Tag: #suspense #thriller

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Hidden Valor Military Veteran/K-9 Series by Candace Irving

Book Series Description and Elise’s Thoughts

The “Hidden Valor Military Veteran/K-9 Series” by Candace Irving is one of the best series to come along in quite a while. Each book combines a mystery, thriller, and police procedural. While the suspense is off the charts, there is also a very heart wrenching and heartwarming backstory of the characters that remind readers of the sacrifices made by those who serve to keep Americans safe. 

The main character is Kate Holland, a former US Army detective that spent eleven hours as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan. She received a Silver Star after killing her captives and escaping. Fast forward to the present where she is a civilian investigator in her hometown of Arkansas. Because she has demons, she is contemplating suicide but discards those thoughts after saving a German Shepherd puppy, Ruger, shot by a hunter. Throughout the series both Kate and Ruger realize they are each other’s support. There is also a budding romance between Kate and another detective, Arash Kharoti, who is part of the plot mysteries and character world. Some of the other supporting characters are Sherriff Lou Simms, and Deputy Seth Armstrong.

There are five books in the series that should be read in order.  The first one is a novella, titled Invisible Wounds followed by The Garbage Man, In the Name Of, Beneath the Bones, and Last Dog Out. In each book readers find a plot involving veterans that is very riveting along with more of a backstory on Kate, Ruger, and Arash.

These book plots are gritty, complex, intense, and have edge of the seat scenes. Anyone who has not read this series might want to start and those that are readers will look forward to the next book in the series.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper:  How did your being in the military help influence your writing?

Candace Irving: I am former Army, but it was brief.  I did end up in the Navy. I was commissioned as an ensign in the US Navy but ended my career as a Navy Lt. I was sent to Surface Warfare Officer’s School to learn to drive warships and was also a damage control officer. Being a part of both branches enables me to write the lingo, plus I married an Army guy. My husband is a former combat engineer sapper who helps me with the explosive’s storyline. Regardless of which branch of the military, the mindset and how things work is the same. I know the correct questions to ask.  For instance, in the Navy we do this so what is the Army or Air Force method?

EC:  Why did you decide to write the Kate Holland series?

CI:  I am writing for all readers but also am writing for all veterans. I hope this is my gift to them.  If someone is a vet, they realize the thoughts and feelings of the characters are what they and I experienced. I want the stories to be realistic, not like a book I read that I threw at the wall. It seemed that author got everything wrong and angered me as a woman and a veteran. This is after 9/11, and our soldiers were coming back with serious scars.  This author made it seem that the vet who had a scar was nonchalant about it instead of realizing that some veterans have painful memories. This is why I decided to write the Kate series. I wanted to write Kate as a veteran who had to overcome her scars emotionally as well as living with the physical scars on her cheek.

EC:  Why the setting of Arkansas?

CI:  I lived there for ten years. I thought how not many settings take place there.  Fort Roots is an actual base so the place in my story is a wink and a nod. I changed the real place of Mayflower to Braxton because I did not want to be nailed to a specific town. Usually, she is in the small town with interconnected characters.

EC: Most of the books in this series involve murderers centered around veterans. Do you agree?

CI: I am a detective writer at heart so there must be a dead body. Suddenly these bodies were popping up all over the place in this small town that previously had three murders in ten years.  I knew I had to change Kate from being a Sherriff’s deputy to working for the state police with Ruger as her K-9 partner that involved veteran cases. The plots involve a very intense mystery that put the heroes and heroines in a dark and nasty place which they must overcome.

EC:  Do you own a dog since Ruger is one of the featured characters?

CI:  Yes. The inspiration for Ruger is my fifty-pound standard poodle. Some of the weird things my dog does makes me laugh and I say to myself, ‘that is totally going into the book.’ Dog behavior is pretty much consistent.

EC:  How would you describe Kate?

CI:  She is not Superwoman but does have skills, such as the way she handles knives. She is determined, smart, funny, strong-willed, stubborn, a survivor, guilt ridden, at times feels depressed, doubts herself, and feels shame.

EC: How about Ruger?

CI: He keeps Kate calm, has a sense of purpose, loyal, a guard dog, a service support animal, as well as a canine partner to Kate. He and Kate rescued each other.

EC:  You also have Kate with PTSD issues?

