Ignoring Alva Cozy Mystery/Sibling Fiction Setting - Minnesota and Wisconsin Publisher: Current Words Publishing (February 4, 2025) Paperback: 282 pages ISBN-10: 1957224452 / ISBN-13: 978-1957224459 Digital ASIN: B0DW4F61RW /Audiobook ASIN: B0DW1Q5J9X
Meet Alva and Millie.... not your typical eighty-something sisters.
While recovering from a mild stroke, Alva's vivid dreams of daring exploits spark a restless desire to break free from the predictability of her quiet life. Her sister Millie-a practical yet spirited counterpart-is skeptical of Alva's newfound boldness. But when Alva suggests an impulsive road trip, not even Millie can resist the call of adventure.
What starts as a lighthearted escapade quickly spirals into a whirlwind of mischief, suspense, and unexpected heroics. As the journey unfolds, the siblings face long-buried secrets, stand up for the underdog, and confront dangerous foes with a fierceness they never knew they possessed.
Through it all, Alva and Millie prove that courage, resilience, and the drive to rewrite your story aren't confined by age-they're only sharpened by experience.
Witty, heartfelt, and brimming with surprises, Ignoring Alva is an unforgettable tale of sisterhood and reinvention. It proves that life's greatest adventures can happen when you least expect them.
Emilie Khair is the author of the biographies Passion’s Piano: The Eddie Heywood Story and A Beautiful Puzzle: Nadia’s Journey from East to West as well as the children’s book, Kudzu for Christmas. She holds undergraduate degrees in theatre arts and English education from the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree in special education from the University of West Georgia, and a doctorate in sociology from Georgia State University. She has two sons and resides in McDonough, Georgia, with her husband of thirty-five years. While Emilie’s roots are in Minnesota, her southern experiences are an inspiration to her writing.
Walk the Line Natalie Parker, Paula Dombrowiak (Blood & Bone Legacy, #1) Publication date: April 22, 2025 Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
It was supposed to be simple: Film the tour. Build my portfolio. And for Heavens sake, keep it in my pants.
Then I met Felix Krasinski.
The captivating and infuriatingly cocky frontman of Velvet Drift commands attention everywhere he goes—including mine. Am I proud of it? No. I’m supposed to be filming their perfromance, not fantasizing about his perfect abs. I’m determined to be taken seriously, and hooking up with the ridiculously hot rockstar is the fastest way to tank my credibility.
Felix is always in control, and I’m an impulsive rule-breaker. We don’t make sense. But we can’t seem to stay away from each other.
Because, between his uptight habits and annoyingly perfect jawline, there’s more to Felix than his stage presence and legendary last name. He’s protective, vulnerable, and gets me in a way no one else does.
But my career depends on keeping things professional, and his future hinges on staying laser-focused on his band’s success.
Every heated argument, every stolen kiss, makes me want to throw caution—and professionalism—to the wind.
One thing’s certain—this summer tour is about to get a lot more complicated than I bargained for.
Walk the Line is the first book in the Blood & Bone and Turn it Up second generation series crossover. Grab this new adult, angsty, forced proximity, steamy contemporary rockstar romance. Walk the Line can be read as a standalone.
“What the…?” My voice trails off as I take in the dark, angry bruise on my skin.
A hickey.
And not just any hickey—this is the mother of all hickeys.
It’s a masterpiece of malice, blooming in deep purples and reds, unapologetically high on my neck. No amount of foundation could hide this, and it’s far too conspicuous for even the highest collar. There was no fucking around when she decided to do this. She wanted me marked.
“Maggie!” I call, my voice bouncing off the walls as I step out of the bathroom. Her only response is the sound of sheets rustling and a half-asleep groan. I glance back at the mirror, rubbing at the bruise like it might magically fade. Who even gives hickeys anymore?
When I step out, I find her perched on the kitchen counter, one leg dangling lazily while the other’s tucked beneath her. She’s cradling a mug of coffee—my coffee—the steam curling up around her face. And she’s wearing my Henley, the fabric hanging loose on her but clinging just enough in places to make my brain short-circuit. The soft gray color makes her blue eyes pop, and they blink at me with an innocence that’s so utterly contrived, I almost laugh. Almost. And fuck, she made me temporarily forget about the hickey.
“What is this?” I demand, pointing to the bruise on my neck as I stride closer.
She tilts her head like she’s admiring a painting. She leans in, her lips so close I can feel the ghost of her breath. She presses a kiss to the bruise, and I swear my brain briefly loses all function.
“That,” she says, her voice honey-sweet, “is a hickey.”
“I know what it is, baby,” I snap, though the grin threatening to break free betrays me. “I have press with Ivy today.” My tone is exasperated, but she doesn’t look the least bit sorry.
“I know.” Her lips curve into a slow, self-satisfied smile, the kind that makes her look like a sexy as fuck brat. Lucky for her, I happen to like brats.
I grab her coffee mug, setting it down deliberately and grab her by the waist, pulling her flush against me. She lets out a surprised little gasp, her hands instinctively bracing against my chest.
