Synopsis

 

This history-based tale behind the legend of Good King Wenceslas is a thrilling journey through 10th-century Bohemia. Wenceslas devoted his life to charity—but this is no happy Christmas fable.

Duke Boleslav, brother to Wenceslas, reveals to his young son his own life’s dreadful tale, and why this boy must dedicate his life to his father’s salvation.

Pagan priests vie with one another and with the growing power of Christianity. Prague is a trading center with an important slave market, a thriving iron industry, and is a crossroads of far-reaching trade routes. It is growing in wealth, yet threatened by jealous enemies and forces, both external and within its borders.

These are times of struggle and competition. The Franks seek domination through military and religious power, and smaller peoples are conquered or forced to find a way to survive.

This chilling new story of a dark age paints a tale of murder, betrayal, loyalty and mankind’s need for spirituality.

History and this writer’s imagination take Boleslav through a world of cruel despair and hope as the duke’s power-driven mother coerces him to commit the unthinkable.

 

 

 

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About the Author

 

George WB Scott is an East Tennessee book author and video producer, with a life-long interest in European and American history. Scott was born in Stuart, Florida, and graduated from Martin County High School. Scott’s previous books include “I Jonathan, A Charleston Tale of the Rebellion,” and “Growing Up In Eden,” a childhood memoir.

 

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Synopsis

 

In Allen Wyler’s 6.0 installment of the Deadly Odds techno-thriller series, Arnold Gold—reformed hacker turned security consultant—lands a vital contract for his fledgling company—a penetration test of both the computer and physical security of a high-profile law firm. Up against the clock and a formidable and vindictive enemy, Head of Security Itzhak Mizrahi, Arnold and his team race to stay one step ahead of capture during a daring attempt to breach the client’s security systems.

 

 

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Excerpt

 

Now what? He chanced another peek over the railing.

There was the hand again, but now only two and a half flights below him, laboriously plodding upward.

Think.

Okay, well, the dude was obviously slow and out of shape.

Time advantage, Arnold. But did he still have enough time?

Put his hand over his mouth, whispered, “In position?” hoping the throat mic would transmit his words.

Prisha double-clicked.

“The floor clear?” he asked, figuring Lopez would realize the question was for him.

“Yes, as of thirty seconds ago.”

Arnold picked up the key card from the cement and whispered, “On three. One… two… three!”

The lock disengaged with a click loud enough to echo all the way to freaking Tacoma. Arnold pulled the heavy steel door open only far enough to keep it propped with his left foot, then started a mental stopwatch without a clue as to how long it might take for Mizrahi or his proxies to respond.

Stop! Just stay on the point, dude.

He started in, working fast as possible, methodical, zoning in intently on each move, figuring it was better to burn some extra seconds than to risk a stupid, time-wasting slip-up. He spooled off an estimated six feet of leader.

Enough?

Well, shit, you’ll find out.

He used the Swiss Army knife to cut the length before pressing the back edge of the blade against his thigh, snapping it shut, then he crammed it in his rear pocket. Done. He tossed the roll of leader back into the rucksack, leaving only the Scotch tape and the rucksack on the concrete.

Forcing himself to work quickly yet precisely despite an increasingly tingling spine and spasming asshole, he looped one end of the translucent leader around the horizontal push bar as close to the lock as possible then secured it tightly in place with a double square knot. He grabbed the Scotch tape, tore off a good three inches, and taped the knot securely to the bar. He burned an extra second running his thumb and forefinger around the tape to convince himself that it was stuck as tightly as possible to the metal, then he pulled the monofilament straight down until it was taut. He inspected it to convince himself it was secure.

Fifty pounds? Yeah, that’s the rating. He pulled harder, tugging the push bar down until he saw the tang withdraw far enough into the latch to open the door. Perfect. The leader’s fifty-pound rating appeared strong enough for what he needed… at least for this preliminary test. However, given the angle required and the edge of the metal door, the question was, would it break when it came to the actual act?

Yo, dude, keep moving.

Left hand now holding the door open, Arnold scooted back a few inches to carefully snake the leader under the bottom edge of the door, trying like hell to keep from abrading it against the metal. Jesus, his mental stopwatch was ticking louder and louder with each rapidly evaporating second, pumping more adrenaline into his arteries, pushing his anxiety off the freaking chart. A drop of sweat dripped off his nose.

Where was the dude on the stairs?

Forget him. Just focus on getting the job done.

A voice echoed from below, the words indistinguishable. Had to be the out-of-shape guard, probably receiving word that this door was just opened. Which might get him moving faster. If he could. But from the sound of it…

Shaking away the thought, he focused instead on methodically threading the leader along the bottom edge of the door toward the right corner, directly below the hinge. Once there, he pulled the remaining length up the side of the door until it was straight, then glanced at the Scotch tape…

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Allen Wyler’s thrillers have twice been nominated for the prestigious Thriller Award. He has served on the Board of Directors of the International Thriller Writers and is also an active member of the North American Crime Writers and Mystery Writers of America. He lives in Seattle.

