drift off the road. When Adam looks inside for anyone who is hurt, the cab is empty, but there is blood on the seat. Further down the road they find a women curled up and almost frozen. Adam calls Katie and tells her what he has found and asks for her help.

Katie is shocked when she arrives at Adam’s farm to find Gina Colorosa, who befriended her when she moved to Columbus after leaving Painters Mill. Katie has fond memories of Gina, but also bad. When they became police officers together everything was fun and exciting, but Gina soon began to work with other officers and detectives on the vice squad that there are serious rumors being whispered about. Now she is in Adam’s home with a gunshot wound, a story of running for her life from corrupt fellow cops in Columbus, and a blizzard raging outside. Kate wants to believe her, but she knows Gina is not telling her everything.

With Tomasetti’s help, Kate attempts to find the truth as she and Gina stay with Adam and his children on their farm, but two determined detectives want to make sure Gina can never talk.

Ms. Castillo’s storytelling completely engaged me in the personal conflict between what Kate feels she owes her old friend, what she knows Gina did wrong in her past, and what she can believe of what Gina is telling her now. Besides all this personal tension in the story, you have Kate worrying if Gina is bringing danger to Adam and his children. While Tomasetti does the investigating away from the farm, there are still surprises and twists brought into the story just with their conversations trading information. When the dirty cops arrive, it is edge-of-your-seat action time and the surprises that happen very close together have Kate reevaluating her life and relationships.

I highly recommend this addition to the series! I am never disappointed when I pull out a Kate Burkholder book to read.

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About the Author

Linda Castillo is the author of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling Kate Burkholder series, set in the world of the Amish. The first book, Sworn to Silence, was adapted into a Lifetime original movie titled An Amish Murder starring Neve Campbell as Kate Burkholder. Castillo is the recipient of numerous industry awards including a nomination by the International Thriller Writers for Best Hardcover, the Mystery Writers of America’s Sue Grafton Memorial Award, and an appearance on the Boston Globe’s shortlist for best crime novel. In addition to writing, Castillo’s other passion is horses. She lives in Texas with her husband and is currently at work on her next book.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.lindacastillo.com/

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

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/outsider-by-linda-castillo

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0818PX5KG/?bestFormat=true&k=outsider%20linda%20castillo&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-pd-bk-d_de_k0_1_23&crid=6QOT60XHQ3XM&sprefix=outsider%20linda%20castillo

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Blood Moon by Sandra Brown

Book Description

Detective John Bowie is one misstep away from being fired from the Auclair Police Department in coastal Louisiana. Recently divorced and slightly heavy-handed with his liquor, Bowie does all that he can to cope with the actions taken (or not taken) during the investigation of Crissy Mellin, a teenage girl who disappeared more than three years prior. But now, Crisis Point, a long-running true crime television series, is soon to air an episode documenting the unsolved Mellin case. Bowie has been instructed by his unscrupulous boss to keep to his grievances and criticisms over the mishandling of the investigation to himself.

Beth Collins, a senior producer on Crisis Point, knows what classifies as a great story and when there’s something more to be told. After working on the show for seven years, Collins is convinced that Crissy Mellin’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. A string of disappearances of teenage girls in nearby areas have only one thing in common: They took place on the night of a blood moon. In a last-ditch effort to find out the truth, Beth enlists Detective Bowie to help her figure out what happened to Crissy and find the true culprit before he acts on the next blood moon—in four days’ time.

With their jobs and their lives at risk, Bowie and Collins band together to identify and capture a perpetrator, while fighting an irresistible spark between them that threatens to upend everything.

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Elise’s Thoughts

Blood Moon by Sandra Brown has her usual style. The plot is intense, dark, and raw, intertwined with a love story that includes sexual scenes, where the chemistry between the hero and heroine starts from the first page.

Readers will get to know John Bowie, an angry detective haunted by his failure not to solve the cold case disappearance of Crissy Mellin; Beth Collins, the producer of a true crime show, and Tom Barker, the corrupt boss of John.

Crisis Point, the true crime TV series, is going to air an episode documenting Crissy Mellin’s unsolved disappearance. Collins is convinced that Mellin’s disappearance was not an isolated incident. A string of disappearances of teenage girls in nearby areas have only one thing in common: they took place on the night of a blood moon. Detective John Bowie has been instructed by his boss not to talk to Beth or anyone else about the crime he has determined solved and closed. Not listening, he meets Beth and listens to her theories, because he has never felt comfortable with the outcome of the case and didn’t agree with the resolution. They decide to work together realizing that in four days there will be another blood moon, which can mean another girl disappearing or being murdered. They race against the clock to find the antagonist and possibly save another girl, but in working together they also realize there is an attraction between them that cannot be denied.

This novel is intense, intriguing, and has a thrilling twist.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: Did the plot or title come first?

Sandra Brown: I first came up with the title. Then I thought, what is a blood moon? The next one comes out March 13^th. They only occur every 3 and a half years. It is a strange phenomenon. My editor and I wanted a spring book, so this was perfect.

EC: How did you come up with a story centering on the title?

SB: I watched true crime shows and thought what a cool job it is to be a producer on one of these shows. This is the profession I gave to my heroine, Beth. I then came up with my hero, a reluctant police officer, John, who is haunted by a cold case.

EC: What is a blood moon since it plays such an intricate role in the story?

SB: It is an astrological anomaly every 3 and a half years. To understand, hold both your hands up. The sun is in your left hand. The moon is in your right hand. Right in the middle of them, in perfect alliance, is earth. The sun reflects light onto the moon. But the earth forms a perfect shadow on a full moon, totally covering the moon. The reason it turns an orangish red is that the sunlight is being filtered through the earth’s atmosphere. The bad guys wanted to make sacrifices to the moon goddess, Luna.

EC: What is numerology?

SB: It goes hand in hand with the blood moon regarding the cases concerning the disappearance of the girls. A person has a core number that guides a person’s decision making. Like an astrology sign. There are religious and cultural connotations.

EC: How would you describe John Bowie?

SB: He was a dedicated police officer and is haunted by the cold case. I wanted to write about his relationship with his teenage daughter and his brotherly-like friendship with Mitch. He is arrogant in a sarcastic and cynical way, intense, outspoken, sarcastic, edgy, stubborn, and cynical.

EC: What is the difference between John and Mitch?

SB: They could not be more different. John is very serious and contemplative. Mitch always cracks jokes. He is arrogant, humorous, a smart-aleck, loyal, and caring.

EC: How would you describe Beth?

SB: Determined, loyal, savvy, gutsy, ambitious, confident in her abilities, but feeling tenuous toward her career.

EC: How would you describe the relationship between Beth and John?

SB: They met their match in each other. They both got under each other’s skin and are frustrated with each other. The have chemistry from chapter one. He puts her totally out of her element. They both were obsessed with this case.

EC: What is the role of the Crissy Mellin case?

SB: Her disappearance messed up Detective John Bowie’s life. He became remorseful and regretful. He knew there was more to it but was forced to give in to his boss. This has eaten at him. He desired to get to the bottom of it and find answers. Beth is frustrated and impatient. She is not getting answers from John because he is not filling in the blanks.

EC: How would you describe the boss Lt. Thomas Barker?

SB: Incompetent, sadistic, arrogant, egotistical, and obnoxious. He knows John has his number and is superior to him.

EC: Next book?

SB: The next book will feature Mitch, the DEA officer who decides to change jobs and work with John. They are best friends. John and Beth will be in the next book as secondary characters. This story takes place two years after the end of Blood Moon and will be published spring of 2026.

THANK YOU!!

***