When a young woman is found murdered in a seedy massage parlor near his neighborhood, the police recruit Randall Lee – an Americanacupuncturist and Tai Chi master — as a translator and expert in Chinese culture, to assist in the investigation. Lee discovers that the murderer is an expert in a forbidden Chinese martial art – the dark mirror to his own healing practices – and joins in the hunt for the killer to escape his own inner demons and save the woman he loves.
Natalie’s Revenge – A Frank Renzi Novel by Susan Fleet
1988 – As soon as she woke up, she knew something was wrong.
Natalie was only ten, but she doubted her mom when she said she worked so late because she was a hostess at some fancy restaurant. Natalie was always home alone and never opened the door for anyone. When the doorbell rang, she looked out the peephole. It was a woman cop and she knew Natalie’s name. She went on to tell her that her mom was dead.
July 2008 – Renzi was called out in the middle of the night for a body with a bullet hole in the middle of his forehead. It was a hit. Renzi’s partner, Kenyon Miller was on his way. When he arrived, he told Renzi that he knew him. He was a bigwig at the new casino – The BABYLON.
The victim, Arnold, had been a good father, but a womanizer. He and his wife lived separate lives and it came out that he had a gambling problem. Could it be a disgruntled husband? A Business partner? His Wife? A Loan shark?
As they went over the security tapes from the Hotel Bienvenue, where Peterson was staying, Renzi saw her. She entered Peterson’s room. Her hat and sunglasses covered her face, but he noticed her walk, that she was fit and athletic. He also noticed a tattoo on her ankle. High priced hooker?
At the Sunshine Inn, June Carson was preparing to leave town. Her next stop was Circle K for travel supplies. She saw she was being watched by a guy in a cowboy hat. She left quickly, but he followed her, then called her name “Natalie”. It was an old classmate, Tex Conroy, from Pecos, Texas.. He had recognized her firebird pendant – her good luck charm. Not so good now. She knew what she had to do, get him off in an isolated place.
After her mother’s death, she was sent to her Uncle, Jerome Brixton in Pecos Texas. She liked to watch America’s Most Wanted and wondered what it would be like to run from the law. She researched her Vietnamese heritage and chose birds and mountains to protect herself. If she didn’t avenge her mother’s death, would angry spirits ruin her life?
Her cousin, Randy, called her slant eyes and gook. When she adopted a kitten, Randy killed it. She vowed she would make him pay.
Chinese proverb – All warfare is based on deception. Natalie learned Tae (strike) Kwon (strike with fist) Do (means way). She learned Jiapsul – pressure points. Part of the Tae Kwan Do oath was, “I shall be a champion of justice and freedom”.” She liked that. Justice for her mom. Freedom for herself. She learned to shoot guns because sometimes martial arts wouldn’t be enough.
As Renzi investigated Tex’s death in Pecos, the name Natale came up. She was accused of killing her cousin, Randy. He fell off a cliff at a family picnic. She wasn’t charged, but Renzi felt she was the one.
She knows he is closing in on her, but nothing was going to stop her from fulfilling her destiny.
5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)
I love the cover. Red is very eye-catching and who doesn’t love a shoot ’em up female protagonist. She even holds the gun properly. The title speaks for itself. The “package” made me want to pick it up and read it the moment I got it.
New Orleans. I’ve spent a lot of time visiting New Orleans. I love to read about places I’ve been to and am so familiar with. It seems to add something extra.
Once Renzi got to Pecos, I read faster and faster, learning about Natalie and her life in Pecos. I could feel the suspense building as I wondered how Renzi would catch her and wishing he wouldn’t. Very well written. I was unable to put it down. I had to know what was going to happen to her.
I love when the character, whether a book, TV show or movie, has to seek justice for themselves, like Death Wish . I have watched them so many times, I feel like I know all the characters intimately. I loved all the Death wishes, so I knew I would love this book. Of course, if everyone did it, we’d be like the Wild West. I rooted for her to exact her revenge and get away with it, even though she might have went too far.
I loved that Natalie went about her life, doing what she had to do to accomplish her goal, made me feel more empathy for her. Stripping, hooking and sacrificing her life, so she could put things right. Feeling as if her heritage demanded it or she would be haunted for the rest of her life. She became an actess, a chameleon. She had seven words to live by – Be what they want you to be. She trusted no one and relied only on herself.