 

Website

 

 

Synopsis

 

Trouble comes in threes…

One doomed love affair after another has made lovely Alex Walton swear off men. Now, she’s determined to try something that maybe she can succeed at: a writing career. Little does she know that a chance meeting with a strikingly handsome stranger, a mysterious obelisk, and a lost kingdom will change her life forever. As Alex is about to discover, truth can be stranger—and far more dangerous—than fiction.

…but true love comes only once.

After three years inside a terrorist organization, Phillip Turman is trying to rebuild his life. His first assignment is to pick up Alex Walton, the maid of honor for his best friend’s wedding, at the airport. His second is to deal with his instant attraction to her. But his third may be the toughest: to keep Alex out of danger as his past—and her need to know about it—threaten to destroy their future.

 

 

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About the Author

 

STACEY ABRAMS is a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur, and political leader. She served as Minority Leader in the Georgia House of Representatives, and she was the first black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in United States history.  Abrams has launched multiple nonprofit organizations devoted to democracy protection, voting rights, and effective public policy. She has also co-founded successful companies, including a financial services firm, an energy and infrastructure consulting firm, and the media company Sage Works Productions, Inc.

 

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Synopsis

 

Terence Bailey is about to be released from prison for breaking and entering, though investigators have long suspected him in the murders of six women. As his freedom approaches, Bailey gets a surprise visit from Maddison Logan, a hot, young influencer with a huge social media following. Hours later, Maddison disappears, and police suspect she’s been kidnapped—or worse. Is Maddison’s disappearance connected to her visit to Bailey? Why was she visiting him in the first place?

When they hit a wall in the investigation, the FBI reluctantly asks for Rachel’s help in finding the missing influencer. Maddison seems only to exist on social media; she has no family, no friends, and other than in her posts, most people have never seen her. Who is she, really? Using a fake Instagram account, Rachel Krall goes undercover to BuzzCon, a popular influencer conference, where she discovers a world of fierce rivalry that may have turned lethal.

When police find the body of a woman with a tattoo of a snake eating its tail, the FBI must consider a chilling possibility: Bailey has an accomplice on the outside and a dangerous obsession with influencers, including Rachel Krell herself. Suddenly a target of a monster hiding in plain sight, Rachel is forced to confront the very real dangers that lurk in the dark corners of the internet.

Rachel Krall, the true crime podcaster star of Megan Goldin’s acclaimed Night Swim returns to search for a popular social media influencer who disappeared after visiting a suspected serial killer.

 

 

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Review

 

I have become a fan of Megan Goldin’s ever since her first novel, The Escape Room. Each book she has written takes us to the underbelly of society and the crimes they commit.

This is a follow-up book to The Night Swim. While you don’t have to read that book to enjoy this one, it might give you a little more background on Rachel Krall. However, the author does provide quite a bit of history on Rachel so that the reader does not feel lost.

I was drawn into the story when Rachel is flown to Florida, by the FBI, for a reason that we don’t discover until later. However, this sets off a chain of events that put her life and others in danger.

I found the world of influencers very interesting and probably very true. Nothing they post is real. It is all staged. It makes me wonder why people give so much power to these people. But it was also intriguing to get a glimpse into that world.

Rachel is a smart investigative investigator, and that might be how she was able to uncover information that the FBI couldn’t find. A lot of it comes down to trust and the fact that she is not part of the government. I enjoyed the special report that was shared every few chapters that reflected what she learned about this situation.

As I read this novel, I wondered if Terrance (Terry) was guilty, or was it circumstance? Was there a partner, or was he working on his own? There are many holes in the case against him, but what was fact or fiction was buried until Rachel starts digging into the missing persons case and his case.

There were many twists and turns. Some I expected, and many I did not. I had a hard time putting the book down, wondering what could possibly happen next.

Overall, we give this book 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Megan Goldin was a journalist before she became a writer. She reported from the Middle East for the Associated Press, Reuters, the (Australian) ABC, and other news outlets. She worked in Asia as a reporter and editor for Reuters and Yahoo.

 

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Synopsis

 

After tragedy strikes, Callie Sinclair is left with a gift she never wanted—the ability to communicate with ghosts. But when a desperate widow begs for her help, she reluctantly agrees to investigate the strange occurrences at Hillwood Farm. She quickly realizes she’s dealing with a dangerous presence beyond anything she’s ever experienced, and something else becomes equally clear—the only other living person in the house, Mrs. Turner’s handsome grandson, thinks she’s a scam artist. While she’d prefer to just ignore him, her heart beats a little faster every time he’s nearby.