“You fucking scare me sometimes, Sass,” I murmur before claiming her lips.
Author Bios:
Paula Dombrowiak grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois but currently lives in Arizona. She is the author of Blood and Bone, her first adult romance novel which combines her love of music and imperfect relationships. Paula is a lifelong music junkie, whose wardrobe consists of band T-shirts and leggings which are perpetually covered in pet hair. She is a sucker for a redeemable villain, bad boys, and the tragically flawed. Music inspires her storytelling.
For more ways to learn about Paula and her books, check out her website: @www.pauladombrowiak.com
Natalie Parker resides in the Seattle area with her husband and two rugrats, but is originally a Michigan girl.
She always enjoyed writing and noticed she had a knack for it while earning her Psychology degree and has always been an avid reader, but never thought of becoming an author until one day there seemed to be a story to tell.
In her spare time, she enjoys reading, reading, reading to her kids, drinking coffee, reading, occasional yardwork, reading, listening to music, reading and writing.
Stay tuned for more to come for your favorite characters of the Turn it Up series!
Will she give him another chance, or will she reject her
mate for good?
Warrick
Rocky Mountain Pack #2
by Liza Bee
Genre: Small-Town Paranormal Romance
Will she give him
another chance, or will she reject her mate for good?
Aspen
Every chance that I give him, he only shows me that I’m the
fool. Fate might have paired us together, but only one of us wants a chance.
After coming home from college, I opened my very own bookstore, built a home,
and found Chase, the mountain lion shifter. It might be against the rules for
us to mate, but they never said we couldn’t be in a situationship.
Warrick
After watching Silas claim his mate and tackle the Ghost
River Pack dilemma, I decide there isn’t any reason that I shouldn’t claim what
Fate bestowed upon me. If only I hadn’t been an idiot before and ruined all my
chances. I’ll do anything I can to win my mate over, but first I have to get
Chase out of the way.
Rocky Mountain Pack is a cozy shifter romance with spice.
The series is full of cozy warm feelings and a meddling grandmother. Each book
features a new couple that are interconnected to the other books in the series.
She thought moving
to a small town would be easy until she met Silas.
Nova
I have lived my entire life in New York City, dreaming of
the day I could move to a small mountain town. A new job in Jasper, CO,
launched my new life, only to be met by Silas, the grumpiest person ever. He
won’t be able to prevent me from fulfilling my dream of living here. His hatred
fueled a fire in me, a defiant joy in proving him wrong.
Silas
The day the city girl moved to town, my life was ruined. Not
only is she new here, but she is my mate. The problem? She is human. I don’t
have time to deal with the upcoming mating heat when I have to worry about the
debt to the Ghost River Pack. Now, if I could only stop the meddling of Gail,
the matriarch of our pack, I would be golden.
Rocky Mountain Pack is a cozy shifter romance with spice.
The series is full of cozy warm feelings and a meddling grandmother. Each book
features a new couple and is interconnected to the other books in the series.
Liza Bee is a debuting paranormal author with a love for all
things that go bump in the night. Her obsession with monsters started as a
young child when she fell in love with the Beast.
When she became an adult and was introduced to Monster
Romance and all the spicy things that can come from that, she fell in love even
more with the genre. This inspired her to write her own stories and share her
love for these stories!
An imaginative, horror-laced story set in the Land of Oz before the well-known visit by Dorothy Gale and Toto.
The Bloodstained Bricks by S.M. Sykes is a compelling and imaginative story set in the mysterious Land of Oz before the well-known visit by Dorothy Gale and her little dog, Toto. Told similarly to the style of the original book, Sykes has doubled down on that story’s elements of horror with monsters of a more modern vintage. Instead of “Lions and tigers and bears,” readers get “Monsters and Vampire and bats.” Oh my!
The heroine of the tale is 17-year-old Dolly from Millsboro, Delaware, who ends up “over the rainbow” with her German Shepherd, Apollo, in much the same fashion as the movie: by tornado. However, her home is destroyed, and the boy from down the way, who had been trying to rescue her and the dog, is wrenched, unconscious, from his pickup and presumed to perish: a much more tragic and dark turn of events from the start. The heartache of the loss of her friend revisits Dolly throughout her ordeal in Oz.
The plot follows the pair as they struggle to get to the person with the power to get her home. The story has a pair of amethyst slippers, but they cleverly transform into footwear that is more suitable for Dolly’s travel needs when the heels are tapped together. Apollo also proves to be way more helpful than that trouble-magnet Toto, protecting his mistress with fervor and the heft and attributes to actually do some damage. While the flying monkeys make appearances, they are on Dolly’s side this go-round. However, their replacements, sent by the evil leader of Emerald City, more than compensate for the monkeys’ about-face. Led by a mysterious, masked Vampire under the thumb of the cruel leader, they are pursued by a werewolf and a nightmarish creature called the “Semblance,” created from the re-animated body parts of the dead (think Frankenstein’s monster), who can regenerate if he becomes dismembered. The trio is seemingly unstoppable, and the pursuit becomes a battle of wits between Dolly and her remote helpmate, a Munchkin technological genius assisting her from his home in the target destination of Amethyst City known as “The Mechanic.” What follows is an exciting race for safety.
