Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists!!

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia @ A Girl and Her Books, has a permanent home now at Mailbox Monday.

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Here’s a shout out to the administrators:
Emma @ Words And peace

Serena @ Savvy Verse And Wit
Martha @ Reviews By Martha's Bookshelf 

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                THANKS to everyone for keeping Mailbox Monday alive.

Decisions I've made this week:

As much as I love reading and getting tons of books lately it’s felt more like a job then a pleasure. I’ve always loved reading. I’ve even stepped out of my comfort zone and tried genres that I would not read before. I’ve overwhelmed myself with too many, or possibly too many, review books. Somewhere along the way I have lost sight of the beauty and pleasure of just sitting back and reading a book. Just immersing myself in the pages and getting lost in a while other world. Instead of feeling that almost euphoric feeling it’s been more of a challenge. Not for all the books but the ones I feel I absolutely have to finish by a certain date and get the review posted. The books that authors give me to read I take because I have no doubt that I’m going to love them. They are more like dear friends and I’ve read most or all of their books already. Those I will continue to enjoy. I do not have any doubts about that.

The thing is I need a change. A reading change. Starting the first of the year I will not be requesting near as many NetGalley books. I will some and I will continue to do the blog and instagram tours for authors. I’m going to start reading some of the many many books I have. Some of the books that I’ve received as gifts. Some of the ones I’ve bought. I can get almost any book from the library also so that will start happening instead of asking certain authors and publishers for copies to review. A few ignore you anyway. I have several authors that I will read anything they write and that’s a great gift there. Some authors I’ve discovered from other readers and enjoyed their books. I need so bad to get back to pleasure reading. I want to enjoy books again. To savor them. To just read and relax again.

I have way too many to read before the end of this year and a few for early next year. I will stop doing that. It’s ridiculous really. But it happens and people who love reading like I do will understand what I’m saying. I want to inhale books again. Really truly honestly enjoy them. So I’m going to get back control of my book list. I’m going to only request ones that I absolutely truly want. Ones that I do not doubt I’ll love. I’ll spend more time on authors outside of NetGalley too. Those are the ones that have truly made me happy. The ones that actually appreciate that you read and reviewed their book. I love the authors. They put their whole self into each book and they deserve to be treated with the utmost respect. I always try to do that. Reading is the best and I’m bringing back my true love for reading the only way I know how.

So I won't be posting as many NetGalley books as I'm not going to be requesting as many. That is the plan. I'll keep on reading and reviewing though.

Received this week

1: THE CURSE OF PENRYTH HALL by Jess Armstrong

Courtesy of Publisher via NetGalley

An atmospheric gothic mystery that beautifully brings the ancient Cornish countryside to life, Armstrong introduces heroine Ruby Vaughn in her Minotaur Books & Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut, The Curse of Penryth Hall.

BOOKMAIL this week

LITTLE MONSTERS by Adrienne Brodeur

Synopsis

From the author of the bestselling memoir Wild Game comes a riveting novel about Cape Cod, complicated families, and long-buried secrets—for fans of the New York Times bestsellers The Paper Palace and Ask Again, Yes .

Ken and Abby Gardner lost their mother when they were small and they have been haunted by her absence ever since. Their father, Adam, a brilliant oceanographer, raised them mostly on his own in his remote home on Cape Cod, where the attachment between Ken and Abby deepened into something complicated—and as adults their relationship is strained. Now, years later, the siblings’ lives are still deeply entwined. Ken is a successful businessman with political ambitions and a picture-perfect family and Abby is a talented visual artist who depends on her brother’s goodwill, in part because he owns the studio where she lives and works.

As the novel opens, Adam is approaching his seventieth birthday, staring down his mortality and fading relevance. He has always managed his bipolar disorder with medication, but he’s determined to make one last scientific breakthrough and so he has secretly stopped taking his pills, which he knows will infuriate his children. Meanwhile, Abby and Ken are both harboring secrets of their own, and there is a new person on the periphery of the family—Steph, who doesn’t make her connection known. As Adam grows more attuned to the frequencies of the deep sea and less so to the people around him, Ken and Abby each plan the elaborate gifts they will present to their father on his birthday, jostling for primacy in this small family unit.

