“Pullen skillfully moves his characters around on a cleverly-crafted chessboard.” —STEVE BERRY, New York Times bestselling thriller author of The Bishop’s Pawn
REPORTER BECK RIKKI again confronts the deceptions and lies of the rich and powerful in America when he is invited to meet with the chief justice of the United States, only to have the jurist show up dead. As he did in his previous outing in Naked Ambition—the first in Rick Pullen’s compelling thriller series—Beck is relentless in pursuing the truth. Yet, as he peels back the layers, he is unaware of the sleight of hand diverting his path. After all, in the real world of power, how much of the iceberg of truth can really be uncovered?
Rick Pullen is the author of the best selling novel, NAKED AMBITION, about a reporter investigating a corrupt presidential candidate.
NAKED TRUTH, the long-waited sequel to NAKED AMBITION, is scheduled for release Sept. 24, 2018. It is a thriller about the mysterious death of a Supreme Court justice.
THE APPRENTICE, about a rookie reporter who unexpectedly finds herself investigating the president-elect, was published in late 2017.
Rick is an award-winning investigative reporter and magazine editor. He is a member of the FOLIO 100, the 100 most influential people in magazine publishing, and was a finalist for EDITOR OF THE YEAR. He is a member of the National Press Club, International Thriller Writers, Mystery Writers of America, the Royal Writers Secret Society and Old Town Sleuths. He has spent most of his journalism career working in the Washington swamp. He resides in historic Fredericksburg, Virginia where he tries not to get his feet wet.
The book does a past and present POV SO we go between the late 1800’s in young Maggie Delito’s childhood. She is exposed to a scandal. I really dont know how much Maggie actually understood. The time when this occurred she was like 13 so how much did she really understand or comprehend? Apparently enough WOW Back in this time period people who were troubled were essentially committed. Maggie was one.
Present time brings us to Laura Delito. Laura is timid and somewhat troubled while she inherits her family’s jewelry business. This part of the story I really enjoyed. There is talk of marketing, other brands of jewelry and stores where they are sold. The business is in trouble, Laura is a semi-reclusive person and the family has secrets!
What I liked was the business part. What I wasn’t a fan of was the character’s naive attitude towards friends and business. I DO understand that her upbringing was what caused her to have a small backbone, but there were times that I was yelling at her. Some of her so called friends joined in with business associates and family to make sure she did not succeed, so for me that was overkill.
Kathryn Orzech, a seasoned world traveler, writes mystery, suspense, and thrillers set in “New England and other exotic locations” with female protagonists who confront extraordinary situations, flirt with romance, and brush with the supernatural.
An avid film fan and self-proclaimed news nerd, her interests include history and geopolitics, society and culture, psychology, science, and parapsychology, leaving few subjects off her literary table. She created and maintains DreamWatch.com, a website where everyday people share true paranormal experiences. Online since the 1990s, DreamWatch has welcomed visitors from more than 50 countries and across the USA, it inspired her psychic thriller, Premonition of Terror.
ON AN INNOCENT DAY IN 1899 while her father travels abroad, twelve-year-old Maggie Delito unwittingly witnesses a shocking scandal. The next morning, she’s dragged from the family estate and locked in an asylum, along with the shameful secret she did not want to know. Beneath the asylum’s polish of respectability, a wicked villainy hides in dank shadows—and Maggie fears she might be its next victim.
SEVENTY-FIVE YEARS LATER, Laura Delito inherits more than ancestral assets when her prestigious family’s mysterious past comes knocking. After sacrificing an independent career at the brink of success, she assumes control of Delito’s failing jewelry business while daring to expose its ghosts—a strange old woman, cryptic messages, and a rare antique key that might unlock the truth. As she pursues clues from the Northeast to North Africa, she’s unaware of a vengeful rage that smolders close to home.
Kathryn Orzech, a seasoned world traveler, writes mystery, suspense, and thrillers set in “New England and other exotic locations” with female protagonists who confront extraordinary situations, flirt with romance, and brush with the supernatural.