While a little slow getting started, the action soon picks up, making for a suspense-filled tale, and there is some fun dialogue between Dolly and Vampire at times. However, I thought their second escape from the tower was a bit long and convoluted, and it really felt like an idea that was added on later. Also, there are still quite a few typos, missing words, and misused homophones. However, overall, the story is entertaining and somewhat nostalgic, and it ends with a twist and the option for a possible sequel that I would certainly want to buy and read.
I recommend THE BLOODSTAINED BRICKS to readers of horror or dark fantasy, especially those who enjoy stories such as fairytale retellings.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.
Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Historical Fiction
Publisher: Tellwell Talent
Publication Date: December 31, 2024
Page count: 386 pages
SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!
SYNOPSIS:
It is 1945. The infamous Max Smartz, superspy; Eva Braun, wife of Adolf Hitler; Joseph Goebbels, propaganda minister; and Otto Klugg, intelligence officer, do not die at the end of World War II, but trick the guards in the Fuhrerbunker tunnels, allowing them to make their escape. Their escape plan is to reach war-neutral Southern Ireland, where Maxwell Smartz has an established base and is familiar with rural south Kerry and its people. They evade capture and eventually reach France. Here, they meet with a good friend and colleague, an undercover agent called Maurice Le Blanc, who asks them to assist him in retrieving some stolen gold bars.
After finding the fortune, the friends attempt to retrieve it in an old Dutch van but are continually thwarted and risk losing everything. To complicate matters, they learn that Max's brother, Victor, has been incarcerated in the notorious Spandau prison and is being tried for Nazi war crimes. They hatch a plot to save him, but is it worth the danger of going back to Berlin and being caught?
After the D-Day landings, things started to go all wrong for Hitler and his Third Reich. Even before that, things started to go wrong for Hitler. He was not a good military strategist, in fact he was a bad one, and he meddled where he shouldn’t have poked his nose in. Invading Russia and attacking England were two big mistakes. That weakened his former strength. When 1945 came, it was near the end for him. By April the 20th, his birthday, it was almost all over for Germany. The bunker was built as a last resort, tunnels were dug out as escape routes when the worst came to the worst, and the worst did come to the worst. But all was not lost for Herr Hitler and he didn’t know it; his wife of only a few weeks, had other plans. She was not about to give up her life to some mad dog Russians or Yankee Americans. Now she was scheming on how to broach the subject with the boss. When is the best time to let him know of their plans of escape? She already had made contact with people on the outside who could help her, them. The Russians and the English, Yanks were all involved in a race to get into Berlin first and claim the head of the monster, Hitler. Goebbels was given implicit instructions when the final day would come to commit suicide, and he would have to dig a hole outside the bunker and then set fire to their bodies and fill in the hole. It was all so depressing for the newly-wed woman — the honeymoon was short-lived, and her grave was just a few hundred yards away.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR FROM THE AUTHOR:
My humble beginnings in a terrace house with an outdoor toilet and indoor rats. The drinking water was got from a public pump in the street. We were all sailing in the Titanic,Third Class, but we were not aware of anything better. We had so much fun, swimming in the river. As kids we had wonderful imaginations.The only luxuries we ever saw were in the Cinema, usually American films, people smoking and drinking alcohol.
Everyone in the town of County Cork, Ireland seemed to be in the same boat; we made the best of it until the swinging sixties came along and changed everything. In spite of our poverty, I managed to get a College education. But opportunities were as scarce as rich Uncles. The Christian Brothers were brutal, and handy with the cane, in National School. I was lucky like many fellows my own age to get an apprenticeship as a diesel mechanic. Soon developed a taste for Alcohol, and got into trouble pretty soon, was lucky again to find A.A. and get my act together in 1978.
My hero died in 1977, Elvis Presley, the music stopped, the sixties was over, the Beatles were broken up, CCR, too. So getting sober was the best thing to do, under the miserable circumstances. I got a job as a Pipe Welder with ASME 1X certificate and began working around Europe, finally settling in warm Spain, Barcelona and met a Catalunya woman. Started writing for the first time, mostly comedies, Peter Sellers style, another hero of mine.
This is my second published book, I also self published earlier works Like ,'Gorilla Days in Ireland' by Michael Barrett, on Amazon. The Frankie Stein Enigma, and others, I paint oil and acrylic pictures, write mountains of poetry, sing and play the guitar.
' I do just about everything, that doesn't make any money for me.' But love doing what I do, writing poetry is mind stimulating, energising.
My favourite actors are William Holden, Warren Oates, Gregory Peck, and favourite detective the great Peter Falk in Columbo, a genius and Clouseau, Peter Sellers, and Peter Ustinov.
Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
Paranormal romantic legal thriller
Publisher: Limerent Publishing
Publication Date: November 1, 2024
Page count: 298 pages
SCROLL DOWN FOR GIVEAWAY!
SYNOPSIS:
Sarah
Baker is a paralegal in a law firm in modern day Brooklyn.
Her life is bouncing between her abusive lawyer boyfriend, the voices she hears in her head and her soul sucking work at the law firm. On a New York spring day, she meets Caio as he plays basketball on a court near her house. He is alluring, intriguing and young. Yet that's the least of his mystery, for Caio was beaten, thrown into a hole and left to die…in 1905.
As Sarah tries to understand this enigmatic stranger she must juggle the increasingly dubious ethics of her law firm and ghosts in her head. Struggling with loss, grief, love, beauty and lawyers, she will need to summon the strength to break all of society’s rules, save several lives and step into a new, potentially magical life.
Caio is the opening book of the Limerent universe, a series of supernatural romantic thrillers that will pull on your heartstrings, challenge your perceptions and lead you on a singular journey of discovery and revelation.
On top of all that, just as the day was ending, her
boyfriend Karl had called to break up with her, because it was her birthday.
“So, was that the annual breakup call?” Angela asked, turning to her with a smile that would have been more fitting on a hyena than a human.
Angela was one of the other paralegals in the office. She had mouse-blonde hair, a large beak nose, and a grovelling, subservient manner anytime an attorney or partner was around. Around other administrative staff, she was all smiles and sweetness, until you found the knife in your back. Then she would look at you with a condescending smirk that said You mean you weren’t smart enough to see that coming? Angela may have looked like a mouse, but she was actually more like a trapdoor spider. She was an ambush predator. Sarah had had the good fortune of sitting in the cubicle just next to hers for the past five years. At the moment, Angela was faking sympathy during what was actually a probe for weaknesses.
She needs to probe? asked the voice of Sarah’s mother in her head. Sarah winced internally, as she always did when her mother’s voice spoke. Her mothers was one of the nastiest voices that inhabited her head.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Lexy Delorme is a wanderer and storyteller at heart. Raised as a “military brat” by United States Navy Captain, she has lived on three continents, across four countries, nine states, and 21 cities. Now based in Paris with her charming French husband and two very cool sons, she is a full-time author—a journey that has taken her from being a rock musician to a science graduate to an attorney at law.
A passionate fan of fantasy and science fiction, Lexy created the Limerence universe, which includes Caio, Bright Midnights, Fanning Fireflies, and Ghosting Academy. Her book Bright Midnights was named a Publishers Weekly (BookLife) “Editors’ Choice Pick” and was a finalist Golden Wizard Award Competition in 2024. She is currently working on the latest instalment in the series.
Lexy is an active member of the British Fantasy Society, the Science Fiction Writers Association, the Horror Writers Association, IBPA, and ALLi.
Dark, shocking, and exciting debut for the Limerent series!
Caio is the first book in author L.S. Delorme’s Limerent
dark fantasy series and really sets the tone, pace, and a high bar for what’s
to come in the following novels. With its engaging, sympathetic main character and
compelling plot, I was completely drawn into the protagonist’s life and couldn’t
look away if I wanted.
Sarah Baker is the main character and is a paralegal by trade,
though a fully qualified attorney before the story even starts. Hers is a tale
of a depressing, downtrodden life, the result of the abuse of those who should
have had her best interests at heart and known better. She is a doormat, and
her gradual growth after Caio enters her life is ultimately a story of redemption
and success. However, there are several tough topics encountered along the way that
readers sensitive to these issues should be aware of.
The author’s writing is compelling and so easy to read, and I
was absorbed by this story and this very realistic heroine. The supernatural
and magical elements were creative and elevated Sarah’s tale to one that was
even more special and unpredictable. The scene descriptions were vivid, and I
could practically see the action unfolding as I read. I am still somewhat
surprised by how I sank into this story, and time passed by without me
realizing how long I’d been reading before I needed to take a break. Of course,
I must read the next in the series as soon as I can!
I recommend CAIO to readers of dark fantasy and tales of the
paranormal.
GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
LS Delorme will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
Fascinating debut to this well-done new cat rescue-themed mystery series!
Trap, Neuter, Die is the first book in author Sharon Marchisello's new DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mystery series, featuring realistic and serious details related to the TNR program method for dealing with feral and/or community cat populations. When DeeLo Myer and her cat rescue mentor Catherine "Cat" Foster discover the body of a local cat enthusiast and bookstore owner while on the victim's property setting cat traps, they naturally are included on the police's suspect list. But when Cat is arrested by the local beat cop who has a grudge against her, DeeLo knows this is no time to pussyfoot around and starts her own investigation into the woman's murder.