Set in the fraught summer of 2016, and drawing on the biblical tale of Cain and Abel, Little Monsters is an absorbing, sharply observed family story by a writer who knows Cape Cod inside and out—its Edenic lushness and its snakes.

BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN by Jessica Knoll

Synopsis

From the author of the New York Times bestseller and #1 Netflix movie Luckiest Girl Alive comes an extraordinary novel inspired by the real-life sorority targeted by America's first celebrity serial killer in his final murderous spree.

January 1978. A serial killer has terrorized women across the Pacific Northwest, but his existence couldn’t be further from the minds of the vibrant young women at the top sorority on Florida State University’s campus in Tallahassee. Tonight is a night of promise, excitement, and desire, but Pamela Schumacher, president of the sorority, makes the unpopular decision to stay home—a decision that unwittingly saves her life. Startled awake at 3 a.m. by a strange sound, she makes the fateful decision to investigate. What she finds behind the door is a scene of implausible violence—two of her sisters dead; two others, maimed. Over the next few days, Pamela is thrust into a terrifying mystery inspired by the crime that’s captivated public interest for more than four decades.

On the other side of the country, Tina Cannon has found peace in Seattle after years of hardship. A chance encounter brings twenty-five-year-old Ruth Wachowsky into her life, a young woman with painful secrets of her own, and the two form an instant connection. When Ruth goes missing from Lake Sammamish State Park in broad daylight, surrounded by thousands of beachgoers on a beautiful summer day, Tina devotes herself to finding out what happened to her. When she hears about the tragedy in Tallahassee, she knows it’s the man the papers refer to as the All-American Sex Killer. Determined to make him answer for what he did to Ruth, she travels to Florida on a collision course with Pamela—and one last impending tragedy.

Bright Young Women is the story about two women from opposite sides of the country who become sisters in their fervent pursuit of the truth. It proposes a new narrative inspired by evidence that’s been glossed over for decades in favor of more salable headlines—that the so-called brilliant and charismatic serial killer from Seattle was far more average than the countless books, movies, and primetime specials have led us to believe, and that it was the women whose lives he cut short who were the exceptional ones.

THE REVENGE LIST by Hannah Mary McKinnon

 

THE REVENGE LIST

HANNAH MARY MCKINNON

My thoughts

I've read and enjoyed so many of this author's books. They are always so well written and make me hold my breath or keep me on the edge all the way through. I had such high hopes for this one too. I was very excited to receive this book. Alas I was a bit disappointed though...

While it pulls you right in at the start with a woman screaming because she is being taken for a ride off a cliff, it quickly became somewhat unrealistic for me. 

I'm not saying the book isn't good because it is. In places. For the first half of the book I read all about Frankie and her anger issues. Maybe she had a right to some anger because life dealt her a bad hand but does that give her the right to treat people like they are less then human. To be somewhat of a bully? I did not like Frankie. I did not connect to her on any level. She just kept on doing the same things without listening to what anyone else had to say. We all for the most part have things in our past that can cause us to be angry but we don't go around being so mean to others. Or at least I don't. Frankie does have a lot going on and maybe she should have been put somewhere for all this angry she harbors for every person she meets. I found her to be a bit on the selfish side. Then when I did kind of start feeling for her and thought she was going in a different direction she disappoints me again. But she was persistent for sure. Things she did I found very hard to believe in parts. I mean breaking and entering in a place that should have had fairly good security. That was a bit odd but she was determined. 

Frankie is the main character and very unlikable. That does not make the book unlikable though. It's just her. She is a bit selfless in my opinion. Even when people are nice to her she explodes. And as much as she seems to hate the human race she's not at all observant to her surroundings. She just hops into a car assuming it's her Uber. She's thirty two not twenty. She should know better. But all of the crazy things she does and all the selfish acts she is involved in come to a crashing halt when the climax of the story finally ensues. When she finds the one person she is looking for and without caution approaches this person. She's pretty bad about following people or showing up on their doorstep not knowing if they will hurt her or not. She's very resilient for sure. Not too bright though. Even her own family seems to be on edge around her. They don't seem to have much faith in her. 