Luke Turner doesn’t believe in spirits. He’s moved back to restore the family farm, but living on the property serves a dual purpose—he can watch out for his grandmother. He’s not happy about the sudden appearance of a self-described psychic, or his inexplicable attraction to her. His initial suspicions crumble as evidence points to an actual haunting, but he’s still determined not to fall for Callie—the past has taught him it’s best to avoid relationships.

As Callie is drawn deeper into the mystery, she becomes the target of a vengeful spirit, and Luke can no longer fight his feelings for her. Unable to resist their desire, passion ignites…even as the paranormal activity escalates to a final deadly confrontation.

 

 

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Review

 

This story is spooky, suspenseful, and with a twist of romance to keep a reader engrossed in the book.

I loved this book! The mystery kept me engaged while trying to figure out who the ghost was and why were they haunting the farm. I did figure it out before the reveal at the end, but it was by chance. I think I picked up on a few clues that might have been obscure but stood out in my mind. I won’t tell you what they are because you need to read the book yourself and figure it out. I will say that there were a few twists that I wasn’t expecting when everything was revealed.

I really enjoyed Callie’s character. She has had a tough life, but she keeps rolling with the punches. I wonder if an accident that took her boyfriend’s life is what opened her mind to be able to communicate with ghosts. Anything is possible. Luke is the skeptical grandson, but there is an attraction between these two that will not be denied.  The romance between these two is clean, and most of it is “behind closed doors,” which was fine with me because detailed scenes weren’t needed.

The haunting scenes are descriptive and made me a little nervous. I know I don’t have ghosts around my house, but it made me wonder what might happen if I did.

This was the first book I have read by this author, but it won’t be the last. We give this book 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

USA TODAY Bestselling Author Kathryn Knight writes books filled with steamy romance, dangerous secrets, and haunting mysteries. Her novels are award-winning #1 Amazon and B&N Bestsellers and RomCon Reader-Rated picks. When she’s not reading or writing, Kathryn spends her time exploring abandoned places and searching for ghosts. She lives on beautiful Cape Cod with her husband, their two sons, and a number of rescued pets.

 

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Synopsis

 

One night. That’s all the time a family has to decide what to do with the man they believe murdered their daughter: Do they forgive him, or take justice into their own hands? An electrifying novel by the author of Nanny Needed. . .

The anonymous letters arrive in the mail, one by one: To find out what really happened to Meghan, meet at this location. Don’t tell anyone you’re coming. In one night, you’ll find out everything you need to know.

Ten years after her murder, the letters tell Meghan’s family exactly when and where to meet: a cliffside home on the Oregon coast. But on the night they’re promised answers, the convicted killer–her high school boyfriend, Cal, who spent only ten years in prison for murder–is found unconscious in his car, slammed into a light pole near the house where the family is sitting and waiting. Is he the one who invited them to gather?

As a storm rampages along the Pacific Northwest, the power cuts off and leaves the family with no chance of returning to the main road and finding help. So they drag Cal back to the house for the remainder of the night. How easy it would be to let him die and claim it was an accident. Or do they help him instead? As the hours tick by, it becomes an excruciating choice. Half of the family wants to kill him. The other half wants him to regain consciousness so he can tell them what he knows.

But if Cal wakes up, he might reveal that someone in the family knows more than they’re letting on. And if that’s the case, who is the real killer? And are they already in the house?

 

 

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Review

 

I do love a good twisty psychological thriller. And that ending? Wowsa was not expecting some of those twists in the plot.

This one night in a beach house on the coast of Oregon will not be the same for anyone after that night. Deception, betrayal, and so much more are wrapped up in the pages. The story flips back and forth between various points of view, primarily the three sisters, the mother, and the stepmother. Each POV reveals a little more about the plot and the history of the characters. The story does flip back and forth in time, giving us a better feeling for the family, the characters, and maybe why Meghan was killed all those years ago.

Meghan is not a very nice person. She tormented her sisters, as is usual amongst siblings, but there seems to be a darker side that is revealed throughout the book. Her boyfriend of the time, Cal, is charged with her murder despite protesting his innocence. This incident causes strife in the family, including the parents divorcing. However, that might have just been the last thing they needed since their relationship was tenuous at best. Maureen, the mother, does not handle losing her “mini-me” very well, and when Cal is brought to the rental with everyone else in dire condition, she is ready to finish him off for killing her daughter. While I could understand her grief, the thought of her killing Cal was horrifying. She was manic about it too.

