Silent Witness by Nicola Beaumont - Enjoyed the Characters!

Colorado 
Nina Thomas glanced at the envelope on the floorboard of her convertible and wondered about the stranger who had sent it. Why come forward after so many years? She had tried to find the mysterious H. Anderson--had gone through the six H. Andersons listed in the Hampton, Virginia, area where the letter had been postmarked, but she'd had no luck. Three had never heard of Shadow Creek, two had hung up on her, and one, she discovered, had committed suicide just two weeks before, leaving his very angry landlady with a considerable bill for back rent and utilities-and according to said landlady--"an apartment she wouldn't be able to ever rent again."
It was then that Nina knew she would have to make the trip to Shadow Creek. The tree-lined street came to an end as she eased the small two-seater onto the highway. No turning back now, she thought, as the white clapboard houses with pro-panel roofs faded into the distance. Wind whistled across the open top as she pressed on the accelerator. Her cropped hair bounced around her head, tickling the back of her neck, and her stomach rolled on a queasy wave of emotion. She wanted to investigate so badly--needed to investigate--but somehow she knew if she unlocked secrets from the past, things would never be the same again. She would never be the same again. A part of her dreaded that.
The uncertainty of disrupting her life hung in the air around her, picking at her relentlessly. Like the steady drip of a faulty tap. Every time she convinced herself that she needed to know the truth, something--fear, maybe--had her gut stalling, questioning, wondering. Her father was dead. Nothing could change that--even a letter popping up years later that turned an accident into murder. 
But what about justice? What about truth? What about? ... 
What about peace, moving on with life, not dwelling on the past? Searching for the truth wouldn't bring him back. It would probably serve no other purpose than to cause her further pain. And her life was finally painless. She'd saved enough money for college, she had a mother and stepfather who loved her more than life, and the dreams were finally beginning to subside. After all these years, she could finally trust people, she no longer feared going to sleep, no longer had to force herself to touch her head to a pillow. Did she really want to dredge up the past and risk reviving the nightmare that had haunted her entire childhood? Nina shivered and pressed the button to refit the soft top. 
At seventy miles an hour, even a July wind could be cold. Deep down, though, Nina knew the chill that hammered her body didn't have anything to do with the wind. The eerie images still frightened her. 
Reflections of an unknown known creature with the face of a boar and the body of a man--long arms and legs with huge, round black eyes and a stubbed snout. She had never been able to correlate the nightmare to the crash, but within the depths of her soul, she knew the two were related. Struggle as she might, she still couldn't remember the accident, except for a vague image of her daddy and a big green helicopter. The psychologists she had been shuffled to as a child told her the memories might come into focus one day, but not to pin her hopes on it. She had been awfully young, they'd said, and might never regain the memory of that one traumatic incident. Instead of realistic memories, an eight-year-old Nina had created her own version of what had happened that day. She was convinced the helicopter had been her father's vehicle to heaven, and as much as her mother had tried to persuade her there was no helicopter involved, Nina had still believed.
Then, one night when she was twelve, she dreamed of another man being in the car with them. The person just the misty haze of a faceless man in a blue suit-had helped her father into the Heaven Helicopter and taken him into the sky. The thought that the blue-suited man was an angel stayed with her until she was old enough to rationalize that angels don't wear blue suits, and God doesn't need a helicopter. Her mind came back to the present, and she nodded to a trucker passing her in a metallic, lavender-flecked Peterbilt before turning her attention to the radio. 
Static hissed through the speakers, so she flipped to the AM band. "Just remember, my faithful brothers and sisters, that our God is not a God of fear, but of peace. Walk with the Lord in righteousness, and you shall find peace"

