thriller – Fiction Favorites

Today I am happy to host Gwen Plano, who has a new release to discuss. The post is all yours, Gwen.

Thank you, John, for inviting me to your site today. It would be fun to hop on the Lakeway bus and get a tour of your beautiful area. Maybe someday! Though not as exciting as a Texas whirl around your community, I’ll share a bit about my new release.

Redemption, A Father’s Fatal Decision takes place in the Southeast corner of New York state, in the towns of New Rochelle and Cortlandt. The characters journey to Old Lyme, Connecticut, on occasion, but for the most part, the drama is in New York. Having spent about twenty years in and around that area, it was exciting to visit as a writer.

The book tackles themes of forgiveness, redemption, and absolution through a psychological thriller. We accompany the son and daughter of the deceased as they try to uncover the reason for their father’s murder. What they discover prompts them to ask if they even knew their father.

Sometimes complicated situations help us see our own challenges in a different light. That is my hope for this book. Most of us won’t experience threats like those of my characters, but pain is pain, just as joy is joy. One may be more obvious than the other—but not less impactful.

In the excerpt below, the protagonists, Lisa and Trace Holmes, discover that their father had another life. Accompanied by their friend, Ryan, they stumble upon a war room.

BLURB

Family secrets can be deadly. When Lisa Holmes visits her parents one fateful Saturday morning, she hugs her father and walks to her childhood bedroom. The doorbell rings. Her father opens the door, and one minute later, he lies dead on the floor—three bullets to the chest.

The Holmes family lives on a quiet street, but no one really knows Eric Holmes. He travels for business and comes home a few days each month. Unbeknown to all, Eric has multiple lives.

In this fast-paced psychological thriller, Lisa and her brother, Trace, embark on a quest to solve the mystery involving the murder of their father. The journey takes them into a secret world where nothing is as it seems. As the puzzle pieces begin to coalesce, they discover the meaning of Redemption.

EXCERPT:

Lisa shouts from the back seat, “I see it. There, on the left side. The log cabin.”

Hardly detectable from the road, the lone hovel has knee-high weeds and untrimmed bushes. Barbed-wire fencing stretches around the property, and tree limbs hang at the entrance threateningly.

“I’ll pull in. Eh, on second thought, I’ll back up close to the shack in case we need to race out of here. This looks a little too much like a late-night thriller.”

Trace exits the jeep first and says to Lisa, “Over there on the right, is that the rock you saw?”

“I doubt it. I remember it being big.”

“Yeah, and you were a tiny kid. It won’t hurt to check it out. Come over and help me.” Trace pushes the rock upward while Lisa searches underneath.

“I see a little metal pillbox. That must be it.” She nabs it just before Trace lets the rock fall.

“I can’t get the lid off.”

Trace takes the box from her and jerks the lid open. Inside lies a strip of numbers. “This must be the combination number for a safe. Why else would he hide it?” He puts the paper strip into his pocket.

Ryan swats a mosquito on his arm and shoos a couple of annoying flies. “We’re definitely in the woods.”

Lisa approaches the front door and struggles to open the lock. “This can’t be the key.”

“Let me try.” Trace takes the key, forces it in, and applies pressure to get the lock to turn. With multiple shoves, the door swings open.

A musty, unused-for-a-long-time stench hits them. Lisa stands at the doorway, taking it all in and trying to order her memories. Impatient, Trace and Ryan rush past her.

Lisa mutters, “What the heck, guys?”

“No time for daydreaming, Lisa,” Trace snaps.

Reclaimed wood paneling stretches throughout the cabin. Maps of Europe, Russia, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and the United States cover most of the paneling. In the center of the room, looking at the maps and the boxes on the floor, Trace says, “This is a war room. Dad must have plotted his trips here.”

CONTACT INFORMATION:

BookBub: bit.ly/3Y26EI5

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/3XIe6Yu

Story Empire: https://storyempire.com/gwen-m-plano

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gmplano

Blog: www.gwenplano.com/blog-reflections

PURCHASE LINKS:

Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/3RebK0W

Amazon Purchase Page: https://amzn.to/3XKiLJn

Barnes and Noble: bit.ly/3JGgdbl

Award-winning author Gwen M. Plano and I are launching our Inspirational Thriller, The Contract between heaven and earth, on June 4th. We would like to do an announcement tour beginning on June 4th through June 17th. If you would like to help, please send an e-mail to johnhowell(dot)wave(at)gmail.com. All the material will be sent, and for those of you on WordPress or other blogs that accept HTML, all you’ll have to do is copy, paste, and schedule. For others, we will include the text and media in an e-mail.

My JohnKu that talks about help.

The old saying goes,

No person is an island . . .

We value your help.

To help make up your mind, here is the blurb.

The earth is under the threat of a catastrophic political event which could result in international warfare and destroy all life on the planet. In heaven, a divine council decides that extraordinary measures are essential. They call for an intervention that involves two souls returning to earth. The chosen two sign a contract that they will work to avert the disaster.

Brad Channing, a Navy SEAL, and Sarah O’Brien, a teacher, become heaven’s representatives on earth. The story follows them as they individually and then together face overwhelming obstacles and eventually end up on a strategic Air Force base in California. It is there that they discover a conspiracy to assassinate the President of the United States. The terrorists have a plan for global dominance, and they are determined to complete their mission. Although military leadership appears to have the President’s best interests at heart, it is not clear who can be trusted and who should be feared. The action is rough and tumble as Brad and Sarah try to figure out the culprits of the plot that will turn into a worldwide conflagration unless stopped.

If you enjoy thrillers, this is one with enough twists and adventure to keep you riveted and guessing. If you like your thriller along with a good romance, Brad and Sarah’s initial attraction and eventual love will sustain you as they live out their heavenly and earthly desires.

Thank you in advance and have a great weekend.

John and Gwen