An avid film fan and self-proclaimed news nerd, her interests include history and geopolitics, society and culture, psychology, science, and parapsychology, leaving few subjects off her literary table. She created and maintains DreamWatch.com, a website where everyday people share true paranormal experiences. Online since the 1990s, DreamWatch has welcomed visitors from more than 50 countries and across the USA, it inspired her psychic thriller, Premonition of Terror.
This was completely spellbinding. It totaled my weekend I couldn’t do anything but read read read WOW I’m so glad I did
The beginning of the book is a little cliche if you read the description but for me it was a great mystery immediately.
She wakes up in the back of a van, and her whole world changes.
The author sets up the character in a weak and semi-altered state. She is confused and has no memory. The part where she finds herself at Alex’s house is where it begins to really cook! The Texas Hill County is where the plot thickens. If you are a fans of a good intriguing mystery, then please grab this one. I was consumed with it. Injured and afraid—yes but it is not graphic, just good writing!
Personally the way the author wrote Rainy and Alex as best friends was the icing on my cupcake. While things can be moving in a way you like, here comes Rainy with the common sense attitude. Sometimes he annoyed me. I wanted Alex to grow and trust, so when he was all in right away, I was happy while the doubters started to come out of the woodwork.
Overall it is a worthwhile read. There is a lot of small town type characters for you to love. I am so anticipating more from the author and the series. Way to go Pamela!
Pamela Humphrey was inspired to write after researching her genealogy. Intending to create a booklet for her mom and immediate family, she set about gathering stories and pictures of the Ramirez family. She ended up writing her first book, Researching Ramirez: On the Trail of the Jesus Ramirez Family, a family history of her great great grandfather’s family. During that research, she found a christening record that ignited her imagination. Using the documentation she’d found as a backbone for the story, she imagined what life was like for her ancestors and wrote The Blue Rebozo, a fictional account of her great grand aunt’s life.
On a road trip, when driving through the Texas Hill Country, the landscape sparked the idea for her latest book. Weaving mystery, genealogy, and romance, she wrote Finding Claire. She is currently writing the next book in the Hill Country Secrets series.
She is a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom who enjoys many creative outlets: sewing, paper-crafting, jewelry-making, practicing her bass guitar, reading, and conversing with imaginary characters (what most call writing). She lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband, sons, black cats, and leopard gecko.
Publication Date: October 29 2014 by Story Merchant Books Genres: Historical, Thriller Book Links: Goodreads || Video Purchase: Amazon
The year is 2039, and Jack Fisher is the last living survivor of the Holocaust.
Set in a world that is abysmally ignorant and complacent about events of the last century, Jack is a 100-year-old man whose worst memories took place before he was 5. His story hearkens back to the Jewish ghetto of his birth and to Auschwitz where, as a little boy, he had to fend for himself to survive after losing all his family.
Jack becomes the central figure in a missing-person investigation when his granddaughter suddenly disappears. While assisting police, he finds himself in danger and must reach into the darkest corners of his memory to come out alive.
According to Goodreads…
“Parts of our history are ugly, brutal, but these stories must be told and remembered. Through fiction, Jerry Amernic has done just that with The Last Witness and done it with heart and respect for those who suffered.” –Dianne of Tome Tender
“Fictional reading at its best, with non-fiction story line. Fascinating look at what might happen and what is happening now.” –Kathy Craton
“This is a great read & I recommend it to EVERYONE!” –Lee Credle
I’ve worn many hats — newspaper reporter and columnist, feature writer for magazines, editor, teacher of journalism, and author of fiction and non-fiction books. But writing fiction is my passion. I’m a student of history and like to incorporate historical flashbacks into my novels.
Title: The Manhattan Puzzle Author: Laurence O’Bryan Genre: Thriller Publish Date: August 26, 2014 Publisher: HarperCollins ISBN: 9781847562906
Synopsis
An international cover-up that could change the course of history…
Sean has been tracking a symbol from another age. It provides a clue to a barbaric conspiracy. A puzzle with an answer feared for millenia.