As the preacher's voice drew out the "s" sound in peace, Nina forgot the road and stared down at the radio as if the voice had spoken to her directly. She wasn't a religious person, but recently, she had started to realize that she'd lived a great deal of her life in fear. Fear that people would think she was crazy for having to see a shrink. Fear that she should remember and couldn't. Fear that she would never save enough money for college. Funny thing was, fear was even driving her right now. 
Fear that if she ignored the letter H. Anderson had sent, she'd regret it for the rest of her life. Fear that if she investigated, she would find nothing but trouble ... Fear that she'd discover her father wasn't the honorable man she'd always believed he was.

~~~

Rylan Andies was sitting in his Arizona Highway Patrol car when Nina Thomas, in her little red convertible zipped by...What he wasn't expecting when he zoomed out to follow, was that Nina was actually coming to Shadow Creek, even though he had learned she was on the road, traveling...

Pulling over, Ry already regretting having to hassle her, but he had no choice. It was his job to protect her and she was heading into trouble, no doubt about it!
He was hooked as soon as she lifted her eyes...

She rifled through her purse again, then clicked open the glove compartment for her registration and proof of insurance. When she turned back to hand him the information, her gaze slammed into his chest like a bullet. Confusion etched her features--and fear. Not a fear of getting a ticket, but more a fear of the unknown--that doe-in-the-headlights look he'd witnessed so many times over the years. He really didn't like himself right now. This was a cruel game, but one that had to be played to the full if he were going to glean from her the information formation he needed...

Nina drove into Shadow Creek, immediately locating the Bed-and-Breakfast, then turned to finding a place to eat. Then immediately starting to look over the papers she had brought with her...she didn't want to waste any time starting her investigation... She didn't know who it was that had sent her the envelope and letter which revealed that her father had been murdered, rather than killed in the accident. While she hoped to discover who had sent it, she was mainly concerned to verify whether or not his message had been correct. Had her father been murdered? She didn't even know how to begin, but begin she would. She never realized that she was walking into danger when she made her decision to try to find out what happened.

But everybody who knew she was in town were on the alert! That included Carlucci, a criminal who owned the town, including the police, those in Washington who were leading the investigation in Shadow Creek, and those in town who were willing to support the activities there, to make money... or in fear... And Ry was right in the middle of them all! He worked for the government, but was undercover in the Highway Patrol, the latter office having three interesting characters that were in one way or another vying for Carlucci's favor... Ry's boss was Carlucci's brother-in-law, who thought he should have special privileges. But when he realized that Ry was being favored by the boss, he set out to compete with Ry in handling the orders...and specifically about Nina Thomas...

She had started asking questions even while she was checking in to where she was staying, asking if the owners knew of any accident that had occurred years ago. Most of the older citizens knew the story about a crazy vet who had gone over a hill, while his daughter was in the car...But nobody knew that any further investigations had occurred... And, depending on how close Nina got to answers, Carlucci would decide what to do...

Readers are learning the story as they read it, with no mystery except for the various whodunit activities, but a lot of suspense as various incidents began. The first major one was that the cabin portion of the Bed and Breakfast burned down while she was out, fortunately, but she lost everything including all that she had brought with her.

And Ry made his first mistake by inviting her into his home and loaning her money...She was confused--all he knew that his feelings for protecting her were so strong that he risked raising many questions--with everybody! Of course Nina was also attracted to him, but wasn't sure she could trust him...or anybody...since the fire... Especially when they confirmed it was arson...

But Nina didn't even have the money to go home, so she agreed with Ry that she might as well stay and finish what she started... until Carlucci had him fly down to meet with him to discuss Nina's plans...

Even though the plot was easy to follow, I enjoyed the various characters and what their interaction was with Nina... Nina? She was determined and obstinate enough to keep searching. What had happened to her father? Was it really murder? And who was the individual who had wrote to her, but then disappeared after stirring up all the memories of the tragic event so many years ago... The surprise ending was the icing on the cake and made the story a thoroughly enjoyable read. Do check it out!


GABixlerReviews

Take Her Breath Away, A Romantic Suspense by Kathryn J. Bain

"Please God, don't let him die."

Her phone rang before Morai could answer. Rayleene held up a finger, indicating she'd be with her in a moment. She'd been tempted not to answer when Howard's name came up on caller I.D. Probably wanting to let her know more of Ty's wonderful qualities.

She didn't need someone to spout his traits. They'd been married long enough for her to know them. But he was also the only one who could tear her heart out the way he had. She glanced at Morai. Some choice. She finally slid her finger across the phone.

"Hello, Howard."

"Rayleene, Ty's been shot." A tremor of excitement came through the phone line.

Her stomach bounced into her throat. It'd only been a couple of weeks since he moved out, but being apart did little to destroy the love she still had for him. "Is he going to be all right?"

"He's on his way to Atlanta Medical Center. I've called his brothers, but his parents are out of the country."

"On their anniversary trip to Europe." Rayleene barely realized she'd said the words. Her mind focused on the fact that Ty was being taken to Atlanta Medical Center, one of the city's best trauma facilities.

"I suggest you come in case documents need to be signed." Howard paused. "You're still his next of kin."

"All right." Her pulse raced. Next of kin. The words sounded ominous.

She sat staring at the phone once Howard hung up. No matter what happened between her and Ty, she never wanted this. All her old concerns climbed to the surface. The one thing she always worried about during her marriage. Ty getting hurt.

"What's wrong?"

She startled at her grandmother's voice. "Ty's been taken to the hospital." She gulped down the words. "He's been shot."

"So?" Morai folded her arms in front of her chest. "He's worth more dead than alive to you anyway."

"Morai!" Rayleene jumped up, sending the chair rolling backward." How can you say that about Ty? About anyone?"

"Don't tell me you're going to rush to his bedside?" Disdain came over Morai's face.

"I have no choice. I'm his Health Care Surrogate and need to be there." Rayleene's voice lowered, "In case."

"He'll only hurt you again. Once a cheater always a cheater."

