One Sentence Review – Jezebel by Gordon A Kessler @gordonkessler

Posted on October 8, 2016 by fundinmental

I found Jezebel by Gordon A Kessler through my sister, Laura @ fuonlyknew, and after seeing the cover, I had to have it, so I actually broke down and bought the hardcover.

I thought it was a Doberman Pinscher, but it is a Great Dane and looks pretty evil regardless of the breed.

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I knew we would have a devil dog, but I never saw the savagery and resulting chaos right out of the gate, every sentence oozing with foreboding, making me anticipate the next attack from around the corner of the house, behind the opening door, down the cellar steps and all I could think of when I was done…What about the critter lying beside you at night while you sleep…

5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB: A madman has come to town seeking a diabolical revenge and large dogs begin attacking their masters for no apparent reason and with heinous results.

Animal Control Director Tony Parker must find out why and stop the murderous attacks. Meanwhile, Jezebel, a huge black Great Dane has killed her master and is loose, terrorizing the city and stalking Parker and his family. Parker and Sarah Hill, his beautiful and seductive young assistant, attempt to unravel the mystery and stop the terrible carnage while dealing with their own demons and lusty desires.

The attacks must be stopped. Jezebel must be found-and soon, you see–there is one other complication. Parker seems to have come down with an annoying little virus. No, it’s not one of those irritating summer colds. It’s certain death.

She’s a murderess, huge and black as a hell-bound night.

Beware. Jezebel is on the loose!

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Friday 56 #102 – Double Tap by Steve Martini @StevenPMartini

Posted on October 7, 2016 by fundinmental

.
The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~

Double Tap by Steve Martini is an action adventure thriller.

This is the cover I have for my 1st edition hardcover publilshed in 2005.

The cover was done by Stephanie Huntwork.

Amazon / Goodreads

My 56

“At least according to the cops,” says Harry. “Could be whoever did it just panicked. Think about it: You just get in the place, getting ready to do your burglary. She walks in. You freak out. You pop her It’s happened before.”

“Hell of a shooter for a panicky burglar.” I am talking about the two shots to the head. “Less than an inch apart.”

(Page 56 in hardcover, published in 2005)

Book Beginnings

Mist off the ocean was already beginning to drift over the pavement as he cruised along the beach in the rented Chevy. The house stood out like a gem, the last piece of private real estate before the public steps leading down to the beach. With chocolate-brown siding and white trim, the house sported rustic gables going in every direction beneath a river rock chimney.

GOODREADS BLURB: The Arraignment, Steve Martini’s most recent bestseller featuring defense attorney Paul Madriani, has proved his most popular yet. Now Madriani is faced with daunting ballistics evidence: a so-called “double tap”-two bullet wounds tightly grouped in the victim’s head, shots that could have been made only by a crack marksman. Paul’s client, Emiliano Ruiz, is an enigma-a career soldier who refuses to discuss his past though it is clear that he is a battle-tested pro. Ruiz is accused of killing a beautiful businesswoman and guru of a high-tech software empire catering to the military. A key to the case: the murder weapon is one used solely in special operations, where the “double tap” has become the signature of the most skilled assassins.

Ruiz is sitting on secrets-there’s a seven-year gap on his military risumi, for which Madriani can find no details. And, more troubling, he discovers that the victim and her company were involved in a controversial government computer program designed to combat terrorists. Madriani finds himself in a deadly legal quagmire-with a client who is unwilling to cooperate and prosecutors who stonewall his every question about the victim’s shadowy business and his client’s past. Justice, and the unvarnished truth, has never been so elusive-or so dangerous.

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WHICH COVER WOULD YOU CHOOSE, including the one above?

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#FREE – What are you afraid of? – Fear of the Scarecrow by Anthony Renfro @atothewr

Posted on October 6, 2016 by fundinmental

Anthony Renfro writes some fantastic horror short stories and Fear of the Scarecrow is up there at the top.