This was a fun book to read after I passed the halfway mark. It picked up speed and really took off. Though I had it figured out as soon as a certain person was brought to light it was interesting how it played out. Again Frankie stepped in it and without thinking took off after someone she didn't really know at all. Maybe she is lead by her heart. Or could it be her anger. Who knows. I think the ending was ok except she seemed to turn around awfully fast. You just can't get over some of her issues that fast. I think it being family maybe they can forgive her faster than others can but she is still lying and still has some issues. It's very apparent when she opens the door and you see there could possibly be a sequel to this book. I honestly hope there is. I want to know. I want to see what happens next. I want to know more. 

While this book drove me crazy in parts, in other parts it was quite good. It finally hit that edge of your seat factor that I love in this author's work. Even though I had no doubts who was doing the dastardly deeds it was fairly good. I still have questions as to how this person would have know some of the characters. Or how they could really get away with some of the things they did. But that is the joy of fiction. 

Well done Hannah Mary McKinnon. I look forward to your next book.

Thank you #NetGalley, #HannahMaryMcKinnon, #Harlequintradepublishers, #MIRA for this ARC. This is my true thoughts about his book.

Four stars from me.

The Revenge List : A Novel 

Hannah Mary McKinnon

On Sale Date: May 23, 2023

9780778333463

Trade Paperback

$18.99 USD

368 pages

ABOUT THE BOOK:

As a therapy exercise, a woman writes a list of people she wants to forgive, and thinks nothing of it when she loses it in an Uber…until one by one the people on the list become victims of freak accidents. Set in Portland, Maine, Hannah Mary McKinnon’s breakout suspense novel THE REVENGE LIST will appeal to fans of Lisa Unger, Joshilyn Jackson, and Tarryn Fisher.

Following an epic run-in with a client who threatened to pull out of a contract at her father’s company if she doesn’t suffer some consequences, Frankie Morgan agrees to go to anger management. With the business struggling with cash-flow and her brother needing help with the medical bills for his sick daughter, she can’t risk harming the business further. But that doesn’t mean she’ll be happy about attending.

During the first session, the group is asked to spend some quiet time exploring their pasts and sitting with the emotions that generates, before making a start on a Forgiveness List—a list of people with whom they’re angry and might work on forgiving. She begrudgingly goes along with it and doesn’t worry too much when she forgets the list in an Uber on her way home. It shouldn’t matter—it was just a therapy exercise—except a few days later the first person on that list is injured in a freak accident. When the second person gets hurt, she hopes it’s coincidence. After the third is targeted, she knows it’s a pattern. And she’s in trouble. Because the next name on that list is…hers.

Author bio:

Hannah Mary McKinnon was born in the UK, grew up in Switzerland and moved to Canada in 2010. After a successful career in recruitment, she quit the corporate world in favor of writing. She now lives in Oakville, Ontario, with her husband and three sons, and is delighted by her twenty-second commute. Connect with her on Facebook, on Twitter @HannahMMcKinnon, and on Instagram @HannahMaryMcKinnon. For more, visit her website, www.hannahmarymckinnon.com.

Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

***

The sharp sound of a high-pitched scream filled the air. A noise so unrecognizable, at first I didn’t register it had come from deep within me, traveling up my throat in stealth mode before bursting from my mouth.

The remnants of the yell reverberated around the car, forcing their way into my ears and penetrating my skull, urging me to do something. Survival instincts kicked in, and I fumbled with the seatbelt, my other hand grasping for the door handle. The need for the relative safety that solid, stationary ground would bring was so intense it made my stomach heave. A loud click of the central locking system meant my captor had outsmarted me again, obliterating my immediate plan to throw myself from the moving vehicle.

When I looked out the windshield, I knew there was no time to find an alternate escape. The end of the road—the edge of the cliff—announced by signs and broken red-and-white-striped wooden barricades, had been far enough away seconds ago but now gleamed in the car’s headlights, a looming warning yards ahead. I couldn’t comprehend what was about to happen, couldn’t do anything as the vehicle kept going, splintering planks and racing out the other side with nothing but air below. I let out another scream, far louder than my first, the absolute terror exploding from my lungs.

