BOOK REVIEW: DEADLY REVENGE by Suspense Sister Patricia Bradly

Marji Laine here, and I’m delighted to review DEADLY REVENGE by Suspense Sister Patricia Bradley. I’m even more delighted to have read it, by the way!

Patricia Bradley’s third book in her Pearl River series has the same intensity as books one and two! All are stand-alone stories with the characters and the setting of Pearl River being the connection between them all. Being “stand-alone” means there’s no over-arching story that would require the books to be read in order, so you can read book three even if you haven’t read the others. However, if you want to get full enjoyment from the series, start with book one, COUNTER ATTACK. You can get a copy HERE!

I have to say, I liked Deputy Jenna Hart right away when I met her in the earlier books. I’m so glad we get to enjoy her story! And I love the way that Patricia Bradley wrapped the series up. You’ll have to read it to feel the satisfaction there!

The tension in this book starts on page one. (I kept having to remind myself that the main character wasn’t going to get killed off in the prologue.) The author certainly has the gift of setting a hook for a reader! And like with COUNTER ATTACK and FATAL WITNESS the suspense comes in hills and valleys with just enough time to catch a breath before another attack or surprise shocks the main characters.

They are outstanding by the way. The unexpected feelings between them are palpable, fueled from years of working together in a relationship that didn’t allow for romance. It is like a dance between them. But even more than that, I really enjoy how they personally develop. Particularly in the area of trust. I can't imagine going through the betrayal that Jenna went through, but to come out on the other side, actually able to build trust again is remarkable. And Maxwell is attentive to her with such compassion. I like that the attraction between them is more than chemistry! 

I don’t want to give anything away, so here’s the basic description:

Deputy Jenna Hart has only been working in her sleepy hometown of Pearl Springs for seven months when city officials begin to be targeted by a killer. Twenty years ago, the construction of a dam caused people to lose their land to eminent domain. That wound has not healed with time, and someone bearing a grudge is clearly set on revenge. With the former mayor of Pearl Springs now running for the US Senate, Jenna will have to call in backup to ensure his protection.

That's where Agent Maxwell Anderson comes in. He and Jenna used to work together in the Chattanooga Police Department, and there was even a smoldering fire of attraction. Now they team up to track down the killer before a big political rally that promises to bring not only the former mayor into the crosshairs but hundreds of civilians as well.

As the sparks of romance reignite and the threads of the investigation get tangled when another suspect comes into play, Jenna and Max will have to draw on all of their skills to stay alive and prevent the wave of disaster poised to hit the community of Pearl Springs. The question is, can either of them fully trust that the other has their back?

Get your copy HERE! I hope you LOVE it! ~ Marji

A STORY'S JOURNEY

I'm taking a break from reading the last edit for Deadly Revenge before it goes to galleys. Have you ever wondered at the process a book goes through? I thought I'd share about that with you today using Deadly Revenge.

First, the book had to be proposed. Since this is book three, I only had to write a short paragraph. Here's what I proposed: 

Book 3:

It will feature Allison Quinn and a TBI agent assigned to a woman who is running for governor. The candidate is making a campaign stop in Russell County and Pearl Springs is chosen to host a campaign stop. Allison discovers a plot to assassinate her. She crosses swords with the TBI agent as well as the candidate.

As I read that, I have to chuckle. The only part of the proposal that is anywhere near what Deadly Revenge is about is the TBI agent. Here's the catalog copy:

 

Deputy Jenna Hart has only been working in her sleepy hometown of Pearl Springs for seven months when city officials begin to be targeted by a killer. Twenty years ago, the construction of a dam caused people to lose their land to eminent domain. That wound has not healed with time, and someone bearing a grudge is clearly set on revenge. With the former mayor of Pearl Springs now running for the US Senate, Jenna will have to call in backup to ensure his protection.