Divorcée DeeLo Myer (Delores Diane Myer-Johansson) is new in the small Georgia community of Pecan Point, having moved there from California to look after her aging mother suffering from Alzheimer's when she makes the mistake of driving after imbibing that second glass of wine and ending up with a DUI on her record and community service to fulfill. Choosing to work off her hours with the Pecan Point Humane Society, she meets Catherine Foster, or Cat as she is universally known, to help with the TNR (Trap, Neuter, and Return) program to cut down the population growth of abandoned, stray, feral, and community cats. On her first night out setting traps, not only do she and Cat discover a murder victim, but DeeLo learns that Cat is the target of a vindictive local cop who uses the county's outdated animal control laws to harass her and thwart her good deeds. Along with her amateur investigation of the murder, the goal of changing those antiquated laws becomes an important aspect of the story.
This cozy mystery hits the ground running with the discovery of the victim, which occurs almost immediately. The fallout from the three women's (Azmina, Cat, and Deelo) personal lives makes an impact on the story's trajectory. There are a couple of possibilities for the motive behind the murder to consider and a number of suspects to eliminate before the final reveal, but the author subtly lays out the clues for sharp armchair detectives to note. While the cat rescue theme is not completely unique to the cozy mystery genre, its handling here is more professional and serious than previous works I've seen. In fact, the entire tone of the book is a bit more serious and dark than many cozies, but I mean that in a good and satisfying way. The storyline of DeeLo's mother and her niece Demi also offers some very frustrating realities to the main character's backstory and complex life.
I recommend TRAP, NEUTER, DIE to cozy mystery readers.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.
Frustrated by the police's lack of follow-up, Dr. Cara Knight looks into the suspicious deaths of two young women.
Murder Off U Street is the second book in Jacque Rosman's Academic Mom Mystery series and features Professor Cara Knight of the Virginia University Department of Social Work. Cara is surprised when one of her star graduate students gets into trouble at her internship with the Metro D.C. Police Victim Services unit. But when she steps in to help facilitate the situation, she finds there’s a whole lot more at stake than a student’s grade.
Emily Vinter had fallen for one of the patrol officers at the department and, during a ride-along with her new boyfriend, provided counseling to the victim of a domestic disturbance complaint. Weeks later, when the woman turns up dead, supposedly by her own hand, Emily questions the ruling of suicide for a number of reasons. Setting up a meeting with the supervising staff at Victim Services to discuss the situation and re-establish the expectations and parameters for the internship, Cara arrives to find Emily distraught, certain she is going to be fired. The meeting was informative and discouraging, and Emily was nowhere to be found even though her backpack, laptop, and other personal items were still at her desk. Under the guise of performing a welfare check, Cara goes to Emily's apartment and finds her also the apparent victim of suicide. When the police refuse to dig into the coincidences and inconsistencies, Cara dives in to root out the truth behind Emily's death.
I really enjoyed this story of the dedicated social work researcher, who is also the mother of two young children, one a particularly difficult toddler named Noah. She balances her family life with her teaching, research supervision, and part-time sleuthing well, though it is not easy. I liked how the author included how Cara and her husband Seth wrangled over who was going to have to sacrifice time in their schedules to cover all their bases, just like in real life.
Uniquely for a cozy mystery, both "Cara the Professor" and "Cara the Mom" live very socially isolated lives. While "Cara the Mom" engages with other mothers after school pickup as their children expend some of their pent-up energy on the playground, she knows she is different and not quite one of the group. "Cara the Professor" works at a small satellite location 200 miles from the main campus of Virginia University. With few exceptions, her coworkers are pretty self-involved, and her students are absolute pills. Cara's closest woman friend is her mother-in-law, Barbara, who lives in Miami and visits infrequently, although she was present and involved in the previous book's mystery and resolution. Barbara has her quirks and self-indulgences, and as she's probably in her mid-60s, she's starting to slow down. She's an effective assistant at times, especially when the situation calls for a "Karen," a good conversationalist with interviewees, but physically, she may have peaked. Collectively, the Metro D.C. police are portrayed as an unpleasant, unhelpful bunch of jerks: antagonistic, argumentative, and dismissive.
The plot really kept my attention from start to finish, and I read it in one evening. I enjoyed Cara's methods of questioning and responses to get her suspects to talk. She pursued practical lines of investigation without a bunch of wild goose chases. There are several good suspects to consider, but the final resolution completely took me by surprise. I look forward to the next installment in this series.
While this book is the second in the series, it can easily be read and enjoyed without having read the debut novel; it stands well on its own. I recommend MURDER OFF U STREET to cozy mystery readers, especially those who enjoy a sleuth who is juggling a home, children, and a career, an academic or social work theme, or a Washington, D.C. setting.
Chilling murders terrorize a town and bring together two detectives to face the hardest task of their lives.
Jack Ludlum, who relies on his brawn to get things done, is now paired with Jill Jarred,a brilliant investigator with keen intuition. As they delve into the secret world of incels and white supremacists, and conflict between local authorities and the FBI rages, a media frenzy further complicates the mission.
Is there a serial killer on the loose? Or something entirely different? Will their clashing personalities be their undoing, or can they unite to stop the killer before they kill each other?