CI:  Yes. She has nightmares, flashbacks, hallucinations, and sleepwalks. Most of the time whether in a movie, TV show, or book there is this horrible thing that has happened to someone in the military and the rest of the plot it does not affect them. I wanted to write a series where Kate must grow from her experiences. Below is the actual checklist that is in the therapist’s manual, and I had Kate fill it out. There is a specific form of treatment by Dr. Resick and she even wrote a self-directed manual (https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Unstuck-PTSD-Cognitive-Processing/dp/1462549837/ref=asc_df_1462549837?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=79852162946901&hvnetw=o&hvqmt=e&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583451682302499&psc=1) Dr. Resick created CPT in the eighties. Veterans can go on my website and find resources.

EC:  What do you want readers to understand about how Kate’s wounds affected her?

CI: While Kate was serving in Afghanistan she was ambushed and then raped. She suffered injuries of a broken collarbone, a broken shoulder, and burns. She saw her best friend, Max, beheaded by the Islamists. She wears his watch and when she gets anxious turns it until her skin is raw. I wanted to make it realistic, so I took on all her emotions. Kate started to get CPT treatment with the trauma focused sessions centering around pains that interfere with the normal recovery process and have her identify problem patterns.

EC: is Kate’s therapist, Dr Manning, based on Dr. Resick?

CI:  Yes. From book 2 going forward she became Kate’s therapist.  She took the situation I created for Kate and said this is what would occur with her. She reads the book and is Dr. Manning. She makes suggestions for Kate as Dr. Manning, like having her wrap her wrist so when she feels the need to turn the watch her skin will not be raw.

EC:  What about her boss, Lou?

CI:  He is like an uncle to her. He can read her, is helpful, and caring.  Because he knew her father was heartless and someone who constantly put her down, Lou tried to be the opposite to her.  He and his wife felt like Kate was the child they could not have. He is based on a neighbor I had in Arkansas, someone compassionate, grounded, figured out what make people tick, and had a lot of common sense.

EC:  How would you describe Detective Arash?

CI:  He is caring, understands her, trusting, encouraging, and protective. He and Kate share a deep connection.

EC: What about the relationship between Kate and Arash?

CI: I thought hard what kind of man Kate should end up with.  It must be someone who does not care about her scars but embraces them. He realizes she is strong. In a way her scars are a badge of honor. Kate is afraid she will lose Arash because of her scars and baggage. She also has issues with showing off her body to the man she wants to look perfect too, Arash.

EC:  You have another series, “Deception Point” besides the Kate “Hidden Valor” Series.  Can you talk about them?

CI: Both series have investigations and detective stories, but “Deception Point” has a global setting while “Hidden Valor” takes place in Arkansas. The main character of the “Deception Point Series” is Special Agent Regan Chase, an active-duty CID, while Kate is a retired CID. I used my Damage Control Officer experiences to write the book, Blind Edge, of the “Deception Point” series.

EC:  Will the “Hidden Valor” series be made into a TV show?

CI:  I did option the rights for this series with a potential TV series.

EC:  Next book?

CI:  Kate will have her last therapy session in the next book, Blood on The Wire that comes out in August of next year. But readers should not worry, Dr. Manning will not be written out of the series. It will be a process for Kate to get over all her scars on her body and face.  The relationship with Arash will progress. Also, her former partner Seth’s story will be a part of this story. The case involves a psychologist at a Little Rock VA hospital who was found brutally stabbed to death. In the victim’s house, Kate is stunned to discover a cache of military-grade explosives. Plus, the psychologist was conducting a private investigation into a heinous crime that occurred more than two years ago in an active war zone. Bodies have begun to multiply.

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: Defense Protocol (Tom Clancy) by Brian Andrews and Jeffrey Wilson

Book Description

For decades, Taiwan has been a thorn in the side of the Chinese government. An independent nation to the rest of the world, it is considered a rogue province by the PRC. Previous governments have tried to conquer the island using economic force and diplomatic pressure, but new Chinese President Li Jian Jun is done fooling around. He’s devised a secret military operation to take the island. Only one man knows how to stop Li’s mad and bloody plan for reunification and that’s Minister of Defense Qin Haiyu. Fearing for his life and the safety of his family, Qin covertly makes contact with the CIA in Beijing and signals his desire to defect to the West.
 
To get Qin out, John Clark creates an international task force reminiscent of Rainbow Six and goes undercover in mainland China. Meanwhile, Lt. Commander Katie Ryan is deployed to the tip of the spear on the destroyer USS Jason Dunham to defend Taiwan. Threatened by an encircling Chinese armada, she’s under pressure to find a flaw in the invaders’ plan for her father to exploit.
 
