Synopsis:
Cold-case detective Parker McCall has spent fifteen years trying to solve his brother’s murder. Now a chance photo of the killer in the newspaper sets him hard on the woman’s trail. A former teenaged runaway, reclusive, award-winning photojournalist B.K. Elliot chronicles the harsh reality of life on the streets -- until a photo in the paper reveals her identity, blowing the lid off her secret past. With a powerful murderer now dogging her heels, and her police officer step-father determined to silence her permanently, the last person she can afford to trust is a cop. So why does sexy police detective Parker McCall tempt her to break her silence and resurrect ideals she’d lost years ago? As danger closes in, and with more than her own life at stake, Brynn must decide if the duty-bound cop will betray her...or heal her battered heart.
Excerpt
“I can’t breathe.”
Parker didn’t doubt it. He probably had seventy pounds of muscle on her.
“Please.” She sounded desperate now. “I…can’t…breathe.”
Unable to dredge up any sympathy, he steeled his jaw. “You going to talk to me this time?”
“Yes.”
“Somehow I’m not convinced.”
“I said I would.” Despite her predicament, temper flared into her voice.
“You’d better,” he warned. “You try running again, and I’ll hurt you for real this time.”
Too ticked off to trust her, he rolled over, positioning himself on top. Then he lumbered to his feet, every sense alert in case she tried to bolt. When she didn’t make a move to join him, he reached down and pulled her up. Still breathing heavily, he pulled out his badge and held it up.
“Put your hands behind your back and face the fence,” he ordered, taking out his handcuffs.
“What?”
“You heard me.” He wasn’t taking the chance that she’d run again.
“You have no right—”
“You ran from the police. You assaulted an officer. I don’t need another reason than that. Now turn around—unless you’d rather I haul you in.”
Her gaze flicked to his shield again. Even in the dim light trickling from a nearby row house, he could see her jaw go tight. But she turned and held out her hands.
Wary of another trick, he slapped on the handcuffs, the delicate feel of her wrist bones causing a startling burst of heat in his blood. Forget that she’s a woman, he reminded himself as she whirled around. She was a possible suspect in his brother’s death, the last one to see him alive, not a potential date.
He picked up the backpack she’d dropped and searched it, unearthing the small, semiautomatic pistol she’d hidden inside. Still keeping one eye on her, he removed the magazine. “You have a permit for this?”
Her gaze skidded away.
“Right.” Stupid question. He stuffed the gun in his jacket pocket and shouldered the bag.
Her eyes returned to his. “So what do you want?”
“Information.”
“You always tackle people you want to question?”
“You always climb out the window when someone knocks on your door?”
Her mouth pressed into a line.
About the author
A former RITA® and Daphne finalist, Gail Barrett has received the Book Buyer’s Best Award, the Holt Medallion, the Booksellers Best, The National Readers’ Choice Award, and numerous other awards. She lives with her husband in Western Maryland.
Find her:
Website | Facebook
**Gail will be awarding a $25 Amazon / BN (or other bookstore of the winner's choice) GC to one randomly drawn commenter during this tour.
45 comments:
I don't read many crime stories, but the excerpt sounds cool (:
And thanks for the giveaway!
Thank you for hosting
Thank you, Kristina. I wouldn't really consider this a crime story. Even though it involves an old crime and features a cop hero, it is really romantic suspense. I tend to go heavy on the emotions, light on the gritty stuff:))))
Thanks so much for hosting me here today! I'll be popping in to chat later:)))
I haven't read a ton of romantic suspenses, but I do like suspense and romance (why haven't I read romantic suspense again?), and this sounds fantastic! Also,w hat's sexier than a detective?
realityisnovel at g mail dot com
I love Harlequin Suspense...I've been reading Harlequin for over 33 years, their books keep getting better and better. Thank you for the giveaway, your book is a good read because Harlequin only publishes the very best.
I'd love to read this book. It looks great!
Love the excerpt, thank you.
Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com
RIN, I know what you mean. I love to figure out a mystery, but am not into the gritty, gory stuff. It's always great when I can find an author who strikes the balance I like!