For the briefest of moments, we were suspended, as if this was a magic trick or an elaborate roller coaster. Perhaps, if I were really lucky, this was all a dream. Except I already knew there were no smoke and mirrors, no swirling track leading us through loop-the-loops and to safety. It wasn’t a nightmare I’d wake from with bedsheets wrapped around my sweaty body. This was happening. It was all terrifyingly real.

As the car continued its trajectory, it tipped forward. The only thing to stop our momentum was whatever we were rushing toward, obscured by the cloudy night skies. Pushing my heels into the floor, I tried to flatten my shoulders against the seat. My hands scrambled for the ceiling to brace myself, but I flopped like a rag doll, my loosened seatbelt tearing into my shoulder.

They say your life flashes before you when you’re close to death. That didn’t happen to me. Instead, it was all my regrets. Choices I’d made. Not made. Things I’d said and done. Not said. Not done. It was far too late to make amends. There would be no opportunity to beg anyone for forgiveness. No possibility of offering some.

As the finality of the situation hit me full on, I turned my head. The features of the driver next to me were illuminated in a blueish glint from the dashboard lights. His face had set in a stony grimace; his jaw clenched so tight he had to have shattered teeth. But what frightened me the most were his eyes, filled with what could only be described as maniacal delight.

He’d said we were both going to die. As the car hurtled to the bottom of the cliff, I closed my eyes and accepted he was right.

***

Excerpted from The Revenge List by Hannah Mary McKinnon, Copyright © 2023 by Hannah McKinnon. Published by MIRA Books.Socials

Website: www.HannahMaryMcKinnon.com 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/HannahMaryMcKinnon (@hannahmarymckinnon)

Instagram: www.instagram.com/HannahMaryMcKinnon/ (@hannahmarymckinnon)

Twitter: www.twitter.com/HannahMMcKinnon (@hannahmmckinnon)

Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/15144570.Hannah_Mary_McKinnon

BookBub: www.bookbub.com/authors/hannah-mary-mckinnon

LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/hannahmarymckinnon 

First Chapter Fun www.firstchapterfun.com 

MY WORD AGAINST HIS by Lauren North

 

MY THOUGHTS

Lauren North really wrote an edge of your seat thriller. It was hard to put down. Several twists and turns to keep you guessing. There are a few things that completely surprise you. Good book. Great thriller.

You'll meet Celia, Lucy, Sam, Henry, and Martin in this book. Each has their own troubles. Each has their own secrets. One, possibly more, will end up dead. Who did it? Was there more than one? What caused this or these deaths?

Celia hasn't seen Lucy in thirteen years. Lucy was a child at the time. Celia only wanted to help her. She invited Lucy into her home. She introduced Lucy to her child Henry. Henry was only five years old. Celia wanted to be there for Lucy as no one else seemed to care about her. Lucy is only thirteen and needs guidance in her life. Celia also wants her gone before Martin gets home. Every single time.

What can be going on in Celia's life that she doesn't want this young girl to meet her husband? And why does Celia really care so much for Lucy? It seems like it is more than just someone to watch young Henry occasionally. More than helping her decide what she wants to be when she grows up. But something does happen. Something that scares Lucy. She meets Martin.

Thirteen years later after Martin has been gone all these years and Celia has not heard from Lucy, she get a phone call. A call for help from Lucy. Celia takes off to help her and is carjacked. Things take off and you are in for a wild ride. The interactions between Celia and Sam begin and you won't know exactly what is going on. What is it that Sam is so earnestly wanting to get too in Leeds. What could possibly be so important he is threatening a woman's life. Will he kill her once they get there? 

Sam is not a good guy but he is also not as bad as Celia thinks. He says he's not going to hurt her but she doesn't believe him. She just wants to get to Lucy and find out what is happening to her then get back home to her son Henry. Over the course of the next few hours things are going to spin out of control. Some things will happen and someone will end up in jail. You won't know who to believe. It's definitely one that will keep you turning the pages. 