For his part, President Jack Ryan may have the power of the entire US military at his disposal, but what he really needs are Li’s secret plans from Defense Minister Qin so he can stave off a war. Because America’s Defense Protocol could lead to a game of mutual destruction that could cost the lives of thousands of young soldiers, sailors, special operators as well as his daughter.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Tom Clancy’s Defense Protocol by Andrews and Wilson brings to life the whole Clancy Universe.

The new Chinese President Li Jian Jun has devised a secret military operation to conquer Taiwan. Only one man knows how to stop Li’s mad and bloody plan for reunification and that’s Minister of Defense Qin Haiyu. Fearing for his life and the safety of his family, Qin covertly contacts the CIA in Beijing and signals his desire to defect to the West. To get Qin out, John Clark creates an international task force reminiscent of Rainbow Six and goes undercover in mainland China. Meanwhile, Lt. Commander Katie Ryan is deployed to the tip of the spear on the destroyer USS Jason Dunham to defend Taiwan. Threatened by an encircling Chinese armada, she’s under pressure to find a flaw in the invaders’ plan for her father to exploit. Both she, her dad, President Ryan, and the rest of the task force must come up with a plan to prevent WWIII.

This was as good as if Tom Clancy had written it himself with an intense plot and a lot of action.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?

Brian Andrews and Jeff Wilson: After writing the last book, Act of Defiance, which was a submarine book with Russia as the antagonist, we decided to look somewhere else geopolitically. The biggest global geopolitical flashpoints that could turn into war or could shift the balance of global power was with Taiwan, one of those places that’s very high on the list. China has made no secret about their plans to take over Taiwan and have been talking about this for almost two decades. It’s not a matter of if they want to reunify Taiwan, it’s just a matter of when, and how they do it. We thought it would be right for fiction.

EC:  Does Chang have a major role in the book even though he died early in the story?

BA and JW: He was the Foreign Minister. In real life I kept seeing these articles about how these high-ranking important Chinese people would just disappear including billionaire civilians who maybe got a little too big for their britches and the Chinese would have them disappear. They would be off the radar with nobody knowing where they were. Those that do return have gone to reeducation camps. I just thought it’s amazing that this happens even with high-profile individuals. People that are known in politics, known on the world stage, and the Chinese are still doing it. We opened with it, which is basically if you want to play in the game and are not on board with what the Chinese President wants to do then you’re an enemy, and he’s going to get rid of you.

 EC: I’m wondering if you could explain that it seems China, more than Russia are devious, violent, they’re on the brink of wanting World War III?

 BA and JW: They’re always kind of challenging the United States and we wanted to get that point across in the book. The Chinese have what they call their 10-year plan which is part of their fifty-year plan so there’s five 10-year plans that make up their fifty-year plan. What we wanted to convey is that that the Chinese don’t think in terms of election cycles like the United States, and I think you’re spot on when you say that they’re more calculating and more disciplined than Russia because the Chinese think in terms of dynasties. Remember that’s their history: Chinese dynasties ruled the world until British naval power came on to the scene. We did a lot of research for this book just about Chinese history and mentality. They’re on the path to reclaim their destiny as the rightful rulers of the world and America is just in the way. They have been very methodical starting with commerce and manufacturing to get their toe in the door. First, making things for U.S. companies and then once U.S. companies started investing there, they develop trust. Now companies can’t own more than 49% of any business in China and if you want to do anything here you have to surrender your intellectual property. Then they send their people over to the US under the guise of researchers, students, and workers but most of them are spies to pillage intellectual property. They then use that to build up their military using all the money that American consumers spend on Chinese products. Now they have more ships in their Navy than we do. They clone our fighter jets, ships, submarines, and missiles because they’ve stolen all our technology. We wanted to show how they are the most formidable adversary that we face, willing to do one thing and say another because they’re very good at propaganda. Plus, they’re very good at managing their money and buy American T-bills so they can influence our currency.

EC:  Everyone seems to be speaking of Russian, but it seems that China is our real enemy-something you point out in this book.

BA and JW: They’re much more sophisticated than Russia, and much less impulsive than Russia. For the Chinese it’s an entire machine really devoted to unseating the US as the world power.

EC: How would you describe the US asset, the Spider?