FREE

Check out this awesome cover. Looks harmless, doesn’t it?

BUT…

Amazon / Goodreads

I love the cover and as I began reading…OMG…this is so fabulous. Not what I expected. I am horrified and delighted and I don’t believe I will ever look at scarecrows and pumpkins in the same light ever again.

Fear of the Scarecrow was inspired by his Haiku: Fear of the Scarecrow:

In a field you hang

Upon this wood post you wait

for the night’s darkness

And it does arrive in a big way!

I picked this up as an Amazon freebie.

5 Stars

FREE

GOODREADS BLURB: This short story is about a desperate man hungry for revenge seeking justice. Sometimes justice comes with a price.

ABOUT ANTHONY RENFRO

Anthony lives in Apex, North Carolina. He is a reader, writer, runner, husband, father, and stay at home dad – one of the toughest jobs anyone could ever do. His influence for writing horror is Stephen King.

Website / Twitter

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Check out some of my reviews for Anthony Renfro’s work.

She

Joyride

A Vampire At Christmas

Killer Treads

Demon Energy

A Haunted House Tale

A Zombie Trilogy

Nightlight Tales

.

Some of the books may be free and you may find your next holiday read.

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FREE Suspense Thriller – Natalie’s Art by Susan Fleet #SusanFleet

Posted on September 22, 2016 by fundinmental

I have read most of Susan Fleet’s fantastic thrillers, but this is one I was Missing (look below to get my little pun, hint, it’s the title of another of her books) You can bet I have grabbed my copy, so be sure and grab yours too.

There’s also a wonderful book trailer and check out her bio. She is a very interesting lady.

NATALIE’S ART 31 reviews 4.6 rating ASIN: B00OSAXLN

Natalie’s Art, a Frank Renzi crime thriller, is FREE September 22-26, 2016

Amazon / Goodreads

Art heists, Murder and Revenge! In 2010, a ruthless man forces Natalie to steal priceless paintings from Boston’s Gardner Museum. After the heist he intends to kill her. But NOPD Detective Frank Renzi is hot on her trail. Will Natalie escape?

ABOUT SUSAN FLEET

For many years award-winning author Susan Fleet worked as a trumpeter in the Boston area. While teaching at Brown University and Berklee College of Music she began writing crime fiction. In 2001 she moved to New Orleans. Her first crime novel, Absolution, was named Best Mystery-Suspense-Thriller of 2009. Subsequent novels in her Frank Renzi series, Diva and Natalie’s Revenge, have won accolades from reviewers and readers alike. Jackpot is the fourth book in the series.

Susan blogs about true crime and has published twelve of her posts in an ebook. DARK DEEDS: Serial killers, stalkers and domestic homicides. http://darkdeeds.susanfleet.com/dark_deeds_book.html#.UYvV_MqYFaI

For nine years, Susan lived in New Orleans enjoying the music, food and ambiance of the French Quarter. She survived Katrina. She now divides her time between the Big Easy and Boston. Visit her at http://www.susanfleet.com

While teaching at Berklee, Susan created a course about 20th Century female musicians. Her book, Women Who Dared: Trailblazing 20th Century Musicians, spotlights violinist Maud Powell and trumpeter Edna White. http://susanfleet.com/women_who_dared-vol1.html See her profiles of other talented women at http://archives.susanfleet.com

You can stalk Susan at the links below:

Susan has some great book trailers. You can see them on her YouTube page.

Website / Goodreads / You Tube / Amazon Author Page

For more of Susan Fleet’s work, you can check out my reviews:

5 Star Review – Dark Deeds by Susan Fleet
5 Star Review – Jackpot by Susan Fleet
5 Star Review – Diva by Susan Fleet plus a Free Thriller
5 Star Review – Absolution by Susan Fleet
5 Star Review – Dragon Lady Step Aside For Natalie

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
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Giveaway – Slave Queen by H B Moore @heatherbmoore

Posted on September 10, 2016 by fundinmental

Slave Queen by H. B. Moore

Special Agent Omar Zagouri’s latest case is his most dangerous—and his most personal yet. The discovery of secret sixteenth-century letters unveils a plot between the sultan Suleyman and his chief wife, Roxelane, to change the course of the Ottoman Empire. A descendent of Roxelane, Zagouri learns he has an enemy whose revenge has been centuries in the making.