What Goes Around is a dynamic thriller that examines the intricacies of love, loss, and the unbreakable bonds that transcend time. With its pulse-pounding pace, captivating characters, and a revelatory twist that challenges the boundaries of life and death, this novel will keep you hooked from the first page to the last, and thinking long afterwards.
Praise for What Goes Around:
"Relentless and gritty, Wendroff expertly weaves a narrative that begs, 'just one more page...'" ~ J.D. Barker, NY Times bestselling author
"What Goes Around starts off at a breakneck pace and doesn't let up until it reaches its unexpected conclusion." ~ Lisa Black, NY Times bestselling author
"An adrenaline-fueled novel, the action breathlessly driven by two detectives-Jill Jarred and Jack Ludlum--relentlessly pursuing the bloody trails left by a serial killer with a dark sense of justice, deadly groups of white supremacists, and one lonely, alienated boy caught up in the violence." ~ Kathleen Kent, NY Times bestselling Author
"What a twist! This book grabs you from the first chapter, and doesn't ever let you go. A brilliant debut!" ~ L.M. Chilton, Author and Journalist
"Gripping and chilling...relentless...includes very up to date issues...with an original revelatory twist." ~ Crime Fiction Magazine
What Goes Around Trailer:
Book Details:
Genre: Contemporary Psychological Thriller, Domestic Thrillers, Suspense Thrillers Published by: Bloomsbury/Head of Zeus Publication Date: October 10, 2024 Number of Pages: 414 ISBN: 9781035900084 (ISBN10: 1035900084) Book Links:Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
Prelude
I’ll remember the day I died for the rest of my life.
Prologue
The sign at the gate read, “Trespassers will be shot. Survivors will be shot again.”
It was before dawn, the night sky still dark and the compound silent as a cemetery. The cabin loomed in the distance: a den of crime, a place where the armed drug dealers spent much of their time. The police team approached as quietly as they could, the crunch of twigs beneath their boots the only sound to break the eerie silence. Fear tiptoed through their souls, its icy fingers tracing the contours of their restless thoughts. They took a collective inhalation of breath, not knowing if they were walking toward their death. They knew the property owner, the leader of the group, wasn’t kidding with his sign.
What they didn’t know was that a baby was crawling on the floor of the cabin they were about to storm.
***
Jon Eddie considered himself a champion. Now he understood he was in for the fight of his life.
Forty-two years old, with bulging eyes, a bushy beard and Fu Manchu mustache, he’d covered himself in self-righteousness, the way his tattoos covered almost every inch of his bulky body. He was proud of the group he’d brought together. Eddie liked to believe he was simply an entrepreneur, as his annual white power music festival, Nordic Fest, attracted skinheads from across the country. Full of music from “hatecore” bands such as Angry Aryans and No Alibi, supported by shouting speakers spewing their idiotic ideology, it provided a nice source of income—in addition to the dues Eddie charged, and the contributions he asked for. His major source of cash, however, was a raging drug-dealing business, his biggest sellers being meth, molly, and of course opioids.
His girlfriend, Krystal, was yelling at their baby to stop crying. Krystal, no mother of the year, picked the baby girl up and was about to shake her when Eddie noticed movement at the front of his property.
** *
Outside, the thundering silence was deafening. Two police officers accompanying the core team were selected to check the dense tree line that surrounded the compound’s fence. They knew there were often guards stationed behind the evergreens—if so, they needed to take them out as quietly and quickly as possible before the main assault could begin.
Everyone was on high alert. Though it was cool, sweat darkened their uniforms. Up ahead, closer to the cabin, they spied a truck with monster-size tires. Through binoculars, a sticker affixed to a large dent on the rear bumper was evident. It was a monstrosity, with a silhouette of crossed AR-15s next to the slogan, “Yours for White Victory.”
One cop, Jack—built like a sequoia tree—towered over the policewoman beside him, even though she was above average in height. He pointed his head toward the tree line and looked down with a smug expression. “You ready for this, Jill?” he asked, his voice full of confidence.
She rolled her eyes. Her uniform was pristine. “Shh. You know I can take care of myself,” she whispered.
He laughed silently. “Sure you can, Jill.” Then, under his breath, said, “Just don’t get in my way.”
Jill gritted her teeth and ignored his taunts. She’d always been competitive with him, ever since they were in the police academy together; they were like two racehorses heading neck and neck toward the finish line. Jill was determined to prove she was just as good as he was. No, better.
They looked at the team leader, who nodded. The two of them slowly moved forward, their breathing becoming more rapid. As they approached the fence, they heard rustling in the trees.
***
Krystal had never wanted to be a mother.
She’d really had no ambition to be anything at all. Stuck in a rut of life, like a sailboat without wind, she’d been tending bar when she met Jon Eddie. It wasn’t much of a bar; as you pushed open its dilapidated door, you were immediately hit with the pungent smells of bitter beer, cigarette smoke, and salty sweat. A long, sticky bar dominated the dimly lit
interior, lined with shaky stools and chipped coasters. The walls were covered in peeling, nicotine-stained wallpaper, and the floor was littered with discarded peanut shells and spilt spirits. Normally, the regulars, their lives littered as well, would sit hunched over their drinks, staring blankly into the distance. Unless Jon Eddie was around.