~~~

Take Her Breath Away

Some Secrets Worth Keeping Are Worth Killing For

By Kathryn J. Bain

Bain has created a  remarkable blend of Christian life within an exciting, breathtaking suspense novel that continues to provide surprises through to the end! If you enjoy romantic suspense, do check this one out!

Ty Davenport, as an undercover DEA investigator, arrived home one morning and immediately confessed to his wife Rayleene, that he's just been with a women, having a one-night stand. While he was contrite, unhappy with himself, and begging for forgiveness, Rayleene wasn't hearing anything other than what he had done... She became so upset that she asked him to leave. Ty had thought he'd better, at least until he could work things out with her...but it had been weeks now.

What wasn't helping was that Rayleene's grandmother had lost her husband to another woman, and Morai's was constantly advising her to stay away from Ty, especially when Rayleene had shared another secret that had hurt Rayleene deeply.

As they investigated the shooting that had taken place during a supposed drug deal, it was discovered that Ty had been shot by somebody who'd been on the roof of a nearby building--it appeared to be a professional hire as opposed to part of the drug bust....

Ty had been working on a major research report correlating drug activity cases across a period of time...It had begun to appear that there might be a leak in the office and Ty was doing everything possible to narrow down suspects. Some of the supposed drug cases were even found to be talcum powder while others cases were being thrown out left and right.

In the meantime, Rayleene was staying day and night in the hospital, willingly helping Ty as she was able...At least until Savannah, the woman Ty had been with, came to visit him in the hospital! 

"Oh, Ty. I just heard." Savannah Olsen rushed inside and flung herself down on top of Ty, causing him to wince from the pain. "Are you all right? Why didn't anyone call me?"

Her brown hair covered Ty's face. He pushed her off of his shoulder. "I'm fine."

Rayleene's posture went rigid.

""We didn't call you because it's none of your business," Sheryl crossed her arms over her chest. Her lips a straight line. "I suggest you leave."

Savannah glanced at everyone in the room, restng her wide-eyed stare on Rayleene. "I can't leave when the man I love has been shot."

Rayleen's glare should've ripped Savannah in two, but the girl could receive as well as she gave.

"Go, Savannah," he barked.

"I didn't know she'd be here." Her voice feigned innocence. "You didn't say anything when you called me."

Rayleene lifted her chin. Her gaze pinned him, demanding an honest answer.

"I didn't make any call. Stop making trouble for me and my wife." Ty shoved a finger toward her. "Now get out of here."