Alice and Samantha are the two younger sisters, each with flaws. Alice is quiet and reserved, but there is something different about her that I couldn’t put my finger on until the end when everything made sense. Samantha was truly a wild card. She tried to be the peacemaker, but her deceptions ran deeper than one might think.

A few others in the cast of characters add dimension to the story. Rebecca, the new wife and potentially the reason for the divorce; Paul, the dad and Rebecca’s husband; and Geoff, the “uncle” to the girls and best friend to Paul. Each character has secrets that come to light during this one night.

I was intrigued throughout the novel, and while I might have guessed part of the outcome, other details were a surprise. I would have felt nervous in this house during the storm that wreaked havoc on the house and the occupants. But it adds to the overall mood of the storyline and characters.

Don’t read this book during a storm, or you might hear things that aren’t there! Very enjoyable story, and we give it 5 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

Georgina Cross is the author of One Night, Nanny Needed, The Stepdaughter, The Missing Woman, and The Niece. She has worked as a journalist and spent nine years in business development for an aerospace and defense contractor before joining the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce. She now writes full-time and lives in Alabama with her husband and their combined family of four sons.

 

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Synopsis

 

When the solar system’s key asteroid mine is seized by revolutionaries, it puts the secret mission of the spaceship Ulysses in jeopardy. Without a refueling launch from the asteroid, the survival of the ship and its crew is uncertain. The safest course for the Ulysses? Abandon the mission and limp home.

But Cal Scott, captain of the Ulysses, is an astronaut of the old school and failure is not an option. He has a plan: head straight for the asteroid belt and get their fuel—one way or another.

 

 

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Book 2 – Encounter at Jupiter

 

Book 3 – The Odyssey

 

Read all of the books for Free via Kindle Unlimited

 

 

Excerpt

 

[The Lander] was still, essentially, in the same two-hundred-and-fifty-mile-high, perfectly circular orbit the Ulysses had occupied since grabbing the taxi. He slid his fingers over a disc-shaped control on his touchscreen; it spun like a platter. Reaction control thrusters outside the craft pitched the vehicle so that the taxi’s back faced down toward the asteroid and its engines aimed at its direction of travel. His fingers twirled a second disc; horizontally placed thrusters flared to roll the ship over so that the planetoid below appeared in its viewport. Opposing thrusters belched quickly to stop the roll at the right moment.

“Go for transfer burn, Cal.”

Cal slid the thrust tab all the way forward. Bright blue-yellow cones of flame burst from the twin engines, slowing the taxi lander. He held the slider in position as the mission timer clicked away.

The taxi was, second by second, shedding horizontal speed and falling deeper into Ceres’s gravity, dropping faster and faster. Its orbit had gone from perfectly circular to an exaggerated ellipse that would bring it down to just fifty thousand feet above the ground on exactly the opposite side of the planetoid from where the burn had begun. If he did nothing, the little taxi would loop back up around Ceres, returning to its apogee two hundred and fifty miles above.

Cal had half an orbit to think. He didn’t relish the time, but the lander’s descent path would give him a better look at the icy, dusty treasure house of an asteroid. Ceres was the largest body in an asteroid belt made up of millions of rocky objects. The planetoid made up over a third of the entire belt’s mass and a good amount of it was in the form of water ice. Every now and then, due to an odd combination of forces, a geyser of sublimated water vapor would spew out of the little world. Ice volcanoes. As such, Ceres had its own faint atmosphere, and it lent it an air of mystery: a tenuously shrouded and misty sphere against a backdrop of endless clarity.

Dropping down below one hundred miles a shattered area, appearing to be made up of great crusts of ice and clay heaved over one another, spread out beneath him. Another quarter way around the small globe and he would reach the low point in the transfer orbit. That would be the time to initiate descent. Looking over the taxi’s systems, he thought he caught a sparkling reflection in his viewport: an object rising from the surface? He looked again but could see nothing. He checked for a record of it on the scopes but could find no trace. Paranoia?

The taxi lander swept down, approaching the low point—the nadir—of its orbit. Cal’s fingers hovered over the control screen. There would be a nearly endless number of repeat tries if he missed. The lander would stay in its transfer orbit, shifting between the high point of the parking orbit and the fifty-thousand-foot low, but Cal wasn’t about to miss the moment, and he had a sneaking suspicion that Odysseus would fire the engines if he failed to act, even though he had asked it not to.

Right at fifty thousand feet, he ramped the thrust up to full, and the lander shed enough of its remaining momentum that Ceres’s gravity had it. There was nothing that was going to keep it from falling to the planetoid. There just wasn’t enough fuel remaining in its tanks to put it back into orbit. Technically, all paths in space were orbits; this new one the taxi was falling along just happened to intersect with the ground.

Now, Cal thought, it was all about mitigating the fall.