I loved her single-mindedness to achieve her goal and the sacrifices she made, but then what? She really wanted what we all want, but she needed answers to be able to move on. And after all she had done, how could she have a “normal” life?
How far would you go to make sure someone paid for destroying a loved one’s life? Would you be able to do whatever it takes to make them pay?
Loved it when Vobitch kicked Hammer out of his office. I loved the dialogue between Renzi, his partner Kenyon and his boss, Vobitch. A verbal jousting match. Sarcastic, back and forth bantering, like Lisbon and Jane on The Mentalist.
Multiple story lines throughout the plot. Renzi is in love with Kelly who is also a cop. Hurricane Gail is heading for New Orleans. Guess a lot of us know what that entails.
Ending? Loved it. I sat there with my mouth hanging open, thinking…….Let me………………… Nope, you’ll have to find out for yourself.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Music & Mayhem is my game. Started my trumpet career in my teens, got into the mayhem later. My print journalist father taught me how to play pool in the police station. Maybe that’s how I discovered my dark side.
After gigging on trumpet in the Boston area for many years (while teaching at Brown University and Berklee College of Music), I moved to New Orleans, which became the setting for my crime thrillers. Scroll down and check the video trailers for DIVA and ABSOLUTION.
I survived Katrina, but moved back to Boston in 2010. On my website I post profiles of women musicians and just began a blog, DARK DEEDS, about serial killers, stalkers and domestic homicides. Please come visit!!
Susan is offering 2 ebooks for the Giveaway – one for the US and one for the UK. Easy entry as always, just answer her question – New Orleans has many local coffee shops, but one is particularly famous. Not only that, I set one early scene at the coffee shop in Absolution, my first Frank Renzi mystery. What’s the name of the coffee shop? Have you ever been there? – and leave your email address.
Detective Fehkal was sent to investigate the murder of a Chinaman. Why was this case so special? Murders of Chinamen were a weekly occurrence in the Seattle Chinatown.
The man was decapitated and disemboweled. It was like nothing Fehkal had every seen before. The carnage and cruelty were beyond description. It looked like someone had chewed off his arms and legs, but the marks weren’t like any human teeth Fehkal knew of, and the limbs had been taken by whoever had done such a thing. As he examined the pool of blood surrounding the body, he noticed that it looked like it had been licked up, lapped up like a cat would do. He looked up at the ceiling and saw a name, Peytor Droysvich, was written in blood. It was still wet.The only witness was a young Chinese boy.
Fehkal’s boss, Chief Shaffer, had the Mayor hounding him to solve the murder, quickly. It was election time and the Mayor needed the Chinese vote.
The boy told Fehkal he saw a shadow, where a shadow couldn’t possible have been, outside the house. It looked like smoke and went through the window into the house. Then he heard screaming and other horribly weird sounds.
The next morning, Fehkkhal went to the library to do some research. In the archives, he found several references to Peytor. There had been a European vampire scare twenty years earlier. It had begun right after Peytor’s death in Serbia. Some family members died mysteriously and it was said that Peyotr was supposedly coming around, after he was dead, telling them how hungry he was.
As Fehkal left the library, Sally invited herself out to lunch with him. He’d always had his eye on her. He had thought of asking her out, but something always stopped him.
When he went into work, the Chief was waiting for him.The fingerprints that had been found at the murder scene were the same ones that were involved with three other murders. But the suspect had died more than a year ago.
The witness’s parents were murdered during the night. Fehkal knew the kid was good, that he didn’t do it. As he interrogated Xiao, Xiao told him what he had seen, when he came home from goofing off with this friends. The front door had been wide open. He looked in and saw a shadow. When the wind blew the door and banged him in the head, the shadow looked up. Xiao saw red eyes, then the shadow flew out the window.
Another night, another murder, two actually. The scene was even worse and a message had been left for Fehkal. Now it was personal.
“I know you’re trying to find me detective Fehkal. If you don’t’ stop, you’ll end up like these two.”