Targeted by an antiquities collector who’s also descended from a chief rival for the ancient throne, Zagouri soon uncovers a modern-day conspiracy that threatens the lives of his family and the security of a nation.

To expose the plot, Zagouri must team up with Naim, the son of his nemesis, who heads an international black-market operation that may have ties to the killings. From ancient Constantinople to the present-day Middle East, Zagouri is on a collision course with history. Time is running out to solve a royal mystery and stop a ruthless killer—one who has Zagouri’s name on his hit list.

Excerpt
Chapter One
Al Karak, Jordan

Rashed Sayid picked up his cell phone and selected his most trustworthy contact. The phone call would take only moments, but the result would teach the entire Sayid tribe what honor meant. He shut his third-floor office window, blocking out the rising heat of the Jordanian desert’s summer morning. He and his only brother owned the bank in the city of Al Karak, having started the bank three decades before, and now they were among the wealthiest in town.
“Yes?” Yamil answered.
“We have proof,” Rashed said into the phone.
“Four male witnesses?” Yamil asked.
Rashed blew out a breath. Yamil was a stickler for rules. An execution couldn’t be ordered unless there were four respected male witnesses to the crime. There were actually no witnesses, but Rashed knew his daughter was guilty. He had plenty of video footage of her leaving her university apartment more than once after midnight, and he also had other, less legal evidence. There was only one reason for his daughter’s midnight forays. Worst case scenario, Aamira was no longer a virgin. Next case scenario, she’d been tainted in some way by having a relationship with a man other than her fiancé. Rashed was still working on trying to find out whom she was meeting. But it was time to put the execution order into motion.

Praise for Slave Queen

“Moore does an excellent job of setting the scene of international intrigue, and although this novel is part of a series, it also works well as a stand-alone. The story jumps back and forth between the present and the past as Moore tells the story of Roxelane’s capture by the Turkish army and her subsequent love affair with Suleiman. Roxelane is an excellent, strong female character, and Moore brings some obscure players from the Ottoman Empire vividly to life. She even quotes from Suleiman’s actual poetry . . . to conjure a complex portrait of this larger-than-life figure. A satisfying historical thriller.” –Kirkus Reviews

“From sultans and hierarchies that separate men and women from Poland to Constantinople and beyond to new lives in great cities where mosques and sultans rule, these vivid past and present scenarios contribute to a story fueled by cultural revelations and the long-standing threat a series of letters reveals. The result is a fast-paced, complex, and absorbing adventure saga that crosses time and place to give Omar, Mia (and readers) a run for their money. Warning: once begun, it’s nearly impossible to put down the full-flavored, multi-faceted Slave Queen, which reveals many insights about the Ottoman Empire, Süleyman the Magnificent, and the slave girl foreigner who turned out to be his favorite wife.” –D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

Author H. B. Moore
H. B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen historical novels and thrillers, written under pen name H.B. Moore. She writes women’s fiction, romance and inspirational non-fiction under Heather B. Moore. This can all be confusing, so her kids just call her Mom. Heather attended Cairo American College in Egypt, the Anglican School of Jerusalem in Israel, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Brigham Young University in Utah.

Website * Blog * Twitter * Facebook

$100 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway

Ends 9/25/16

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Giveaway & Review – Bullet in the Blue Sky by Bill Larkin @WriteThrillers

Posted on September 1, 2016 by fundinmental

The cover for Bullet in the Blue Sky by Bill Larkin hints at what’s in story for you. I love when the cover matches the story inside and if you are a fan a the dystopain with a little mystery and conspiracy, this novel is for you.

