Tag Archives: thriller

BOOK BLITZ & GIVEAWAY: If You Lie by Caleb Stephens

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If You Lie: A Thriller Caleb Stephens Publication date: November 1st 2024 Genres: Adult, Thriller
A buried past. A new-age cult. A floating prison with no way off. Seven years ago, Olivia woke up in the trunk of a stranger’s car—and barely escaped with her life. She’s been looking over her shoulder ever since. Now, Olivia is a true-crime podcaster on a mission to help other women avoid her fate. But years spent covering violence and crime have left her burned out. So when Olivia’s estranged sister Quinn invites her to reconnect on an exclusive cruise, she jumps at the chance for a break…only this trip won’t be the relaxing vacation she’s hoping for. The ship is elegant, the meals are divine, and the people are friendly—maybe too friendly. But Quinn isn’t the sister Olivia remembers. And strange things are starting to happen that echo Olivia’s past in unsettling ways. When someone on the ship goes missing, Olivia realizes she’s playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse. Only this time, she might not survive.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Sounds came. The steady ping of rain drumming against steel. The muted whoosh of wind. The high whine of rubber kissing asphalt. I was moving. Why am I moving? Air clawed up my throat and slid back down again—slowly, painfully—my lungs pulling harder than my esophagus would allow, my chest rising and falling in uneven shifts. I couldn’t breathe. I should be able to— My eyelids snapped open to darkness. Pure black. I tried to scream and couldn’t. My voice was gone, lost in my burning throat. Another sound came instead—this one closer, directly overhead. Clack. Clack. Clack. I raised my hands and brushed a loose rod, then pushed past it and felt cool metal press against my palm. I followed it lower, the metal curving behind my head until it terminated in a rubber seal. A car, I thought. I’m in a trunk. Oh, God … Oh, fuck. It’s why my knees were jammed in a fetal position, why a rough pad of carpet burned against my cheek and scratched my neck. A shot of cold panic swam down my spine. Time stuttered, and I wheezed for oxygen. It felt like I was breathing through a straw. I was going to pass out if I didn’t get it together and fast. Focus, Olivia. Stay calm. And then: He thinks I’m dead. It’s why my hands weren’t bound, why my mouth wasn’t gagged. It’s why my ankles weren’t slung in an interstate of knots. The man who’d done this to me thought I was dead. I could still feel his fingers squeezing, digging into my neck, could still hear his voice burning hot in my ear. Fucking die, already! Those words pouring over me in a shower of sour breath. Clack. C-Clack. Clack. Think, Olivia! You have to think! I slowed my breathing and forced my mind to calm. There had to be a way to open the trunk or signal another car. A wire to rip free from the brake lights or a latch to pop. Didn’t all the newer cars have those specifically for situations like this? For women who, like me, simply disappeared? And I would disappear if I didn’t find a way to get out. My heart sloshed in my chest, and I rolled to my right, toward the sidewall of the trunk, and extended an arm. My fingers brushed over objects I recognized. Jumper cables, and a can of gas. Coiled rope and boxes. A hard plastic case. Duct tape. Nothing else. Jesus, no latch. I tried the other side, muttering a prayer as my hands crawled through a graveyard of clinking bottles, my fingers scraping over the dry brush of cardboard and through the crinkle of plastic sacks. Dust tickled the back of my nose, and I nearly unleashed a sneeze before I bit it off. Don’t! He’ll hear you. Then I tried again, moving slower this time, feeling for what had to be there. And it was—nestled a few inches above the floor of the trunk. A trunk release. A lever to pull. Reality wobbled. My heart fluttered and crashed. Work, I thought. Please, God, work. I pulled. There came a click, and the world exploded into a fireball of light. A gray sky moved above me, swollen with thunderheads, trees sweeping past on either side. Headlights coasted behind the car in a sea of rushing metal. Cold rain lashed against my neck. I forced myself upright, and the brakes slammed and sent me hurtling backward as the car screeched to a stop. Move! Move! Move! I scrambled from the trunk. One foot connected with the ground. The other slipped. I crashed to the road, and the sound of rain filled my ears along with the heavy thunk of a door opening. Two boots hit asphalt. His boots. Air scabbed over my lips. The world swam. Go! I pushed myself upright—and I ran. Across the white line on the shoulder of the road and into traffic with brakes shrieking all around me. Horns tearing past. Rain pelting my face. Wind hissing in my ears. Behind me came a full-throat roar. “Stop, you fucking bitch!” My lungs burned for air, everything smearing to a blur. “I said, stop!” Louder this time. Closer. But I didn’t stop, couldn’t stop. I kept running—pushing through the fire in my chest, ignoring the pain in my throat—until I stumbled off the road and tumbled down a grass-slicked descent. Rolling now. Everything spinning. Gasping for air. I splashed into a pool of muddy water and came up coughing, wiping my eyes to a sight that filled me with terror. The man stood above me on the hill, looking down with one hand balled into a fist and the other holding a knife. You’re dead, I thought. He’s going to kill you. A cloud of blue and red light rose behind him followed by a voice. “Remain where you are! Drop the knife!” But the man didn’t. He just stared down at me with his breath turning to mist. And took a step. Took another. Then the gunshots rang out.
Author Bio: Caleb Stephens is an award-winning author writing from Denver, Colorado. His novels include the thrillers If You Lie, The Girls in the Cabin, and Feeders, as well as the darkly humorous urban fantasy novel, Soul Couriers, which is forthcoming in 2025. His fiction collection If Only a Heart and Other Tales of Terror includes the short story “The Wallpaper Man,” which was adapted to film by Falconer Film & Media in 2022. He’s hard at work writing his next thriller.