That’s where Agent Maxwell Anderson comes in. He and Jenna used to work together in the Chattanooga Police Department, and there was even a smoldering fire of attraction. Now they team up to track down the killer before a big political rally that promises not only to bring the former mayor into the crosshairs but hundreds of civilians as well.

As the sparks of romance reignite and the threads of the investigation get tangled when another suspect comes into play, Jenna and Max will have to draw on all of their skills to stay alive and prevent the wave of disaster poised to hit the community of Pearl Springs. The question is, can either of them fully trust that the other has their back?

After the book is written, it goes to my acquisition editor. She will read it and send it back with the changes she wants made. I usually have a couple of weeks to make the changes and get it back to her. 

Once that's done, I have a few weeks of breathing room, maybe even a month or two. During this time, I also get a preview of the cover, and I love the cover of Deadly Revenge!

Then the BIG edit will arrive in my inbox. I usually have two to three weeks to make the changes on this edit. This editor keeps track of the timeline, plot holes, and the places I'm not consistent. She also notes when I change the color of my character's eyes. :-) (I affectionately call her the Plausibility Police--it has to be plausible or she will catch it!)

Once I make the changes and send it to her, off the manuscript goes to a proofreader who doesn't just check for typos and misspelled words, but contradictions in it. When I get it back this time, I make the changes and then let Word read it back to me. That way I can catch the words I've left out, the rhythm, and any clunky structure. Not that I ever catch all of the typos, etc. My brain sees what I thought I wrote. Up until this point, any changes aren't too costly for the publisher. 

That's where I am now. Once I send it to my editor, it will go to the printer, and before it's actually set in stone, I'll get one more chance to make changes. By this time it's been a couple of months, and when I read it again, I catch more typos and left out words. At this point, each change I make costs more for the publisher to make, so I have to have a good reason to make the changes. 

A few months later a box of books arrives at my house, and when I open it, the thrill of seeing a story I created has me practically jumping for joy--it never gets old. 

And that is the process my books go through to get to you, the readers. Deadly Revenge will release November 5, 2024!

Here's the cover of Deadly Revenge:

BOOK REVIEW: FATAL WITNESS by Suspense Sister Patricia Bradley

Marji Laine here. 

Since reading Counter Attack a few months ago, the first book in the Pearl River series, I have been so excited, anticipating book 2 of the series. I was not disappointed.

Fatal Witness starts off like a rocket. I was gripped from the first sentence from the perspective of a frightened child. The twists and turns in this story carried me along like a roller coaster. And I love how Patricia Bradley teases with false security from time to time.

She has a rhythm to her writing that gives just enough tension before allowing for a breath. I found myself heaving great sighs at the end of each suspenseful scene.

The characters of Danielle Bennet and Mark Lassiter are strong protagonists, especially against a large cast of possible enemies. And yes, I think I had almost everyone on my suspect list at one time or other. And no, I didn’t see the ending coming! Well done, Patricia Bradley!

However, I have to mention some charming secondary characters who practically stole the show. Gem, the German Shepherd police dog who belongs to Mark is delightfully playful when she’s not “working.” And Lizi, Dani’s Puli, is intriguing. I had to stop and find pictures of a Puli to fully see this dog in my mind’s eye. They really do resemble a group of four mops with a moppish head. I have no idea how they see through all of those dreadlocks, but they are darling! Patricia Bradley has a talent for details that makes her stories come to life in a unique way!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one other character – so detailed in her description that I feel I know her. Mae Richmond is a septuagenarian potter who insists on living alone in her mountain home above Pearl Springs. She’s firey and direct, but full of compassion and devotion for her friends and family. What a spark to add to this story! I LOVED her.

In fact, I loved everything about this story. Except when I got to the end and there was no more to read! I’m anxiously awaiting book 3 from Pearl Springs!

Here’s a little more about Fatal Witness:

As a child, artist and potter Dani Bennett witnessed the brutal murder of her parents. With no memory of the incident or her true identity, she was forced to take on a new name and a new life, hidden away in Montana for the past 25 years.