Bullet in the Blue Sky

by Bill Larkin

on Tour August 1- September 30, 2016

MY REVIEW

I love the cover for Bullet in the Blue Sky and when I read about an 8.8 earthquake hitting Los Angeles and chaos reigns, I had to have it.

Terrorism, dystopia and a mystery wrapped in a conspiracy had me traveling with Schmitty and his gang searching for one man…Shaw. Why? What is so important that they will dodge gangs and thugs as they traverse an alien landscape on their mission.

There is danger at every turn, roads blocked, bridges down, fallen buildings and fires. How many will survive?

With guns blazing…They fight, plot, plan and wonder what is really going on and who’s behind it. They strive to stop total destruction, leaving some of their fallen comrades behind.

Bullet in the Blue Sky had me thinking…could…when will this happen. That was the scariest thing of all. It could be a terrorist attack or just nature letting itself be heard. Would Los Angeles become the Wild West again?

I believe in conspiracies and put nothing past people in their quest for money and power.

I received an ARC of Bullet in the Blue Sky from Bill Larkin in return for an honest review.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos 4 Stars

SYNOPSIS

In the chaotic aftermath of a massive earthquake that leveled much of the Los Angeles region, a LAPD deputy chief sends an elite team of detectives on a rescue mission. They are ordered to set aside all law enforcement duties, to ignore the destruction and to focus on one task: Find LAPD Detective Gavin Shaw, who disappeared just before the earthquake.

Kevin “Schmitty” Schmidt of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department joins five others on the rescue team. With rioting, looting, attacks and homicides rampant in the streets, the six cops have to defend themselves while chasing down leads on the whereabouts of Shaw. The mission takes them through the dizzying war zone and the more they encounter, the more they wonder why they are searching for one man in these extreme circumstances. Why is this man so important to the deputy chief, and why now?

Schmitty discovers that others with high connections are also after Shaw. The questions pile even higher when they learn of a shadowy history between Shaw and the deputy chief. A history with deadly consequences for the team as they uncover a threat that elevates the mission to a race against time.

Book Details:

Genre: Crime Fiction
Published by: Indie
Publication Date: August 4th 2016
Number of Pages: 366
ISBN: 978-0-9894002-1-3
Series: NO
Purchase Links:

Read an excerpt:

The adjunct lieutenant moved into the conference room and stood behind Jenkins and off to the side. Jenkins now addressed our five–person team.

“Your orders are to find Detective Gavin Shaw. He’s a member of Major Crimes and I need him here or I need to know where he is. That’s it. Nothing more.”

As Jenkins paused, several of the detectives looked at each other. Anderson opened her mouth. “Is he—“

Jenkins put up a hand. “You are not, repeat not, to take on law enforcement duties. You are not out to arrest looters, answer radio calls, help firefighters, or anything else you think you ought to be doing. Your only assignment is to find Shaw. And find him as fast as you possibly can. Am I clear?”

“Can I ask the importance of Detective Shaw at this juncture?” Mata said.

“No, you may not. Find him and bring him to me.”

“A search-and-rescue mission?” Anderson said in a puzzled tone.

“Call it that, Anderson. Lieutenant Tallon is in charge and you’d better be aware of what you’re facing. This city is falling apart. Aside from the destruction, there are forty-five thousand gang members, and at least that same number of state parolees and felons on probation. Then there are the opportunists who will loot, burglarize, and kill without the police to stop them. That’s probably a hundred fifty thousand bad guys in a city of rubble and fire.”

Jenkins let that number sink in a moment. The man projected political polish, as I would expect from somebody of his rank, but he didn’t hide his edgy urgency.

He went on. “The LAPD has almost ten thousand sworn, but who knows how many are still alive, much less how many can physically get mobilized. Break that down into twelve-hour shifts and there might be two thousand cops in the whole city at any given time. Three thousand if we’re lucky.”