Website / Goodreads / Instagram / TikTok

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RELEASE BLITZ & GIVEAWAY: Deadline by William G. Hyland, Jr.

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Fiction Thriller

Date Published: 11-01-2024

Publisher: SIMON & SCHUSTER/ARCHWAY


 

 

You may not believe in ghosts, but you cannot deny terror.

 

To uncover the truth about her mother’s mysterious disappearance
years ago, the estranged daughter of a renowned illusionist must overcome
her fear and spend three nights in her father’s secluded gothic
mansion, where he has vowed to return from the grave. Helped by an
adventurous reporter, she discovers a terrifying childhood secret that
thrusts her into a world of deception and jeopardy, confronting a haunting
supernatural presence and dark family secrets.

 

 DEADLINE is a supernatural, suspense thriller with a strong female
protagonist, a deeply terrifying antagonist and a series of disturbing
surprises that build to an ultimate shocker of an ending, blurring the lines
between reality and illusion.


 

 

About the Author

WILLIAM G. HYLAND JR. is the award nominated author of four widely praised
historical biographies, published by St. Martin’s/Thomas Dunne Books,
(2009) and Regnery Books (2019). He is also a member of Mystery Writers of
America, the American Screenwriters Association and has attended numerous
writing seminars including Harlan Coben’s and Lee Child’s Master
Class Fiction Writing Courses on BBC MAESTRO. He holds a B.A. from the
University of Alabama and J.D. from Samford University. Before law school,
the author held a TOP SECRET security clearance and worked for the Arms
Control and Disarmament Agency.

 

Contact Link 

Website

Purchase Today

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BOOK TOUR: The Death of the Kremlin Czar by Jorg H. Trauboth

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An exciting, cutting-edge political thriller about the removal of a psychopathic Russian president who wants to restore the old Soviet Union.

Title: The Death of the Kremlin Czar

Author: Jorg H. Trauboth

Publication Date: August 26, 2024

Pages: 443

Genre: Thriller

Russian President and new Czar Ivan Pavlenko suddenly shows his true colors during the war in Ukraine. He wants the old Soviet Union back. The world is on the brink. The influential oligarch Alexei Sokolov wants to prevent Ivan’s megalomaniacal plans and is planning a fundamental new beginning for Russia. To achieve this, the Russian president must die. How will the US President react to the CIA’s proposal to support the oligarch, who has a romantic relationship with the Russian President’s partner, Yulia? 

The poison attack is perfectly prepared, but the Boeing with the oligarch Alexei Sokolow, his lover and over 100 passengers on board is hijacked by a Ukrainian terrorist and is supposed to crash over Berlin after knocking out the crew by shooting. Former elite soldier Marc Anderson is on board with his family and takes over with Alexei. The two flight amateurs try to get control. Will the landing and the assassination succeed or will the Kremlin Czar strike back brutally after realizing the role of Yulia?

The Death of the Kremlin Czar is available at Amazon (U.S. edition) and Amazon (German edition).

 

Book Excerpt 

“Watch out! High-voltage line at three hundred meters!“, shouted the co-pilot.
“In sight!“ the commander replied calmly, pulling up just before the obstacle and immediately pushing the helicopter down again.

The two pilots of the Ukrainian armed forces guided the old Russian Mi-8 helicopter with their night vision devices on a zigzag course away from populated areas and Russian defense walls to the target. The destination was Luhansk. The mission: to free their own soldiers from Russian captivity. They had volunteered for the Ascension mission and trained for the flight intensively in the simulator supplied by the USA, including simulated enemy fire and evasive maneuvers. The simulator‘s current aerial photographs proved to be extremely helpful in the dimly lit night. A lot had changed in Donbass since the region was forcibly annexed by Russian President Ivan Pavlenko. Destroyed cities, abandoned villages, mined escape routes, deportations, rapes, mass graves, poverty, hunger, thirst and despair.

Ivan Pavlenko was called “Czar Ivan II“ by the co-pilot, a former history teacher. But not only by him. The Ukrainian people hated this man who had brought so much suffering to their families with his megalomania and wanted to steal their country. Even those people whose thinking was shaped by Russian culture had turned their backs on this madman in Moscow.

The co-pilot turned to Iris, the commander of the special forces, and signaled “30 minutes.“

Iris had been given his nickname because – like the German anti-aircraft missile of the same name – he was known for always hitting the bull‘s eye. Everything Iris tackled led to success. On a street in Kiev, the child-pushing, medium-sized, friendly man at his wife‘s side would not have been noticed. No one could have guessed that the man flirting with his young daughter was a rare mixture of analyst, combat soldier and leader with a stellar military career ahead of him.

Iris looked at his men. The two teams sat opposite each other and remained completely relaxed despite the loud engine noise in the old transport helicopter with its fake Russian registration.

Perhaps it was a kind of meditative calm before the dangerous mission. Or perhaps it was the awareness that they could be hit by a Russian missile at any time during this night-time low-level flight into the Luhansk Oblast without being able to do anything about it. There weren‘t even any parachutes on board, because every kilogram counted for the return flight, during which the aged and rattling Mi-8 would be fully occupied.