Yvonne, I am totally amazed by the talent at Harlequin. The writers are incredible. I read my first Silhouette Intimates Moments back in the early 90's. I had never read a romance novel before, and loved it so much, thought it was so clever and well written, that my goal became to write and sell a book to them. So many of today's big name authors came out of that line -- Emilie Richards, Suzanne Brockman, Lisa Gardner (Alicia Scott), and so on.
Thank you, Patricia! I hope you get a chance to pick it up!!!
Thanks, Ingeborg! I think they posted a few different excerpts on the various blogs for those who are hopping around:)))
I really liked what I read need to read more..Thanks for sharing with all of us..
This sounds interesting. I don't read a ton of crime series. But I do like to read them. Thanks so much.
jlkalman26 at gmail dot com
Sounds like an interesting read!! :)
It looks like a really awesome book that I think I'd love reading! So far I love everything about this book, from the synopsis to the cover!
I am not one for romantic novels but this one was actually caught my attention can't wait to read it!
Thank you, Teena3940:))) I appreciate the comment.
Jennifer, thank you for stopping by. I hope you'll consider reading my book! I'd love to know what you think.
I'm glad you think so, Amber!
Ooh, I love mysteries. This book sounds great. :)
It's funny that you should mention the cover, AnddD. Brynn does NOT wear a long yellow skirt in the book! In fact, she goes around in jeans and a black pea coat most of the time. But I guess the cover artists wanted a pop of color to make it stand out. I was pretty surprised to see the skirt!!!! Still, I really like the cover in general, and I think they captured the looks of the characters and tone of the story, so I can't complain.
Robin, the Baltimore cop who answered my questions for this story (and let me ride along with him on patrol one day!) had never read a romance novel before, and he really liked it. Of course, it helped that I acknowledged him in the book... Still, I think even non romance readers can appreciate this story. It's fairly mainstream without being too gritty.
Thank you, Holly. So far, no one who has given me feedback knew who the killer was until the very end. I think you might be surprised:))))
Thank you for hosting
Thanks for the excerpt and the chance to win!
Sounds really good!!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com
I haven't read many romantic suspense novels but this sounds good. Thanks for the giveaway!
This excerpt has great build up! Love the tension. Thanks for the chance to enter!
falses1gns(at)gmail(dot)com
I admit I don't really read romantic suspense, but these characters definitely have me intrigued. I love their back and forth banter. And Brynn sounds like my kinda stubborn, hardcore girl. Love the tough heroines.
Congrats on the release, and thanks for the giveaway!
mearles1982(at)hotmail(dot)com
I enjoyed the excerpt
bn100candg at hotmail dot com
Oooh! That excerpt is really intriguing. Looks like a great book!
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This sounds like a real page-turner! Thanks for sharing this information, plus the giveaway!
I really need to look this one up. These are the only "Romance novels" I really read, outside of YA. Most romance to me seems.. Well.. Trite, for lack of a better word.
As a side note, I wandered over from book blogs, and like what you have done here.
Lisa @ Just Another Rabid Reader
You're welcome, Natasha. Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you for commenting, Mary!
Thanks, Ari. I appreciate that:)))
Thank you for the fabulous excerpt.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Thank you, Meryvamp. The three heroines in this trilogy are strong women. I think that's why I loved writing this so much. They are not the type to back down. At the same time, they all have vulnerabilities they have to face before they can seize their HEA. I actually got teary-eyed while I was writing the epilogue at the end of the third book (coming in December) when their ordeals were all over:))))
Thank you, bn!
Thanks so much, Nicole! I hope you will get a chance to read it.
I appreciate that, Susan!!!! Thank you for stopping by!
Destinyisn'tfree - I know what you mean. A lot depends on the author, though. One reason I like romantic suspense is that the plots are meatier and the stakes are higher. I like having a puzzle to figure out. I don't like to read the really grim stuff, but mystery stories intrigue me. Still, even non-romance novels usually have romantic elements or a romance subplot. It is basic to human nature to want that connection. It's just a matter of how much emphasis the author puts on it.
Thank you, Holly. And thanks for joining the blog hop!
This book looks great! Thanks for the chance to win :D
Yes! Totally can't wait to read this! Adding it to my TBR list... Love that cover, too ; ) I always wonder how much power they have over the direction of the design of their book cover. My brother just got into designing book covers and would like to know what he should expect! Thanks for sharing with us and Thanks for the giveaway!
mestith at gmail dot com
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