 

 

About the Author

 

R. Peter Keith grew up on a steady diet of classic science fiction—Arthur C. Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein, Farmer—and Marvel comics. He went to the Joe Kubert school of cartoon art during his teenage years, received a degree in psychology, and then started a museum exhibit and games company. He is a recognized expert on the history of video games, having worked as an advisor for recognized entities like the U.S. Post Office, History Channel, Microsoft, AMD, and Digital Eclipse. In this capacity he has appeared as a commentator and interviewee on CBS This Morning, CNN, CNBC, and others. He appeared in the CNBC documentary Game On, as well as History Channel’s Modern Marvels.

In 2008, he designed and produced the largest and most complex restoration of an extinct ecosystem for a museum exhibit, bringing back to life over 2.2 square miles of late Cretaceous Wyoming complete with accurately simulated animals, insects, and plants with proper dispersal and nutritional values. The animals could hunt and track visitors via sight and sound and what is called “digital scent.”

In 2015, an exhibit Keith designed and produced broke all attendance records at its debut at Space Center Houston, NASA Johnson Space Center’s official visitor center, and because of its success his company was awarded a NASA Space Act Agreement Partnership. During the research and creation of this exhibition, which simulates space flight and landings on multiple moons and worlds in the solar system, Keith spent hours upon hours discussing space with the greatest minds at NASA. He visited the astronaut training center, spending time in and out of various spacecraft, including time in the Orion Space Capsule with one of its designers. He piloted the Lunar Lander simulator at NASA’s Langley Research center and spent months of accumulated time within a simulation of the lunar surface accurate down to a scale of 1 foot. This experience inspired the idea for Wine Dark Deep.

R. Peter Keith is married with two kids, two rescue dogs, and two vintage sports cars that he calls his “steel brothers.”

 

Website

 

 

Synopsis

 

Sutton going missing is the worst thing to happen to Casey, to their family. She’s trying to help find her sister, but Casey is furious. And she can’t tell anyone about their argument before Sutton disappeared. Everyone paints a picture of Sutton’s perfection: the popular cheerleader with an entourage of friends, a doting boyfriend, and a limitless future. But Sutton manipulated everyone around her, even stole an heirloom bracelet from Casey. People don’t look for missing Black girls–or half-Black girls–without believing there is an angel to be saved.

When Sutton reappears, Casey knows she should be relieved. Except Sutton isn’t the same. She remembers nothing about while she was gone—or anything from her old life, including how she made Casey miserable. There’s something unsettling about the way she wants to spend time with Casey, the way she hums and watches her goldfish swim for hours.

What happened to Sutton? The more Casey starts uncovering her sister’s secrets, the more questions she has. Did she really know her sister? Why is no one talking about the other girls who have gone missing in their area? And what will it take to uncover the truth?

 

 

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Review

 

This debut YA novel is sure to hit home with many readers. While it appears to be based on a true story, according to the author’s notes, it is a story that will resonate with many that have had similar experiences with their ancestry.

The story focuses on sisters Casey and Sutton. The rest of the characters are supporting but not fully developed since their role is minor. These sisters have a love/hate relationship. It happens with teenagers, but later in life, they will appreciate each other, hopefully! The beginning focuses on Sutton’s disappearance and the search for her. The story does jump back and forth in time, but it is done well and helps to broaden the depth of the story and explain some nuances of what Casey or Sutton were thinking or experiencing.

While Sutton is discovered, she is not herself, and what follows is the journey to find whoever kidnapped her and why she can’t remember anything. When the truth is revealed in the end, it is quite a surprise. Obviously, I’m not going to tell you anything because that would spoil the story. So just go read the book!

There is the mystery of who kidnapped Sutton. There are several possibilities, but the truth was quite a surprise. As the story unfolds, it does reveal how wealth has its privilege. To give you more details would also ruin the mystery of the book. So once again, just go read the book!

I loved all of the historical aspects of the story. Their father is a historian researching their family tree and its roots in slavery. I found this very fascinating because many families were broken up and sold, and they may have never found each other again.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected. And for a debut novel, the author gets a big thumbs up from me.

We give it 4 paws up.

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

My name is Lily Meade.

I was born and raised in Washington state (the one with coffee, not Congress), the second oldest and only girl of four. I like to think I was a cool kid (my mother was an ice cream lady, I mean… come on), but that is debatable.

I believe stories have power.

I strive to live by the motto of a life inspired by fiction. I come from a background of extreme poverty (I’ve been homeless twice!) and live with a chronic illness, so I know just how powerful hope can be when you’re on a difficult journey.

I believe anyone can achieve their own happy ending, no matter how bleak things may currently seem. I’m a passionate advocate of at risk youth outreach and reading programs.