The commander of the special forces fixed his gaze on the German opposite, who returned the look and nodded. Iris had received authorization for this rescue mission with a foreign team member from the highest authority. He had only agreed to it because the German Marc Anderson was considered a legend in the West despite being only thirty-five years old. Together with the US Navy SEALs, he had evacuated an American aircrew from the depths of Afghanistan and later served as a private security officer.

The US president‘s family was rescued from the hands of Iranian terrorists on a luxury yacht by the security agent and his team. He and his team were personally honored by the US President. The Iranian terrorists took revenge and brutally murdered Marc‘s wife in front of their house in Hamburg.

Guest Post

The Inspiration Behind The Death of the Kremlin Czar

I had a dream. Russian troops were standing in front of Berlin and declaring that Germany was now Russian. We were to surrender and look forward to a life in communism and with the ruble. I woke up and realized that I wasn’t living in 1945, but 80 years later.
Exactly this has happened to Ukraine. For nearly three years, the country has been desperately fighting for its survival. It wants to reclaim its lost territories and peace. Like all of us.

As someone who knows Putin’s biography and as a former general staff officer in NATO, I am convinced that there can be no negotiations with the Russian president. And if Ukraine gives up the territories because it runs out of weapons and ammunition, we in Central Europe will be next. Then my bad dream could come true.
“If a solution cannot be found on the battlefield, there must be another way to find one,” I thought.

I am also convinced that reality writes the best stories. You just have to recognize them.
So, I began to develop a plot for my fourth Marc Anderson thriller:

A group of oligarchs led by Alexei Sokolov wants to overthrow Russian President Ivan in Moscow. Just as Brutus and the senators did with Julius Caesar in Rome on the Ides of March. Modern history shows that it is difficult to overthrow a dictator by force. So, I gave Alexei a tough task, as he only had this one chance. And he is even preparing it with the support of the CIA, and with the knowledge of the US President, who of course knows nothing about it.

The plan is clever, but Alexei has a problem. He is having an affair with Yulia, the partner of the Russian President. Both are under pressure, as Ivan knows something.

On the flight to Moscow via Vilnius in Belarus, the plane with Alexei and Yulia on board is hijacked. The Ukrainian hijacker demands that his brother be released from Russian captivity. When the Russian President refuses, the plane begins an odyssey over Europe. The hijacker shoots the crew. The plane is without pilots and is programmed to crash into the Berlin Reichstag. The German government considers shooting down the passenger plane, which is legally forbidden. Crisis management between Berlin, Kyiv, and Washington is under enormous time pressure, as the plane is running out of fuel. The Czar in Moscow is silent. The former elite soldier Marc Anderson and his family are also on board. They are invited to a wedding celebration in Vilnius. Marc’s wife, Jelke, pleads with her husband, a hobby pilot, to save them all. He and Alexei go into the cockpit and try to take control of the ailing Boeing 737-300 in the night sky.
Will they manage to fly and to land the plane? And how will the plan to bring down Ivan unfold?

At this point, I have to stop. But you can be sure. The ending is spectacular. By page 180 at the latest, you’ll want to know. Otherwise, you won’t be able to relax. At least, that’s what the readers of the German novel say.

Enjoy!

About the Author

Jörg H. Trauboth, born in 1943 near Berlin, logged over two thousand flight hours as a Weapon Systems Officer Instructor in the Luftwaffe, flying PHANTOM F-4F / RF-4E and TORNADO fighter jets, and over 3000 hours in light aircraft. At the age of fifty, he left the service with the rank of Colonel in the General Staff. He received training as a Special Risk Consultant from the English Control Risk Group and served as Managing Director Germany, dealing with extortion and kidnapping cases in South America and Eastern Europe. Shortly thereafter, he founded his own consulting firm, quickly establishing an outstanding international reputation. Trauboth protected his clients with a 24-hour task force during product extortions, product recalls, kidnappings, and image crises. He was the first President of the European Crisis Management Academy in Vienna and President of the American Yankee Association.

He is known as a respected expert in the media on security-related topics. He volunteers as an emergency counselor and is a member of the Crisis Intervention Team (KIT Bonn) of the German Foreign Office. He is a private pilot, married, with two sons and three grandchildren.

In 2002, Trauboth wrote the now out of print standard work “Crisis Management for Company Threats”.

In 2016 the follow-up work was published with Jörg H. Trauboth as editor in collaboration with five authors: “Crisis Management in Companies and Public Institutions”.

Terror expert J. H. Trauboth presented his debut novel in 2015 with the Germany thriller “Three Brothers”. (Available in English). In 2019 “Operation Jerusalem” followed and in 2020 “Omega”. The trilogy is about the former elite soldier Marc Anderson and his team. With these three self-contained thrillers, Trauboth is rated by many readers as the “German Tom Clancy.” The trilogy is available as a printed edition, eBook and audio book.

His first detective novel, “Jakobs Weg” (German), followed in 2021. The highly explosive topic of “sexual abuse of children” is processed sensitively in a scenario on the Way of Saint James and at the end offers contact options for those seeking help.