I wasn't really a fan of Celia's but she could have been worse. I understood why she did some of the things she did. I understood why she wanted so bad to protect Henry. I understood she had her way of doing things but boy was she ever OCD. Down to the clothes they wore and the meals they ate. Every single thing. But still.... I really love Lucy. She was a hard working young lady and certainly deserved help. And a life of her own. I thought Martin was a jerk and abusive. Sam I felt kind of sorry for after getting to know him. Henry was a complete mix of both parents and I never really connected with him either. Still a part of me liked him. At least the young him. 

This book is in three parts. Each told from Celia and Lucy's words. The second part has you getting to know Sam and his POV. Told from Celia and Sam's POV. Then in the third part you really get a big surprise. Not only the whodunnit but the who it was really. Who was all of these people? You get to know each one. Pretty much all about each one.

This is a true edge of your seat thriller that keeps you turning the pages until the wild ending that you may not see coming. I have to admit this one had me totally surprised. I didn't figure out a few of the twists. 

Thank you #NetGalley, #LaurenNorth, #Bookouture for this ARC. This is my true thoughts about this book.

Five big stars and a high recommendation. It's really good.

Synopsis

My Word Against His: A totally unputdownable psychological thriller packed with jaw-dropping twists 

 

My future hangs in the balance. They’re questioning both of us and every word I say matters. I need to be careful – it’s my word against his, and I can’t afford to lose…

Thirteen years ago. Teenager Lucie babysits our little son Henry. She’s like the daughter I never had. And she believes we’re the perfect family – just me, my husband and Henry.

But Lucie doesn’t really know what’s happening behind closed doors. Until one night, she sees something so awful she leaves. And my family is never the same again…

Now, Lucie has reached out, desperate for my help. It’s been thirteen years of silence, but I would recognise her voice anywhere. She’s back: and so are the secrets she took with her.

What did she see that night? And does she know my side of the story, or only his?

I hope she knows what she’s doing. Because there is no line I won’t cross to protect the ones I love – or the secrets I’ve worked so hard to hide…

An absolutely gripping psychological thriller where no one is who they seem, that will make your heart pound and your jaw drop! Perfect for fans of addictive page-turners like The Housemaid, The Family Across the Street and The Family Upstairs.

Buy link: https://geni.us/B0BWYVQYY8social

About the author:

Lauren writes psychological suspense novels that delve into the darker side of relationships and families. She has a lifelong passion for writing, reading, and all things books. Lauren’s love of psychological suspense has grown since childhood and her dark imagination of always wondering what’s the worst thing that could happen in every situation.

Lauren studied psychology before moving to London where she lived and worked for many years. She now lives with her family in the Suffolk countryside. Readers can follow Lauren on Twitter @Lauren_C_North, Instagram @Lauren_C_North and Facebook @LaurenNorthAuthor

 

 

Author social media:

 

Website

https://www.lauren-north.com/

Facebook URL

https://www.facebook.com/LaurenNorthAuthor/?ref=bookmarks

Instagram URL

https://www.instagram.com/lauren_c_north/

Twitter URL

https://twitter.com/Lauren_C_North

A DEADLY WILDERNESS by Kelly Irvin

A Deadly Wilderness

by Kelly Irvin

May 22 - June 16, 2023 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

A frantic anonymous crisis center hot-line call propels counselor Susana Martinez-Acosta smack into the center of a murder investigation and a homicide detective’s arms. Exactly where she doesn’t want to be. Following the tragic death of her husband, she’s struggled to build a safe haven for herself and her son. That new world doesn’t include hit men and persistent detectives with dangerous jobs.

An idyllic wilderness hike turns deadly when homicide detective Ray Johnson tumbles into a ravine and lands on a corpse later identified as the son of a prominent citizen. Ray works to solve the political hot potato murder before city leaders bumps him from the case. His determination to find the man’s killer leads him from the wealthiest enclaves in San Antonio to the city’s dark underbelly, all the while trying to win the woman he loves.

A Deadly Wilderness is a romantic suspense novel that will take the reader along on a tumultuous journey as the consuming need for material wealth drives a deadly wedge among family members who haven’t learned when enough really is enough.

The journey ends where it began—in a deadly wilderness. Not everyone will survive the trip.

Book Details:

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Published by: Ally Press
Publication Date: May 2023
Number of Pages: 250
ISBN: 978-1-953290-24-3
Book Links: Amazon

Read an excerpt:

A panicked voice penetrated the pain. “Mr. Ray! Mr. Ray!”