When Isabel wakes to find Sean hasn’t come home she doesn’t worry. At first. But when the police turn up on her doorstep wanting to interview him, she has to make a decision.
Does she keep faith in him or does she believe the evidence? The symbol Sean and Isabel have been chasing will finally be revealed in Manhattan as one of the greatest banks in the world totters. Can Isobel uncover the truth before time runs out…or will she too be murdered?
A thrilling, high-octane race to save civilization that will engross fans of Dan Brown, David Baldacci and James Patterson.
Buy on Amazon
The Manhattan Puzzle Excerpt
1
‘Go for it. The rougher the better, girl.’ The man had a black silk blindfold tied around his head. He spoke slowly, his voice thick with desire.
Xena went to the door and unlocked it.
‘What’s that? Getting your toys out? Wow, this is even better than you promised.’
Lord Bidoner walked into the panic room. He closed the door behind him and pressed the button to turn on the air management system. The scrubber in the roof could remove the smoke from a blazing fire and turn the output into a vapour trail.
The man, spread-eagled and handcuffed to the stainless steel bed frame, had an expectant smile on his face.
‘Go on, do it,’ he said.
The navy Calvin Klein silk suit hanging from the stool beside the bed gave an indication of who he was. Lord Bidoner examined the man’s wallet. His bank ID card, a credit-card-sized piece of aluminium with an embedded proximity chip and his family name, Hare, embossed on it, confirmed what they already knew.
The head of global security at BXH, one of the world’s few truly global banks, was lying face-up and naked in front of him.
‘Don’t keep me waiting, girl.’
‘I won’t,’ purred Xena. She stroked his leg, then his inner thigh. He quivered in anticipation.
The man’s wife would surely appreciate photographs of this event, but Lord Bidoner had more pressing concerns.
He nodded at Xena.
She was dressed in a low-cut skin-tight black catsuit that fitted her thin frame perfectly. The man laid out in front of them was expecting something memorable from the woman he’d met in the champagne bar opposite Grand Central, two weeks before. Xena’s story, about being an Ethiopian diplomat’s daughter, and her eager smile, had captivated him.
She ran her finger down the man’s stomach. It trembled under her touch.
‘Don’t stop, honey. Don’t stop.’
With her other hand Xena clicked on the silver Turboflame blowtorch, the most expensive model in the world with its 1500C flame. She held the gently hissing blue, inch-long flame up and watched it glow brighter as her fingers moved slowly down his stomach.
‘What’s that?’ he said.
She didn’t reply.
Hare’s voice was still confident when he spoke. ‘Was that your sister who just came in? Is she gonna join us?’
‘We have a surprise for you,’ said Xena.
The man pulled on the handcuffs, which began to cut into his skin. It had taken a bit of persuasion, since this was their third meeting, for Xena to get him to go this far, but he trusted her now. And he’d made it clear that he wasn’t going to put up with any crap. He’d break the bed if she didn’t release him when he gave the password.
She’d smiled, hugged him and agreed.
They’d even laughed about making a written contract.
‘What’s the surprise?’ He shook the bed, testing its resilience and the strength of the handcuffs. He’d assumed they were easily breakable toys, like a previous pair she’d shown him. But he was wrong.
And he didn’t know that the bed was bolted to the reinforced slab of the panic room floor, either. Though he might have guessed that there was something wrong when it refused to move under him.
‘Just a friend of mine. We have a little question for you,’ said Xena.
‘Yeah?’ He was still curious, still expectant of further delights.
‘What is the password for the security system at BXH?’
The man didn’t reply verbally. He shook the bed from side to side, trying to break free. He didn’t know that his only hope was if his thrashing managed to separate his hands from his wrists, and his feet from his ankles. And very few people have strength enough to do that.
Xena waved the blue flame, raised it, as if offering it up. It flickered higher.
The odour of the burning butane gas filled the room like bad perfume. The sound of the blow torch was a threatening hissing now. Xena placed the tip of the flame against the top edge of the whiskey tumbler the man had been drinking from. The glass turned blue.