In 2022, the novella “Bonjour Saint-Ex” was published (German) in which the passionate pilot Jörg H. Trauboth turns the last flight of the legend Antoine de Saint Exupéry into an exciting literary event.

Readers wanted a sequel to the Marc Anderson series. In 2023, ZarenTod – Das Ende der Präsidenten was published, a highly topical political thriller. The Russian president and new tsar, Ivan Pavlenko, suddenly shows his true face during the war in Ukraine. He wants the old Soviet Union back. The world is on the brink. The influential oligarch, Alexei Sokolov, wants to prevent Ivan’s megalomaniac plans and is planning a fundamental new beginning for Russia. To achieve this, the Russian president must be removed. But the plan goes awry. Ex-elite soldier Marc Anderson intervenes. Will Czar Ivan die? What will become of Europe? The book 8/ 2024 in English „The Death of the Kremlin Czar” is the fourth political thriller in the Marc Anderson series.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜  https://trauboth-autor.de/english/

Twitter ➜ https://twitter.com/JorgTrauboth

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BOOK BLITZ & GIVEAWAY: A Little Getaway by Bonnie Traymore

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A Little Getaway
Bonnie Traymore
Publication date: October 9th 2024
Genres: Adult, Suspense, Thriller

“Traymore’s page-turner is a tension-filled psychological thriller, where the line between friend and foe is razor thin.” Tracey Devlin, USA TODAY bestselling author

A little getaway takes a deadly turn for Morgan and Kyle Murphy in this spicy suspense thriller about a marriage filled with passion, dark secrets, and suspicions.

Morgan Murphy has always longed for a romance for the ages. And she’s found it with the love of her life, husband Kyle Murphy—until their spicy marriage suddenly starts to cool off.

Is Kyle preoccupied and distant because of a problem with his development project? Or is it something worse? Could Kyle Murphy be…cheating? He’s hiding something, that’s for sure. And Morgan’s determined to find out what it is.

With the help of gal pal Carla Flores, Morgan tracks her husband’s movements, and the signs increasingly point to infidelity, the ultimate sin in Morgan’s book. When Kyle increases their life insurance and surprises her with a weekend getaway to get their mojo back, she goes on the offensive and hatches a plan to make him come clean about what’s been going on.

But before she can pull it off, Morgan’s attacked and nearly kidnapped, and Kyle vanishes from the resort without a trace. With no clue as to who took Kyle or why, she’s not sure who is the biggest threat: the shady investor he owes money to, the police, or the guys she hired to teach Kyle a lesson. With the clock ticking, she needs to find out soon.

Before they come for her, too.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

Morgan

I smell death in the air. A briny scent with an undercurrent of decay, wafting in from the murky sea outside our sliding glass door.

“Kyle?” I call out again.

Nothing.

Maybe he went for a walk on the beach?

But that wasn’t the plan.

Something’s not right.

I close the door and lock it.

Where did he go?

A log pops in the fireplace, and I startle. This was supposed to be a romantic little getaway, but so far, things have been tense.

“I have a surprise for you, Morgan,” he said, about a week ago.

So here I am, in this little cottage on the beach that he picked for us, in the middle of nowhere, a few miles north of Monterey Bay. A chance to rekindle our marriage. Put some spark back into it. The resort, if you could call it that, is a series of separate units on a vast swath of beachfront land, one step up from a trailer park. I suppose it could be romantic under different circumstances, with the rugged beach outside our door and a cozy fire inside.

I have a bad feeling, though. I came out of the shower and saw a few drops of blood in the bathroom sink. I figured he’d cut himself shaving. And now he’s nowhere to be found. A chill runs up my spine. This place is getting creepier by the minute. Do I wait here like a sitting duck?

The office is on the other side of the property, and I’m not sure if anyone’s there at this hour of the night. It’s not that late. Just after nine in the evening. But even when we checked in, around noon, it took a good twenty minutes for the woman to come to the front desk and help us.

I don’t want to overreact, so I decide I’ll take the car and drive to the store.

Better safe than sorry.

We talked about the fact that I needed milk for my morning coffee. It’ll buy me some time, and when I get back, maybe he’ll be here, wondering where I’ve been. And if it turns out to be nothing, I can keep this little freak out to myself.

But we took his car, so I have to find the keys. I rush into the bedroom and look around. I thought I saw them on the dresser, but they’re not there.

His pants are draped over the back of a chair.

I check the pockets.

Nothing.

My heart starts to race.

I rifle through his carry-on bag.

No luck.

His cell is gone, along with his wallet. I wonder if he went out for provisions while I was in the shower? But the car is parked near the office, a few cottages away, so I can’t see if he’s taken it. I pick up the house phone and call the front desk, thinking maybe the attendant could check if the car is there. It rings and rings and nobody answers.

My heart races even faster. Rushing into the kitchen area, I survey the options. I grab the utility knife. With its five-inch blade, it’s the best option. This is a risky move. I’ll look like a psycho walking around with it if someone sees me, and the last thing I want is to call attention to myself. But the place seems deserted, so it’s unlikely I’ll be spotted.

Who comes to a beach resort in the middle of winter?

This was his idea, I remind myself.

And now I’m here.

Alone.

At a deserted resort.

Clenching the knife in my fist, I step out the sliding glass door and start making my way to the front office.


