With: Anne Cleeland
Congratulations to "LibraryPat" and "Kim H.", the winners in Anne's giveaway. Thank you to all who participated!
(Doyle & Acton #7)
It was a bit
puzzling, that Chief Inspector Acton hadn’t mentioned the body they’d
discovered in the burnt-out church, even though he must have known that Doyle
would be extremely interested. Was the
arsonist caught up in her own fire, or was there a deeper, more sinister tale
told by the blackened rubble?
Although she
was sidelined on maternity leave, Detective Sergeant Kathleen Doyle was fast
coming to the realization that her husband hadn’t told her because he was
masterminding some scheme—a scheme that may-or-may-not involve arson, blood
money, and the ducks of St. Petersburg.
Excerpt
That night, Doyle had one of her dreams.
She had them, occasionally—only they weren’t
truly very dream-like; instead, they usually featured some person—oftentimes a
dead person—who was trying to convey some sort of message. The message never seemed to be
straightforward, and the dreams were—truth to tell—a bit frustrating, because
the message invariably concerned some dire event that was unfolding or about to
unfold, and Doyle always felt as though she wasn’t quite up to the task of
deciphering whatever it was that she was supposed to be deciphering. Nonetheless, she was never anxious or frightened
by these dreams; mainly, she was resigned to paying attention, even though it
was never very easy.
This time, the person who confronted her was
entirely unexpected; the small, slight figure of a priest smiled at her
benignly. His hands were clasped before
him, and he appeared to be of an Asian race—Pacific Islander, perhaps.
Since he made no attempt to speak, Doyle
ventured, “I don’t believe we’ve met.”
“Oh, no,” the priest shook his head, slightly.
“No.” He smiled his serene smile, and didn’t seem motivated to continue the
conversation.
“What’s happened to you?” This seemed the appropriate gambit to get the
dire-warnings conversation started; she had some sleep to catch, in miserable
snatches, and this fellow was breaking up her fitful rhythm.
“Yellow fever,” he explained. “I was part of the
immunization outreach, in Togo.”
“Oh—I’m that sorry for it; it hardly seems
fair.”
He bowed his head. “I vowed obedience.”
Doyle frowned doubtfully. “I don’t know as I’d
be any good at obedience.”
“Oh, no,” he agreed again, with a smile. “No.”
She wasn’t certain whether it was a sin to be
impatient with a priest, and so she decided that instead, she would be as
subtle as a serpent. “Tell me, Father, is there anythin’ that I can do for
you?”
Thus prompted, the man’s expression grew a bit
grave. “Your husband is paying my sister, and she is troubled by it.”
There was a small pause, whilst Doyle wondered
if she’d heard him aright. “He—he is?”
“Oh, yes.” He nodded. “Blood-money.”
Doyle stared at him, astonished. “Why—whatever
d’you mean? Who’s your sister?”
But instead of hearing an answer, she found that
she was staring at her darkened bedroom wall, and listening to the sound of her
accelerated heartbeat, echoing in her ears.
Giveaway:
Anne will be giving away 2 signed copies of MURDER IN MISDIRECTION to two lucky people leaving a comment or email entry.
Giveaway:
Anne will be giving away 2 signed copies of MURDER IN MISDIRECTION to two lucky people leaving a comment or email entry.
Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST March 2nd. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@justromanticsuspense.com with a subject title of JRS GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway.
Sounds good. cheetahthecat1986ATgmailDOTcom
ReplyDeletenice excerpt
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
Thanks for having me, Maureen!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a fabulous read.
ReplyDeletemarypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
Added to my list.
ReplyDeletejtcgc at yahoo dot com
Dreams or "visions" of things that could or have happened can and do happen. It would certainly be much easier for Detective Sergeant Kathleen Doyle if they were a bit more clear and not as cryptic. Should be an interesting story.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for selecting my name. library pat AT com cast DOT net
DeletePatricia B.
One of my favorite series and it just keeps getting better!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for selecting my name. library pat AT com cast DOT net
ReplyDeletePatricia B.