Giveaway - Dark Signal - Shannon Baker

Dark Signal is the second entry in Shannon Baker's Kate Fox series. It releases on October 17/17 - and I have a copy to giveaway to one lucky reader!

From Forge Books:

"Dark Signal by Shannon Baker is the second installment in the Kate Fox mystery series, called "A must read" by New York Times bestselling author Alex Kava, starring a female Longmire in the atmospheric Nebraska Sandhills.

Reeling from her recent divorce, Kate Fox has just been sworn in as Grand County, Nebraska Sheriff when tragedy strikes. A railroad accident has left engineer Chad Mills dead, his conductor Bobby Jenkins in shock. Kate soon realizes that the accident was likely murder.

Who would want to kill Chad Mills? Kate finds that he made a few enemies as president of the railroad workers union. Meanwhile his widow is behaving oddly. And why was his neighbor Josh Stevens at the Mills house on the night of the accident?

While her loud and meddling family conspires to help Kate past her divorce, State Patrol Officer Trey closes in on Josh Stevens as the suspect. Kate doesn’t believe it. She may not have the experience, but she’s lived in the Sandhills her whole life, and knows the land and the people. Something doesn’t add up—and Kate must find the real killer before he can strike again." Read an excerpt of Dark Signal.

"Now a resident of Tucson, Baker spent 20 years in the Nebraska Sandhills, where cattle outnumber people by more than 50:1. Shannon is proud to have been chosen Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers’ 2014 and 2017 Writer of the Year. She is a member of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, Western Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers.

Baker moved seven times in less than ten years, from the Nebraska Sandhills, to Boulder, CO, Flagstaff, AZ, back to Boulder and a short stint in southwestern Nebraska. It might be schizophrenic, but helpful for writing great western settings. She’s hoping to let a little moss grow on the rolling stone, as she’s settled in Tucson with her favorite person, and her dog, Jezebel, the crazy Weimaraner." You can connect with Shannon on her website and follow her on Twitter.

And if you'd like to read Dark Signal, I have a copy to giveaway to one lucky reader. Enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US only. Ends October 21/17.

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Giveaway - The Seventh Sun - Kent Lester

Kent Lester's debut novel, The Seventh Sun, releases April 18/17 - and I have not one, but three copies to giveaway to three lucky readers! What's it about you ask?

From Forge Books:

"In a breathtaking debut, Kent Lester has married fast-paced narrative and cutting-edge, reality-based science to produce an edge-of-the-seat thriller in The Seventh Sun.

A seemingly random murder alerts scientist Dan Clifford to a global conspiracy that stretches from the halls of Washington to the Honduran coast. Illegal, undersea activities have unwittingly uncovered a primordial secret that is wreaking havoc on aquatic life and the local human population.

When the CDC and the full resources of a U.S. “threat interdiction” team fails to uncover the source of the devastation, Dan and a brilliant marine biologist, Rachel Sullivan, must race to unravel an unimaginable, ancient mystery in the murky depths. It's up to them to stop this terror before a determined multi-national corporation triggers a worldwide extinction event, the Seventh Sun of ancient myth." Read an excerpt below.

Kent Lester is an entrepreneur who has started several successful businesses. He has always had a strong interest in science, technology, and oceanography, which is reflected in the scientific accuracy of The Seventh Sun, his first novel. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia, where he is hard at work on the next Dan Clifford thriller. You can connect with Kent on his website,like him on Facebookor follow him on Twitter.


If you'd like to read The Seventh Sun, enter to win a copy using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends April 22/17.

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Follow Me Down - Sherri Smith - Review AND Giveaway

Sherri Smith has written two historical novels, but her newest book, Follow Me Down, is a thriller. (And I have two copies to giveaway!)

Smith takes us to Wayouta, North Dakota. Mia and her twin brother Lucas could not wait to escape this small town, their drunken mother and the claustrophobic nature of everyone knowing you - and your business. Mia has made a life for herself in Chicago and works as a pharmacist. A pharmacist who tends to sample the product too much. Her brother went back though and works as a teacher at the local high school. Mia ends up back in Wayouta as well - but only after her brother is accused of killing the high school girl he was allegedly sleeping with. There's no way her brother could do such a thing....could he?

