PREVIEWING DEAD END

Come March, the final book in my Kaely Quinn Profiler series will come to an end. A DEAD END. I want to share a little about book three and offer you a chance to win a copy when it's released. 

DEAD END

 When a body is discovered in a field in Iowa, the police uncover fourteen additional corpses, some from twenty years ago, others from the recent past. The remains point to a serial killer with an MO the authorities have seen before--Ed Oliphant, a man who has been in prison for more than twenty years . . . and is FBI Special Agent Kaely Quinn's father. After several failed attempts to discover if Ed has been training someone to be a copycat killer, the police turn to Kaely in St. Louis for help.

Kaely promised herself she would never step foot in her hometown or set eyes on her father again. She's always refused to confront her past, but if she wants to prevent any more deaths, she must come face-to-face with the man she's hated for years.

As more bodies are discovered, Kaely races against time and her own inner turmoil to uncover the killer. Will this most personal case yet cost Kaely her identity and perhaps even her life? 

Leave me a comment about what you've enjoyed most about this series. I'll pick five winners who will get a signed copy of DEAD END!

Nancy

A LOOK BACK AT JOHN D. MacDONALD

Today I’m in a nostalgic mood. I don’t know if it’s because January is usually the month I look back or because I’ve discovered Anne of Green Gables and I’m reading through that series.

I’m also rereading John D. MacDonald’s books which include the popular Travis McGee series. I read his books, not just to be entertained, which they certainly do, but for craft. MacDonald coined his writing stye as “unobtrusive poetry.” Unobtrusive, because no author wants to draw attention to his style of writing. Here’s an excerpt from a Travis McGee book, Darker Than Amber:

She sat up slowly, looked in turn at each of us, and her dark eyes were like twin entrances to two deep caves. Nothing lived in those caves. Maybe something had, once upon a time. There were piles of picked bones back in there, some scribbling on the walls, and some gray ash where the fires had been.

You know you’re reading about a woman who has lost her way. 

One more example from The Empty Copper Sea: 
Van Harder was a lean, sallow man. Tall, silent, and expressionless. I had never seen him without a greasy khaki cap with a bill. Florida born for generations back, from that tough, tireless, malnourished, merciless stock which had scared the living daylights out of the troops they had faced in the War Between the States. His eyes were a pale, watery blue. He was about fifty, I guessed.

I can just see the man.

Lee Child of the Jack Reacher series said this of MacDonald:

I read the Travis McGee novels five years before beginning my own Jack Reacher series and for the first time I was given a sense of "the skeleton beneath" the writing. I could see what MacDonald was doing, how he was compelling me to read on. I was left with the impression that if I needed to write a book, I could.

If it works for Lee Child... 

I read craft books, then I read examples of what the craft books teach. And John D. MacDonald has some of the best examples of description around. And a pleasure to read.

By the way, while he’s known for the Travis McGee books, he also wrote The Executioner. It was later turned into a movie starring Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum—Cape Fear.

If you’re a fan of mysteries, then I think you would enjoy a John D. MacDonald novel. They are general market and while mostly clean, especially the later books, they are secular in nature. 

 Leave me a comment, telling me if you’ve ever read one of his books, and I’ll enter you in a drawing for one of his novels--The Empty Copper Sea. (Or if you prefer, a $10 Amazon gift card) This one features a born-again Christian as his client.

WHAT'S NEW IN INSPIRATIONAL SUSPENSE

January has been a great month for suspense releases! Today we're featuring our very own Mary Alford!

Amish Country Kidnapping

For this Amish widow, nowhere is safe...

Unless she trusts the Englischer she once loved.

Waking up to a man trying to kidnap her is Amish widow Rachel Albrecht’s most terrifying moment—until she discovers he’s already taken her teenaged sister. Now Rachel’s life—and her sister’s—depends on her first love, Englischer deputy Noah Warren. But the danger of rekindling their forbidden love is the least of Rachel’s worries with her family in a killer’s sights…

You can purchase Amish Country Kidnapping at:
Amazon
B&N

We Love Books!

THIS WEEK ON THE SUSPENSE SISTERS

We’re planning another great week on the Suspense Sisters. Check out our posts, our interviews, and our awesome giveaways!

THIS WEEK:

On Tuesday Patricia Bradley will tell us What’s Hot in Inspirational Suspense and Mystery.

Wednesday Patricia is back with an article about author John D. McDonald. She’ll also let a winner pick their choice of one of his books. The excerpt below is from his novel, THE GIRL, THE GOLD WATCH AND EVERYTHING

Once an ordinary math teacher, Omar Krepps developed a knack for gambling, amassed a fabulous fortune, and spent the rest of his life traveling the world and giving away his millions. Upon his death, however, Krepps bequeaths nothing to his nephew and only living blood relative, Kirby Winter—nothing, that is, except an antique watch and a sealed letter to be opened after one year.