Mae Richmond has spent the same stretch of time searching for her granddaughter, who went missing the night her daughter and son-in-law were murdered. Convinced the woman she saw in a pottery magazine feature is the woman she's been searching for, she enlists the help of K-9 officer Mark Lassiter of Pearl Springs, Tennessee, who tracks Dani down.

Skeptical but curious, Dani sets out on a journey to uncover the secrets of her past and reclaim her true identity. But someone close to her is determined to keep the truth of what happened all those years ago hidden.

Fatal Witness is available in e-book as well as paperback and also as an Audible audiobook. I highly recommend the audiobook! Tantor Audio always does an outstanding job on their books and narrator, Ann Richardson, is downright brilliant with her renderings of the characters!

You can find Fatal Witness at all major bookstores, but here is the Amazon link.

BEGINNING AGAIN

 By Patricia Bradley

This cartoon captures exactly where I am now. I have a book due November 1, 2023, with the first chapter due by June 5...and I haven't a clue what this story is about. 

Oh, I know what I said when I proposed three books set in the South Cumberland Plateau area just above Chattanooga: A politician is coming to Pearl Springs and someone is out to kill him. I know who the main characters are at this point -- Russell County Deputy Amanda Hart and TBI agent Maxwell (Max) Anderson. 

I know why the antagonist wants to kill the politician -- the Congressman helped push through a bill to build a dam on the Pearl River that flooded the antagonist's land. Land he wanted to keep.

That's all I know. What I have to do next is to figure out why this matters to my hero and heroine, and what their internal struggle is. Sounds simple, doesn't it? If you think that, I have some swampland in Louisiana that is perfect for you to build a house on. I'll sell it really cheap...

And while this sound daunting, it's what I love to do. I love seeing a story come together with all the parts that make it exciting and scary and finding the HEA (Happily Ever After) for the heroine and hero.

What about you? Do you think it's easy for writers to do what they do? Do you think the story practically writes itself? I've actually heard writers say those very words...unfortunately, I've never had that happen to me. Every word is a struggle sometimes, couched in much prayer. In fact, I think I've prayed more since I've been a writer than ever before. ;-)

I've just turned in the second book in the Pearl River Series, Fatal Witness. The first book, Counter Attack, releases May 16, and it delves into the Dark Web, chess, and a serial killer. I can't wait for you to read it!

Leave a comment and I'll enter you in a drawing for one of my books in the photo below. Be sure to leave your email address! If the winner chooses one that's out of print, I'll send you a digital copy. Oh, and The Defender isn't in the photo but it's available in digital...and if you have KU you can read it for free! 

Cherie J was last month's winner. But she didn't leave an email address...so Cherie, please contact me at pat at ptbradley dot com

HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?

 By Patricia Bradley

Deadlines. Every writer struggles with them, and if they're like me, about a month before the deadline, she looks at her sorely lacking word count and swears this will never happen again. 

That was me on January 1, 2023. My word count for each book is 90,000-100,000 words. On the first day of the year, I still had 35,000 words to write. I would just make my deadline if I wrote about 1,300 words a day. That's if I wrote seven days a week...which I rarely do. And in between the book writing, I also had several blog posts to write 

I'm not one of those writers who can turn out four thousand words in a writing session. I wish! The most I've ever written in a day is thirty-five hundred words and that was a one-time thing. Normally I can write two thousand words fairly easily, but there weren't any "normal" days in November or December...I wasn't sure there would be any in January.

So, thirteen hundred words a day should be easy-peasy. Right? Wrong. For some reason, I was pansting this book (You know, writing by the seat of my pants). Normally I have a loose outline. At least I know what direction I'm going in, but not this book. 

If I were looking for someone or something to blame, it would be coming down with the flu right after I started the book. For two weeks, I didn't write anything. And even after I recovered enough to sit behind a computer again, my brain didn't--there was a serious lag in my brain catching up.