My debut novel THE SHADOW SISTER, and an untitled second novel will be published by Sourcebooks Fire in 2023 and 2024, respectively. My ultimate career goal is to be hired to write a modern YA reboot of Scooby Doo.

 

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Bomb Blast: A Thriller
Thriller
4th in Series
Middle River Press (February 24, 2023)

 

Synopsis

 

In the fourth novel in the Dr. Catherine (Cat) Powers series, top FBI forensic pathologist and special agent Dr. Cat Powers is called as two Syrian-born bombers wreak havoc on “soft targets” in the United States.

Starting with the New York Stock Exchange, these bombers are intent on causing as much murder and mayhem as they can. As their bombing spree takes them cross-country, Cat is appointed the eyes and ears of the president of the United States. Teamed with Special Ops and bombing expert Sam Patterson, Cat must figure out who these bombers are, what their motives are, who is funding them, and ultimately, if they can be caught. As the bombings become more violent and deadly, Cat and Sam are in a race against time to catch these savage killers before they kill again.

Will they succeed or will the bombers avoid detection and escape?

 

 

 

Amazon

 

Read for free via Kindle Unlimited

 

 

Guest Post

 

Interview with Dr. Catherine (Cat) Powers for Bomb Blast

 

Good afternoon. My name is Dr. Catherine Powers, although most folks call me Cat. I am an FBI special agent, profiler, and a forensic pathologist. I am called in to handle the “worst of the worst” criminal cases in the United States when local authorities are at wits end and need help.

So, a little personal information. I am the mother of a son, Joey, who is 9 years old at the time of this interview. He is quite literally the center of my universe.  The hardest thing about my job is being away from him for extended periods of time. He is a smart, fun-loving boy who loves to swim in our pool and play with his Golden Retriever, Max. Joey is an only child which is one of the reasons he and I are so close. The other reason is that 3 years ago, Joey was kidnapped by a madman, that the media dubbed “The Burning Man.” He killed my ex-husband and kidnapped Joey to try to get to me. I will never forget those days and nights searching for him or how it all ended, with “The Burning Man,” whose real name was Eric Dupont, getting away. I was able to bring him to justice about a year later when he resurfaced from hiding.

So, what would you like to know about me? As I mentioned I am a single mother which I find very challenging especially with my career. Like most women, somehow, I make it work, although the stress takes a lot out of me. I love what I do. For me, it is not just a job. It can’t be if you must work 18-to-20-hour days. I am driven and dedicated to my work with the FBI. When I am doing an autopsy, I always treat the body with the greatest respect. After all, this is someone’s wife, daughter, sister, aunt or mother. This was someone’s father, brother, uncle, nephew or close friend.  This person has a family that is looking for answers.  In doing an autopsy on them, I become their voice and their truth.

I also love tracking down the killers. In the case of “Firestorm,” I had not one, but two serial killers to track down.  One was my old friend, “The Burning Man.”  The other was a serial arsonist hellbent on burning entire Southern California neighborhoods.

As a scientist and a doctor, I take great care with every detail of a criminal case. Sometimes, it is the little things in a case that make all the difference in the world to solving the case and bringing a grieving family closure. I am fortunate to have a bit of a sixth sense in solving crimes that only comes to me in times of great stress. In Bomb Blast, you will learn for the first time where this “gift”, if you can call it that, comes from. It is something I share only with those very close to me.

In Bomb Blast, I am called in after two horrific bombings in New York City in that many days. The first kills the head of the Federal Reserve as he is leaving his posh New York apartment – a car bomb that literally blows it to smithereens. The second, the day after is a bombing at the New York Stock Exchange. With both bombings, the bombers have a very clear message – they intend on causing turmoil in the financial markets in the US and abroad. For a short while, they accomplish those goals. That is until, US President, Paul Cosgrave, teams me and Special Ops and bombing specialist, Sam Patterson, together to hunt down these killers. We must figure out their motives, their financing and try to determine when and where they will strike next. Not easy tasks, I can assure you, as these bombers spread terror and mayhem across the United States. Their intentions are simple – strike fear into every American heart. They want to make people afraid to leave their homes, afraid to do simple things like going to the grocery store on a Saturday afternoon.  These bombers what to shake the very core of American society. Neither I nor Sam have any intention of letting that happen. As we start to put the pieces together, it seems that the bombers are one step ahead of us. They are bombing soft targets – like the famous Water Tower shopping center in Chicago and a football game in New Jersey with reckless abandon. Then, Sam and I catch a break as one of the bombers gets to close to his own work and is blown up by his own bomb.  This creates a situation where Sam and I, for the first time, are able to get one step ahead of the remaining female bomber. Sam, with his Special Ops team was able to track down and capture “the money” behind this bombing operation, a sheik located in the desert in the Middle East. Sam brings him back to the US and then down to Gitmo in Cuba at the request of the President, where Sam forces him to talk. Well, I won’t give you the rest of the story. No spoilers here. Suffice it to say, the story is a compelling one. Sam and I work well together as a professional team as well as romantically. Oh, did I forget to mention that. Yes, Sam and I are a couple. My ten-year-old son, Joey is thrilled with our relationship and has accepted Sam, a fact for which I am grateful.