But Kirby has much more in his possession than he realizes. The watch has the power to manipulate time. Not only does this revelation shed light on the mystery of his uncle’s life, it puts Kirby on the path to unimaginable wealth and a new lease on love—as well as a whole host of deadly troubles. Even in a universe where time is no issue, Kirby must tread carefully to stay one step ahead of danger.

You can find it here.

Friday, Nancy Mehl will tell us about the third and final installment in her Kaely Quinn Profiler series, DEAD END.

When a body is discovered in a field in Iowa, the police uncover fourteen additional corpses ranging from 20 years old to recent. The remains point to a serial killer with an MO the authorities have seen before--Ed Oliphant, a man who has been in prison for over 20 years . . . and is Special Agent Kaely Quinn's father. After several failed interview attempts to discover if Ed has been training someone to be a copycat killer, the police turn to Kaely in St. Louis.

Kaely promised herself she would never step foot in her hometown or set eyes on her father again. She's always refused to confront her past, but if she wants to prevent any more deaths, she must come face-to-face with the man she's hated for years. 

As more bodies are discovered, Kaely races against time and her own personal turmoil to uncover the killer. Will this most personal case yet cost Kaely her identity and perhaps even her life?

Buy it here.

 

The Suspense Sisters

We love books!

Review of Rosanna's Gift ~ Win a free copy!

Happy New Year, Suspense Sisters' readers! While taking a break from my own writing, I had the pleasure of reading Susan Lantz Simpson's latest book, Rosanna's Gift. Here's my review:

I have read books about the Amish by this author before and found them to be accurate in detail, heartwarming, and romantic in a family-friendly way. This one is no exception. In Rosanna’s Gift, the author tackles the complex issue of adoption across cultural lines. Her central character struggles with the new responsibilities of motherhood while her still-single heart is pulled in two directions. Susan Lantz Simpson has developed rich, multi-layered characters that you will come to love while turning the pages. I enjoyed my mini-vacation into the lives of these gentle Christians and feel mystery readers will enjoy Rosanna’s Gift too.

Here's a little about the story: In Southern Maryland’s serene Amish country, one young woman’s life is changed by an unexpected request . . .

“She’s yours.” Until now, Rosanna Mast’s hopes for the future have all revolved around handsome Henry Zook. But when a young Englisch girl places her newborn daughter in Rosanna’s arms and utters those words, shock quickly turns to fierce, protective devotion. Between helping her midwife mamm and caring for her own siblings, Rosanna has plenty of experience with babies. And who wouldn’t love a sweet-natured boppli like little Mollie? Yet to her dismay, Henry has no intention of ever taking on another man’s child. Instead, it is steady, thoughtful Paul Hertzler who becomes Rosanna’s staunch supporter.

Paul knows he should have acted sooner on his feelings for Rosanna. Now, as her dream of adopting Mollie meets unexpected hurdles, he sees a way to help. Rosanna would do anything to keep baby Mollie—perhaps even agree to marriage. But will Rosanna continue to hold him at arm’s length, or see that he longs to offer her the love and family she deserves?

Click here to purchase Rosanna's Gift:  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1420149806?pf_rd_p=ab873d20-a0ca-439b-ac45-cd78f07a84d8&pf_rd_r=M5ZFMXP5BDJ7AAK1SYYJ 

To win a free signed copy of Rosanna's Gift, please leave Susan a comment, along with your email address. Sorry, US readers only. Drawing in one week. 

New Year – New Book, and a Giveaway!

Hi everyone. I’m sure by now you’re tired of hearing, “Happy New Year”, so I won’t say it. 

But I am happy that we’ve flipped the page from 2019 into the roaring twenties. Starting a new decade is exciting, isn’t it? 

And there’s just something about January that fills me with so much hope. Having a brand new year filled with 365 days of opportunity reminds me that no matter what happened in the previous year, anything is possible for 2020. 

It’s also kind of exciting that I have a new brand new book out during this first month of the New Year. It’s a first for me in that it’s the first Amish Suspense I’ve written for Love Inspired Suspense, and it kicks off what will be a series of Amish Suspense stories set in the West Kootenai, Montana Amish Community. 

So, what about you? What are you most looking forward to in this new decade? 

Leave a comment, and you'll be entered in a drawing for a copy of AMISH COUNTRY KIDNAPPING. Print copy to US residents. E-book to those outside of the US. I’ll announce the winner on January 22. 

Many, many blessings to you and your family this new decade!

All the best…

Mary Alford

www.maryalford.net