Lieutenant Tallon said, “Sir that makes the odds against the LAPD about sixty-to-one.” His voice carried both cordiality and self-assurance.

Jenkins nodded. “That’s right. But you will be undercover. Plain clothes and a plain vehicle.”

“Where is Shaw?” Anderson asked.

“I don’t know.” Jenkins nodded to his adjunct who stepped forward and handed a folder to Tallon, then stepped back. “Here is his address and personal information. Best guess is home, but start wherever you need to and find the man.”

Anderson made a small snort. “What if he’s dead?”

“You find him, either way.”

One thing was for sure. Jenkins wasn’t sugarcoating the assignment.

“What about help from the outside?” I asked.

“In time. They’ll mobilize the National Guard and we’ll get relief and search-and-rescue teams, but it’ll take days.”

Tallon said, “We’ll be mostly on our own for the first forty-eight hours. Keep in mind just about every other city in Southern California has the same problems. Some worse, some better.”

“Jesus,” Anderson said.

Tallon said, “Chief, you’ll be here? We bring Shaw here?”

“At this time, I am in command of the department. The chief, assistant and other deputy chiefs have not yet been in contact. That means I’m the Director of Emergency Operations until further notice. That’s all. Dismissed.”

Jenkins motioned to Tallon to follow him and they stepped outside of the conference room with the adjunct lieutenant close behind. Tallon stood about six inches taller than the deputy chief, but Jenkins didn’t seem the least bit intimidated.

The doorway stayed open and I stood up, keeping my back to them, but close enough to hear.

“Lieutenant, I don’t know you very well, but I’ll tell you this with certainty. This is the most difficult challenge you’ll ever face on this job. I was told you have the intellect, resourcefulness, and tenacity to carry this out. Do not disappoint me.”

I heard Jenkins walk away. When I turned, Tallon had locked eyes with the other lieutenant. A beat later, she hurried after her boss.

** / **

Author Bio:

Bill Larkin writes crime fiction and is the author of two highly-acclaimed books: Bullet in the Blue Sky and Detective Lessons. He has also written several short stories, including The Highlands and Shadow Truth, both Amazon category bestsellers. Bill previously served as a reserve with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, then the Los Angeles Police Department where he worked in four different divisions and a detective assignment. Bill is a member of the Mystery Writers of America and International Thriller Writers.

Catch Up With Mr. Larkin:

Tour Participants:

Don’t Miss Your Chance to Win Bullet in the Blue Sky by Bill Larkin:

This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours for Bill Larkin. There will be ONE (1) prize & ONE (1) Winner for this tour. The winner will receive 1 copy of Bullet in the Blue Sky by Bill Larkin. Winners within the United States may choose either an eBook or a physical book however, winners outside the US can only receive an eBook. This is subject to change without notification. The giveaway begins on August 1st and runs through September 30th, 2016.

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Get More Great Reads at Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours

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Friday 56 #96 & BB – Rum Punch by Elmore Leonard @elmoreleonard

Posted on August 19, 2016 by fundinmental

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~

This is the perfect time of year for RUM PUNCH by Elmore Leonard.

This is the cover I have, a 1st edition hardback published in 1992. It is embossed with raised lettering and design. I love the heron with the ammo.

Check out the others below. I am curious which you would like best.

My 56

They had booked Jackie at the admitting desk, removed the handcuffs, and brought her to a counter at the end of a narrow hallway where she was searched, photographed, and fingerprinted on six separate cards. She studied a list of bail bondsmen…

(Page 65, 56 was blank, in hardcover)

Oops…forgot Book Beginnings

Sunday morning, Ordell took Louis to watch the white-power demonstration in downtown Palm Beach.

“Young skinhead Nazis…”

My question to you: Do you think Jackie and her bail bondsman will become an item?

Add to Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB: The inimitable Elmore Leonard follows up his bestseller Maximum Bob with a punch–Rum Punch–where a gun dealer, a flight attendant, and a bail bondsman make interesting bedfellows. When Jackie gets caught smuggling her boss’s gun money on the airline she works for, she hatches a plan with her bail bondsman to walk off with the money.