So, here I was last week, honing in on "THE END" when I realized I had the wrong villain. I've had that to happen before, but this time, I'd skipped ahead and written the ending. 

Time is ticking. Deadline is looming. And I have to rewrite the last quarter of the book. Rats! But I couldn't leave it with the wrong killer. Because I'd asked for an extension on the last book, I didn't want to ask for one on this book...

So, I prayed (not that I wasn't already praying, but this was a flare-prayer), then dug in and made the corrections. I hit send at 3:31 Wednesday afternoon. Yes, God is still in the miracle business!

 I have about three weeks before my editor sends the manuscript back with a list of changes that need to be made...it should be interesting. 

Anyhoo, this is a look at the life of a writer on deadline. I'll let you know if I make good on that promise to not get behind on a deadline.

Have you ever gotten behind on a deadline of some sort? Maybe over-commit and then realize you have way too much going on in your life? Leave me a comment about it and I'll enter you in a drawing for one of my books--your choice.

And the randomly-drawn winner of last month's drawing of what you'd do if you had all that money was Perrianne Andrews! I'll be contacting you!

WHAT CHARACTER WOULD I WANT TO SOLVE A REAL CRIME?

By Patricia Bradley

I was sitting at my computer, watching a rare snowfall here in Northeast Mississippi, and having a hard time coming up with an idea for this blog post. We get snow so seldom, it's a treat when we do, especially like today with fat snowflakes but streets warm enough to not freeze the snow and cause wrecks. 

So, I turned to my readers on Facebook and Candace West Posey came up with a great subject. She asked if I could solve a real-life mystery with one of the characters from my books, who would I choose?

I would choose...boy, that's a hard question. First, it would depend on the unsolved crime I want to solve. If it's the Red Headed Murders that happened in five nearby states that included Tennessee and Mississippi and have never been solved, I believe it would be David Raines from Justice Delayed and Justice Delivered.

Here's a little bit about those murders: In the 1970s, '80s, and even into the '90s, bodies of redheaded women were found in Memphis, Jellico, Ashland City, and Greenville, Tennessee, as well as Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Pennsylvania. All of the bodies were found along major highways, suggesting that they were hitchhiking or working in prostitution, according to the Gasden Times. They were dubbed "The Redhead Murders" and have never been solved. I think David and the Memphis Cold Case team could do it.

On the other hand, if it was the "February 9 Killer" case, where there were two murders exactly two years to the date apart, I think Brooke Danvers and Luke Fereday from Standoff, Natchez Trace Parkway Rangers Book 1, would be perfect...maybe with a little help from Sam Ryker from Obsession, the second book in the Natchez Trace series.

The murders occurred on February 9, 2006 and February 9, 2008. The fact that the murders occurred in a similar manner two years apart indicated to detectives that they were dealing with a serial killer, and the same DNA was found at both crime scenes. However, the "February 9 Killer" has yet to be identified and apprehended.

I'm giving away a copy of Justice Delivered and Standoff. If you've read my books, which character do you think would be better to try and solve the cold cases? Or tell me some other fictional detective you think would be good to solve one of these cases.

Justice Delivered

Carly Smith came by her trust issues honestly. A victim of sex trafficking, she's been at the mercy of merciless men, ignored by law enforcement officers who should have helped her, and seemingly rejected by her family. She can't even trust herself to do the right thing. Though she escaped her captors and is working hard on building a new life, the past continues to haunt her when she discovers that the man she couldn't bring herself to report to police for fear of reliving her captivity is still out there, luring vulnerable girls under the guise of being a modeling agent.

When her own niece is kidnapped, Carly must overcome her fears and come forward with the information she has before it's too late. When that proves to be not enough, she'll have to go after the perpetrators herself.

Standoff --Natchez Trace Park Rangers, Book 1

The Natchez Trace National Parkway stretches 444 miles from Nashville to Natchez, the oldest town on the Mississippi River. It's the perfect road for a relaxed pleasure drive. Unfortunately for Luke Fereday, it's also perfect for moving drugs.