4 – Would Highly Recommend To Others
The cover is cool. The only way it could have been better, is if it was a man with a long black coat. The character, Fehkal, always walked the streets of Seattle, he had no car.
This is a novella that can easily be read in one sitting, preferably when you are alone at night – jumping at the settling of the house, wondering if something is trying to get in.The writing was very good and I raced through the pages.
For such a short book, it was packed with suspense. Had Fehkal looking over his shoulder as he walks the dark streets. I kept waiting for him to be attacked.
I loved it. I always like being surprised and that is pretty hard to do because I read so many books. But I was very surprised as it neared the end. I was really bummed and pissed off, but I thought about it and thought, WOW, that’s pretty good. Evoked a lot of emotion.
I was given a copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matthew Blake lives in Spokane, Washington. He has been a fan of writing and reading horror since he was a boy. He keeps busy between writing and his three-year-old daughter. He was a soldier in the US Army and attained a degree in web development after his time in the service.
When he has free time he likes to play disc golf (a popular sport that a lot of people don’t know about, you should try it if you haven’t already,) and take long walks.
My Goodreads Review of Rose Blossoms at Midnight by Matthew Blake, click HERE.
GIVEAWAY
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Matthew Blake is generously offering up for the giveaway 10, count them, 10 ebooks. The Giveaway is International, so come one, come all.
As always, it is easy to enter. Simply leave an email address so I can contact you and answer the question – Are you prepared for when the Vampires come flying through your window?
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Closed. Because of the great response and it being the holidays, Matthew says EVERYONE is a Winner. If you have not heard from the author by 1/8/2013, please leave me a message here WITH YOUR EMAIL and I will forward it to him.
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Giveaway runs from 12/8 – 1/2/2013.
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Please tweet this out to your friends, family and followers, not required.
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I love it when you follow me, but, also, not required.
Maggie has decided to write a cookbook because she is bored and her husband, Laurent, is a chef. She doesn’t know anything about cooking, but she figures she can get all she needs from him. It is driving him crazy. He seems to spend more time in the vineyard and with his friends at the bar than her.
Everyone had heard of the murder of the nurse who worked at the same hospital as Yves. It had been two weeks and there was no arrest or suspect in sight.
Maggie was losing her best friend, Grace, who was returning to the United States, but she had met Brigitte and they seemed to hit it off right away. Maggie’s life took an immediate turn for the worse when Brigitte, Marie’s daughter was murdered. Grace came for Maggie so they could go to Marie and help in any way possible.
Maggie hadn’t been told that Brigitte had been raped and beaten as she was killed. Rene, Marie’s husband hated Yves, Brigitte’s husband and told the police he knew it was him.
Maggie looked at Marie and she could feel her anguish. How do you handle losing your child? We’re supposed to go first. Maggie went to the kitchen thinking of coffee, just something she could do to help Marie. Detective Inspector Roger Bedard intercepted her, suggesting she come back at another time. That so wasn’t happening. She was not leaving her friend.
Maggie was surprised by her sudden feelings of attraction to the detective. She couldn’t help thinking, what’s this. She loved her husband, Laurent. Did the detective feel it too?
Maggie and Laurent were having dinner, when Maggie blurted out that she wanted to help find the killer. She had helped solve a murder a year earlier and cleared her friend of suspicion at the same time.
La Canard was the meeting place of the village. Maggie made an appointment to meet Detective Bedard at the cafe. He wouldn’t give her any information, but that wouldn’t stop Maggie.
When she returned home, Pijou, Brigitte’s, sister was there, drunk and flirting with Laurent. She told Maggie, not only was Brigitte’s best friend sleeping with Yves, so was she.
Maggie realized she was on her own, and she was surprised to find that it wasn’t so bad in Provence. It had finally started to feel like home.
She was sitting in a cafe when she noticed Madeline entering a house across the street. She decided to visit her to see what she could find out and was glad she did. They hit it off right away and Madeline proceeded to tell her who killed Brigitte. And made a point of telling her that the police hadn’t even questioned him yet.
I was offered this book in return for a fair, honest and unbiased review.
3 STARS –Would Recommend to Others
A nice cover with eye-catching colors. Title tells the story.
A light murder mystery for great summer reading on the beach or around the pool.