Small hands patted Ray’s face. He opened his eyes to a soft, blue sky dotted with tufts of popcorn clouds. Benny’s dirty face filled his vision. He sucked in air and immediately regretted it. The rank odor of decaying flesh made his eyes water and bile burn in the back of his throat.

“What the—” He tried to rise. Pain dug a trench from one ear to the other. He sank back. “What is it?”

Benny leaned in close. Ray heard his agitated breathing and smelled his little boy sweat. The dirt and leaves on his clothes told Ray he’d come down the side of the ravine in a slip-and-slide fashion. “Marco fell on a—a body. You gotta get up. He’s dead. It stinks. It stinks bad!”

“Whoa! Easy, Benny, easy.” Ray grabbed his hand. “Are you hurt?”

“No! We gotta get out of here!” Thin features contorted with fear, Benny tugged from Ray’s grasp and darted toward Marco, who knelt a few feet away, his back to Ray. “Come on, let’s just go!”

“Marco, are you hurt?” Ray struggled to get up. A sharp pain in his ankle, coupled with the fierce pounding in his head, made the ground rise and fall. He sank back again. “Marco? Are you okay?”

Marco swiveled around. Tears streaked his face, but Ray saw no blood. His amber eyes wide, his gaze swung back-and-forth from the ground to Ray. He’d lost his cap; leaves clung to his shorts and T-shirt. “I landed on him. I touched him. Somebody cut his finger off!”

Marco’s voice cracked. He pointed. Ray followed the line of his trembling fingers. Three outstretched fingers pointed back, a bloody stub where the fourth should have been. The hand Ray had seen before he passed out belonged to a body, spread-eagle and half-covered by brush.

The man hadn’t been dead long—his features were recognizable—but birds and other animals had begun their work of tearing soft flesh from bone as San Antonio’s early summer heat baked the body. “Move away.” Ray schooled his voice to stay cool and calm. He hated that Benny and Marco had seen this—they’d both had enough tragedy in their lives. First things first: he wanted them away from the scene, then he’d shift from off-duty friend to on-duty police officer once they were calm. “Come over here so I can take a look at you.”

Gaze still on the body, Marco stumbled to Ray, one arm dangling awkwardly at his side. Ray grabbed his thin frame in a hug. “Look at me, Marco. Does your arm hurt?”

Marco buried his head in Ray’s chest. Ray felt a shudder rip through him. “Where does it hurt?”

“My wrist.” Marco held out his swollen arm.

“Can you bend it?”

Marco’s sharp intake of breath answered that question.

“You have to watch where you’re going on these trails.” Ray kept his tone soft. Marco had enough problems without this.

“I was thinking.” Marco’s tone mixed anger and shame. “About stuff.”

“Yeah, about Mr. Ray and your mom.” Benny piped up. Thin face pinched, he’d squatted next to Ray.

“Huh-uh! I was not.” Marco gave Benny a look that said hush up. Benny ducked his head, showing his foster cousin his usual deference.

“Don’t worry about it. We’re gonna be fine.” Ray understood Marco’s preoccupation. Susana was never far from Ray’s mind, either—not since the day the previous year when he’d helped his former partner move his sister from Corpus Christi to San Antonio. “Just give me a minute.”

He touched the back of his head where pain pounded like a jackhammer. His fingers came back bloody. His stomach rocked and ears buzzed. He considered his options. With his ankle injured, it seemed unlikely he could hike out. And there was the body to consider.

If his cell phone had survived, and he could get a signal, he’d call Samuel, his boss and Susana’s brother. It wouldn’t be a pleasant conversation. Samuel was almost as protective of his nephew as Susana was of her son. “We’ll have to wait for your Uncle Samuel to get the medical examiner and the evidence guys out here, and then we’ll get you to the ER so they can fix up that arm.”

“No!” Marco stopped, his lips pressed together. His skin had turned sickly gray. “Don’t call Tío Samuel. He’ll worry. I could hike back to the trailhead and get somebody. Benny can stay here and take care of you.”

“No.” Benny looked offended. “You fell down. I’ll hike. You stay here.”

