Title: Life in Death (Kari Marchant Series, Book 1)
Author: Harlow Coban
Publisher: Wine Not Publishing
Length: 25,000 words
Sub-Genre: Mystery/Thriller
BLURB
When a girl that social worker Kari Marchant places in foster care is brutally murdered, she’s compelled to learn why. Her quest for the truth pits her against friends and coworkers. As Kari works to solve the horrific plot, more people die. How far should she go to learn the truth—even if it threatens her life?
EXCERPT #1
“Frost. Call on line one.” The voice boomed overhead and interrupted Scott Frost mid-climb. He jumped off his truck, pushed up the sleeves on his dingy green work shirt and walked to the phone mounted on the wall, his face a scowl of irritation.
He grabbed the receiver. “Hello.”
“They found Patience,” his wife, Andrea, whispered.
Mammoth garbage trucks rumbled and shook the walls as they rolled out into the street for the day’s work, their giant bellies hungry for trash. Scott strained to hear his wife over the noise.
“I told you never to call me here.”
“Do you know what they did to her?” Her voice rose an octave.
"Hold it together.” He clenched his fist and resisted the impulse to smash it through the wall. “She’s the one who ran off.”
“She didn’t deserve that. Nobody deserves that.”
The phone slipped a bit in his sweaty hand. Tolerance had never been one of Scott's virtues, and what little he did have waned with each whiny word his wife uttered. “It’ll all be over soon, you know that.”
“They won’t let us out.”
He gnashed his teeth together until the noise in his head drowned out the roar of garbage trucks. The pumping of his heart escalated and Scott imagined he could feel his blood pressure rising.
“Damn it, Andrea, take a valium. These people are dangerous. They’ll kill us if we flake out.”
"Where is she?" Luke Dolo, Patience’s father, pounded a fist on the table. His face had contorted into an ugly mask. His smooth, dark skin had a reddish tinge to it, either from alcohol, anger or both.
For the first time ever, Kari thought about alerting security. She weighed her options.
“Mr. Dolo, please calm down. As I said before, you need to speak to the police.” She slid Detective Nicolet’s card over to him.
He stared at it, eyes dull.
“Just tell me what happened to her?” The veins in his neck bulged and pulsed.
She didn’t respond. She couldn’t respond. It wasn’t her place to tell him his daughter was dead.
He leaped across the table, hands closing around Kari’s throat like a vise. She struggled against his strength and they tumbled to the ground. He landed on top of her. The weight of his body coupled with the fall knocked the breath out of her, but she continued to struggle. She scratched and clawed at him to get free. His fetid breath nauseated her as she fought to take a gulp of air. Soon dots danced in front of her eyes and she felt dizzy.
Detective Cobb had Luke on his stomach with his knee pressed into his back as he handcuffed him. “Looks like I showed up just in time.”
The author is kindly giving away a digital copy of her novel to one of you. Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below. OPEN INTERNATIONALLY.
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Author: Harlow Coban
Publisher: Wine Not Publishing
Length: 25,000 words
Sub-Genre: Mystery/Thriller
BLURB
When a girl that social worker Kari Marchant places in foster care is brutally murdered, she’s compelled to learn why. Her quest for the truth pits her against friends and coworkers. As Kari works to solve the horrific plot, more people die. How far should she go to learn the truth—even if it threatens her life?
When homicide detective Rance Nicolet meets Kari, his
attraction to her is powerful—and the feeling is mutual. But things between
them go terribly wrong when Kari’s old lover is found murdered with a letter
from her in his pocket. The evidence against Kari is damning. Rance’s personal and
professional lives collide. Does he blindly believe the woman he’s falling in
love with or follow the evidence no matter where it leads?
EXCERPT #1
“Frost. Call on line one.” The voice boomed overhead and interrupted Scott Frost mid-climb. He jumped off his truck, pushed up the sleeves on his dingy green work shirt and walked to the phone mounted on the wall, his face a scowl of irritation.
He grabbed the receiver. “Hello.”
“They found Patience,” his wife, Andrea, whispered.
Mammoth garbage trucks rumbled and shook the walls as they rolled out into the street for the day’s work, their giant bellies hungry for trash. Scott strained to hear his wife over the noise.
“I told you never to call me here.”
“Do you know what they did to her?” Her voice rose an octave.
"Hold it together.” He clenched his fist and resisted the impulse to smash it through the wall. “She’s the one who ran off.”
“She didn’t deserve that. Nobody deserves that.”
The phone slipped a bit in his sweaty hand. Tolerance had never been one of Scott's virtues, and what little he did have waned with each whiny word his wife uttered. “It’ll all be over soon, you know that.”
“They won’t let us out.”
He gnashed his teeth together until the noise in his head drowned out the roar of garbage trucks. The pumping of his heart escalated and Scott imagined he could feel his blood pressure rising.
“Damn it, Andrea, take a valium. These people are dangerous. They’ll kill us if we flake out.”
EXCERPT #2
"Where is she?" Luke Dolo, Patience’s father, pounded a fist on the table. His face had contorted into an ugly mask. His smooth, dark skin had a reddish tinge to it, either from alcohol, anger or both.
For the first time ever, Kari thought about alerting security. She weighed her options.
“Mr. Dolo, please calm down. As I said before, you need to speak to the police.” She slid Detective Nicolet’s card over to him.
He stared at it, eyes dull.
“Just tell me what happened to her?” The veins in his neck bulged and pulsed.
She didn’t respond. She couldn’t respond. It wasn’t her place to tell him his daughter was dead.
He leaped across the table, hands closing around Kari’s throat like a vise. She struggled against his strength and they tumbled to the ground. He landed on top of her. The weight of his body coupled with the fall knocked the breath out of her, but she continued to struggle. She scratched and clawed at him to get free. His fetid breath nauseated her as she fought to take a gulp of air. Soon dots danced in front of her eyes and she felt dizzy.
Detective Cobb had Luke on his stomach with his knee pressed into his back as he handcuffed him. “Looks like I showed up just in time.”
BOOK TRAILER
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Author Harlow Coban was
born in Kansas City, MO, but grew up in Denver, CO. She relocated to North
Carolina five years ago with her husband, two dogs, and 16-year old twins.
She shares a
birthday with the notorious Napoleon Bonaparte. In keeping with his legacy, she
is currently working on taking over the world. Harlow’s positive attitude and
fresh take on life are her tools and conquest is certain.
She spends her
free time writing, dancing, traveling and defending mailboxes from her
16-year-old twins’ driving.
Her debut
novel, LIFE IN DEATH (February 2012), is a murder mystery which pulls from
real-life situations from her own family history. She felt compelled to share
her story with the world while offering a thrilling, entertaining, and amusing
escape for readers.
In keeping with
her commitment to improving the lives of children, a portion of the proceeds
from the sale of her book will be donated to the Boys and Girls Club in her
home state of North Carolina.
GIVEAWAY
The author is kindly giving away a digital copy of her novel to one of you. Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below. OPEN INTERNATIONALLY.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The cover of the book makes me think of the purity and innocence of the girl who was murdered. Also, the red flower against the white background really gets your attention. You don't often see the white cover.
ReplyDelete@PuttPutt1198Eve, thanks so much for your comments. I wanted to do something different with my book cover. I wasn't sure it would be eyecatching enough, but your comments tell me that it is. Best of luck with the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with PuttPutt1198Eve regarding the cover. This type of book is right up my alley!
ReplyDeleteSusan, your comments mean a lot! Thank you for sharing. I hope you enjoy my book. Best regards.
ReplyDelete