Synopsis

In Blind Trust, the third installment in Eckles’s series featuring financier and complex heroine Celeste Donovan, Celeste is mourning the death of loved ones while trying to conjure newlywed bliss. As one of the richest self-made women in the world, she appears to have it all—a penthouse apartment, meteoric business success, and a supermodel’s physique with a mathematician’s mind. Beneath the surface, however, she is haunted by how much she has lost.

Now that Celeste has the opportunity to move on from the turmoil of the past few years, she is committed to eliminating any threats to her new life. But the past comes knocking. Entangled with a global crime syndicate that will stop at nothing for revenge, she cannot turn a blind eye to the destruction it has caused. Though she gives the appearance that she has joined her close friends in an alliance with rogue federal agents, she continues to partner with ruthless characters who move through the shadows.

With secrets surfacing and enemies closer than ever, Celeste must navigate betrayal from unexpected sources. The deeper she digs, the more she realizes no one is safe—and nothing is what it seems.

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Excerpt

Queenpin or Lone Wolf?

Mysterious Femme Fatale Linked to Murder of Scorned FBI Director

Washington, DC

By Avery Quinn | August 12

The famed Riggs Hotel, reminiscent of the glamorous art deco era, was the scene of a deadly stabbing in the early morning hours, according to local police. Authorities were called to the scene around 2:30 a.m., after a hotel employee on a cigarette break saw a woman covered in blood fleeing down a back alley. During a search of the hotel premises, the body of slain FBI Director Stephen Lockwood was found in a sublevel storage room.

“There was so much blood,” said the employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It was everywhere—on the floors, on the walls, even on the light fixtures. Something really terrible must have happened there.”

Later this morning, the US Attorney General’s Office released a statement that Director Lockwood had been under investigation for his ties to vast drug-, arms-, and human-trafficking organizations, and his termination was in progress.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police Department confirmed that one suspect—a woman who has not yet been identified—is being actively pursued in connection with the murder. Authorities have not yet determined whether she acted alone or is linked to a broader network of international crimes. No arrests have been made. The incident is still being assessed, and the investigation is ongoing. This is a developing story, and more information will be provided as it becomes available.

About the Author

Rachael Eckles is the author of the award-winning Celeste Donovan series, a genre-defying blend of high-stakes thriller and romantic suspense. An Indiana-native, Rachael lives in New York City, writing about powerful female protagonists and running her publishing company, Aphrodite Books, which is dedicated to amplifying the voices of women authors and supporting non-profits that are empowering women and girls globally.

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