Red spots flamed on Marco’s pale cheeks. “I’m the oldest—”

“Just hang on, guys, no one’s hiking anywhere alone.” The scene was already contaminated. The medical examiner’s investigator and the evidence techs wouldn’t be happy. He needed to move the boys as far back as possible. “Go sit by that tree over there. Benny, why don’t you look around, see if you can find our caps? And my sunglasses. Who knows where they ended up.”

Marco stumbled over to the Ashe juniper on the edge of the strip where they’d landed. Benny, hands on his hips in an unconscious imitation of an angry adult, started up the incline in search of Ray’s San Antonio Police Department cap.

After glancing back to make sure they weren’t looking, Ray let his head drop, jaw clenched, and tried to stand. Sweat beaded on his forehead. Giving up, he sucked in a breath through his mouth to avoid the smell and scooted close enough to get a good look at the body.

Blue shirt, jeans, hiking boots. Dried red stains cascaded down the front of the shirt and jeans. Blood. Too much blood for a simple tumble down a hill. The ring finger on the left hand was missing. Theft of a ring or a trophy? A breeze ruffled the man’s sleeve. Ray had the sudden sensation the corpse might raise its injured hand in a macabre wave.

No. This guy would never move again. Ray slid off his backpack and rummaged for his cell phone. It had survived intact, and he had a signal.

Samuel sounded preoccupied. “What’s up? I thought you were hiking with the boys.”

“I am—was.” Ray explained the situation. “The guy’s missing a finger and he’s covered with blood. It wasn’t an accident.”

“We’ll get paramedics up there for you and Marco.” Always the problem-solver, Samuel’s voice bounced around as if he were already moving. “Salvador is next on the rotation—I’ll bring him with me.”

“I can handle the investigation. Just send out Deborah.” Deborah Smith would love telling her colleagues that her new partner had walked off a cliff.

“You’re on vacation—and you’re injured.”

The vacation hadn’t been Ray’s idea. Samuel had insisted. “So? As soon as the paramedics get me fixed up, I want the case. I’m bored with this vacation thing.”

“We’ll talk when I get there.” When Samuel used his boss voice, there was no sense arguing. “I’m on the way. I’ll call Susana after I assess the situation.”

“I should call her—” Ray could already hear that conversation in his head.

“She’s at the hotline center. She won’t answer her personal phone on shift.” Samuel’s voice held a hint of pity. “Besides, I’m her older brother. She’ll just snap at me. You, she’ll chew up and spit out.”

Ray dropped his cell phone into the backpack and stared at the body. He’d tumbled head over heels several hundred yards, injured his ankle, and blacked out in order to find this guy. No matter what Samuel said, that made it his job to find out how the man had ended up at the bottom of a cliff. Dead and missing a finger.

***

Excerpt from A Deadly Wilderness by Kelly Irvin. Copyright 2023 by Kelly Irvin. Reproduced with permission from Kelly Irvin. All rights reserved.

 

 

Author Bio:

Kelly Irvin is the author of more than 30 Amish romance and romantic suspense novels. She has penned eight critically acclaimed romantic suspense novels, including Trust Me, which debuted in 2022. Publisher’s Weekly said of the novel: “(In this) whirlwind romantic thriller . . . Irvin follows the characters through twists and turns, writing through the lens of faith and broken faith, while illuminating a bridge across shattered relationships to second chances.” Her latest novel is A Deadly Wilderness, released May 23, 2023, from Ally Press.

The Kansas native is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Journalism. She has been writing nonfiction professionally for more than 30 years, including 10 years as a newspaper reporter. She retired in 2016 after working 22 years in public relations for the City of San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department. She is a member of ACFW and Alamo City Christian Fiction Writers. She and her husband make their home in South Texas. They are the parents of two children and the grandparents of four grandchildren. In her spare time, Kelly reads, writes poetry and short stories, and spends time with her grandchildren as often as possible.

Catch Up With Kelly Irvin:
www.kellyirvin.com
Goodreads
BookBub - @KellyIrvin
Twitter - @Kelly_S_Irvin
Instagram - @Kelly_Irvin
Facebook - @Kelly.Irvin.Author

 

 

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