Author Bio:

Bonnie Traymore is the Amazon Bestselling author of seven domestic/psychological thrillers. Her thrillers feature strong but relatable female protagonists who peel back the layers of suburban American life and give readers a peek inside. The plots explore difficult topics such as jealousy, infidelity, murder, and the impact of psychological disorders, but she also includes bits of romance and humor to lighten the mood from time to time. She’s an active status member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America.

Bonnie has a doctorate in United States history and has taught at top independent high schools as well as Columbia University and the University of Hawaii. Originally from the NYC area, she resides in Honolulu with her family.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter


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TEASER TUESDAY: Deadline by William G. Hyland, Jr.

Posted on by

 

Fiction Thriller

Date Published: 11-01-2024

Publisher: SIMON & SCHUSTER/ARCHWAY


 

 

You may not believe in ghosts, but you cannot deny terror.

 

To uncover the truth about her mother’s mysterious disappearance
years ago, the estranged daughter of a renowned illusionist must overcome
her fear and spend three nights in her father’s secluded gothic
mansion, where he has vowed to return from the grave. Helped by an
adventurous reporter, she discovers a terrifying childhood secret that
thrusts her into a world of deception and jeopardy, confronting a haunting
supernatural presence and dark family secrets.

 

 DEADLINE is a supernatural, suspense thriller with a strong female
protagonist, a deeply terrifying antagonist and a series of disturbing
surprises that build to an ultimate shocker of an ending, blurring the lines
between reality and illusion.

 

 

 

PROLOGUE

 

An hour ago, I was almost burned to death. My life was saved by something
supernatural, something not from this world. Call it what you will. A ghost,
a spirit, a presence.

The events I now chronicle were the real thing. They happened to me at
Sebastian Castle, the mansion of the famed illusionist, Nicholas
Sebastian.

Thomas Veil stopped typing and stared at his computer screen. The smell of
smoke and ash still lingered in his hair and clothes as he edited the
article. He had changed the working title three times in the last five
minutes:

Life After Death?

The Mystery of Faith

Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Nicholas Sebastian: A Modern Horror Story

          
         by Thomas Veil

                    Features Editor, The Los Angeles Mirror

A darkness stirred within Veil that he could not comprehend. The hair on
the back of his hands prickled upward as he typed: “The oldest and
strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of
fear is fear of the unknown.”(H.P. Lovecraft) If that is true, I can
assure you of one thing. Spiritual forces exist. I have no doubt about that
now. Evil is something real. Over the past three days, I became part of an
obscene horror story. How easy it was to be drawn in.

But this story’s origins began twenty years ago—with one
man’s obsession with his wife, and life beyond the grave.

Veil stopped writing.

His mind sprinted in circles as his right hand trembled with exhaustion. He
knew there would be no sleep for him tonight.

When the thrumming wind blew an overhanging tree branch against the roof,
Veil flinched. The muscles in his throat tightened. It was still there: the
fear seeped in. Ghastly images rose, emotion overtaking reason, filling
Veil’s mouth with a bitter taste like a copper penny. The image of her
face was cemented in the shadow of his mind: black galaxies of eyes shot
with red.

In that moment, he declined his head and felt a shiver plaiting up his
back.

Somehow Thomas Veil sensed that someone loomed behind him, even before the
hand fell on his shoulder.

 

 

About the Author

WILLIAM G. HYLAND JR. is the award nominated author of four widely praised
historical biographies, published by St. Martin’s/Thomas Dunne Books,
(2009) and Regnery Books (2019). He is also a member of Mystery Writers of
America, the American Screenwriters Association and has attended numerous
writing seminars including Harlan Coben’s and Lee Child’s Master
Class Fiction Writing Courses on BBC MAESTRO. He holds a B.A. from the
University of Alabama and J.D. from Samford University. Before law school,
the author held a TOP SECRET security clearance and worked for the Arms
Control and Disarmament Agency.

 

Contact Link

Website

 

BOOK BLITZ & GIVEAWAY: Rabbit Moon by Jan D. Payne

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Rabbit Moon
Jan D. Payne
Publication date: September 17th 2024
Genres: Adult, Mystery, Thriller

They say you can’t go back home, but Marin Sinclair, end-of-life doula, doesn’t expect her life to be in danger when she answers a mysterious plea for help from a long-ago friend and returns to Dinetah, the Navajo Nation. Her past there holds memories she is reluctant to confront, but what about her life then would make someone want to kill her?

Navajo Nation Police Sergeant Justin Blue Eyes shares a connection with Marin from the past, and he has a few questions of his own when Marin disappears―such as why the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has agents investigating the abandoned uranium mines on the reservation and how Marin is connected.

Marin needs to survive to find any answers, and to do so she is forced to run, going off the grid on her own in the Lukachukai mountains with unknown killers close behind.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

The Bilagaana woman’s eyes were wide and staring, and even if she wasn’t a ghost-witch Haastiin Sani thought maybe she was crazy. Only someone crazy would have been out here alone in the dark and the rain. Crazy people must be treated with care, and the same for ghost-witches. It didn’t help to make them angry.

He looked at the woman, considering.

She was trembling now, as if cold, but witches and crazy people both were known to be clever. The sooner he saw her off the better, and he jerked his chin toward the direction of his camp and motioned the woman to follow. He would show her every hospitality and then gently nudge her on her way.