Smith has created one of those insular towns and filled it with people who happily jump on the bandwagon of popular theory. Lucas is guilty - they just need to find him. The police are sure that Mia knows where he is. Mia, for her part is just as determined to find him and prove his innocence. Wayouta is filled with a plethora of suspects, odd ducks, a dark underbelly and a questionable police department.

Mia is the narrator of the book, but she is distinctly unreliable."My face was splotchy; grass was in my hair. And I did look crazy. I did. For a full minute, I wondered if I was. If the pills had made my brain go runny and soft. That maybe I couldn't trust any of my own memories. That for me, reality was a multiple-choice questionnaire." Her tenacity and bullheadedness are appealing. And she has a wicked sense of humour. I quite liked her voice.

Relationships - especially those between a mother and child, play a large (and heartbreaking) part in the plotting. Sibling ties are also a focus of Follow Me Down.

I found Follow Me Down a bit slow to get started, but the story picked up speed after the initial characters were introduced and the time and place were set. Smith gives us lots of suspects and throws in some red herrings along the way. The final whodunit? Didn't see it coming! If I had to describe the feel of the book, I would say modern Gothic with a psychological twist. Read an excerpt of Follow Me Down.

"Sherri Smith has previously written two historical fiction novels with Simon and Schuster UK. When not writing, she spends time with her family and two rescue dogs, and restores vintage furniture that would otherwise be destined for the dump. She lives in Winnipeg, Canada, where the long, cold winters nurture her dark side." You can connect with Sherri on her website, follow her on Twitter and like her on Facebook.

And if you'd like to read Follow Me Down, enter to win one of two copies up for grabs using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends April 1/17.

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Giveaway - Quicksand - Carolyn Baugh

I've got a wonderful giveaway today for those of you who love thrillers and mysteries - Quicksand: A Nora Khalil Novel. This is the first in a new series from Carolyn Baugh.

From the publisher, Forge Books:

"Officer Nora Khalil is used to navigating different terrains. As part of a joint task force set up by the Philadelphia Police Department, the FBI, and the local sheriff's offices, she works to keep Philly's mean streets safe from gang violence, while trying to honor the expectations of her traditional Egyptian-American family. She can hold her own against hardened murderers and rapists, and her years as a competitive runner ensure that no suspect ever escapes on foot.

Nora tries to keep her professional and personal lives separate, but when a mutilated body is discovered in a tough section of town, Nora must rely on both her police training and her cultural background to find out whether this is another gang-related killing or the grisly evidence of something even darker and more disturbing." Read an excerpt of Quicksand.

"I’ve spent twenty-five years acquiring ninja Arabic skills, and that ability has allowed me access to worlds not everyone gets to tread. I wanted to pay homage to some of the tough level-headedness I’ve found in so many of the women I’ve come to know.” —Carolyn Baugh on her motivations to write Quicksand."

"Carolyn Baugh holds a Master's and a Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania in Arabic and Islamic Studies. She is currently Assistant Professor of History at Gannon University, where she is director of the Women's Studies Program. In addition to various scholarly articles, she is the author of The View from Garden City." You can connect with Carolyn Baugh on her website.

If Quicksand sounds like a book you'd like to read,I have a copy to giveaway,courtesy of Forge Books.Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends Oct 3/15. Enter using the Rafflecopter form below.

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Giveaway - Devil's Harbor - Alex Gilly

Love fast-paced thrillers? Then I've got a great giveaway for you today!

Devil's Harbor is Alex Gilly's newly released debut novel - and I have THREE copies to giveaway to lucky readers!

From the publisher, Forge Books:

"With heart-stopping thrills, a Walter White-esque villain, and a fascinating hero, Alex Gilly's Devil's Harbor is a thriller unlike any you have read before Nick Finn and his partner and brother-in-law, Diego Jimenez, are used to rough water. As Marine Interdiction Agents for Customs and Border Protection, the two hunt drug smugglers, human traffickers, and other criminals who hide in the vastness of the waters surrounding southern California. One night, Finn and Diego track a phantom boat off the Los Angeles coast, but it disappears before they can intercept it. They find a dead body in its wake, ravaged by sharks. Their investigation into the floater stalls when Finn is accused of using excessive force following the death of a suspected drug smuggler.