BA and JW: She is a support asset for the CIA that uses only women to help and has a web of contacts. She gets political dissidents out and can appear cold and cruel.  But she’s a survivor and she’s like a spider. Her name is metaphorical but also accurate because she’s built a web in Beijing that allows her to use Cold War tactics and non-technology-based means and methods to do her job, moving information and people safely. It meant that she’s had to sacrifice certain things like having a family, so I think there probably is an element of stoicism to her. As part of her cover she runs a taxi company, hiring only women. Even though China is dominated by men she’s not going to get pushed around by being industrious and having survived the purge after so many other assets and spies were rounded up and murdered by the ministry of state security. She is stealthy, clever, and hard to catch.

EC:  You also point out the importance of Taiwan-why?

 BA and JW: Taiwan is 100 miles away from their coast. China has multiple bases along the eastern edge right across the Taiwan Strait from Taiwan. It would take minutes for their missiles to fly and hit Taiwan and take them over. Everyone knows that Taiwan alone cannot mount an effective defense against a full-scale invasion by the Chinese. I think because 90% of the world’s complex semiconductors are manufactured in Taiwan with so much global commerce running in, around, and through Taiwan that the world would balk. So, what we imagined is that Chinese president would say “to diminish the political damage from taking over Taiwan what we need to do is spin this so that our actions are justified, claiming that it wasn’t us being the aggressor.” Basically, using a false flag operation to provide the justification for the invasion of Taiwan.

EC:  Was the role of Katie more of a supporting character?

BA and JW: We did have her anticipate the adversary response and how she helped get the Spider and Defense Minister by out maneuvering President Li. She didn’t wilt under pressure, and she was confident. We wrote her to be the primary protagonist, but this is a Jack Ryan series. Due to the complexity of this book and all the moving chess pieces that we wanted to show on the board, everybody got a little less airtime. There’s lots of other players in the Jack Ryan universe and we wanted to have the whole crew.

EC: You never write her as a superhero, agree?

BA and JW: We want to be authentic, so we don’t want Katie Ryan to be like a marvel superhero where she shows up as the smartest and fastest, able to do flips, beat people up, and knows how to fly planes, basically a one-woman wrecking crew when she’s an analyst who works for the office of naval intelligence. Although she did take a lot of initiative, putting a lot of effort into trying to do as much as she could to figure out what was going on and helping to deescalate the situation by finding a solution.

EC: Why the Battleship game?

BA and JW: The Battleship game is a metaphor for the story itself. Katie and her dad both are analysts, both strategic, playing this game of ships where they can’t see what the other side is doing, can’t see where their ships are. It really was a metaphor for the book, not just the game but also father and daughter playing together, having quality time. One of the things we had happened is that Katie won to foreshadow this idea that she’s the next generation of Ryan, who my gosh maybe she’s just as smart as her dad and or maybe she’s even smarter and she can do the same type of job that he does. Also just giving them some father daughter time to show that they have a very healthy and close relationship.

EC:  Next books?

BA and JW: Out in April is the fourth book in our Shepherds Series, titled Dark Rising. There’s been a bit of a hiatus on Shepherds because we changed publishers and because we started writing the Clancy series, so we had to take a little break. It will now be published by Blackstone. Plus, the showrunner for the Shepherds is developing it for television. It has a faith-based component The plot has these kids called the watchers who have a spiritual gift that allows them basically to sort of predict and maybe see through visions like when bad stuff is going to happen and so they get an idea of something going to happen and tell the shepherds which are a bunch of former military special OPS guys. There is an interesting alliance between adolescents and operators where the operators can’t do their job without the watchers but the watchers can’t protect themselves without the shepherds and so you have this interesting alliance of kids and adults trying to stop evil in the world. The specific plot of the next book has terrorists dealing with the Chinese and Russians surrounding a sex trafficking ring. The hero iJedediah Johnson goes on vacation to the Dominican Republic and when he’s there he stops a kidnapping. What he starts to realize is that all these kids are being kidnapped there and taken to other places.

The book Four Minutes has the task force getting intel from technology and the Shepherd Series is getting intel from the spiritual. It is under development with a producer named Mark Evans. Netflix is developing this for film and so we sort of feel like we should wait and see where it goes. We’d like the movie and book to sort of be compatible and if the film goes off like in a big different direction, we need to be able to kind of know that before we write the sequel. 100% we’re going to write the sequel, but we’d like to get at least the first screenplay finished so we know what’s going to happen and then we can start on the next book.

In July will be the next Sons of Valor book, False Flag. The plot 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 away it away.

In October the next Tier One book comes out. It doesn’t have a title yet, but 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.

The next Clancy book comes out December, maybe a little less Kate because her brother Kyle is going to make his appearance in the series. She’s got this twin brother Kyle. We’re working on it now.