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WHICH COVER WOULD YOU CHOOSE, Including the one above?

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Free Romantic Suspense – A Cold Dark Place by Toni Anderson @toniannanderson

Posted on August 18, 2016 by fundinmental

Toni Anderson’s A COLD DARK PLACE is available now for free! If you’re looking for a thrilling and sexy romance, you do not want to miss this first book in her bestselling Cold Justice series!

About A COLD DARK PLACE

Justice isn’t always black or white.

Former CIA assassin Alex Parker works for The Gateway Project, a clandestine government organization hell-bent on taking out serial killers and pedophiles before they enter the justice system. Alex doesn’t enjoy killing, but he’s damn good at it. He’s good at dodging the law, too–until a beautiful rookie agent has him wondering what it might be like to get caught.

FBI Special Agent Mallory Rooney has spent years hunting the lowlife who abducted her identical twin sister eighteen years ago. Now, during an on-going serial killer investigation, Mallory begins to suspect there’s a vigilante operating outside the law. She has no choice but to take him down, because murder isn’t justice. Is it?

Sometimes it’s cold and dark.

When Mallory starts asking questions, The Gateway Project management starts to sweat, and orders Alex to watch her. As soon as they meet, the two begin to fall in love. But the lies and betrayals that define Alex’s life threaten to destroy them both–especially when the man who stole her sister all those years ago makes Mallory his next target, and Alex must reveal his true identity to save the woman he loves.

Add it to your Goodreads list here!

Get your hands on A COLD DARK PLACE for free:

Amazon | iBooks | Barnes and Noble | Kobo | Google Play

Read an excerpt from A COLD DARK PLACE:

“We’re up to fifteen women,” Lucas’s voice was gruff. The dark circles under his eyes added a worn out quality to his grim expression. He answered her silent question with a shake of his head. “I didn’t see any kids and no one who looked like Payton.”

Mallory was torn between disappointment and relief.

“He kept more personal trophies in his bedroom. Whoever shot the sonofabitch did the world a favor.” A flicker of unguarded emotion crossed his face. Then he buried it beneath six years field experience and a flat cop stare. “You’ll hear all the details at the briefing.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Lemme get a coffee and we’ll head over together.” He froze as a stranger wearing a visitor badge and carrying a laptop walked through the office doorway. “Alex? What the—?”

“You missed the meeting, asshole.” The man’s expression was fierce. “Thought I’d hunt you down and make you buy me a beer.” His gaze darted to her. “Looks like a bad time though.”

“That was today?” Lucas palmed his forehead. “Jesus, you’re right. I’m an asshole.”

“I already covered that.” The man— Alex— grinned, and Mallory got a fierce blast of gorgeous. The response wrung a reluctant smile out of Lucas.

“Believe it or not, Mal, this is a good friend of mine, Alex Parker. I asked him to attend a Counterintelligence Awareness Group briefing I organized so he could tell us about some of the latest internet security measures being developed in the private sector. He runs his own company in DC. Does a lot of government contracts. We served together in Afghanistan.” His gaze swung back to Alex. “I assume the meeting went ahead without me?”

Alex nodded. “We managed to fumble along without your incisive brilliance.”

“Yet I’m the asshole,” Lucas grinned. “This here is Special Agent Mallory Rooney.”

The stranger held out a tanned strong-looking hand as they were introduced. His skin was warm, fingers firm as they squeezed hers.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Agent Rooney.” The self-deprecating smile was a killer. So was the short, ruffled light-brown hair and days’ worth of scruff on his jaw.

Despite the tailored suit, he hadn’t been intimidated enough by the high powered members of that committee to shave. The contrast snagged her attention. He was different from the law enforcement personnel and political players she usually met. There was something underplayed and restrained about him that didn’t mesh with the keen intelligence she saw in his eyes, nor the taut looking muscles that filled out that suit. It intrigued her. She hadn’t been intrigued on a personal level in a long time.