The descriptions of the area were so detailed that you could visualize the countryside.
Characters were real. It was interesting to watch Maggie as she grew and changed through the story. Friendship. Amazing how someone can influence you without you realizing it until long after.
There were some editing errors, but I find this a common occurrence in almost every book I read, even from the best sellers of the large publishing houses.
About the Author
Susan Kiernan-Lewis is an Air Force Brat who has traveled the world and racked up over 40 addresses in her life (and she’s not finished yet.) Presently living in Atlanta, Georgia she writes in several genres including mystery, romance and women’s lit. Professionally, Susan is a freelance advertising copywriter and video editor. Connect with her at suekier27@me.com and follow her at her website: susankiernanlewis.wordpress.com.
Susan Kiernan-Lewis has many other books available, these are just a few of them. If you wish to order one, simply click on the cover to take you to Amazon.com.
Once you’ve finished with the awesome trailer, please continue reading for the review and giveaway.
by Charles A. Cornell
Billionaire Matthew Colton was the fifth victim. He was found in his bathtub filled with red wine and an indecipherable script of symbols and lines ending with a bloody paw print. It was the same symbol left at all the crime scenes. His wine collection was worth over 13 million dollars. He had to watch as the killer dumped it down the drain, then filled the bathtub to drown him in it. Fits in with what’s going on today, people’s resentment of the rich and their flaunting of their wealth.
Dominic Sant’Angello looked out the window of his fancy 87th floor office of the John Hancock Center in Chicago, Illinois. He was CEO and principal shareholder of Sigma Venture Capital. He thought of two of their clients, Deuce Meredith, CEO at Razorback Software and Liang Wong, founder of Silicon Pathways, having been murdered. Now Matthew. Two deaths a coincidence? Not three. He was about to lose everything. Bankruptcy was just a matter of days away. He was finished.
FBI Profiler, Scott Forester had spent six months chasing a killer in Denver. He worked at the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime in Quantico, Virginia and had been called back to help when Matthew was killed.The first murder had been done in Florida, then two victims in Wyoming and now the Hampton’s.
The killer used the wine to torture Matthew and make him suffer. Was it a part of the killer’s ritual? Why? There had to be a pattern to all the murders. What was it? Deuce Meredith had been wounded and left alive, yet his guide had died instantly. Each victim had a specific torture attached to it. Was it a test? A contest? Payback? Was the killer making a statement?
I like when Scott places his order at the diner and the waitress reads it off the ticket to Archie in the kitchen:
“One hungry man’s, over cooked eggs, foreign toast and a bottle of red wine!”
“Red wine? Are you sure? With eggs?”
“Okay, make it white.”
Made me chuckle when Scott described it as Archie’s floor show.
Doctor Rajeev Chandra was sitting with the case notes, drinking a cup of tea, in the Garden Cafe at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC and waiting for Scott and Special Agent Van Cleyburne. The Doctor had received the information and autopsy reports of the murders to examine. He told them they were meeting some people who would tell them about the killer. If they knew the motive, it would explain a lot, but if Doctor Chandra could tell them about the writing it may give them more clues. The writing was Sanskrit and the symbols were Hindu.
Doctor Chandra rose from the bench he had been resting on and they resumed their walk to the Freer Gallery, the gallery of Asian art. He wanted to show them three paintings, all different yet all the same, the God – Vishnu, Shiva and Brama. The whole exercise was designed to make them think differently. The final painting was the showpiece – The Revenge of Dvaipa. Could the killer be bringing his victims to Judgment Day? She is the daughter of Kali, Goddess of Death and Destruction. Dvaipa in Hindi means ‘from a tiger’ half human and half tiger. The Indian government had considered the sect that worshiped Dvaipa so dangerous they closed all their temples and scattered their sacred objects. She had been exiled to America. Satanists worshiped her. She was revenge Incarnate, the unholy scythe she wields – the Tiger Paw. Below the seated Demon Goddess the letters spelled out, “I am the energy of her divine anger”. The Signature – the incision in victims left earlobe to be able to use the victims own blood to write the message.