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.

Feature Post and Book Review: The Garbage Man by Candace Irving

Book Description

Former US Army detective Kate Holland spent years hiding from the world—and herself.

Now a small-town cop, the past catches up with Kate when the body of a fellow Army veteran is left along a backcountry road…in meticulously severed pieces.

Four years earlier, Kate spent eleven hours as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan. According to her Silver Star write-up, she singlehandedly took down eleven terrorists to avoid staying longer.

But Kate has no memory of the deaths, or the events that led up to them. And now, bizarre clues are cropping up in and around that crime scene—and others. Clues that appear to connect to that fateful day. Is the killer trying to tell her something?

Or is Kate finally losing her grip on reality?

As the body count rises, Kate must confront the reason she bolted from the Army—before she becomes the killer’s next victim.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/194927746-the-garbage-man?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=VuZVoNLjXg&rank=1

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

THE GARBAGE MAN (A Hidden Valor Military Veteran/K-9 Mystery Book #1) by Candace Irving is an intense, gritty, emotional roller coaster mash-up of mystery, suspense, and thriller genres featuring a female small-town deputy on the hunt for a serial killer. I could not put this book down, but be warned, this is a book featuring a serial killer and it contains graphic violence.

Former US Army CID investigator Kate Holland saw several tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan seeing some of the worse violence man does to man. On her last trip outside of the wire, her group was captured and Kate spent eleven hours at the hands of terrorists. She escaped but has been suppressing the memory of what happened.

Now a small-town deputy in her hometown, Kate and her German Shepard, Ruger are trying to just get through each day until she is called to the horrific crime scene left by the road. The clues have ties to fellow vets and begin to make Kate believe this is tied to her captivity overseas, but is it true or is she losing her grip on reality?

With each new victim, Kate is forced to face her suppressed past and worry that she may be the next veteran to die.

This is one of those books that pulls you in and keeps you turning the pages. The plot comes at you from many different directions, but all the threads come together to a brilliant climax with PTSD, trauma, and revenge all interwoven throughout. Kate is a complex protagonist. She is strong on many levels, but also vulnerable. She is put through difficult situations, personally and professionally, throughout this story. Ruger is a wonderful sidekick, protector, and emotional support for Kate. This book has everything I look for in a gritty, intricately plotted genre mash-up with a memorable protagonist, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

I highly recommend this mystery/suspense/thriller mash-up!

***

About the Author

A former US Navy Lt., Candace Irving is the daughter of a librarian and a retired boatswain’s mate chief. Candace grew up in the Philippines, Germany, and all over the United States. Her senior year of high school, she enlisted in the US Army. Following basic training, she transferred to the Navy’s ROTC program at the University of Texas-Austin. While at UT, she spent a summer in Washington, DC, as a Congressional Intern. She also worked security for the UT Police. BA in Political Science in hand, Candace was commissioned as an ensign in the US Navy and sent to Surface Warfare Officer’s School to learn to drive warships. From there, she followed her father to sea.

Candace Irving writes gritty military thrillers. She is the author of the Deception Point Military Detective Thriller Series and the Hidden Valor Military Veterans/K9 Psychological Suspense Series. She also writes military romance and romantic suspense as Candace Irvin (without the “g”).

Social Media Links

Website: https://candaceirving.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/candace_irving

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-garbage-man-a-hidden-valor-military-veteran-k-9-suspense-1-by-candace-irving

Feature Post and Book Review: The Forest of Lost Souls by Dean Koontz

Book Description

Raised in the wilderness by her late great-uncle, Vida is a young woman with an almost preternatural affinity for nature, especially for the wolves that also call the forested mountains home. Formed by hard experience, by love and loss, and by the prophecies of a fortuneteller, Vida just wants peace. If only nearby Kettleton County didn’t cast such a dark shadow.

It’s where José Nochelobo, the love of Vida’s life and a cherished local hero, died in a tragic accident. That’s the official story, but Vida has reasons to doubt it. The truth can’t be contained for long. Nor can the hungry men of power in Kettleton who want something too: that Vida, like José, disappear forever. One by one they come for her, prepared to do anything to see their plans through to their evil end. Vida is no less prepared for them.

Vida, the forest, and its formidable wonders are waiting. She will not rest until goodness and order have been restored.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/199396945-the-forest-of-lost-souls?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=J6mAT69dnB&rank=1

***

My Book Review

RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars

THE FOREST OF LOST SOULS by Dean Koontz is a slow burn suspense/thriller featuring a battle between a female champion of the natural world, an oligarch who only loves money, and a cast of characters and animals both spiritual, paranormal, and very human.