Then Diego is murdered - and Finn is the number-one suspect. As he races to find the real killer and save his marriage, Finn is forced to partner with Linda Blake, the desperate captain of the Pacific Belle and mother of Lucy, a very sick little girl, to attempt the one thing he has devoted his life to stopping. In order to clear his name and save a child's life, Finn must smuggle narcotics by sea into the United States…and avoid the net that his CBP colleagues have cast for him."

Sounds like a great non-stop action filled read! See for yourself - read an excerpt of Devil's Harbor.

"Alex Gilly is a writer and an internationally bestselling translator who was born in New York City. His published translations include the best-selling INCAS trilogy (The Light of Machu Picchu, The Puma’s Shadow and The Gold of Cuzco) by A. B. Daniel, published by Scribner in the United States, and Thierry Cruvellier's Master of Confessions, a non-fiction account of the first of the Khmer Rouge trials in Phnom Penh. He is also the official translator for award-winning novelist Amin Maalouf’s blog. Gilly has lived in Australia, Canada, France, California, and the UK, and he currently lives in Sydney with his wife and son." You can connect with Alex Gilly on Twitter.

If Devil's Harbor sounds like a book you'd enjoy, enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends July 25/15.

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Giveaway - Blood Ties - Nicholas Guild

Here's one for readers who love crime fiction. Blood Ties is Nicholas Guild's newest book - and thanks to Forge Books, I have a copy to giveaway.

From the publisher:

"Homicide detective Ellen Ridley of the SFPD is tracking a serial killer terrorizing young women in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ridley is sure she's cornered her most likely suspect: Stephen Tregear, a hacker and code breaker who works for U.S. Naval Intelligence. But Tregear is not the killer... he's the killer's son.

Ridley and Tregear team up to look for Tregear's father, Walter, in an elaborate game of murderous cat and mouse. As the body count rises, Ridley must race against the clock to stop Walter before he kills any more women--and Tregear must finally confront the father who has been trying to kill him for twenty years. Blood Ties is an elegant and frightening thriller from Nicholas Guild." Read an excerpt of Blood Ties.

Nicholas Guild was born in Belmont, California, and attended Occidental College and the University of California at Berkeley. He taught at Clemson and Ohio State before turning full time to writing fiction. He has published a dozen novels in both the thriller and historical genres, several of which were international bestsellers, including The Assyrian, Blood Star, and Angel. Guild now lives in Frederick, Maryland. You can connect with Nicholas Guild on Facebook.

Sound like a book you'd like to read? One copy up for giveaway, open to US and Canada. Ends May 16/15. Enter using the Rafflecopter form below.

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Giveaway - Night Life - David C. Taylor

Looking for a new crime series? Here's your chance to win Night Life -  the first book of a new historical crime fiction series from from David C. Taylor.

"New York City in 1954. The Cold War is heating up. Senator Joe McCarthy is running a witch hunt for Communists in America. The newly formed CIA is fighting a turf battle with the FBI to see who will be the primary US intelligence agency. And the bodies of murdered young men are turning up in the city. Michael Cassidy has an unusual background for a New York cop. His father, a refugee from Eastern Europe, is a successful Broadway producer. His godfather is Frank Costello, a Mafia boss. Cassidy also has an unusual way of going about the business of being a cop--maybe that's why he threw a fellow officer out a third story window of the Cortland Hotel.

Cassidy is assigned to the case of Alexander Ingram, a Broadway chorus dancer found tortured and dead in his apartment in Hell's Kitchen. Complications grow as other young men are murdered one after the other. And why are the FBI, the CIA, and the Mafia interested in the death of a Broadway gypsy? Meanwhile, a mysterious, beautiful woman moves into Cassidy's building in Greenwich Village. Is Dylan McCue a lover or an enemy? Cassidy is plagued by nightmares--dreams that sometimes become reality. And he has been dreaming that someone is coming to kill him. ?"