Eddie often drew a crowd, a mix of people in awe of him and people in fear of him. His mannerless mouth and domineering demeanor attracted Krystal. He clearly thought he was the shit, and just as clearly was a mean son of a bitch. But Krystal thought he was someone who could protect her. At first, she would shrivel from his drivel. Later, not knowing any better, she began believing him, impressed by his purported big ideas that the men around him enthusiastically nodded their heads up and down to. When the bar closed one night, he was in the parking lot, hovering, waiting for her, wanting her.
She went out the back door and saw him.
With an almost imperceptible shrug, she got into his truck. She stayed the night with him, which then became a month of muddling. Once she was pregnant, she was there for good. Or so she thought.
***
“Grab the guns!” Eddie yelled over the baby’s wails. Krystal looked at him, frozen, as she held the baby. “Leave the damn kid on the floor. Just grab the guns!”
** *
They could see two guards ahead.
The guards were behind a large oak tree, chatting quietly while looking at a cell phone. One laughed.
Jack motioned to Jill to wait a moment as he silently made his way to the larger of the two guards. Before anything even registered on the guard’s face, Jack started in on him.
Jack got him down, using a headlock and fireman’s carry maneuver that landed the guy on his head. He was knocked out and would have a concussion, but he’d live. Jack allowed himself a quick smile, then turned to the other man, who was backing away, suddenly preferring flight to fight. Jill had watched momentarily in admiration of Jack’s fighting skills but couldn’t admire for too long; the other guard was her job, and she had to be just as capable with him. He’d turned to run but had a gun in hand.
Jill moved catlike toward her prey. A tree root tripped her. The guard stopped. His gun hand was shaking.
Fast and agile, Jill quickly recovered, jumped, and landed a swift kick to his shaved head. Her steel-toed boot landed right in the center of his swastika tattoo; blood immediately gushed onto the soil. All those years of martial-arts training paid off. The gun fell out of the man’s hand, and Jill kicked it away before kicking him in the stomach to make sure he stayed down. The man’s eyes were wide, and it looked like he’d had enough, so she stopped, not wanting to overdo it. Jack watched her, ready to act, and looked similarly impressed, though he didn’t say a word to her after they’d cuffed and muzzled the guards.
Other cops quickly came over and dragged them away.
“Well, that was the easy part,” Jack said.
Jill, panting, just stared at him, knowing those words to be true. For a second, she thought of her dad, a former cop, and hoped his fate wouldn’t befall her.
The core team warily walked forward, heading into the unknown. Jack followed closely behind. Jill wiped the blood off her boot with some leaves and joined them. Her heart pounding, but with a lot of backbone, she put her best foot forward.
** *
The team leader, Nic, was as determined as a bulldog with a bone. He knew he had to stop the drug dealing, and he hated the group’s ideology. But even more, he was given this mission because an informant had told of a plan this group had to blow up a government building. Tomorrow.
As they came closer to the cabin, he scanned the area for any signs of activity. He saw movement within the cabin.
He could feel the sweat dripping down his face, the adrenaline pumping through his veins. While his officers were highly trained, he could see the fear in their eyes. It wasn’t a surprise. It was too easy for things to go bad.
He motioned for the team to spread out and be ready, with two officers heading around to the back. He knew they were dealing with very dangerous people but hoped to take them in without bloodshed. Especially their own.
***
The smoke bomb exploded on the floor.
Chaos. His vision clouded, an officer yelled, “Police, come out with your hands up!” There was more movement inside; Eddie was fuming. But no one emerged from the thick fog of smoke. The cops moved in, like a tidal wave crashing onto shore.
One of the team members was hit immediately; he was dead before his body hit the floor.
More gunshots rang out. As the men frantically searched the rooms, the team leader headed straight for the source of the gunfire, bullets whizzing by at a dizzying pace. Amidst the mist, Jill saw a woman on the floor, bloodied and unmoving. She then heard a cry, and looking down, saw a baby. Holy shit, she thought, and tried to yell to the others, but in the mayhem, she knew no one would hear or understand. A hail of bullets came their way, and Jill got down, covering the baby with her body, like an embryo in the womb.
Another gunshot rang out, and Jill saw blood.
***
Excerpt from What Goes Around by Michael Wendroff . Copyright 2024 by Michael Wendroff . Reproduced with permission from Michael Wendroff . All rights reserved.
Author Bio:
Michael Wendroff has an MBA in marketing from NYU, and was inducted into their Hall of Fame. His MBA thesis was on "Marketing in the publishing industry," and it was excerpted in the industry trade journal, "Publisher's Weekly," so he actually got paid to write his thesis. While interviewing publishing executives for the thesis, he met Truman Capote.
He has spent many years since as a global marketing consultant. It was the Covid pandemic that finally got his to write his novel, as he was cooped up at home. The impetus for the novel was something his mother said the moment he was born: "Oh! So nice to see you, Again."