‘Wait until you feel this. Then you will tell me,’ said Xena. Her tone had changed. It was demanding now.
‘What? Fu . . .’ The end of that confident word was bitten off by the piercing scream that came from deep within his throat. Xena had touched the flame against the pale skin of his shoulder.
He began thrashing. Like a fish flailing. He moved from side to side, squirming away from the skin-blistering heat. But he couldn’t move fast enough. And his legs and arms were stretched out tight.
Easy targets.
The smell in the room changed and the atmosphere with it. Pain and whimpering, sizzling and guttural roars filled the air.
The man had become a dog.
Then Xena asked him again.
‘The password, please.’ She spoke softly, as if they were still playing a game.
‘If you give it up, I will release you. You can explain these little burns to your wife. But the ones I will inflict next will require hospital treatment. Or the services of a morgue.’ She clicked the flame off, then pressed the hot tip hard and fast into the biggest blister she had inflicted, near his ankle.
‘What do you say, Mr Hare?’
The man answered with a defiant, animal roar. He shook the bed under him. The last vestige of his pride in working at BXH bellowed out of him.
Xena lit the flame again. She reached forward, touched it to his chest, and ran it fast down the middle until smoke from his burning body hair filled the room with a sickly odour.
‘Stop, stop!’ he screamed. His body squirmed to escape the heat.
‘It’s #89*99,’ he shouted. ‘Please! Stop!’
Bidoner keyed the password into his phone and pressed send.
‘I hope you’re not lying,’ said Xena. ‘I want all this to have a happy ending.’
She squeezed his thigh with her hand, then stroked it.
Tears streamed from under his blindfold. His cheeks were red. It was good he couldn’t see the weals on his body, because he would know immediately that he wouldn’t be able to explain any of them to his wife.
‘Please, let me go. I promise not to tell anyone. I swear, on my children’s lives.’
Lord Bidoner’s mobile beeped as an incoming message came in. He nodded at Xena. The code had worked.
‘I believe you,’ she said. ‘But there is one more thing I must do for you.’
She put the Turboflame down and went to the fridge. She took out a six-inch-long serrated knife, honed with care to a perfect blade, from the freezer section.
She held it in the air, admiring its cold edge.
‘Now you will find release,’ she said.
The man’s body went still. His toes, which had scrunched up, half straightened. The only sound was his pain-filled whimpering.
The panic room in the apartment on Fifth Avenue, overlooking the skyscrapers of Manhattan, was soundproof. It was why they used the room.
Xena flicked the blade across the man’s pale skin, once, then twice, fascinated by how quickly blood gushed, how fast it flowed from a few simple cuts.
‘This is for my brothers,’ she said.
‘Don’t,’ he whimpered. Fear trembled in his voice. ‘I have two children, a wife.’
She growled, psyching herself up.
‘Prima quattuor invocare unum,’ she said, as she grabbed him, jerking him upwards and castrating him with one swinging motion.
She held the bloody remains up in the air.
His screams of terror and pain vibrated through the room as blood spurted two feet high. A foul smell followed and the man’s words became a babbling.
Lord Bidoner held his nose. He’d seen enough. He went out to the main room of the apartment, with its view towards the glittering Jazz-era spire of the Empire State Building.
‘You did good, my dear. The first offering has been done correctly,’ he said, when Xena joined him.
She was panting.
‘Come here.’
He pushed her up against the inch-thick glass of the window, as Manhattan glittered behind them.
Afterwards, he handed her a balloon glass containing a large shot of Asbach 21. She sipped the brandy, then downed it in one gulp.
Then she lay down on the sleek oak coffee table that dominated the room. The canyon of lights stretching into the velvet Manhattan night reflected all the way along the length of the table and onto her ebony skin.
He reached down and stroked her shoulder. It was trembling.
‘Three more before the moon rises again. That is what the book says. That is what we will do.’
She smiled up at him. Her white teeth shone as she leaned her head back and stretched.