"I wanted to see you." Tears welled in Savannah's blue eyes. "Is that such a bad thing/"

Rayleene marched around Savannah and stormed out the door...

"I didn't meant to start trouble." Savannah stuck her bottom lip out into a pout.

"Sus you did. That's all you've done the past couple of weeks." It took all his power not to bounce up and shake the stuffing out of her. "I don't know what your game is, he said to her. "But it ends. Now."

~~~

Savannah had been stalking Ty and calling Rayleene and being a total nuisance since Ty had quickly got up from her bed and hurried home... But his unexpected visit to the hospital wasn't the last time she was to cause trouble!

Nor was she the only one that was doing the stalking... One man had been watching Rayleene and finally caught her after she had been dropped off after having lunch with her grandmother! The thug was threatening Rayleene with a knife with Morai, apparently having sensed something, returned just in time to save Rayleene...

Rayleene had agreed to accompany Ty to a location where they had other friends living to recuperate. It was Sunday and his wife talked him in to heading to church... "Ty's skin crawled as if every eye in the place landed on him when he walked into the sanctuary of the Lincolnville Church...

The music began and everyone stood. A whiff of Rayleene's perfume drifted over to him.

Everything about her these days drove him crazy. And the kiss yesterday still remained on his mind...

Matthew preached on Luke 8:17, There is nothing hidden that won't be revealed, and there is nothing secret that won't become known and come to light. No words were truer in Ty's life right now. The guilt of his one-night stand had built to the point of exploding like a volcano filled with lava before he got a chance to see Rayleene and tell her about his mistake.

He recalled Rayleene's reaction. The look of pain in her eyes before she turned her back on him, and then days of arguing before she told him to get out. Thankfully his nightmare appeared to be ending. He gave her a sideways smile while singing.

~~~

...

The revelations that begin to appear...and the dead bodies that kept being found was proof that it may have to get worse before it could be better, especially if they couldn't figure out who was leaking information to the drug dealers...But with threats to the lives of both Ty and Rayleene getting closer, readers will become more lost in the edgy suspense as some really great scenes take the lead, only to move forward to another surprise or problem...

Really a great story and well worth a high recommendation if this sounds like something you'd enjoy!

GABixlerReviews

The following is some info on my published books:

INSPIRATIONAL FICTION:

My mystery novel, "Breathless," the first in the Lincolnville Mystery Series, is an inspirational romantic suspense/mystery which won the 2010 Royal Palm Literary Award for Inspirational Fiction.

"Catch Your Breath", the second Lincolnville Mystery, is an inspirational romantic suspense/mystery book. It is also a finalist in the 2013 Heart of Excellence Contest for Inspirational Fiction. 

"Beautiful Imperfection", an inspirational romantic suspense dealing with murder and breast cancer is set to be released September 29, 2013. This book not only one first place for best cover in the 2013 "Show Me the Cover Contest", but came in 2nd in the Heart of Excellence Contest for Inspirational Fiction.

HUMOROUS FICTION:

"Game of Hearts", a romantic humorous novella set in a fictional town in south Georgia.

"Knight & Day", a humorous mystery set in Jacksonville, Florida. 

SHORT FICTION:

"The Visitor" is my first self-published book. It wasn't as hard to do as I thought it would be.

OTHER:

I am also the former President of Florida Sisters in Crime. Currently, I am the Public Relations Director for Ancient City Romance Authors. 

During the day, I work as a paralegal for an attorney who specializes in guardianships, probate, and estate planning. 

I grew up in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. In 1981, I moved to Boise, but it apparently wasn't far enough south, because two years later I headed to Jacksonville, Florida and have lived in the sunshine ever since.

Patricia Harreld Presents Stunning, Sensational Romantic Suspense--For The Love of Laurel!