So, what does the future hold for me? I will continue to work tirelessly for the FBI. Even when the nights grow long, I still have a passion for what I do. That will never change. I will continue to raise Joey the best that I can. I want to be a good mother for him, although sometimes it is hard because my work takes me away from him for long periods of time. That is one of the reasons I am so glad to have Sam in my life. And in Joey’s life. I am sure that there will be more cases to solve in the future. More criminals to bring to justice. That will never end.

On a personal note, now that Covid 19 is over, I plan to do more traveling. Whether it’s taking Joey to Belize like I did last year, or finally going on that Kenya safari I had always planned to do, I am definitely making more time to travel and see the world. If Covid taught me anything, it is that tomorrow is not guaranteed, and we must live our lives to the fullest each and every single day. So, for me and Joey and hopefully Sam, that means a little globe-trotting. I’ve been fortunate to have travelled to some far-off destinations so far in my life, 19 to be exact. So, I’ll be adding to that list.

Because of the stress of my work, I am a bit of a loner. I don’t have too many close friends. I view Joey as really my best friend in the world, with Sam running a close second. Our Golden Retriever, Max, runs next in line. That dog does the craziest things, especially when he is with Joey. There was one time I made the mistake of leaving a fresh baked peach pie on the back to the stove to cool before taking it to a friend house for a dinner party. I left Max in the kitchen for fine minutes to get dressed for the party and came back in the kitchen, only to find three quarters of the pie gone and Max looking at me with “I didn’t do it” look on his face. I wanted to get mad, but I couldn’t because it was really my fault. If you know anything about Golden Retrievers, they love food. I was my fault for leaving the pie out where Max could get to it. I really couldn’t blame him a bit.

What do I see for the future between Sam and I, you ask? Well, at this point, I don’t want to over think it. We are both grown adults enjoying life and each other’s company. I don’t want to place expectations on our relationship – long term – because that could really destroy the trust and love that we have for each other. So, for now, I am just happy to take things day by day. No pressure. No stress. No promise of happily ever after. Just here and now. And happiness.

Well, I hope that gives you a little glimpse into my life. Joey’s life and Sam as well. Hope you enjoy reading Bomb Blast.

 

 

 

 

About the Author

 

BORN ON THE BEAUTIFUL TROPICAL ISLAND of Jamaica to a Jamaican father and a French mother, Solange Ritchie (then Solange Levy) immigrated to the United States at age eleven. Since then, she has become a dynamic force for change. Fed up with thrillers that start with a fizzle and longing to see more powerful women as lead characters, Solange decided to create her own characters. Despite the demands of a busy legal career, she accomplished her ambitious goal by rising each morning to write before work, dedicating her weekends to writing, and even spending her vacation time writing. Solange is fortunate to have traveled to over 19 countries in her lifetime.

Words have always been Solange’s passion – now so more than ever.

Solange achieved a successful writing career while doing “last minute trial,” mostly in Southern California. Dubbed “the Case Saver,” Solange handled intense legal motions that either make or break a case, especially in the areas of business, labor, and employment law. In 2014, she received the State Bar of California’s Solo and Small Firm’s Section’s highest award, the Myer J. Sankary Attorney of the Year Award. It is given to only one attorney each year in California.

When Solange was just thirty-seven years old, her first husband, John, died due to gross medical negligence at a leading Southern California hospital. This life-altering experience helped shape her into the person she is today. She began writing creatively to deal with the stress of his hospitalization and his death.

Solange’s first psychological thriller, The Burning Man, featuring FBI forensic pathologist Dr. Catherine “Cat” Powers was published in 2015. Her second novel in the series, Firestorm, was released to critical acclaim, on May 15, 2018. Dying Declaration is the third novel in the Dr. Catherine “Cat” Powers series. Bomb Blast is Solange’s fourth novel in the series. Solange plans at least two more books in the Dr. Catherine Powers series. A fan of things that go bump in the night, Solange has also penned a Southern Gothic novel called Fiona’s Box, which will be released shortly.

Solange lives in Southern Florida. She enjoys traveling, writing, gardening, time with her family, as well as good food and conversation. Solange is available for speaking engagements. She especially enjoys talking with book clubs.