Miami – De Andre Antoin had been killed by a sniper bullet on his yacht. It was the same rifle that was used in Wyoming. California – Lian Wong had been strangled by a noose made from the hot air balloon’s guy rope. It was the first murder to use the signature. Now the Hamptons. What did the victims have in common? Why was each victim killed in such a manner that they died slowly? Channels Dvaipa’s anger and becomes her instrument of revenge – the Tigers Paw. Covers it all -Tiger Paw killer – motive – revenge.
Scott’s at the diner again:
“Heart attack on a plate with fries coming up. And a crushed dead fish salad.”
5 STARS – Would buy for Them (lol)
I worked as a waitress and bartender for years, so maybe that’s why these funny tidbits stand out to me.
The cover is awesome. I love the vibrant colors and the photo draws you in, trying to see further into it. Good, catchy title, made me want to know what the story was about. Both the cover and the title lead into the story and with me that is always a good thing. It’s not a quick read and from the very beginning it will draw you in. You will not want to put it down.
Full of intrigue. Complex mixture of plots. Wall Street bigwigs. Greed. House of cards. Scams. Reading along thinking I know were all this is going, all of a sudden there’s another story angle intertwines with the others. Jamie was pathetic. Your typical “it’s not my fault” loser. But what would you do to protect the only family you have? The characters were well-developed and you will love them or hate them. All I kept thinking was, they got what they deserved, ignoring the 99% and thinking the world was theirs for the fleecing.
Should 401Ks, IRAs…be invested in Wall Street, which we all know is full of corruption? What doesn’t change? If you have the money, you have the power and control. Everyone’s rules are different. Things done in the name of religion, fanaticism. When I thought the fight would be over, something would happen and it would continue making me wish it would be done before something worse happened and my hero lost. .
This book had my juices flowing-my heart pounding, blood boiling, anger, rage, PISSED OFF. It had me thinking of all kinds of things. So applicable to what is going on today. Believable. For a debut novel, I was really impressed.
I thought it was ironic that while I was reading this, Shiva was mentioned on the new TV show, Perception.
The ending had me shocked and bummed. But the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. It has a “killer ” ending. It left me asking ????????????????????? I had to pose the question to the author who responded ?????????????????????????????????????? No peeking. It is definitely worth waiting til you arrive at the last sentence, the last word. You will deprive yourself of an awesome ending, so once again, NO PEEKING!!!!
Giveaway – Charles has been kind enough to offer three ebooks of his debut novel, Tiger Paw. As always, entry is easy. Just leave your email address along with a comment to Charles telling him what you like about tigers. Giveaway ends August 31, 2012 so be sure to enter soon.
Please feel free to like this post and tweet it out to your friends.
It is not required. but following my blog and twitter are always appreciated.
BONUS PLUS: Tigers can swim. The Jaguar is the only other big cat that likes to do this. But, there is something that tigers don’t do that other big cats can do. What is it? The first correct answer gets a copy of Tiger Paw!
THIS JUST IN. We have our three winners to the mini-giveaway- the Bonus Plus. The answer was climbing trees! The three lucky winners are: Janna – D.H. Nevins – Jill
To see what happens when Tigers climb trees, check out this video below:
There are still three ebooks up for grabs.
I am curious to see Laura’s review. Even though we are sitting here together, I won’t be able to see her review until we push that publish button. One, two, threeeeeeeee!
Visit Charles blog to find out more about his mission to save the tiger.
About the author
Charles A Cornell was born in England, raised in Canada and now divides his time between Michigan and Florida. After 35 years of global business experience on three continents, Charles A Cornell brings a diverse and unique perspective to his fiction. His novels are mystery thrillers carved from today’s headlines, blended with action and intrigue, and cloaked in psychological suspense.
Now that you’ve seen the awesome book trailer, you really need to read my review.
Kit Griffin was the last one. She was blond and tan, and worth the drive in the rain. How could she go from Beverly Hills to the small fishing village of San Madrid? He went inside the bookstore out of curiosity. As he stood talking to Kit, he saw the painting. The artist had given the painting to Kit, Baylee and Quinn, when they moved in together. When he asked about the painting, Kit couldn’t help but wonder why the stranger was so interested in it.
The authors use of He instead of a name for her character adds mystery to the story.
