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!

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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.

Out Today! After You're Dead...by Cary Allen Stone

"I always respected you, Dr. Binghamton." 
"Thank you, Richard."
"Now, let's go so I can meet Beverly."
The bright polished steel of the knife in Richard's hand caught the light from the kitchen windows and flashed like a strobe light in the darkness. Both men moved out and around the car to the side door entrance to the kitchen. Beverly was there to greet them.
Just as the doctor was about to introduce Richard to his wife, Richard sliced Binghamton's throat. He dropped to his knees and then forward to the floor. Beverly screamed and backed away, but Richard pulled her close enough to drive the bloody knife into her neck. He pulled the knife through her throat and decapitated her. Her lifeless body with the dangling head dropped to the floor next to the doctors. Both victims bled out in under a minute.
"My apologies, Mr. and Mrs. Binghamton,I'm in a fit of a rush and don't have time to discuss my errant ways."

It's best fried leaving a little
pink on the inside and served
on fine china...
~~~

Richard stepped over the bodies and searched the residence for any others, but found no one, not even a cat. He went through the house and pulled down every shade. The television repeated the news of his escape and said what to do if you crossed paths with the psychopath. He paused to see if they mentioned covering your neck...
"So, what's for dinner? I'm famished"!
Richard separated the two bodies and studied them side-by-side. He thought about the Filet d'Binghamton he planned to dine on that evening. It had been a very long time since he had taken one life, much less two.
"She's a little younger than the doctor, um, chicken, or steak? The doctor has a few more years of tenderizing and a few more pounds. Ah, he'll be the main course, and she will be dessert. Do I dare spoil my dinner by having my dessert first? I've been in that institution for thirteen long years. I believe I deserve it..."

~~~

After You're Dead

A Jake Roberts Novel

By Cary Allen Stone

Hannibal Lecter fans will consider the latest novel by Cary Allen Stone a must-read! For those of us who love Jake Roberts, we can consider this a must-read... I have to admit, though, that for me, Stone's Hannibal character was decidedly...disgusting... Fortunately the worst is in the early pages.... And Richard Graham, the worst of the worst, who had been assigned to a clinic-type environment rather than jail, had successfully escaped--by merely walking out of the building along side Dr. Binghamton... You have to admire the brilliant breakout Stone has provided for us... as we read how Richard makes his escape out of the country...

Still, readers find that the preliminary pages lead to a later quite satisfactory encounter for our friend Jake Roberts! A twist that provided a quite satisfactory solution of revenge Jake needed... And that's all the time I'm willing to give our escaped psychopath with a desire for dining on his own...kills... 

I'm not a suit. I'm just a cop.
~~~

Katy crawled across the bed
and looked at him with
sympathetic eyes. Her breath
was warm on his face. She
licked his cheek, once, twice,
to let him know she was
there. He grasped her and
held her close....
~~~

Caught in a nightmare revealing one of the his fears of losing loved friends, Jake woke up and looked over at his best friend, Katy.

Jake had lost too many friends and still was not over how Caitland had been murdered. 

Jake had a hard time, sometimes, adjusting to the fact that he was no longer a cop--that he had business concerns that must be attended to while most of his friends lived in the building where his company was located. Except for one--Pablo, who led the largest gang in Arizona, the MexiKings. And it is Pablo who has come, seeking help that he feels only Jake can provide... Pablo's wife has been kidnapped and is being held to force Pablo to enter into a business liaison with the top, and most dangerous, drug lord now in operation!

Jake knows it is a potential deathtrap, but once again Jake's deep feelings and love for his friends become the driving force. Thinking of how Caitland was lost to him, he can't help but feel strongly that Alanna must be saved. He has to try to prevent more dead loved ones...

Entering into the opulent fortress of the drug lord was heartbreaking for me...How can these criminals continue to operate and turn our children into addicts without being destroyed by American officials, is what I want to know each time I think of this deadly disease running rampant across the world...