Vida has always had an otherworldly connection to the natural world. When a fortune teller comes to Kettleton County, Vida is drawn to her. The prophecies she receives impact and prepare her for a future full of danger and loss, but also love and peace if she survives.

This story has many of Mr. Koontz’s recurring tropes and yet he always finds a new way to pull me in and emotionally connect me to the main protagonist. Vida is a strong young the woman connected her entire life to the natural world, both spiritually and with a shade of the paranormal.  Her special gifts are recognized by the fortune teller and are used to protect the world she loves. There are mysterious wolves, an albino mountain lion, a war veteran with search and rescue dogs, and a Native American couple who all help Vida against the invasion of an oligarch and his minions who plan to destroy her beloved mountains.

The writing is full of evocative language not usually found in genre style suspense/thriller novels which had me more involved with the story’s themes rather than just rushing to the crime plot climax, but I was disappointed that after so much imagery and intrigue, the climax seemed a bit rushed.

Overall, Vida is a memorable protagonist, and this story is worth the read.

***

About the Author

When he was a senior in college, Dean Koontz won an Atlantic Monthly fiction competition and has been writing ever since. His books are published in 38 languages and he has sold over 500 million copies to date.

Fourteen of his novels have risen to number one on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list (One Door Away From Heaven, From the Corner of His Eye, Midnight, Cold Fire, The Bad Place, Hideaway, Dragon Tears, Intensity, Sole Survivor, The Husband, Odd Hours, Relentless, What the Night Knows, and 77 Shadow Street), making him one of only a dozen writers ever to have achieved that milestone. Sixteen of his books have risen to the number one position in paperback. His books have also been major bestsellers in countries as diverse as Japan and Sweden.

Dean Koontz was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He graduated from Shippensburg State College (now Shippensburg University), and his first job after graduation was with the Appalachian Poverty Program, where he was expected to counsel and tutor underprivileged children on a one-to-one basis. His first day on the job, he discovered that the previous occupier of his position had been beaten up by the very kids he had been trying to help and had landed in the hospital for several weeks. The following year was filled with challenge but also tension, and Koontz was more highly motivated than ever to build a career as a writer. He wrote nights and weekends, which he continued to do after leaving the poverty program and going to work as an English teacher in a suburban school district outside Harrisburg. After a year and a half in that position, his wife, Gerda, made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: “I’ll support you for five years,” she said, “and if you can’t make it as a writer in that time, you’ll never make it.” By the end of those five years, Gerda had quit her job to run the business end of her husband’s writing career.

Dean Koontz lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.

Social Media Links

Website: https://www.deankoontz.com/

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

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deankoontz

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-forest-of-lost-souls-by-dean-koontz

Book Tour/Feature Post and Book Review: Her Forgotten Shadow by Pamela Fagan Hutchins

Hi, everyone!

Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for HER FORGOTTEN SHADOW (Detective Delaney Pace Book #4) by Pamela Fagan Hutchins on this Bookouture Books-On-Tour blog.

Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!

***

Book Description

A violent storm erupts over the small town of Kearny, bringing a devastating mudslide. Amongst the debris, the worn threads of a child’s blanket, hides the body of a young girl, her long dark hair matted with the fallen earth that killed her.

When the rescue team find rope marks around the ankles of the teenage girl, they call in Detective Delaney Pace. Fourteen-year-old Marilyn Littlewolf went missing five years ago after moving to Kearny from a local reservation. Fearing she was dead, nobody expected Marilyn to ever come home. So where has she been? And why is her body covered in bruises?

Delaney thinks Marilyn was held captive in the mountains that tower above the town, but with acres of remote wilderness to search, the investigation seems impossible. Diving into Marilyn’s case, one name stands out that makes her blood turn cold as ice: her friend and longstanding babysitter to her two adopted daughters, Skeeter Rawlins.

Racing to his home, she finds it in disarray, it’s clear he left in a hurry. In disbelief, Delaney takes in the empty whisky bottles and wonders if she was wrong to trust her reliable old friend with her darling girls?