Sent to Natchez to infiltrate the organization at the center of the drug ring, Luke arrives too late to a stakeout and discovers the body of his friend, park ranger John Danvers. John's daughter Brooke is determined to investigate her father's murder but soon finds herself the target of a killer who will do anything to silence her.

Luke will have his hands full keeping her safe. But who's going to keep him safe when he realizes he's falling – hard – for the daughter of the man he failed to save?

An Interview With Sherri Shackleford

by Patricia Bradley

I discovered Sherri Shackleford when I bought a few Love Inspired Suspense books and her Stolen Secrets was one of them. I quickly got caught up in the story. I think I read it in one sitting!

I'm so happy to introduce her to our Suspense Sisters' readers! I think all of our readers will enjoy her romantic suspense stories and she also writes historical westerns, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

Me: Sherri, if you had to describe yourself in one sentence, what would you say?

Sherri: Dreadfully empathetic with a masochistic ability to absorb copius amounts of solitude and criticism.

The perfect personality for a writer!

Me: I so agree that's the perfect personality for a writer, Sherri. What do you do when you’re not writing? Any interesting hobbies?

Sherri: When I’m not writing, I’m thinking about writing. Or reading. Other than that, I’m a fairly proficient baker. Over the quarantine, I’ve mastered homemade marshmallows, kolaches, noodles, and sourdough bread. Unlike my other qualities, cooking is a terrible hobby for someone who sits and stares at a screen all day! In my next life, I’m going to enjoy running…

Me: Oh, my goodness. I almost said, come to my house before I realized what that would mean for my waistline. To change the subject, what genre did you start out writing? Have you changed course? Why or why not?

Sherri: I started out writing historical westerns, and now I’m writing romantic suspense. Most of my westerns had an element of mystery, and that was easy to expand upon, but there is definitely a learning curve. The pacing and plotting are FAR different in romantic suspense! After writing 11 historical westerns, I’d developed a certain rhythm to my writing. Writing suspense has meant relearning my process.

Me: I totally learned that when I tried to write a cozy mystery. Any other genres you’d like to try? If yes, what and why?

Sherri: I can see myself gravitating more toward straight mystery in the future. But that will be a distant future!

Me: What is the most valuable piece of advice you’d like to give to unpublished authors?

Sherri: Each book is harder to write than the last. If not, then you’re not doing it right. I was really naïve in the beginning, and I thought the more books I wrote, the better I’d get at writing. Nope! Turns out, the more you know, the more you realize you don’t know.

Me: Sherri, do I ever agree with that. It seems every time I start a new book, I have to ask myself, "Now how did I do this the last time?"

Sherri is giving away, not one but two, copies of Stolen Secrets. (US addresses only) Leave a comment with your email address (like this: pat at ptbradley dot com) and tell us how you would describe yourself in one word. Or how ever you want to comment. :-)
Here's the back cover copy to Stolen Secrets:

From investigating a security breach

to becoming the target of an unseen foe

Someone has been impersonating software engineer Lucy Sutton to steal classified technology secrets, and it’s up to her to figure out who. National Security Agency employee Jordan Harris is the only person she trusts to help her set a trap. But with an unknown enemy watching Lucy’s every move and threatening her life, capturing the culprit becomes an even deadlier task than they expected.


You can purchase Stolen Secrets at:

Amazon

B&N

Christian Books

Sherri Shackelford

A former naval reservist with a top-secret security clearance, Sherri writes rapid-fire suspense featuring captivating characters and heart-pounding romance. She's authored more than a dozen novels for Harlequin publishing, including both historical and contemporary suspense.

​

Her first suspense book, No Safe Place, was a finalist in both the New England Readers' Choice Award, and the Faith Hope and Love Readers' Choice Award.

You can connect with Sherri here:

https://www.sherrishackelford.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sherrishackelford/

https://www.facebook.com/SherriShackelfordAuthor

https://twitter.com/smshackelford