Alana Lorens is here to tell us about Cruel Charade, mystery, action-adventure, thriller, suspense, and women's fiction.
Read on for details...
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Theme(s): Mystery,
Action-Adventure, Thriller
SubGenre(s): Suspense, Women's Fiction
Miami attorney Bet Lenard has had a rough year. She’s battling an unknown illness that drives her to drink to cope with her pain. Her lawyer husband has divorced her and taken the best part of their business, their home and their children.
On the night of May 16, 1996, Bet finds herself in the Everglades in the middle of the night, drugged, lost and next to a burned car with a dead body in it. Hoping she’s hit bottom, Bet must drag herself out of her living hell and discover who tried to kill her. Was it her ex-husband, not satisfied with stealing everything that mattered? An angry client, unhappy with the outcome of their case? Her best friend’s husband, livid that Bet’s restraining order kicked him out of her life forever? Police officers fuming that Bet helped a client convict a dirty cop who was their friend? She has no idea.
As she tries to sort out the motives behind her
would-be killer, even more suspects come to light. The only thing keeping Bet
sane is her relationship with her therapist, who encourages her to struggle and
survive, despite everything that’s gone wrong. How will Bet discover the truth
and bring her enemy to justice before they strike again and, this time,
succeed?
Excerpt:
They were lucky enough
to see some of the exotic birds for which the park was named, one male peacock
in particular strutting and fanning out his tail as photographers gathered
around. Into the second hour of their excursion, though, Bet’s kids were
dragging their feet and whining. Aren’t
they supposed to grow out of that after they’re toddlers?
“All right,” she said. “Enough culture for
one day. Let’s head over to the burger place.“
Both Jane and Jeremy perked up as they headed
back to the lot.
“I’m
getting the biggest veggie burger they have,” Jane said. “With provolone. And
no tomatoes or onions.”
“Rag says the fries come in a huge basket.
And you can have all the sauce you want.” Jeremy pumped his arm. “Honey
mustard, right?”
“Ugh. No. Korean
barbecue.” Jane shot him a sidewise look.
Bet dug for her keys
as they came around the corner to the lot where the Jag was parked.
“Mom, there’s people
by our car,” Jane said. She frowned and stopped.
Bet looked up. Several men were indeed
standing along the right front fender. None looked Hispanic— more like suburban
soccer dads and trade investors. “Huh. That’s odd.”
Jeremy
marched up to confront the men. “Hey! What are you doing—oh my God.”
The distress in his
voice made Bet break into a run. As she came up beside him, she saw what he had
seen. In the center of the driver’s side of the windshield were three bullet
holes, evenly spaced. The glass around them had splintered into spiderweb cracks.
Jane caught up and
grabbed her mother’s arm. “If you’d been sitting in the car…”
Bet nodded slowly. “If
I’d been sitting in the car, I’d be dead.”
The men murmured sympathetic platitudes.
“Were you here? Did
you see what happened?” Bet demanded. “How long ago did this happen?”
One man, in a
peach-colored polo shirt, said, “Was just walking along and saw this. I mean
this is a fine car, ma’am. What a shame.”
“Yeah,” another man
said. “Your husband is gonna be mad as hell.”
Bet shot him a look
that could kill. He just smiled, oblivious.
One asked if he should call the police.
“You didn’t see anyone
else hanging around? No one with a gun?”
Peach shirt chuckled.
“Ma’am, this is Miami. Pretty much everyone carries here.”
The shame of a public scene clashed with a personal sense of deep loss inside her, and she fought back tears. She’d lusted after just this car, a green Jag with tan interior, since her first day of law school. How dare anyone desecrate it?
About the Author:
Author Links
Website: http://Alana-lorens.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AlanaLorens/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4829967.Alana_Lorens
Amazon Author
Page: https://www.amazon.com/Alana-Lorens/e/B005GE0WBC/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1
Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4gKbNOPTHw&t=2s
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/alana-lorens
Twitter: @AlexanderLyndi
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexander_lyndi/
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