Monday, October 11, 2021

Author Sara Driscoll "FBI K-9 Series"--a thrilling suspense series featuring FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and Hawk, her loyal search-and-rescue Labrador

FBI K-9s by Sara Driscoll

FBI handler Meg Jennings and her black Lab Hawk are part of the FBI’s elite Human Scent Evidence Team, part of the Forensic Canine Unit. Their job―find the missing, lost, escaped, or dead. The team as a whole can be deployed at a moment’s notice around the nation to search for missing children, escaped convicts, or to find the victims of natural disaster.

 

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Under Pressure

FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, are drawn into a case that involves a fortune in uncut gems, and an enemy whose power and ruthlessness know no bounds...

Diamonds are no one’s best friend when the jewels in question are smuggled conflict gems. Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk, have undertaken many search-and-rescue missions, but this case has an unusual twist. A Philadelphia syndicate is importing diamonds from war-torn African nations and selling them with fake certificates to Stateside dealers. Agent Finn Pierce of the Organized Crime Program is embedded with the syndicate, but being caught with a wire or tracking device would mean instant execution. If Meg, her partner Brian Foster, and their dogs can track Pierce to a deal location, they can break the smuggling chain while maintaining Pierce’s cover.

With the syndicate monitoring every move, it’s a risky operation with more players than Meg and Brian first assumed—on both sides of the law. And when one of their own gets caught in the line of fire, the team embarks on a desperate rescue mission, knowing that mere seconds are all that separate life and death.

 

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Leave No Trace

FBI handler Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue K-9 partner are heading south where it’s hunting season. But this time the prey is human.

One arrow through the heart could be a tragic hunting accident. A second one, within days, looks more like a crime. That’s when Meg Jennings and Brian Foster of the FBI’s Forensic Canine Unit head to Georgia to investigate. With their dogs Hawk and Lacey, Meg and Brian are enlisted to follow the scent of a killer. At first, nothing seems to connect the two victims–a county commissioner and State Patrol officer. But the blood sport around the southern town of Blue Ridge is just beginning.

As the body count rises, the compound bow killer becomes even more elusive, appearing and vanishing like a ghost. However, with each new slaying Meg is beginning to suspect the grim design that’s escalating in the shadows. At its heart, a tragic event that reaches back nearly two centuries in Georgia’s history is now turning Blue Ridge into a hunting ground. But as Meg gets closer to solving the puzzle, the closer she is to stepping into the crosshairs of an elusive murderer with deadly aim, and motives as deep and dark as the woods.

 

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No Man's Land

Special Agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue dog are on the trail of a killer hiding where others fear to tread…
 
For Meg Jennings and her K-9 companion, Hawk, exploring the ruins of a deserted building is an exciting way to sharpen their skills without the life-or-death stakes they face as part of the FBI’s Human Scent Evidence Team. But deep in the echoing rooms of an abandoned asylum, Hawk finds the body of an elderly woman. The victim couldn’t have made her way into the derelict building on her own. Before forty-eight hours pass, Meg learns of more cases of elders found dead in neglected urban structures.
 
There’s not enough evidence to link the deaths—yet. But Meg scents a pattern, and when she gets word of another senior gone missing, she and Hawk don’t hesitate. Meg is sure a murderer is hunting the elderly, and she can prove it if she can just find a connection. It will take the expert coordination of her whole team, along with help from Clay McCord and Todd Webb, to uncover the means, let alone a motive. And to stop someone who has operated in the dark for so long, Meg will need to risk more than she has to give.
 

 

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Storm Rising

FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue K-9 companion confront the fury of nature—and the more dangerous nature of man . . .
 
In the wake of a devastating hurricane, Special Agent Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk—invaluable members of the FBI’s Human Scent Evidence Team—have been deployed to Virginia Beach. Amid debris and the buried cries for help, the most alarming discovery is yet to come—a teenage girl hiding in the Great Dismal Swamp.
 
Her name is Emma—a disheveled runaway lost to the sordid underbelly of a Virginia sex-trafficking ring. Its leader has disappeared in the chaos—along with other victims. Meg joins forces with Special Agent Walter Van Cleave and uncovers a vast network of abuse rooted in some of the most influential powers in Virginia. Now as Meg’s investigation digs deeper, she’s making some very dangerous enemies. And one by one, they’re coming out of the storm to stop her.  

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Before It's Too Late

Special Agent Meg Jennings and her trusted search-and-rescue Labrador, Hawk, must race against the clock before a diabolical killer strikes again . . .
 
Somewhere in the Washington, D.C. area, a woman lies helpless in a box. Barely breathing. Buried alive. In Quantico, the FBI receives a coded message from the woman’s abductor. He wants to play a game: decipher the clues, save the girl. The FBI’s top cryptanalysts crack the code and Special Agent Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner, Hawk, scramble to the scene of the crime—too late. But the killer’s game is far from over . . .
 
