I’m honored to have bestselling
author, Maris Soule, here today! In ECHOES of TERROR, winner of the Florida
Writers’ Associations’ Royal Palm Literary Award in the Mystery/Thriller
category, Officer Katherine Ward is assigned the case of a kidnapped teenager,
never expecting it to parallel her own kidnapping experience seventeen years
before. The usual crimes faced by the Skagway, Alaska police department’s small
force are DUIs and missing bikes. They’re not prepared for the kidnapping of a
billionaire’s daughter.
Misty Morgan thought running
off with a college boy would get her father’s attention. Now she and another
teenager are praying for their lives, especially when the kidnapper puts a time
limit on their rescue.
Stuck
in China, Misty’s father sends long time friend and former fellow-Marine, Vince
Nanini, to Alaska to stop Misty. Problem is Vince arrives too late to stop the
kidnapping, and the police aren’t eager to let him help. But when Katherine
realizes the same man who kidnapped and raped her years ago is the one holding
Misty and the other teenager, Vince convinces her they must work together if
they’re going to figure out where the kidnapper has taken two teenagers.
Excerpt:
Echoes of Terror by Maris
Soule (a FiveStar/Cengage mystery)
“He’s
here,” Alice said, her voice barely above a whisper. “And wait ’til you see
him.” She fanned herself, and grinned. “He wants to talk to the officer in
charge. At the moment, that’s you.”
Katherine
supposed with Gordon out of the building that was true. She also assumed this
smoking hot “he” was the guy Crystal Morgan’s husband had sent.
She
took a moment to straighten her uniform, then followed Alice back to the office
area. Her first impression was that Crystal had been right; Vince Nanini did
look like he could be a bodyguard. He certainly didn’t fit the computer geek
stereotype. He had the bald head and swarthy complexion like Vin Diesel, but he
was bigger than the actor. Not just in height, but in the width of his
shoulders and the size of his biceps.
His
white T-shirt stretched over a solid chest and flat abdomen, then disappeared
beneath the waistline of a pair of tan khakis. Nikes covered his feet. He wore
no jewelry, no heavy chains, rings, or earrings. Nothing custom made or
terribly expensive, except, perhaps, for the watch on his right wrist.
Katherine had a feeling it cost a small fortune. Definitely more than her
trusty Timex.
“Mr.
Nanini?” she said, holding out her hand.
He
didn’t offer his.
“You’re the officer in charge?” The scowl
he gave her was accompanied by a quick up-and-down look.
From
behind the counter, Alice answered for her. “This is Officer Katherine Ward.
Our chief is in the hospital, and Sergeant Landros is out of the office at the
moment.”
“I am the officer handling this case,”
Katherine added, letting her hand drop back to her side. She knew some men
still held chauvinistic views about women police officers. She’d learned the
best way to correct that was to take control. “May I see some identification?”
He
pulled out a passport and a business card and handed her the two. “My partner
and I specialize in computer security,” he said. “Tomoro Industries is one of
our clients. Thomas Morgan, the president and owner of that business, is also a
personal friend, which is why I’m here. It appears Mr. Morgan’s teenage
daughter has run off with a guy she met through the Internet.”
“So
I’ve heard.” Katherine looked at his business card—which identified him as
Vincent Nanini, President of VR Protection Services—and then at his passport.
Actually, his full name was Vincent Dominic Nanini, age thirty-eight, height
six feet two and weight one-ninety. Those pounds were all muscle, from what she
could see. His address was in Seattle, Washington.
She
handed back his passport but kept the business card. “Crystal said you worked
for the FBI. May I also see your badge?”
“I’m
not an agent,” he said. “I did work for the bureau for a while as a
consultant.”
“Are
you presently with any law enforcement agency?”
“No,
we—”
She
waved off his explanation. “Then I’ll be asking the questions.”
Let me introduce this talented writer!
Maris Soule
has had 5 mysteries and 25 category romance and romantic suspense books
published. She is a two time RITA finalist, as well as a winner and finalist in
many other contests. Born and raised in California, she was working on a
master’s degree in art history at U.C. Santa Barbara when she was swept off her
feet by a red-head with blue eyes. She taught art for 8 years before retiring
to raise a family, but soon discovered she not only loved teaching, painting,
and reading books, she wanted to write. The Soules now live in Michigan in the
summer and Florida in the winter, but they love to travel—by plane, train, car,
cruise ship… or on the sailboat they own.
Thank you, Kathleen, for featuring ECHOES of TERROR and me on your blog. As all writers know, any publicity (especially if given freely) is greatly appreciated. Wishing you the best with your career.
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