Kit was proud of her bookstore, the Book and Bean, and all the hard work she had put into making it a success. With the support of Baylee and Quinn, her best friends, Kit had been able to overcome her past and the abusive relationship she had with her mother, Alana Stevens. She refused to think about the past, so when Jake Boston, a family friend that she had been in love with since she was a young girl, walked in, to say she was surprised would not begin to cover the range of emotions she was experiencing. He had been gone more than a year without speaking to Kit and he thought now was as good a time as any to see her again. Jake had left Los Angeles without saying a word to Kit. He was the prime suspect in the murder of his wife, Claire, and the constant police harassment had driven him to the point of sheer exhaustion, so he had left the city to try to move on with his life. He returned as a rich man after building a multimillion dollar company with hard work and determination. Gloria, Kit’s aunt, had kept Jake informed of all that was going on in Kit’s life, even though she was unaware of it. He had really missed her and wanted to tell her he had bought the Crandall House and was renovating it because Gloria had told him that Kit loved the old house and he hoped they might have a life together.
He was still sitting outside when the man came out. He knew, if the man got in the way, he would have to get rid of him.
When Kit went to bed that night she had a feeling of doom, something bad was coming. She didn’t sleep well and was glad when she called her mother to tell her Happy Mother’s Day and she didn’t answer the phone. Kit and her mother, Alana had never gotten along. If it hadn’t been for her Aunt Gloria, she never would have made it this far.
He waited for Alana to come home. No one would find her until the maid came in the morning.
When Alana was found murdered, the police became very interested in her estranged daughter, Kit. Alana’s best friend and attorney, Jessica Boyd, immediately pointed the finger at her ungrateful daughter and her crazy sister, Gloria Gandis. Even though Jessica knew the police would check out the law firm, she would do whatever she could to distract them and try to lead them in a different direction.
Gloria felt Kit was in danger. People thought she was crazy, but she had a gift and right now it was telling her that Kit was in need of help. She called Jake and told him Kit was the main suspect in her mother’s death. He could relate well to her situation, because he had been the main suspect in his wife’s death a year ago.
Jake walked into Kit’s bookstore and found the police questioning her in an aggressive and intimidating manner. He immediately felt a need to protect and shelter her from them and told them to back off. Their response was that maybe they should arrest him for his wife’s murder now that he was back in town.
He thought of Kit, but for the first time his job was leaving him feeling uncomfortable. What would happen to Kit?
He was waiting in the backseat of her car when she came out from her tryst. When he was done, he left the car parked on the side of the road and walked away.
When the police pulled up behind the parked car, they thought it was just a rich drunk, but Jessica wasn’t going to be talking to anyone. Just as in the case of Alana, they found a gold cowboy on a horse had been left with the murder victim. When Sumner Boyd, Jessica’s husband, was notified, all he could think of was everything they had done to become one of the largest family law firms on the West Coast and wondered if anyone knew what had happened and how they had got started. Could someone have a vendetta against them?
When Kit found the gold cowboy on the counter, she figured some kid had left it in the bookstore and asked Baylee, her friend and employee, about it. She didn’t know anything. Kit knew Baylee was hiding something. She had left and come back with a baby, Sarah. She was Kit’s best friend and employee and would go to any lengths to protect her, so Kit was loath to pressure her for answers.
After Alana’s death, her lawyer’s quickly presented Kit with papers to sign, she was the sole beneficiary of Alana’s estate. Kit couldn’t understand why she would do that, since she had left home at an early age and her mother had never liked her anyway. Jake said he would take a look at the papers, just to be on the safe side. He saw there was property worth a lot of money but he couldn’t help wondering, where was the cash? He was going to have his lawyer go over them before Kit signed anything.
Collin’s obsession with Kit had made him dangerous and unpredictable. Being part of Boyd Boyd Geller and Getz, the family law firm, made him and his family feel a sense of entitlement. They would do whatever it took to get what they wanted and take what their hearts desired. He blamed her for making him fall in love with her and was determined to make her pay for her rejection of him. Just how far would he go to seek revenge? If he couldn’t have her, would he make sure nobody else could?