He grew up in a publishing/author milieu, as his mother was an editor at NYC publishing houses (watching his mother scribbling in red ink on manuscript pages at home on weekends prepared him for his own editor's comments!). Plus she remarried a literary agent, Henry Morrison, so Michael was friendly with many authors (Dean Koontz, Lawrence Block, Joseph Finder, Eric Van Lustbader, etc), and even spent a vacation with Robert Ludlum. Watching Ludlum hand-write his 450 page novels on yellow legal pads didn't dissuade Michael from trying to write a novel (though he's thankful for his PC).
Michael's debut thriller novel, What Goes Around, was launched in the USA, UK, and Australia, and foreign language rights have thus far been sold in Italian, Japanese, and Hungarian.
Fun fact: Michael's great-grandfather was brought over by Thomas Edison from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) to work with him in his New Jersey labs. He holds a number of patents, including for plastic buttons (he became known, and rich, around town as "The Button King"). Michael proudly wears button-down shirts whenever he can.
A riveting tale of a mysterious serial killer, white
supremacists, and the detective team determined to stop them.
What Goes Around is the first novel by author Michael
Wendroff, and after reading it, readers will definitely hope it won’t be his only
one! After a shooter practicing in the woods is in the right place at the right
time to anonymously stop a violent assault, they discover the act of killing
fulfills a need in their life, and they enjoy it. But as the body count rises, a
newly-paired “dog and cat” detective team pledges to put an end to this
vigilante’s trail of death.
Wow! I was immediately drawn into this clever story from the
very first chapter. Its opening scene, where readers are introduced to Jack
Ludlum and Jill Jarred, the two police officer main characters fated to become
partners, is both suspenseful and explosive, with bullets and blood flying
everywhere. Confident, talented, and highly competitive, these two officers do
not like each other and have little in common but their desire to get the job
done. They rub each other the wrong way, both consciously and inadvertently,
from the moment they meet at the academy, but the author does a great job
setting up their slow-burn relationship with teasing, tentative moments until they
eventually realize they are perfect for each other, on and off the job. I
really enjoyed how quickly they came to see they complemented each other while working on cases. They came to understand they were better together as a team than separately
and on their own.
As mentioned, the plot hits the ground running, and the
action never lets up, with several storylines working at one time, each equally
as puzzling. Still, with so many moving parts, this first-time author juggled
them like a pro, keeping things straight and clear until the storylines began
to converge. The shooter remains a well-kept secret, tantalizingly out of
reach, until the big reveal, and kept me guessing and in the dark the entire
time. I’m sincerely hoping for more from this author and SOON.
I recommend WHAT GOES AROUND to mystery and thriller readers.
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Memoir
Publisher: Tellwell Talent
Publication Date: January 14, 2025
Page count: 346 pages
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SYNOPSIS:
Searching for an answer to a question you haven't asked yet? You are not alone. One small realization and a whole world unravels.
Woven through these pages are a series of my most significant life events relating to narcissistic victim/survivor syndrome. Inside are keys unlocking mysteries of complex PTSD, compounded through various forms of abuse.
A journey of highs, like the Freedom Convoy, and the lows of a failed longtime marriage. With spiritual forces at work behind the scenes, could a Christian home have so many secrets? The smoke will clear to reveal our true mirrored self.
I was sitting in the back of the plane, settling in between two passengers. My hair in a ponytail, wearing comfy sweatpants and a T-shirt with excitement in my chest. Others around me seemed like seasoned pros fluffing their pillows, adjusting their screens, ready to endure the long flight overseas.
I tried to act like a frequent flyer but struggling to plug in my headset must have given me away. Fidgeting in my seat to get comfortable, I remembered to put my phone on airplane mode. That’s when I saw a missed call from my son.
He had reached adulthood and well able to care for himself. A hard worker, smart as a whip and living life on his terms. With a few more minutes before the plane departed, I took the opportunity to give him a call.
“Hey Michael, Mom here. Sorry I missed your call. I was kind of busy.”
Michael responded, “That’s OK Mom, sorry I never called you back yesterday. What are you up to?”
“Well,” I said as I let out a laugh, annoying the man sitting beside me. I leaned over with my head down between my knees. Cupping the phone to muffle the sound of my voice, I went on to explain. “I’m on a plane headed to Paris, France!”
“WHAT?!” he replied.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Joanie was raised on a farm in Saskatchewan, Canada. Life revolved around chores, school and church. Six older siblings and all the nieces and nephews added up to a large family.
Strong in doctrine and armed with a passion for truth, she's walked the walk of faith, facing challenges to overcome. She was married at 19, became a mother to a stepdaughter, and later birthed two children. Following years of turmoil in her marriage, she hit the inevitable breaking point.
Starting life over, she attended broadcasting college, going on to anchor morning news for the airwaves. Feeling isolated and rejected, her drive to help others who have gone through similar circumstances inspired this book. Through the Refiners fire, she's ready to share tools required to escape the fake and embrace the truth.