Video Trailer
About the Author
Laurence was born in Dublin. He studied business, then IT at Oxford University.After going to England he paid for his own courses and began rising at 4AM so he could study and work at the same time. One early job was as a kitchen porter near the Bank of England cleaning the plates of the well connected. Laurence was first published by a school newspaper when he was ten, for a short story about aliens getting lost. Thirty-five years later, he attended an authonomy workshop and not long after was offered a publishing contract for three books. The Manhattan Puzzle is his third novel.
For fans of mystery novels especially cozy mystery novels this is great. Johnee Cherry created a great read! Lilly Corn is a character! I loved her from the beginning. She has so many things going on in her like. She is first a mom then a blueberry farmer and a waitress. She also takes care of her Dad. Her Dad is a hoot. He is suffering from a few ailments and is comical. So he decides for Lilly he is going to advertise for help with the blueberry farm and Hudson answers the ad.
As for the other characters there is her son, Travis and her ex husband Kirk. Kirk is a loser, greasy used car salesman. It seems he is running numbers, being sneaky, and not a really good parent. I loved the way Lilly managed all of these characters. The Yahoola is a bridge that basically is referred to over and over as a landmark.
The Hudson story is fascinating. He is there for a reason, while I wont say what it is, he makes it appear that he is prospecting gold. What he is actually doing is using the most technology that is around to find gold.
I really enjoyed this plot. There is a really good character base and story. The best part for me was the history and the nosy people in town. I enjoy when a book is modern and yet still has some old charm to it. I thing it will appeal to the mystery and cozy mystery lovers.
Twitter @JohneeCherry
I live in Texas with an old dog and my imagination. I garden and pull a lot of weeds. For Sunday afternoon fun, I hand feed my pet tortoise, Little Miss Prissy, tomatoes on the front porch. I spend a lot of time traveling dirt roads, and not necessarily to fun places, since the closest grocery store is too hell and back. I never forget my ice chest when I leave home, and always come back with a full tank of gas and a loaf of bread. I write about the people in my head. My characters often travel with me, telling stories in my ear, and I do find a new one or two on my adventures in the backwoods, when I can find a tree, here in Texas.
Totally loved this debut. If you look at the cover, to be honest it is misleading, this is a gritty novel. There are some circumstances Liliana faced that were explosive! After 7 years nothing for her has changed. She has a family owned coffee shop in So-Cal. She lives a quiet and very modest life in her Grandma’s house. I loved the Balboa Island references. It is very close to my heart and everyone knows I love the beach!
As for the plot; hold onto your seat. It is a very well thought out book. All of the characters play a significant role. When someone is stalking, you won’t guess who it is. I particularly fell in the love with Maxwell and Lil together. After they are together the group known as “The Blues” (for their gray haired color) who are the “root” of the Balboa Island population. Now for the record the places, scenery and descriptions are very accurate and you will fall in love with Southern California like I did.
The author worked the character of Lil’s suspicious nature into the plotso it was basically seamless. No errors or inconsistencies. She wrote a very strong and business minded girl for Lil and a handsome friend from the past for Max.
As for the love story here..it is HOT! I am talking a chili pepper hot. After an attack, Lilianna could never really date. In many ways the author wrote a very blah existence for her until Max. Well my oh my several big scenes are just the right amount. Marshal is juicy with a capital J!
Please read this one and visit a small island in Southern California!
****Warning****
REcovered contains sexually explicit scenes and adult language. This material is intended for adults only!
CJ Hartland is a Los Angeles based, part-time author. She finds the time to write when her, pride & joy, baby boy and, love of her life, husband go to bed. Growing up, CJ spent much of her time at her grandmother’s home in Balboa Island, the setting for her new series, The Lilianna Marshal Story; first installment, REcovered, available now on Amazon. CJ loves hearing from readers and can be contacted at HartlandCJ@gmail.com.
The second book in the Lilianna Marshal Story, REkindled is coming soon!