She looked somewhat better when he gave her a cup of hot coffee and offered the frybread his daughter had left for him, inviting her with a nod to take it, and tears came into her eyes as her lips and chin began to tremble.

Very much like a normal person, but it could be a ruse to cause him to relax his vigilance so she could blow corpse dust over him. He busied himself with the fire and wished fervently to be rid of this evil.

Marin knew she made this man very uncomfortable, and she thought she even knew why, considering where and how he had found her, but she didn’t know how to relieve his fears without making things worse.

“Thank you,” Marin murmured to the old man. “Ahéhee’,” she repeated.

She studied the man on the other side of the fire. His face was seamed and wrinkled, his frame was tall and spare beneath the loose shirt of red cotton tied with a woven sash. His gray hair was worn long, and there was a turquoise bead woven into a strand of hair near one temple.

A hogan was built higher up the slope, a blanket hanging across the eastern door, and an empty sheep pen was tucked into a rocky cliff a short way from it. A handsome bay horse wearing a rope halter stood nearby, sheltering under overhanging boards propped between a few corral poles and the cliff.

She looked around for the sheep she knew must be somewhere close by, and the dogs, but they weren’t in sight. She didn’t see any sort of vehicle either, or any other person besides the old man, watching her surreptitiously.

The old man cleared his throat suddenly, and she flinched, startled, but instead of speaking, the old man rose to his feet and walked toward the corral.

She stood as well, thinking he meant for her to follow, but he gave no sign, and she paused.

Passing Marin without word or look, he ducked under the hogan’s blanket door, emerging a moment later with an ancient-looking saddle, a bridle, and a thick saddle blanket woven in red and black yarns.

Silently, he began to saddle the horse, smoothing the blanket across the horse’s back and throwing the saddle over, pulling the cinch tight. He put the bridle on last, settling the bit into the horse’s mouth before reaching to adjust the braided ear straps. Without looking at her, he walked back, thrust the reins towards Marin, and spoke for the first time.

“You go now,” he said, and pursed his lips, pushing his chin toward the east.

Marin opened her mouth to object to taking his horse and slowly closed it again. The old man was giving her a way to get down the mountain, and she had no wish to bring trouble to him if Tolliver managed to follow her here.

She took the reins.

Haastiin Sanii grunted and stepped away toward the fire, and Marin tied her jacket to the saddle, surprised when he returned and pushed the remainder of the frybread into her hands.

“Over there,” he said, pointing again with his chin, “is a good way down.”

She waited for any more words the man might offer, for he seemed to be listening and thinking carefully, but he said nothing. He slapped the horse on the rump and stepped away.

“You go now,” he repeated.

Marin mounted, then turned in the saddle. “I’ll leave the horse at a trading post below,” she said.

Haastiin Sanii shrugged, relieved, as he watched her ride away. She was someone in a lot of trouble or someone bringing a lot of trouble, but he had done the best he could.

He looked down at his sash and fingered the gun he had found beside the spring, then looked down the trail at the woman on his grandson’s horse. He wondered if she knew a flashflood was coming and if she knew enough to stay out of the canyon.

He shrugged again, figured a ghost-witch would know and a crazy person wouldn’t care.

Author Bio:

Drawing from her years in the Southwest and the Navajo Nation, Jan Payne writes on themes of courage, regret, hope, and restoration in a world of created kinships. Through her characters’ lives and shared dangers—Marin Sinclair, end-of-life doula; Sergeant Justin Blue Eyes of the Navajo Nation Police; Cullen MacPherson, agent for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Garret Washburn, teenaged ward of Marin’s, and Lewis George, Raven spirit-guide-cum-trickster—she takes readers on a journey through the complex interactions of cultural backgrounds and personal histories, highlighting the way kinships forged in crisis have the power to reshape our lives.

Jan Payne lived on the Dineh (Navajo) reservation in Sanostee, on the New Mexico side of the Lukachukai mountain range, where she spent summers climbing mesas, taking camping trips on horseback, exploring ghost towns in the mountains of Colorado, or working with her dad breaking and training horses in Sanostee. Her two most memorable summer jobs were at a Durango, Colorado dude ranch working with pack mule trains and a brief stint as a camp cook at a uranium mining site.

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RELEASE BLITZ: Dead Calm by Bill Runner

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Axel Blaze Crime Action Thriller, Book 8

 

Action Thriller

Date Published: September 22, 2024


 

One man rises from the stillness, unleashing hell’s fury. They call him
Blaze.

 

Dead Calm takes readers into Blaze’s past as a US Army Ranger. In the
harsh Afghan terrain, Captain Axel Blaze faces his toughest mission yet:
honoring a dying friend’s plea to rescue his children from the
Taliban’s clutches.

Blaze infiltrates deep into enemy territory. He finds an ally in CIA Deputy
Director Davis, whose daughter, Madison, has been taken hostage. As Blaze
and his Rangers wreak hell on the Taliban, they uncover a drugs, arms and
sex trafficking network with links to the Bulgarian mafia.

The hunt takes Blaze from the unforgiving Afghan terrain to the back alleys
of Sofia, Bulgaria. Powerful people operating with impunity. Until they come
in the crosshairs of a man called Blaze.

Page-turning thrillers in the lone ranger tradition of Jack Reacher, Mitch
Rapp and The Gray Man novels. The fast-paced, brutal action in the Blaze
series is attracting thriller readers worldwide.