  Only nine people attended Gerald Avidon’s funeral, which didn’t surprise his daughter, Laurel. He didn’t have any friends. Besides herself, there was her assistant Sue Burdette, her housekeeper Marisol Hunt, Mel Chaber, Jr., Gerald’s chauffeur and bodyguard Dylan Kraft, two business associates whose names she didn’t know, and a guy she’d never seen before alone in the back row. After a brief bio supplied by Laurel and read by a bored clergyman, the service was over. Most left without saying anything to Laurel. What was there to say?
...the funeral director came toward her carrying the urn containing her father’s ashes. When she got home, she went upstairs and put the urn in Gerald’s office. She stared at it. Hard to believe his entire life had been reduced to the contents of an urn. 
Other than the urn, a business card was the only thing on the desktop. She picked it up. It was the size of a business card, but it was blank. Next to it was a dime-sized button. She frowned at the card and pushed the button. Within thirty seconds, she was looking at her crystal clear image on the card. A camera? Not like any she had ever seen before. She wondered where her father had gotten it. She tucked the card and button in a desk drawer. 
As she thought about the camera, she turned the platinum bracelet on her wrist— a habit she wasn’t aware of most of the time, but right now it made her feel close to her father. It was a college graduation gift from him. The bracelet was an inch wide and a solid circle. Around the outside were sixteen heart-shaped diamonds, one for each year she’d been in school from first grade through college. On the inside he’d had inscribed, For the Love of Laurel, June 7, 2009, the date of her college graduation.

~~~

For the Love of Laurel

By Patricia Harreld

Harreld's novel, For the Love of Laurel is a stunning, sensational story of a young woman who has just lost her father and almost immediately is faced with question after question--puzzle after puzzle--of who her father actually was...

For one, he was very wealthy and had an instinct for making money, but he often traveled around the world for various jobs. Laurel Avidon had been living alone and had started her own private investigation agency, although she still had much to learn and was just getting involved with the business. 

Moving back into her father's home where a housekeeper and chauffeur/ bodyguard still lived, she had known she'd keep her friend and housekeeper on, but saw no need for a chauffeur or a bodyguard. She quickly met with Dylan Kraft to let him know he'd need to begin starting for another job...

That was when she was faced with the first puzzle...

Her father had established a trust fund to continue to pay Dylan and had given the guest house, where he'd been living, to him! He then openly admitted that he had also been guarding Laurel during his entire time there, as well as Ben, who had been there before him... Of course, Laurel immediately angrily asked questions, but only got calm, cool answers from Dylan... The tension soon became fierce between them--and only Dylan and readers will know that Dylan has been in love with Laurel since they had met...

Dylan knew Laurel had been pampered all of her life and had been a little wild at one point until she had almost been raped when she was out alone one night. That could very well have been the reason she decided to learn Tae Kwon Do...

Even then she could not best Dylan when she challenged him!

“I challenge you to a match. If I win, you tell all.”
Dylan raised his eyebrows and shook his head.
 “Can’t do it.” “Why not? Scared?”
 “Quaking in my boots.”
 “I can tell. The real reason, please.”
 “You’re only a second degree.”
“So? I have a size advantage. Smaller is faster.
You’ll have to do better than that.” He sighed.
“For one, you aren’t dressed for it.
Neither am I, come to that. Two, I don’t
 fight with women. Three, you haven’t told me
 what I get if I win.”
 Now she stood. “One, I can fight in any
clothes. Two, that’s a sexist remark,
and three, you won’t, but you’re free to
 think of something.” He roared with laughter.
“There’s just no arguing with you.”
                                         ~~~

How childish her behavior seemed to her

 now.  After being lucky for almost a year, 

fate caught up to her one night. 

She was pulled into an alley and nearly

 raped; if it hadn’t been for the 

Tae Kwon Do classes

 she took all through college, she knew she 

would have been. She never told anyone, 

but the  nameless man who almost 

violated her told  her she deserved it, 

the way she ran around. 

She’d felt shame and anger— 

anger at the slime who’d done it

 and the shame of thinking 

he was probably right. 

He had said something else,

 something her shock caused her to 

forget even though

 it seemed important...

~~~

Really, it's a wonder that Laurel didn't get on a plane and leave the whole mess she was finding! Soon she had been offered a good job by a former college mate, to determine whether her husband was involved with another woman...