After Alana’s funeral, Jake invited Kit out sailing. While they were relaxing and enjoying being out on the water, an SOS was sent out over the radio. Since they were so close Jake set sail for the coordinates he believed would take them to the distressed vessel. Before they could reach the old sloop it erupted in a huge explosion that blew both of them off their feet. If they had been any closer it would have blown them up too. They later found out it had been a bogus signal. Was it staged? Were they the target? Why?
Jessica’s sister, Eva Getz, a partner at the law firm, was missing. When they found Eva’s body, they found a gold cowboy. Jake believed it was all linked to the law firm and since the police wouldn’t take their focus off of Kit, Jake thought they should do some investigating of their own. Public records showed that Alana had been married and divorced five times, but there was no record of her being married to John Griffin, Kit’s father. Husband number three was Frank Geller, Jessica’s brother. As Jake investigated further he found that Kit had a brother, Ben Griffin who lived in Ireland. Why was he so difficult to locate?
Jake had made it his priority to protect Kit. He wasn’t going to leave her alone until this whole mess was settled. At 3:03 in the morning, Jake woke Kit from a nightmare. She told him it was a recurring nightmare and each time it went a little further. She dreamt that an older couple were murdered at their ranch in a Charles Manson style. This was the first time she had seen the name on the sign-Sundown Ranch. Why did she keep having a nightmare that seemed so real? When Jake found the scar from the bullet wound, Kit wondered what he would do when he found out everything, when he found out that Alana was “just evil”.
Kit: She could tell a tale, filling it in with the most minute details. It made me think of my husband, who can take what to me would be a five-minute story and regale people for twenty. Kit loved the simple, ordinary things in life-like when she found the red, white and blue decorations on the boat and took such delight in setting the dinner table.
Jake: I loved how tender he was with Kit when she needed him the most, not questioning or pushing her, just putting her needs first. Amongst murder and mayhem, I don’t think anyone would complain about a hero and a good love story.
5+ STARS – Would Buy it for Them (lol)
I received this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. A paranormal, mystery, thriller that will grab you from the first page and not you let go. I am a voracious reader and love it when an author BLOWS ME AWAY and Vickie definitely did that in spades. I loved the cover. I photograph and sketch trees without leaves. If you look closely enough and long enough you will see many things other than a branch or twig as your imagination draws you into the picture. I really like this cover over the alternate, because the colors are rich and vivid and the tree is descriptive of the story, encompassing all the characters and subplots branching out from the main storyline. The title is short, to the point and relates to the story. The book was very well written making me race through the pages.The moment I felt I knew here it was going, I found myself holding tight as it took me on a twisting, turning ride through the feelings of terror and exhilaration of love, murder and intrigue. The characters covered the spectrum, from truly heroic to “just evil”. It is a cliff-hanger that will leave you screaming for more. Just evil is a trilogy and you truly will want to read the next one and the next one.
About the Author
Just Evil was given Coffee Time Romance and More’s highest rating plus a CTRR award.
Vickie created her first character when she was four years old and came up with her imaginary friend, Marty. Together the two battled, they slayed, they conquered. She and Marty managed to get into plenty of trouble and usually had to come up with a clever way out of it. From the Marty experience a fertile imagination was born.
Today she’s graduated to more grownup characters. And after spending years sitting in a cubicle, writing boring corporate communiques all the while day-dreaming about stories beyond those dreary walls, she finally decided to let her mind run free.
The Evil Trilogy sprang from that.
Though she was born and bred in Texas, she now lives in her adopted home state of California, near the ocean she loves.
(strike with fist) Do (means way). She learned Jiapsul – pressure points. Part of the 
5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)
Music & Mayhem is my game. Started my trumpet career in my teens, got into the mayhem later. My print journalist father taught me how to play pool in the police station. Maybe that’s how I discovered my dark side.
Susan is offering 2 ebooks for the Giveaway – one for the US and one for the UK. Easy entry as always, just answer her question – 
outside the house. It looked like smoke and went through the window into the house. Then he heard screaming and other horribly weird sounds.
home from goofing off with this friends. The front door had been wide open. He looked in and saw a shadow. When the wind blew the door and banged him in the head, the shadow looked up. Xiao saw red eyes, then the shadow flew out the window.
4 – Would Highly Recommend To Others
Matthew Blake lives in 