About the Author

Bill Runner cut his teeth as an investigative journalist, plunging into the
gritty underbelly of crime, before turning to writing edge-of-your-seat
thrillers. Raised on a steady diet of westerns and lone ranger sagas,
Bill’s real-life encounters with rogues and heroes shaped his
electrifying protagonist, Axel Blaze. An adrenaline junkie at heart, Bill is
a seasoned mountain climber and paraglider, and also a lifelong student of
martial arts. Working the crime beat and studying the art of fighting honed
his skills to craft pulse-pounding thrillers, renowned for their razor-sharp
action sequences. You can find out more about Bill at his FB profile under
the name Bill Runner Author.

 

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

 

Purchase Link

Amazon

RELEASE BLITZ: Insensible Loss by Linda L Richards

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Thriller

Date Published: September 17, 2024


 

After attempting to sever all ties to her life as a hired assassin, a woman
struggles to understand who she has become. She knows she doesn’t want
to kill again—but it proves to be a difficult habit to break,
particularly in a world where people are after her and those she loves
most.

Adrift and disconnected, she meets an old woman: Imogen O’Brien, a
world-famous artist who has spent the last three decades living a
hermit-like existence on a rustic desert estate in a national forest. Imogen
invites her to stay and work for her, offering mentorship in return as the
woman deepens her own interest in art.

What quickly becomes apparent is that elements of Imogen’s past are
shrouded in danger, sorrow, and darkness. Rather than growing as an artist,
the former hitwoman soon finds herself enmeshed in a dangerous mystery with
strands that stretch decades into the past.

About the Author

Linda L. Richards is the award-winning author of over a dozen books. The
founder and publisher of January Magazine and a contributing editor to the
crime fiction blog The Rap Sheet, she is best known for her strong female
protagonists in the thriller genre. Richards is from Vancouver, Canada and
currently makes her home in Phoenix, Arizona. New for 2024: INSENSIBLE LOSS,
the fourth book in the Endings series featuring a reluctant hit woman
struggling towards the light. Linda’s 2021 novel, the first in this
series, ENDINGS, is under option by a major studio for series production.
Richards is an accomplished horsewoman and an avid tennis player, and is on
the National Board of Sisters in Crime.

 

Contact Links

Website

Facebook

LinkedIn

Twitter

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Instagram

BookBub

TikTok

 

Purchase Links

Amazon

B&N

Bookshop


BOOK BLITZ & GIVEAWAY: She’s Got the Time by M.O. Mack

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She’s Got The Time
MO Mack
(Suite #45, #3)
Publication date: August 29th 2024
Genres: Adult, Thriller

From author M.O. Mack comes the third, heart-stopping thriller in the Suite #45 series, SHE’S GOT THE TIME.

SENTENCED FOR A CRIME SHE ONLY WISHED SHE COMMITTED…

Emily has broken plenty of rules. Some she regrets. Others, well, not so much.

Running from her husband Ed for example? No regrets. He was a controlling predator who trafficked women while working for the FBI. But had she known she’d end up working for a group of hit men, she might’ve made different choices. Big regrets.

On the bright side, the group only kills bad guys. On the not-so-bright side, every cartel south of the border wants the group dead, and she’s number one on the cartel’s list.

Emily also regrets trusting Charge, her hit man boss. She regrets caring about him more than she should.

But when the feds arrest her for the murder of her ex, Emily knows she’s been set up, and all signs point to Charge. Why would he do this to her? The prison is filled with cartel gangs, and there’s a price on her head.

Can she find a way out before her time is up?

The clock is ticking…

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

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EXCERPT:

“I thought you loved me,” she said, knowing now that the confession he’d made after she’d saved him all those weeks ago had just been another lie.

Charge jerked his head back, like she’d taken him off guard. “What’s that have to do with anything?”

“It’s everything.” Because he’d told her that while he’d been preparing to do the hit on Ed, he’d watched her from afar and fallen for her. He’d said it was the reason he’d helped her after she’d run from Ed. “You’ve been playing me this entire time. Haven’t you? The story about you loving me was a scam to get me to keep working for you.” And it had worked. He’d probably done it because he believed she’d eventually lead him to Ed.

“I don’t have time for this right now. And I’ve proven my loyalty to you.”

“No. You said whatever you had to in order to make me trust you.” She hung her head. “I can’t believe I fell for it.” Not to mention, she’d started having feelings for Charge. She’d taken a life for him. She’d risked her own ass, too.

“I’m sorry you think that,” he said smugly, “but it doesn’t change the situation or what has to be done next.”

“And just what’s that? Am I supposed to take out the warden next? Or the head of one of the gangs here so you get paid?” She pushed back in her chair. “I’m done, Charge. Done.”

“Don’t be silly. You won’t get out of this prison alive unless you pull your head from your ass, Justine, and follow my instructions.”

This again. And why did he always call her Justine when he wanted to control her? Did he think it was some kind of psychological magic wand to garner compliance?

He went on, “You only have a day, two max, before someone realizes you have a ten-million-dollar price on your head. You don’t have much time, but it’s enough time to—”

“No, Charge. No more. I’m not buying into your crap. I mean, look at where I am.” She tried to throw her hands in the air, but they were chained to the table. “We both know I’m not getting out of here. Not after I killed that guard. At best, I’ll survive a week, and if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to enjoy what little time I have left.”