“You work in security?” she asked. “Keeping Trade Secrets secret— or trying to. It isn’t exactly running the gauntlet every day like you guys.”

Lucas sat atop his messy desk. “Says the man with the Distinguished Service Cross.”

Something vulnerable sparked in those slate eyes. “I got caught in a firefight and managed not to get killed. I got lucky.” Those eyes of his weren’t revealing anything now— all emotion banked. “I better let you get back to work. It’s a long drive back to DC.”

Their boss walked in and Mallory stiffened. Danbridge’s gaze skimmed Alex with a cursory glance that notched up to feminine appreciation on the second go ’round.

“Special Agent Randall, I need a word.” Then she walked into her office, heels tapping.

Lucas swore under his breath. “Alex, I owe you big time, buddy. I’ll be in touch. Will you show him out for me, Mal?”

“Sure,” she said. The longer she could avoid her boss the better. The two men shook hands and said goodbye.

“I can find my own way,” Alex said softly.

“No problem. I need to stretch my legs anyway.”

His gaze flicked to her boots and up, the brush of it almost as intimate as a physical touch. An unfamiliar sliver of sensation unfurled inside her, nearly unrecognizable because it had been so long. Attraction.

Telling herself she wasn’t deliberately prolonging their time together, she took the stairs as she led the way out. He was taller than she’d first realized. In her low-heeled boots she stood just under five foot nine and he was four or five inches taller. She frowned. Seeing him at a distance standing beside Lucas, she’d have described him as medium height and just okay looking. Up close, when you got the full force of those intelligent gray eyes and that perfectly proportioned masculine face, he was a hottie. Made you appreciate the inaccuracy of eye-witness accounts. No wedding ring either.

It was her job to pay attention to detail.

Even though she maintained a space between them she was hyperaware of him beside her. Outside the front entrance of the five-story, white concrete building he turned to her and asked, “Can I take you out to dinner sometime?”

“I don’t date.” The answer came out automatically before her brain engaged. Crap.

There was a long pause while those beautiful eyes of his wandered over her face, resting on her bruise from yesterday. He didn’t argue or try to change her mind.

“It was nice to meet you, Special Agent Rooney.” And then he walked away.

She squeezed her hands into fists. Damn, why had she said no?

Because she didn’t date.

She watched Alex Parker climb into his car— a low-slung sporty job— and raise a hand before he drove away. His car disappeared and a familiar sense of loss rushed over her. She clenched her jaw, turned around and went back to work.

About Toni Anderson

New York Times and USA Today international bestselling author, Toni Anderson, writes dark, gritty Romantic Suspense novels that have hit #1 in Barnes & Noble’s Nook store, the Top 10 in Amazon and Kobo stores, and the Top 50 in iBooks. Her novels have won many awards. A former Marine Biologist from Britain, she inexplicably ended up in the geographical center of North America, about as far from the ocean as it is possible to get. She now lives in the Canadian prairies with her Irish husband and two children and spends most of her time complaining about the weather.

Toni has no explanation for her oft-times dark imagination, and only hopes the romance makes up for it. She’s addicted to reading, dogs, tea, and chocolate.

If you want to know when Toni’s next book will be out, visit her website (http://www.toniandersonauthor.com) and sign up for her newsletter. If you want to read other fascinating stories about life in a city that, during winter, is sometimes colder than Mars, friend her on Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/toniannanderson).

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Review – Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin @juliathrillers

Posted on August 3, 2016 by fundinmental

The cover for Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin told me all I need to know.

I am a sucker for a great cover and the book design by Dana Leigh Blanchette evokes feelings of mystery and intrigue, making it a book that I want on my shelf.

What do you think of when you look at the cover?