Read an excerpt of Night Life.

"David C. Taylor was born and raised in New York City. He spent twenty years in Los Angeles writing for television and the movies. He has published short stories and magazine articles, and has had an Off-Broadway musical produced in New York. He now divides his time between Boston and the coast of Maine."

I have THREE! copies to giveaway, courtesy of Forge Books. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends May 2/15. Enter using the Rafflecopter form below.

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Giveaway Winners!

And the three randomly chosen winners of a copy of Sabotage by Matt Cook, courtesy of Forge Books are:

1.Erinn
2.Toystory
3.Margie





The randomly chosen winner of a copy of Genesis Code by Jamie Metzl, courtesy of Arcade Publishing is:

wwkammy

Congratulations! I've contacted all of you by email for your mailing address. Please respond within 48 hours. After that time, a new winner will be chosen. Keep your eye on the sidebar for other great giveaways. Keep your eye on the sidebar for other great giveaways.

Giveaway - Ark Storm - Linda Davies

Today I've got a copy of Linda Davies' newly released book Ark Storm for giveaway!

From the publisher, Forge Books:

"The Ark Storm is coming—a catastrophic weather event that will unleash massive floods and wreak more damage on California than the feared “Big One.” One man wants to profit from it. Another wants to harness it to wage jihad on American soil. One woman stands in their way: Dr. Gwen Boudain, a brave and brilliant meteorologist. 

When Boudain notices that her climate readings are off the charts, she turns to Gabriel Messenger for research funding. Messenger’s company is working on a program that ionizes water molecules to bring rain on command. Meanwhile, Wall Street suits notice that someone is placing six-month bets on the prospect of an utter apocalypse and begin to investigate. Standing in the shadows is journalist Dan Jacobsen, a former Navy SEAL. War hardened, cynical, and handsome, Jacobsen is a man with his own hidden agenda.

Linda Davies's Ark Storm brings together the worlds of finance, scientific innovation, and terrorism in a fast-paced thrill ride that will leave readers gasping." Read an excerpt of Ark Storm.

Linda Davies is a graduate in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics from Oxford University, and worked for seven years an as investment banker before escaping to write novels. Davies's first novel, Nest of Vipers, has been published in more than thirty countries, selling over two million copies. She is also a winner of the Philip Geddes Prize for journalism. Davies is married with three children. She lives by the sea in Suffolk." You can find Linda Davies on her website, her blog, and on Twitter.

If this sounds like a book you'd like to read, simply leave a comment (and a way to contact you) to be entered. Open to US and Canada, no PO Boxes please. Ends Sept 27/14.

Winner - The Kraken Project - Douglas Preston

And the lucky winner of a copy of The Kraken Project by Douglas Preston, courtesy of Forge Books is:

Curlypow!

Congratulations! I've contacted you by email for your mailing address. Please respond within 48 hours. After that time a new winner will chosen. Thanks to all who entered - keep your eye on the sidebar for other great giveaways.

The Kraken Project - Douglas Preston - Review AND Giveaway

Douglas Preston is one half of the successful writing duo Preston and Child. In audition to their co-written titles, each author also writes on their own!

Preston's latest release is The Kraken Project, the 4th book in his Wyman Ford series. Wyman is a former CIA agent with skills and knowledge that are called into play in unusual circumstances.

Melissa Shepherd is the AI (Artificial Intelligence) programming genius behind "Dorothy" NASA computer probe scheduled to head to one of Saturn's moons. But when a test run goes wrong in the lab, Dorothy thinks for herself - and escapes into the Internet in order to 'live'.

Her knowledge and ability to learn is reaching frightening levels - and she has no intention of 'going back in the box.'

Ford is tasked with finding Melissa, who has gone into hiding. Will the two of them find Dorothy before she wreaks havoc? But others are looking for Dorothy as well - and their motives aren't as noble.