 

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Synopsis

 

A devastating terrorist bomb blast at a spiritual retreat outside Santa Fe, New Mexico, sends journalist Kevin Pitcairn and his beloved Emmy on a quixotic quest to understand the roots of violence. Traveling across the country deep into the bowels of Southern Appalachia, their search takes them through a long-standing rift in the American consciousness to confrontations with remarkable and anomalous characters, some of them deeply spiritual, others well-grounded in research and psychology.

In this sequel to the much-acclaimed A Killer’s Grace, Pitcairn and Emmy return to the exploration of innocence while adding to it a deepening understanding of injury and ordeal―and its amazing corollary of Post-Traumatic Growth. As the quest and its dangers rip their lives apart, doors open that lure them back and forth across the country in search of tendrils tying together the events and anguish, as well as bringing the protagonists more deeply together.

 

 

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Guest Post

 

Today we welcome Ron to StoreyBook Reviews as he shares his thoughts on:

 

Finding Emotional Sobriety – Even in Chaos?

 

In the past few years more and more people have discovered the idea of emotional sobriety. While the idea began as an advanced practice in twelve-step recovery driven by an article by Bill W., the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, the swirling and often damaging challenges of contemporary society seem to have increased interest beyond the rooms of recovery.

How in the world can we maintain balance amid challenges and difficulties?

First, we have to see that such balance, a psycho-spiritual state that can manage all kinds of disruption, is not free of emotions, does not deny reality, and is not static.

To use a great analogy, it’s as if our lives are lived on a high-wire. At any moment, there may be the movement of wind, distractions that are like birds, changes in our physiology, and the incessant chatter of our minds. What practices can we bring to such a reality that allow us to stay attuned and engaged?

Bill W. proposed that the root of our difficulties with our relationships with others and the world boils down to “faulty dependencies.” He saw that when any of us believe that someone or something else has the means to further or limit our well-being, we are at risk of emotional or psychological upset. If circumstances happen in a way that affirms our well-being, we unconsciously conclude that all is well. On the other hand, when circumstances seem to threaten our well-being, we can lose our balance.

But aren’t we dependent on people and the world?

Well, yes and no. However, the incredible work of Viktor Frankl and the demonstrations of exceptional people, for example Nelson Mandela, suggest that meaning, purpose and self-direction are wholly within us. To paraphrase a mantra or affirmation provided to me by a long-time mentor and teacher:

Thank you that my well-being is not dependent on anyone or anything.

That is the profound perspective of emotional sobriety. Yet, it raises the question of how to internalize that idea, and how to practice in ways that can promote it.

This is the realm of practices such as “letting go,” “allowing,” and even “forgiveness.” Each of these begins by identifying that which somehow threatens us, i.e. a circumstance, a person, a situation, or even the world, then working with it to let go of an attachment, allow a reality to be, or forgive something.

To use yet another analogy, we are like Velcro™. We get stuck to something, or it gets stuck to us. When we identify and deconstruct the hooks that allow for stuckness, magically we are released. The result is emotional sobriety.

You may ask, “Is this realistic?”

I can only speak to my own practice and experience. Over many years the number of upsets that have arisen is quite large. The most disruptive were the points at which to begin, and successes have been significant. With refinement, many smaller challenges have dissipated as well.

The most amazing result has been in my willingness to engage challenges and upsets. Success creates a belief that difficulties are solvable. The benefits and experience only increase that clarity and commitment.

Today, I am surprisingly well much of the time. Today, I know that any upset is a sign that I have inner work to do. Today, I’m remarkably willing to do what is needed to experience emotional sobriety.

 

After Thought

 

This psycho-spiritual development is at the heart of the series of novels I have christened as The Chronicles of Grace. Most recently, The Dark Side of Grace was released, which follows on A Killer’s Grace, with several more to follow. Packaging valuable ideas as psycho-spiritual thrillers allows for good stories with compelling characters and action to be a fun and effective way to learn and grow.

 

 

About the Author

 

Ronald Chapman is an author, speaker, and facilitator of approaches that increase well-being-ness and produce breakthroughs when practiced deeply and in a sustained fashion. He is the creator of Seeing True™ and Progressive Recovery, resources dedicated to exploring concepts of engaging, releasing, and transcending blockages in our lives. At the heart of Seeing True and all of his work is the Greek notion of “metanoia,” which could translate as a profound change of heart. Ronald maintains two core businesses as well. Leading Public Health provides facilitation, strategy, and consultation to public health clientele, while Magnetic North delivers similar services to a broader array of clients.

Ron spent many years as a national award-winning radio commentator on KUNM radio in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is an elite Accredited Speaker through Toastmasters International and an accomplished leadership facilitator working with clients from all over the world, including the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. Ron currently resides in Atlanta and spends much of his time immersed in art and beauty wherever his travels take him.

 

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