Writing this review is gonna be hard This was more than amazing rivals some huge authors. First I think this is a thrilling book with a slice of romance. I saw some comparisons and well, in my opinion there are none. There was no Stockholm syndrome, again in my opinion. Anyways the characters in the forefront are Tyler and Nick brothers. Nick is somewhat of a troubled soul. He was driving when he had an accident that results in the death of his parents and sister who was 15. Tough to read those parts. What is worse is that that event sets the entire book into motion. It brings feelings between two brothers that should never be spoken or felt. Nick knows his troubles with drugs and drinking are nothing compared to gambling.
The rest is a cat and mouse that I swear rivals any Stuart Woods or Patterson book out there. We at least know that Nancy wrote this book! The plot and the characters are excellent. I saw nothing but brilliant writing, characters and plot. I saw no spelling errors and the cover was outstanding too. There are so many interesting twists and turns here make sure you can devour the book fast because you will be sleepless over it.
If you like suspense with a romantic twist then PLEASE read this one. Book 2 is out and book one doesn’t leave you hanging so for that I am thankful. It is a marvelous start to a series.
Nancy is a California transplant currently living in Seattle, Washington with her husband of 23 years, their son, a student at Seattle University, their giant snow dog, Jack, and his kitty, Skye. She works as a freelance editor for her publisher and writer friends and also has her own interior design business within the model home merchandising industry. When she’s not writing or editing, Nancy keeps herself busy by cooking and baking.
Dr. Kate Hampton, a respected psychiatrist, gathers with a group of strangers at her favorite travel spot, Sunset Villa in Jamaica. Included in the mix are friends of the owners, a businessman with dubious credentials, and a couple who won the trip from a TV game show. Sounds like fun right? YES it was I loved the set up of the book and the introduction of Dr Kate. This is a very interesting character. Aside from being a respected Psychiatrist she has eidetic memory, commonly known as a photographic memory. Most people dont really understand that this is real and it is both verbal and photographic. Kate is a rare case because she recalls both. So I loved her.
Among the rest of the guest going to Sunset in Jamaica is Nadine and her husband Ben, the evil travel reviewer Matthew Kane and Jessica along with her boyfriend Rob. Jessica was an adorable southern girl that won her trip on the Price Is Right. She is a young blogger (gotta love them bloggers) and her boyfriend is a very odd, immature, uncouth and somewhat abusive man. I dont think he realized how he was abusing Jessica because he was dumber than dirt! Lastly there is an entrepreneur Adam from Chicago. He is like a mogul who has Steven Covey type businesses. I liked his edge too!
It is January 2013 and the owners Ana and Nolan greet their guest. Kate has become close with them and has vacationed there several years so she sees what the hurricane did to the island of Jamaica. If anyone remember the old book by Agatha Christie and film And Then There Were None, this had an eerie feel like that did. So Anna invites Matthew back to hopefully review for the second time her hotel. Matthew was a character that the author created brilliantly. He had these requests that are so far out there it was laughable. He wanted menu items, fragrance free laundry detergent and no pesticides anywhere near him.
In this extremely detailed novel we get to the point that Matthew is missing, presumed dead. It is a rare telling too. The author uses chapters with different POV’s and narrators. This is super easy to follow along with too even though I know I am probably not describing it the correct way.
When the incident occurs, for spoilers sake I wont say, the way it is done was mind blowing! I am a mystery lover and this was something that rivals a Patricia Cornwell novel. That good!
Stranger at Sunset is a well written thriller with a cast of characters that will leave you begging for more. I am thrilled that there is going to be more Dr Kate She is an amazing woman.
Eden Baylee left a twenty-year banking career to become a full-time writer. She incorporates many of her favorite things into her writing such as: travel; humor; music; poetry; art; and much more.
Stranger at Sunset is her first mystery novel, on the heels of several books of erotic anthologies and short stories. She writes in multiple genres.
An introvert by nature and an extrovert by design, Eden is most comfortable at home with her laptop surrounded by books. She is an online Scrabble junkie and a social media enthusiast, but she really needs to get out more often!
To stay apprised of Eden’s book-related news, please add your name to her mailing list.
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