The Kraken Project is a good summer beach read. Suspend disbelief on some of the plot points and just go with it. Preston knows how to come up with a good idea for a story and build in lots of action to keep the story moving along. Ford is a likable protagonist. We get a few glimpses into the personalities of our two lead characters, but for the most part, the book is strictly plot driven. Although, Dorothy has a personality too. I'm not sure I enjoyed Jacob, the young teenage boy added in as Dorothy's companion. I found him too whiny and his dialogue and actions seemed quite wooden and forced. (same for his father) An easy read, but not the best from Preston in my opinion.

Preston could not have predicted at the time he was writing his novel that the computer 'Eugene' would pass the Turing Test, fooling humans into thinking that it too was human. Kinda scary - fiction becoming fact!

If you think this sounds like a book you'd like to read, I have a copy to giveaway thanks to the generous folks at Forge Books. Simply leave a comment (and a contact method) to be entered. Open to US and Canada, no PO boxes please. Ends July 19/14.

Winner - The Gemini Virus

And the lucky winner of a copy of The Gemini Virus by Wil Mara, courtesy of Forge Books is:

Myra!

Congratulations! I've contacted you by email for your mailing address. Please respond within 72 hours.

 

Giveaway - The Gemini Virus - Wil Mara

Well, cough and cold season is quickly approaching.... and Wil Mara's new book The Gemini Virus will have you thinking twice about that person sneezing beside you on the subway....

From the publisher Forge Books:

"Bob Easton thinks he has a cold. Before he dies in agony, four days later, he infects dozens of people. Local health agencies become quickly overwhelmed by the sick and dying and beg the CDC for help. Dr. Michael Beck and Cara Porter, a member of the Epidemic Intelligence Service, race to identify the deadly bug. They can't cure it until they know what it is.

Dennis and Andi Jensen and their children are terrified. Schools and offices close. Fresh food disappears from store shelves. Three of their children's friends die. Their neighbors are dying or running away, fleeing the unstoppable infection. Desperate, the Jensens join the exodus, making a nightmarish journey to their isolated mountain cabin along empty roads, through abandoned towns, past looted shopping malls.

The superbug—and the panic—quickly spreads beyond America’s borders. On a packed plane, someone coughs—and at their destination, the pilots are told, “you can’t land here.” US military bases are quarantined. Yet the virus continues to spread. Some believe the plague is man-made. Others see it as a sign of the end times.

In the lab, Cara Porter makes a potentially fatal mistake. In the mountains, Andi Jensen tells her husband that she doesn’t feel well.

The world is running out of time." Read an excerpt of The Gemini Virus.

Sound like a book you'd like to read? Well, here's the deal - Thanks to the lovely folks at Forge and Wil Mara, I have an autographed copy (and the author will personalize it for you as well!!!) and bookmark to give away! Open to US and Canada, simply leave a comment to be entered! Ends Nov. 4/12.

Giveaway - Last Snow - Eric Van Lustbader

Last Snow by Eric Van Lustbader is newly released in paperback and I have two copies to giveaway! (My review of the hardcover last year)

From the publisher Forge Books:

"New York Times bestselling sensation Eric Van Lustbader created the legendary Nicholas Linnear of The Ninja and brought Jason Bourne into the twenty-first century. Last year, in First Daughter, Lustbader introduced street-smart ATF agent Jack McClure, who saved the President’s daughter from a criminal mastermind.
When an American senator who is supposed to be in the Ukraine turns up dead on the island of Capri, the President asks McClure to investigate. Jack sets out from Moscow across Eastern Europe, following a perilous trail of diplomats, criminals, and corrupt politicians. His task is complicated by two unlikely, unexpected, and incompatible companions---Annika, a rogue Russian FSB agent, and Alli, the President’s daughter.

Thrust into the midst of a global jigsaw puzzle, Jack’s unique dyslexic mind allows him to put together the pieces that others can’t even see. As he struggles to keep both young women safe and uncover the truth behind the senator’s death, Jack learns just how far up the American and Russian political ladders corruption and treachery have reached."

Read an excerpt of Last Snow. You can find Eric on Twitter and at his website.

Open to US and Canada, leave a comment to be entered. Ends Sat. May 6 at 6 pm EST. Good luck and check the sidebar for ongoing giveaways.