Jake takes on the role of a mafia criminal who is now in a maximum-security facility... and he and Pablo are to make contact with El Mencho--an articulate, disciplined, educated, and dangerous man... Pablo had told him he wanted out when he learned that El Mencho wanted Pablo's soldiers to be drug traffickers in the US! Then El Mencho had countered with his kidnapping and bargaining chip...either Pablo did what he wanted, or...Alanna would be killed...

This latest novel is edgy, filled with tension and suspense. Jake and Pablo are playing a very dangerous game, because Jake has kept this operation a purely need-to-know. That means they must make it out on their own. But how? 

Readers worry along with Jake's friends, especially Katy, as she knows something is very wrong, but have no idea where he might be. They think he is with Pablo, but that doesn't help when no type of communication works to get to him...

As readers quickly turn page after page, we begin to wonder whether this is the end of the Jack Roberts Series! Even Jake, Pablo and Alanna had given up, knowing they'll never be able to get out of this fortress...

This is a thriller that is well worth reading, even with the gore! If you haven't read Jake Roberts, I can tell you that earlier books I've read: After the Kill, After the Goode, Mind Over Murder, and the Debut, After the Evil, which has already received over 2100 hits here, has certainly provided a lead-in to this latest! Even the horror has led to, perhaps, one of his best so far... Each of the books are able to be read as stand-alone, but my recommendation would be to do what I did...start at the first book and have a Jake Roberts reading marathon! Good Stuff!


GABixlerReviews

Cary Allen Stone spent almost forty years inside the cockpits of corporate jets and airlines, and because of his career in aviation, he acquired a unique perspective on life. He was fortunate in 1992 to fly Ridley Scott on a location scout in the islands. They talked about writing and building an image inside the words. Mr. Scott was quite a mentor. Cary graduated from college with a Bachelor of Arts. He's been involved in feature films in LA and Indie films in Phoenix. He's done voice-over radio commercials and stand-up comedy. For “Stealing Atlanta,” he received the endorsements of Clive Cussler and Tim Dorsey. He is a proud male member of the Phoenix Writer’s Club begun by women reporters in the 1920s. His Jake Roberts Novels are exciting crime fiction thrillers.

Larry Seeley Does It Again in Second Jack Sloan Novel!

Church in Juarez, Mexico - NARA - 516966 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

17 Degrees North:
 Take It To The Limit


By Larry Seeley




The problem when you look forward to a sequel of a series is that readers have to wait until the writer does his thing and gets it into our hands! But as soon as Larry Seeley had again published, I refreshed my memory of his first book, naturally by reading my review (click to check it out!) of Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves! There I confirmed that I had really liked the main character and loved the book.

Seeley has his own style of writing that I have come to appreciate after also enjoying his latest, 17 Degrees North. In his second novel, Jack Sloan is in an entirely different situation than in his first. He is somewhat more settled and he and Darlene are living on a small farm with an interest in a local bar/restaurant.

Everything was going along routinely when Jack was out one day riding and his horse stumbled.

And partially uncovered a large canvas bag that contained money--lots of it. A storm raged--what to do? So he took it with him, even though he already had the feeling he was making a mistake! Who did the bag belong to? How and why did it get way out where he had found it? Jack knew one thing--he didn't want the money and had to figure out what to do with it!

His main hesitation evolved around his past--he had an "encounter" with the FBI some time ago and didn't know whether they were still looking for him!

He was fairly close to one of the local officers, but the police chief and he didn't get along--mainly because the sheriff was a mean druggie, among other things...

So, for now, he would hold on to it, though neither he nor Darlene, once they had counted the money and knew somebody would be coming for it, wanted to be anywhere near what could only bring trouble their way!

But he did finally share with his police friend, Will, and learned that there had been a recent kidnapping and subsequent murder of the victim... The amount of money Jack had discovered matched the ransom, which an insurance company had provided. The whole affair, however, had everybody very confused as to why the victim had been killed after the money had been delivered.

In fact, it looked like the work of an assassin...

And as the investigation continues, Jack is pulled in, unwillingly, to work with an investigator from Juarez, Mexico, and an agent from the FBI. But somehow, the killer had traced the money directly to Jack's home and his employees and friends were shot, one clearly tortured. Jack knew his bringing the money home had caused this...

Now he was out for revenge!

Larry Seeley has done it again! A thriller that keeps the suspense high and the action ongoing! Jack is James Bond type but a more laid-back type of dude that may just look like the author??? Darlene is the perfect cool lady that not only stands behind her man, but gets along side of him when the fighting and shooting starts! Of course, when she sees the body of the bad guy she shot, she immediately regurgitates--but hey, a lady can only do so much! Anyway, these characters alone are worth getting to know, but the rest were also wonderfully created and perfect in the role each were given, including the assassin, who was quite...duplicitous...

Enjoy this one! Highly recommended


GABixlerReviews

About the Author
Born in 1939 and raised in a tiny Ohio town, Larry Seeley is the ex-CEO of the world's largest privately-owned training company and the former CEO of the gaming firm that built the first legal Native casino in Maritime Canada. A U.S. Army veteran, he lives in the high desert north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. His four children and eight grandchildren are scattered from California to Minnesota. He and his wife, Katie, watch over a small menagerie of dogs, cats, and chickens. 

James Becker Series Includes Funny, Talented Husband/Wife Team!

Image via Wikipedia

"Though he was an American soldier, 

Fuentes considered his Ranger team

 a covert element in the larger conflict

 between the Mexican people and the cartels.

 This was a war he knew

 he would be fighting for a long time,

 whether under the American flag or not."

The Covert Element:


A James Becker Thriller




By John L. Betcher




I continue to so much enjoy John Betcher's  Series, especially when Beth, his wife, takes part in solving the crime. James and Beth are fun to get to know through scenes such as this: 


"What have you been doing while I was at work anyway?" Beth asked, assuming a defensive posture."
"Pretty much rolling around in the neighbor's sand box. Why? Is there something unsavory about me?"
"I'd say you're pretty much out of savor. Now go get cleaned up so I can show you what I found."
With a bow and a doff of my imaginary cap, I was off to the shower. I knew Beth thought the cap thing was stupid. But hey...as far as vices go, a quirky doff isn't so bad.

Beth's background is CIA and has extensive computer skills that were very much needed.  Beck had been called by Doug Gunderson (Gunner), Ottawa County Chief Deputy Sheriff, to meet him at the site where a meth lab had been destroyed. More importantly, the "twenty-odd murder victims lined up outside" appeared to be execution style, perhaps gang related...

Information about what might be happening comes through Beck's friend and sometimes investigative assistant, Bull. His former sarge in the Rangers, had called, asking for help. He had told Bull there had been a massacre and that he was sure the Mexican Drug Cartel was involved. Beck knew that the police had not released any information about the meth lab deaths and immediately was suspicious how Bull's friend could know. 

When Bull asked Beck to be in on the meeting with Fuentes, he agreed, hoping to gain further information. 

Meth labs could be built/maintained within the US borders, thus improving quantity and saving both transportation and patrol problems. The head of the Mexican cartel had moved into the Minnesota area without anybody knowing it. Mexicans had been in the state for many years and were accepted by the people in the small surrounding towns. Now one lab had been destroyed--perhaps by another cartel? But there was also a major lab, ingeniously hidden within another organization--but where was it? At least one individual knew, was it the same one who had murdered those near the lab that had already been destroyed?

Tackling a major, known problem within the United States is just what James Becker would have done had he still be working, wherever he had worked...So even if he was now retired, Beck was still in there, doing what he does best to support the USA.

Influence of the Mexican Drug Cartel
http://www.flickr.com/photos/truthout/4037933538/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Follow the potential life of one Mexican-American individual who dedicated his life to eliminating the Drug Cartels. John Betcher's choice to use this character is intriguing, allowing us to see into the heart of many Mexicans who are just as concerned, or maybe even more so, about the influence of drugs in the United States and throughout the world. I commend John for this effort and look forward to future important books in this series. Highly recommended.


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