As evidence piles up against Skeeter, Delaney’s heart shatters when another girl is reported missing. Tracing her to a remote cabin deep in the woods, she fears she’s about to finally uncover the truth about her once-trusted friend. But when she bursts into the disheveled shack nothing could have prepared her for what she finds. Was she wrong to suspect Skeeter as the twisted mind behind the missing girls? And is she already too late to save another innocent life?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/217230588-her-forgotten-shadow?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=4TTYdgmOqX&rank=1

Purchase Link: https://geni.us/B0DCCB5WR9social

***

My Book Review

RATING: 5 out of 5 Stars

HER FORGOTTEN SHADOW (Detective Delaney Pace Book #4) by Pamela Fagan Hutchins is a fast-paced, intense small town police procedural. Delaney and Leo are back in action investigating a series of crimes with young Crow heritage girls disappearing from Kearney, Wyoming. This book can be read as a standalone for the crime thriller plot, but this is a series with characters evolving throughout and their interactions impact the plot at times in other books. I have enjoyed reading them all in order.

When workers go to clear a landslide off the road after a storm, they discover the body of a young girl in the mud. Delaney and Leo discover it is a young girl who disappeared five years ago and was thought to be with her absentee father in Montana on the Crow reservation. Where has she really been?  When another girl goes missing and is found dead at the base of a cliff, some of the clues are pointing to Delaney’s friend and babysitter, P.I. Skeeter Rawlins who is missing with another missing young Crow girl.

While some of the evidence leads Delaney and Leo to a teacher at the middle school who has a connection with all three girls, there is still a danger lurking in the mountains. It is a race to save the missing girl and unravel who is responsible.

I love this exciting series not only for the interesting crime plots, but also for the emotional character interactions. Delaney and her girls always make me laugh as well as feel the emotional ups and downs of raising young girls. Leo and Delaney have a relationship that is so frustrating and yet realistic. I do wish Delaney had a little more faith in Leo and not always jump to conclusions brought on by someone else’s interference. The crime plot in this book was intense and heart-breaking. It moves at an ever-increasing pace right up to the conclusion and was very realistic. I am looking forward to reading about the next criminal investigation in Kearney, finding out if Delaney and Leo work out their relationship, and seeing if Delaney and Skeeter discover if her mother is truly still alive.

I highly recommend this harrowing small town crime thriller/police procedural! I am anxiously waiting for the next book in the series.

***

About the Author

Pamela Fagan Hutchins is a USA Today bestselling and Silver Falchion Best Mystery winning mystery/thriller/suspense author (and recovering attorney and investigator) who splits her time between an off-the-grid lodge on the face of Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains and a rustic cabin on Maine’s Lake Mooselookmeguntic with her husband, kids and grandkids, rescue pets and sled dog, and draft cross horses.

Social Media Links

Website: https://pamelafaganhutchins.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pamela.fagan.hutchins.author

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

X: https://twitter.com/PamelotH

Friday Feature Author Interview with Elise Cooper: Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe

Book Description

She left home as the local pariah at twenty-two, but when a family tragedy brings her back, she must confront her tortured past—and a new danger in town that no one seems to understand but her.

After years of self-exile, Jacinda “Jac” Brodie is back in Brook Haven, South Carolina. But the small cliffside town no longer feels like home. Jac hasn’t been there since the beloved chief of police fell to his death—and all the whispers said she was to blame.

That chief was Jac’s father.

Racked with guilt, Jac left town with no plans to return. But when her granddad lands in the hospital, she rushes back to her family, bracing herself to confront the past.

Brook Haven feels different now. Wealthy newcomer Faye Arden has transformed the notorious Moor Manor into a quaint country inn. Jac’s convinced something sinister lurks beneath Faye’s perfect exterior, yet the whole town fawns over their charismatic new benefactor. And when Jac discovers one of her granddad’s prized possessions in Faye’s office, she knows she has to be right.

But as Jac continues to dig, she stumbles upon dangerous truths that hit too close to home. With not only her life but also her family’s safety on the line, Jac discovers that maybe some secrets are better left buried.

***

Elise’s Thoughts

Not What She Seems by Yasmin Angoe is a very suspenseful domestic thriller that will keep readers on their toes.

The plot has the heroine, Jac Brodie, leaving home when she was twenty-two years old. She comes back after a family tragedy, where she must confront her tortured past―and a new danger in town that no one seems to understand but her.

After years of self-exile, Jacinda “Jac” Brodie is back in Brook Haven, South Carolina. But the small cliffside town no longer feels like home. Jac hasn’t been there since the beloved chief of police, her dad, fell to his death―and all the whispers said she was to blame.

Racked with guilt, Jac left town and had no plans to return. But when her granddad lands in the hospital, she rushes back to her family, bracing herself to confront the past.