Author Bio:

Obviously, M.O. Mack is a cover. Don’t bother looking for the author’s true identity. She must remain secret due to the sensitive information written in her stories…

Okay, most of all that is total rubbish! M.O. is a full-time author from the great state of Arizona, who loves making stuff up and hates a slow story. The faster the better! Most days, M.O. tries to avoid the news (too icky) so it doesn’t interfere with writing nail-biter stories.

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BOOK TOUR: Blazing Upheaval by Karen Charles

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A teacher and her family struggle to survive tumultuous riots, escalating violence, and civil unrest in this thrilling release from Karen Charles, and as their loyalties are put to the ultimate test, horrifying revelations and the cataclysmic Northridge earthquake irrevocably change their lives forever…

Title: Blazing Upheaval

Author: Karen Charles

Publication Date: July 25, 2024

Pages: 172

Genre: Thriller

In the heart of the tumultuous Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, a dedicated teacher finds herself thrust into a hazardous situation. Struggling to navigate the chaos and reach safety on the freeway, she faces dangerous obstacles that jeopardize her life. An unexpected rescue during a brutal attack plunges her, her family, and two other families into a chilling series of enigmatic events and escalating violence.

As the city grapples with unrest, they are entangled in a web of mysteries swiftly building in intensity. In the turmoil, their bonds of family, loyalty, and love are put to the ultimate test. The tension mounts relentlessly until an unforeseen revelation, coinciding with the cataclysmic Northridge earthquake, irrevocably changes their lives forever.

This gripping true-story thriller delivers suspenseful twists and heart-pounding moments, weaving a narrative of family resilience, solidarity, and enduring love in the face of daunting circumstances. It is a tale that illuminates the strength found within the human spirit when confronted with extraordinary challenges.

Blazing Upheaval is available at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BMM6BXLG. 


Book Excerpt:

With renewed focus, her heart pounding against her ribcage, Tiffany emerged from the fray. She realized she was only a few blocks from the I-5 freeway, her haven of safety. She pressed the gas pedal, her car surging ahead with newfound urgency.

Tiffany came to an abrupt stop at the red light at the intersection where she would make a left turn onto the freeway entrance. Loud yelling frightened her. Three men surrounded her car. They bounced it up and down. Alarm gripped her racing heart as she understood the hatred in their eyes. They pulled on the locked doors. They pounded on the windows. She felt shock and disbelief as she realized the rioters wanted to harm her! She was helpless! She was trapped!


Author Interview:

Blazing Upheaval was based on a true story. Why did you choose this particular true story to write about?

I chose this true story to write about to immerse the readers in historical events they may not be familiar with. Stepping into the shoes of fictional characters allows you to develop empathy and gain a deeper understanding of different viewpoints. The compelling blend of realism and suspense adds depth and relatability to my work.

Can you tell us a little about the main characters in your book?

The main character in this book is Tiffany, a dedicated teacher in central Los Angeles. She is unexpectedly caught in the middle of the Rodney King Riots, struggling to reach safety. As a result of this perilous situation, her entire family is thrown into a chilling series of enigmatic events and escalating violence.

They say all books of fiction have at least one pivotal point where the reader just can’t put the book down. What is one of the pivotal points in your book?

“With renewed focus, her heart pounding against her ribcage, Tiffany emerged from the fray. She realized she was only a few blocks from the freeway, her haven of safety. She pressed the gas pedal, her car surging ahead with newfound urgency.

Tiffany came to an abrupt stop at the red light at the intersection where she would make a left turn onto the freeway entrance. Loud yelling frightened her. Three men surrounded her car. They bounced it up and down. Alarm gripped her racing heart as she understood the hatred in their eyes. They pulled on the locked doors. They pounded on the windows. She felt shock and disbelief as she realized the rioters wanted to harm her! She was helpless! She was trapped!”

Does this novel carry a message?

The message this novel carries is woven into the heart-pounding narrative of family resilience, solidarity, and enduring love in the face of daunting circumstances. It is a tale that illuminates the strength found within the human spirit when confronted with extraordinary challenges.

What’s your next project?

My next project is another thriller developed around a true story of a traumatic event that greatly affected someone’s life. If you have such a story, please get in touch with me.

Is there anything you’d like to tell your readers and fans?

On my website, weaveofsuspense.com, I posted blogs with pictures of the Rodney King riots and the Northridge earthquake. If you look at them before and after you read the book, I think it will give you more insight into the impact they had on the cities. These visuals, combined with the narrative, will offer a deeper understanding of the challenges and triumphs that characterized that period.

About the Author

Karen Charles transforms real-life narratives into gripping fiction thrillers. Her novels intricately weave the threads of truth into a tapestry of suspense, intrigue, and riveting storytelling. An educator by profession, she is renowned for her thriller “Fateful Connections,” which unfolds against the backdrop of 9/11. “Blazing Upheaval” promises to deliver another chilling, heart-pounding experience. Karen and her husband reside on the serene shores of a beautiful bay in Washington, where she draws inspiration for her compelling narratives. Explore her insights and musings on the writer’s life through her blogs on “My Life As A Writer” at www.weaveofsuspense.com.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜ http://weaveofsuspense.com 

Twitter ➜ http://www.twitter.com/karenra24229683 

Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/karen.rabe.7/

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