BLURB:
Fueled
by grief after his fiancée is brutally murdered, Detective Sam Walker focuses
on finding her killer -- a calculating predator who binds books with human
skin. Dani Barrington, the newest member
of NOPD's Victim and Witness Assistance Unit and a survivor of another
frightening attack, helps him discover the terrifying link between the
monster's known victims. Despite his
anguish, Sam is struck by Dani's strength and determination, especially when
her inquisitive nature makes her the
killer's next target. He must find a way
to protect her or risk losing the one woman who can bring his dead heart back
to life.
EXCERPT:
Kristen was gone.
She wasn't at work. She wasn't at home. She hadn't gone out
to run an errand. She had simply... vanished.
New Orleans Detective Sam Walker stood in the center of his
fiancée's cluttered bedroom and struggled to piece together the timeline of her
disappearance. Last night they were supposed to meet for dinner, but he'd
caught a case. They'd talked on the phone around eleven, and he'd asked her to
meet him for lunch today.
He hadn't spoken to her since.
She was supposed to arrive at the Victim and Witness
Assistance Unit for work at nine a.m., but never made it. One of her co-workers
had called him about ten o'clock. He'd tried Kristen again, but she hadn't
answered.
So he'd come here and found her car in the driveway.
Yet she sure as hell wasn't here.
Her bed was meticulously made, the way she left it every
morning, dumping him out if he'd stayed over. A damp towel lay beside the
bathroom sink. Soulful jazz drifted from the iPod dock on her nightstand. What
terrified him most, though, was the spot of blood marring the door frame and
the lone pink sandal lying in the living room floor beside her purse, keys, and
cell phone.
His heart lurched. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think.
Simply could not absorb that she was missing. They'd been engaged for five
months and three days, with only a month to go until the wedding. They should
be mulling over the guest list, squabbling about where to go for their
honeymoon, and deciding where they wanted to live.
Instead, Sam stared at an empty bed.
"There's no sign of forced entry, so she either let the
guy in or he jumped her when she went after the paper this morning." Major
Sabbatini's voice seemed to come from far away. "I'm thinking she fought
him off and ran, and he caught her here in the bedroom."
"She would have clawed him." Hell, she would've
drawn blood with those nails. Sam should know. He had the marks on his back to
prove it. Moisture blurred his vision as he eyed the smudge on the door jamb.
"She... she just had her nails done a couple of days ago. They're like
talons."
"We'll check the blood for DNA. You know that. What
were her plans for today?"
"Um... just work, far as I know. She and I were
supposed to have lunch." Sam shook his head. "Then tonight, she was
going to a wedding shower. I just--"
"When was the last time you spoke with her?"
"Late -- last night." Sam's eyes fell on a
partially-filled mug on the table beside Kristen's favorite chair, where she
liked to read. A hard knot formed in the center of his chest. "She didn't...
even finish her coffee. She loves coffee."
"We're gonna find her, son."
"You don't know that." Sam's voice cracked. He
turned to his boss. "What if I never see her again?"
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Melanie
Atkins a multi-published author of romantic suspense, an editor for an online
publishing company, and an avid reader. Writing is more than an escape for
her—it’s a way of life. She grew up in the Deep South listening to tall tales
and penning stories about her cats. Now she writes gripping stories of love,
suspense, and mystery with the help of her furry little feline muses.
Melanie is an
active member of Romance Writers of America®, the Magnolia State Romance
Writers (MSRW), the Published Author Network (PAN), the Electronic and Small
Press Authors' Network (ESPAN), the Electronically Published Internet
Connection (EPIC), Sisters in Crime (SinC), the Red Dog Writers, the Gulf Coast
Writers Association, the Southern Writers, the Mississippi Authors Guild and
the Byram Writers’ Group. She currently serves as Past President of MSRW.
www.melanieatkins.com
www.wordpress.melanieatkins.com
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