Brook Haven feels different now. Wealthy newcomer Faye Arden has transformed the notorious Moor Manor into a quaint country inn. Jac’s convinced something sinister lurks beneath Faye’s perfect exterior, yet the whole town fawns over their charismatic new benefactor. And when Jac discovers one of her granddad’s prized possessions in Faye’s office, she knows she must be right.

But as Jac continues to dig, she stumbles upon dangerous truths that hit too close to home. With not only her life but also her family’s safety on the line, Jac discovers that confronting the truth is very dangerous.

This is an excellent read with fast-paced action, jaw-dropping plot twists, and flawed but likable characters.

***

Author Interview

Elise Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story and is this a series?

Yasmin Angoe: Currently I plan on this being a one and done stand-alone, although if my publisher wants, I can write more books. I really wanted to write a domestic thriller that is intimate and set in the same state I live in.  The focus of the story is how people do not really know who others really are.  I hope readers saw this as a cat and mouse type of story.

EC: Was is based on anything?

YA:  A modernized version of “The Spider and The Fly.” What happens when people are unmasked.

EC: What was said about the heart pacemaker, is it true?

YA: I asked my cardiologist. I am one of the few younger people that have problems.  I wanted to know what would happen if, and could it happen. I thought about having the granddad with a pacemaker. It is not easy, but if the laser is continually applied to that exact spot, it could make it malfunction.

EC: What was the role of the grandfather?

YA: He was the catalyst for the heroine, Jac. Until he was harmed, she did not have a purpose or something to fight for.  He was a way for her to work on her own issues by focusing on what happened to him. She wanted to make up for all those years of running away and not facing her own reality.

EC:  Beyond that do you think he served as her mentor?

YA: Yes. He called her Junior Dick, as in detective. He taught her things. He always held her together.

EC:  How would you describe Jac?

YA:  Jac is reckless and is all over the place.  She runs from her problems and does not face them.  She acts before thinking, which gets her in a lot of trouble.

EC:  Is Sawyer Jac’s opposite?

YA:  Probably. She is Jac’s good friend.  She has a good family life.  She is happy and self-assured.  She is not coming from a place of loss and hurt like Jac is. Sawyer is more carefree and does not have baggage.

EC:  What is the relationship between Sawyer and Jac?

YA: Jac trusts Sawyer completely. She is Jac’s safe place.  Jac knows Sawyer is not going to judge her.

EC:  Can you explain the quote about USC, which was hilarious?

YA:  You mean the one, “USC, the University of South Carolina, the real USC, not the one in California.” I had to do it.  Remember the book is set in South Carolina. When I moved here, I now live about ten minutes from USC.  Everyone is serious about supporting either USC or Clemson. If someone says USC, meaning the SO CAL one, people will hate them for life. They feel they are the real USC, because it comes first.

EC:  What about the other quote, that refers to people who want to be liked and might try too hard?

YA: A lot of people are like this these days.  It seems they do not have their own mind. People do not have to go along to get along. This could apply to most of the characters in the book. For example, Jac’s mom tried to mold her two daughters into what she thought a Southern lady should be. Jac rebelled against this.  She wants to be different, which is why she was known as the “wild Brodie girl.”

EC:  How would you describe one of the characters, Faye?

YA: She does not really want to go along to get along.  But she does do it when she needs it to further her goals.  Then she goes back to what she really wants to be after convincing others. She pushes people, does not like to leave loose ends, and fakes apologies.  She has two faces: innocent, bubbly versus coy and unfriendly. The title comes into play because the story shows how most of the characters did have two faces. Faye has it to the extreme.

EC:  Do you think Jac has two faces?

YA:  No. This is problematic for her.  The town is OK with people having two faces.  People like to deal with others who are complacent, nice, and do not create any worries. Jac wants to be accepted for who she is: not a girly girl. Jac can see through Faye and does not take her at face value. As the story goes on Jac realizes she is responsible, thoughtful, and perceptive.

EC: In the beginning of the book readers are unsure of Jac?

YA: Yes.  Jac had a lot of issues with the town and herself. The readers do not know what happened between Jac and her dad’s death. I wanted the reader to be on the ride with Jac.  At first, Jac sees herself as a loser who cannot do anything right. This might make her unreliable in the beginning until her whole truth comes out.

EC:  Next book?

YA:  It is coming out in December 2025.  I am working it on currently.  It will be a revenge story. It will deal with complicated families.

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.