Another message, another victim. The deadly pattern is repeated—again and again. As the body count mounts, Meg decides to break protocol and bring in her brilliant sister, Cara, a genius at word games, to decipher the kidnapper’s twisted clues. Meg knows she’s risking her career to do it, but she’s determined not to let one more person die under her and Hawk’s watch. If the plan fails, it could bite them in the end. And if it leads to the killer, it could bury them forever.

 

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Lone Wolf

In the first of a thrilling new series, FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and Hawk, her loyal search-and-rescue Labrador, must race against time as they zero in on one of the deadliest killers in the country . . .
 
Meg and Hawk are part of the FBI’s elite K-9 unit. Hawk can sniff out bodies anywhere—living or dead. When a bomb rips apart a government building in Washington D.C., it takes all of the team’s extensive search-and-rescue training to locate and save the workers and visitors buried beneath the rubble.
 
But even as the duo are hailed as heroes, a bomber remains at large, striking terror in a widening spiral of unpredictability. As more bombs are detonated and the body count escalates, Meg and Hawk are assigned to a task force dedicated to stopping the unseen killer. It will come down to a battle of wits and survival skills between Meg, Hawk, and the bomber they’re tracking to rescue a nation from the brink of chaos.
 

Praise for Sara Driscoll’s FBI K-9 novels
 
STORM RISING
“Exceptional . . . Readers will hope this series has a long run.”—Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
 
BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE
Before It’s Too Late is a book that should not be read too close to bedtime—this page-turner will keep you up all night!” —Modern Dog
 
“Meg and Hawk prove themselves a formidable team the readers will want to see more of.”—Publishers Weekly
 
Lone Wolf
“A wonderfully readable series launch.”—Publishers Weekly
 
“Tense and exciting, Sara Driscoll has created a new power couple, Meg 
and her FBI K-9, Hawk.”—Leo J. Maloney, author of Arch Enemy 
 

Sara Driscoll is the pseudonym for authors Jen J. Danna and Ann Vanderlaan.

 
 
JEN J. DANNA

See the source image
 
A scientist specializing in infectious diseases, Jen works as part of a dynamic research group at a cutting-edge Canadian university. However, her true passion lies in indulging her love of the mysterious and thrilling through her writing. With her partner Ann Vanderlaan, Jen writes two series: the Abbott and Lowell Forensic Mysteries—suspenseful mysteries with a smart, scientific edge, and the FBI K-9 Mysteries—a new thriller series under the pseudonym Sara Driscoll starring FBI K-9 handler Meg Jennings and her search-and-rescue black lab Hawk.
 

Thursday, October 7, 2021

"The Single Dad's Holiday Match"--by Tanya Agler--Book One in the "Smoky Mountain First Responders Series"--a widowed father raising two young daughters and a single mom with a teenaged son find an unexpected chance for happiness--will their children accept the idea of a blended family

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The Single Dad's Holiday Match

Tis the season…For unexpected love!

Officer Jonathan Maxwell is just as devoted to his job as he is to his two young daughters, leaving zero time for a social life. Until he meets Brooke Novak. The newly hired community center director is a single parent, too, and also part of his latest investigation. Jonathan needs Brooke’s help if he's going to close his case by Thanksgiving…but she might be the biggest distraction from keeping his mind on his job.

UPCOMING: "The Paramedic's Forever Family: A Clean Romance" (Smoky Mountain First Responders, 2)

Sometimes “just good friends”... Just isn't enough…

Bachelor paramedic Mason Ruddick doesn't know what he'd do without Lindsay Hudson. The widowed mom is his sounding board, his neighbor and, since the death of her husband and his best friend, his lifeline. Only lately, Mason can't stop noticing just how beautiful and special Lindsay is. Or how often he thinks about her. Now Mason's heart is caught between the best friend he lost…and the one he's falling for.

 

Tanya Agler

Tanya Agler 

Tanya Agler attended twelve different schools before her family settled in Georgia. After graduating from the University of Georgia with degrees in journalism and law, Tanya moved to metro Atlanta where she now lives with her husband, four children, and a Basset Hound.

Her debut Harlequin Heartwarming novel, The Sheriff's Second Chance, will be released in January of 2020 and was the recipient of the 2018 TARA Award in the unpublished category series category.

When she's not writing, she loves watching classic movies (preferably those with Cary Grant) or enjoying a cup of tea alongside a good book.

Visit Tanya at her website www.tanyaagler.com

Wednesday, October 6, 2021

"Labyrinth of Lies" and "Point of Danger"--the 'TRIPLE THREAT SERIES"--bestselling author and three-time RITA Award winner Irene Hannon is back with a heart-stopping new series that will have you turning pages well into the night (see my reviews)


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Labyrinth of Lies

Queen of romantic suspense Irene Hannon invites you to scale the heights of human folly and plumb the depths of the human heart in this second gripping book in the Triple Threat series

When the daughter of a high-profile businessman disappears from an exclusive girls' boarding school, police detective Cate Reilly is tapped for an undercover assignment. It doesn't take her long to realize that beneath the veneer of polish and wealth, things are not as they seem at Ivy Hill Academy. But the biggest surprise of all? The only man she ever loved is also working at the school.