MY REVIEW

I won Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin in a Goodreads First Reads Giveaway and I was very excited to get my hands on this character-based psychological thriller. I love reading about serial killers and Black -Eyed Susans has enough twists and turns that it kept me guessing to the very end. To delve into the minds of Tessie and Lydia shows the games our mind can play with us and how nothing is ever as it seems on the surface. Being buried alive is one of the creepiest things I can imagine and even though Tessie survived the experience, the emotional scars are much deeper than the physical ones. Lydia… Is her entire story told…or does she keep some secrets never to be brought to light? Doesn’t matter to me, I love her anyway. The death penalty…O J Simpson…guilt…innocence…If you want to jump at every noise in the night, every doorbell ringing…you will want to read Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin.

4 Stars

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GOODREADS BLURB: For fans of Laura Lippman and Gillian Flynn comes an electrifying novel of stunning psychological suspense.

I am the star of screaming headlines and campfire ghost stories.
I am one of the four Black-Eyed Susans.
The lucky one.

As a sixteen-year-old, Tessa Cartwright was found in a Texas field, barely alive amid a scattering of bones, with only fragments of memory as to how she got there. Ever since, the press has pursued her as the lone surviving “Black-Eyed Susan,” the nickname given to the murder victims because of the yellow carpet of wildflowers that flourished above their shared grave. Tessa’s testimony about those tragic hours put a man on death row.

Now, almost two decades later, Tessa is an artist and single mother. In the desolate cold of February, she is shocked to discover a freshly planted patch of black-eyed susans—a summertime bloom—just outside her bedroom window. Terrified at the implications—that she sent the wrong man to prison and the real killer remains at large—Tessa turns to the lawyers working to exonerate the man awaiting execution. But the flowers alone are not proof enough, and the forensic investigation of the still-unidentified bones is progressing too slowly. An innocent life hangs in the balance. The legal team appeals to Tessa to undergo hypnosis to retrieve lost memories—and to share the drawings she produced as part of an experimental therapy shortly after her rescue.

What they don’t know is that Tessa and the scared, fragile girl she was have built a fortress of secrets. As the clock ticks toward the execution, Tessa fears for her sanity, but even more for the safety of her teenaged daughter. Is a serial killer still roaming free, taunting Tessa with a trail of clues? She has no choice but to confront old ghosts and lingering nightmares to finally discover what really happened that night.

Shocking, intense, and utterly original, Black-Eyed Susans is a dazzling psychological thriller, seamlessly weaving past and present in a searing tale of a young woman whose harrowing memories remain in a field of flowers—as a killer makes a chilling return to his garden.

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Teaser Tuesday #72 – Bullet in the Blue Sky by Bill Larkin @WriteThrillers

Posted on August 2, 2016 by fundinmental

Teaser

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of booksandabeat.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current read. Open to a random page. Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!) Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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Bullet in the Blue Sky by Bill Larkin

I was lucky enough to get a copy of Bullet in the Blue Sky by Bill Larkin for a tour in September. I will be sharing my review then, but I wanted to give you a taste now.

For me, this has it all: a taste of the apocalypse, mystery, suspense, thriller, conspiracy, spies and politics, action and adventure.

MY TEASE

“Shit, look”, Anderson said in a low voice.

Down the street, several figures walked out of the wall of smoke as if born from it. Hands covered their mouths and noses, but they strutted on. Gangbangers, vigilant and charged. Ready for something. In all, there were about fifteen of them. Several heavily armed.

(page 166 in paperback)

I love that cover and wonder where he is walking to and why. Will he make it wherever he is going safely? When I first started reading Bullet in the Blue Sky by Bill Larkin, it made me think of the Tom Hanks movie, Saving Private Ryan…only it takes place here in the US.

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GOODREADS BLURB: In the chaotic aftermath of a massive earthquake that leveled much of the Los Angeles region, a LAPD deputy chief sends an elite team of detectives on a rescue mission. They are ordered to set aside all law enforcement duties, to ignore the destruction and to focus on one task: Find LAPD Detective Gavin Shaw, who disappeared just before the earthquake.