She was able to give good feedback to the woman, but when she had broken into her husband's office, she had discovered something that related to Dylan and her father!

Dylan was slowly having to share more than he wanted to, but she just was to stubborn to give up searching for answers! Soon she learned that Dylan, and her father were both DEA agents! [That's how Aaron Paul was selected to be Dylan! And, because before long, Laurel knows that it is quite possible that the drug lords know about her and that her father had been in the DEA, coming for her in case she knew something! So I just had to throw in a trailer for Breaking Bad, which was playing on television up through 2013...to give us a feeling of the danger the DEA gets into!

There are some really great surprises written into the overall story line, so the book turns out to include mystery, suspense and some really thrilling scenes. This is the first book I've read written by Harreld. But, I have to say she seems to have found her niche in writing this novel and I hope her interest in romantic suspense continues and she brings Laurel and Dylan back to her readers! These two characters deserve to not only become further acquainted personally, but would make a dynamic team solving crimes together!

After all, Laurel even succeeded in picking the lock of the back door to Dylan's home...kinda...

Laurel bought a lock pick set online and had it shipped overnight to her office. When it arrived, she spent every free moment practicing on her office door, her bedroom door, the front, and back doors of the house. It was time consuming for a novice. First she had to figure out what type of lock she was dealing with, and then read the directions. Even then, it was a daunting chore. 
It was several days until she felt semi-confident she could open Gunderson’s office door, but getting up the courage to actually go there and try wasn’t so easy. Maybe first she’d try Dylan’s apartment. Now where did that thought come from? She had no idea how he would react if he caught her. She wouldn’t go in. Just unlock it and lock it back up. Will I need a key to lock it or can I just push a button on the inside knob and it will lock when the door closes? Only one way to find out.
She began to work on it, but it didn’t want to budge. Maybe he never used it, and it had rusted, or maybe she was just too inexperienced. She refused to consider either option. After trying several different picks, at last, it gave. But she heard something snap. Oh God. She fumbled as she tried to lock it back up, but it wouldn’t lock. She had no choice but to go in and see if it had a button she could push to lock it from the inside. She went to the side of the apartment and poked her head around the corner. She wanted to make certain he hadn’t returned and she’d been too preoccupied to notice. His Jeep was still gone. “Now or never, Laurel.” 
Back at the top of the steps, she tried the door handle. It turned and the door opened slightly. She’d never been anywhere but his living room. A quick peek told her she was looking into his kitchen. Slowly, she pushed the door open more. She walked in, feeling like a thief. What was the penalty for breaking and entering? Nothing if you didn’t get caught. She checked the doorknob inside and dismay hit her as she saw it had to be locked with a key. Damn! She went out the door and closed it. She jogged back to the house and put the lock pick set in the bottom of her purse. What the hell was I thinking? I left his apartment unlocked.

~~~

Actually the interaction between Laurel and Dylan was a major part of the enjoyment of this book. First Laurel is extremely antagonistic, then starts to mellow, then starts admitting to herself that she just may be attracted. While Dylan is holding his breath every time they get into a discussion or argument, just wanting to grab and kiss her... It's fun, entertaining, and lightens the action that we get into later in the book... Plus, it results in readers being invested in both Laurel and Dylan! I loved them together!

Do take a look at this book...I even borrowed it, which was kinda cool, and only promised to return it in less than 2 weeks...almost like a library! Isn't it amazing how many ways we are able to get our daily dose of a book each day?!

This one is highly recommended, especially for those who love romantic suspense and a couple who are both strong, main characters! Enjoy!

GABixlerReviews

Patricia Harreld has been an inveterate reader since first grade. Her love of writing began in the fifth grade, when she won the county essay contest. At age ten, she began to develop what would be a lifelong interest in the world beyond our five senses. While working day jobs and raising a family, she still found time to take classes. She read every book she could get her hands on concerning all things paranormal. She enjoys writing books with paranormal themes, hoping her readers will ask themselves, “What if…?”
Patricia is also passionate about saving the Earth. She is an avid recycler and a staunch advocate of the Going Green movement. She lives with her husband in San Diego, California.