Zeke Sloan has never forgotten Cate, but now isn't the best time for their paths to cross again. When their two seemingly disparate agendas begin to intertwine--and startling connections emerge among the players--the danger escalates significantly. But who is the mastermind behind the elaborate ruse? And how far will they go to protect their house of cards?

MY REVIEW: "Labyrinth of Lies" is Book Two in acclaimed author Irene Hannon's exciting "Triple Threat Series". St. Louis County Detective Cate Reilly had accepted one undercover assignment during her ten years on the force, and that had been one too many. Now, thanks to her youthful looks, she was being pressured to go undercover as a student at an exclusive girl's school, Ivy Hill Academy. The daughter of a wealthy local businessman with political clout had gone missing from the school two months earlier. Her boyfriend had also disappeared, and her father was demanding answers from law enforcement. Reluctantly, and with worry from her two sisters, Cate accepted the assignment. The last person she expected to see was Zeke Sloan, now a DEA agent also working undercover at the school. Eight years ago, their close relationship had ended badly. Seeing each other again stirred up a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. However, no matter what their personal sentiments may be, they had to keep each other's cover and do or say nothing to jeopardize the investigation. While the elegant appearance of Ivy Hill Academy reflected the upscale social status of the student body, behind its polished image dwelt many evils--it was literally a house of lies. As the feelings between Cate and Zeke begin to grow, so does the danger around them. Can they combine their professional skills, their natural intuition, and their underlying abiding faith to keep each other safe and bring the evildoers to justice? Is there a chance for future happiness together? Irene Hannon is a master of inspirational romantic suspense, and readers will greatly enjoy both "Labyrinth of Lies" and Book One, "Point of Danger".

Book Copy Gratis Revell Books via LibraryThing


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Point of Danger

Bestselling author and three-time RITA Award winner Irene Hannon is back with a heart-stopping new series that will have you turning pages well into the night.

Radio talk show host Eve Reilly is used to backlash from her pot-stirring on-air commentary and interviews, but now it seems a disgruntled listener is resorting to more than angry words to express their displeasure. When a suspicious package arrives on her doorstep, Eve turns to law enforcement for help.

Police detective Brent Lange can't find any evidence to link the string of unsettling incidents that follows, but he's convinced they're connected. As the harassment grows more menacing, it becomes clear someone wants Eve's voice silenced--permanently.

But unless he can track down her foe, fast, the gutsy woman who is willing to take risks for what she believes--and who is swiftly winning his heart--may not survive.


MY REVIEW: Terrific storyteller Irene Hannon begins her new "Triple Threat Series" with "Point of Danger"--a thrilling inspirational contemporary romantic suspense read. As a successful radio talk-show host who says what she means and stands by her personal beliefs, Eve Reilly is used to stirring up feedback which is not always positive--and sometimes is quite strange. However, a bomb scare at her own front door is terrifying and brings law enforcement to the scene. Detective Brent Lange spent a decade as a street cop, and now he's working his first case as an investigator. The bomb turns out to be a fake, but the spark of interest between Eve and Brent is quite real. A threatening note included with the "bomb" package, as well as a continuing series of disturbing events, keeps Brent concerned for Eve's safety. As they work together to find out who is making the threats, the awareness and attraction between them can't help but grow--but each of them has personal issues to overcome. Eve and Brent are both persons of faith, and it will take all of their faith to see their way to a bright and shining future filled with love and hope. Highly recommended.

Book Copy Gratis Revell Books 


Irene Hannon

Irene Hannon 

Irene Hannon, who writes both contemporary romance and romantic suspense, is the author of more than 50 novels. Her books have been honored with three coveted RITA awards from Romance Writers of America (the “Oscar” of romance fiction) and she is a member of that organization's elite Hall of Fame. She has also received a Career Achievement award from RT Book Reviews for her entire body of work. Other awards for individual books include National Readers' Choice, HOLT Medallion, Daphne du Maurier, Retailers Choice, Booksellers' Best, and Reviewers' Choice from RT Book Reviews. She is also a two-time Christy award finalist.

A former corporate communications executive with a Fortune 500 company, Irene now writes full time. To learn more about Irene and her books, visit www.irenehannon.com.
 

"A Christmas in the Alps"--by Melody Carlson--spend Christmas in the beautiful French Alps this year--pull on your mittens, tie your scarf tight, and prepare yourself for a magical mountain holiday (see my review)

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A Christmas in the Alps

After a time of heartache and loss, Simone Winthrop discovers a tantalizing letter from her French great-grandmother, which seems to suggest that she is heir to a family treasure. