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Shadowed Souls by Mark Edward Jones

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Detective Henry Ike Pierce joins his colleagues to celebrate a destination wedding in Hawaii. Amid beautiful scenery and new friends, paradise has its surprises. A dying man on a beach utters seemingly disjointed words that may be a warning. Henry finds himself pulled into another maelstrom, pursuing elements of Miomir Kurić’s criminal enterprise, while a man seeks revenge for his father’s death, one caused by Henry Pierce.

His responsibility for the death torments Henry. The man’s lifeless face and staring eyes haunt his dreams, and Henry’s internal turmoil imperils his colleagues and endangers his loved ones. A friend warns him that our worst memories and grief hide in the shadows of our souls. This young detective’s guilt casts a long shadow.

Targeted Age Group:: Middle school and older

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
I love Hawaii, especially Maui. The next book in my detective series needed a place for a destination wedding, so I thought of Maui. Writing about a place I enjoy visiting, made the writing all that easier.

Juicy Jersey by Lizz Lund

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Juicy Jersey by Lizz Lund

Summertime, and the living is… not as easy as Mina had hoped. But, she finally has a full-time job, working alongside her new boyfriend, Jack (that is, Chef Jacque, when they’re at Squirrel Run Acres.) That’s good, right? Except that poor Mina and Jack have been working together a lot lately–specifically fourteen hour shifts in a sizzling kitchen–for months.

When tempers flare hotter than fat on a fire, Jack steps up and splurges for a romantic get-away to Cape May Point, New Jersey. All is forgiven and soon sunset beaches wink from the distance, until Mina’s stuck with dog sitting duties for Jim, her buddy Bauser’s three-legged dog. Complicating the canine conundrum is Bauser’s last minute plea to deliver Jim to a client location, in Bumville, New Jersey. No biggie, except that Bumville lies in the polar opposite direction from Cape May. And Vito and Miriam also happen to be visiting the client–who is none other than Vito’s niece, Helena Pryzchntchynzski. Oy.

Further jeopardizing their journey through Jersey is Jim’s discovery of Babette Bernstein. Her murder launches a connect-the-dots of corpses that ripples dangerously around Mina and Jack. Oh–and the kidnappings, plural–are a little scary, too.

Will Mina and Jack escape the bad guys? Will they survive their first vacation together? More importantly, will they finally have one?

If you’re in the mood for funny fiction, a cast of chatty pets, and unsolved murders–read on. Juicy Jersey packs a roller coaster ride of murders, mayhem and mojitos. Come root for Mina, boo the bad guys and nibble a nosh, courtesy of the author’s recipes in the back of the book, vetted by Lund’s real-life favorite chef, her husband, Chef Andrew.

The Monster of Silver Creek by Belinda G. Buchanan

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Terror has come to this small town in Prairie County, Montana. A sinister killer is on the loose. A serial killer who feeds off of young women’s fear…and leaves a most unusual calling card. Police Chief Nathan Sommers is on the hunt, but every road leads to a dead end.

Nathan is battling his own demons as he tries to cope with the death of his wife. He feels her dying was a direct result of his actions and is consumed with guilt.

His personal life becomes more complicated when he meets Katie, the pretty new owner of the bakery. Nathan slowly builds a relationship with her, but still struggles with Jenny’s death.

As he draws nearer to the killer, everything in his life suddenly comes undone. He is forced to deal with his feelings for Katie, as well as his love for his dead wife.

Targeted Age Group:: 18+

What Inspired You to Write Your Book?
My family and I had taken a day trip to Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. They had recently found a new entrance, but you had to take a bus to get there. Okay, so we get on the bus. As I’m looking around, I happen to take notice of the driver. He looked as if driving the bus was his day job, and at night he went back to his prison cell.

So, with my imagination being what it is, I immediately began to think about a story involving a serial killer in a small town. We live by a lake, so I decided to center it around water.

Seven weeks later, The Monster of Silver Creek was created.

And as a side note – personal impressions aside, the bus driver was very nice. He actually pointed out a rattlesnake about fifteen feet away from me as I was getting back on the bus. Needless to say, I hurried. 🙂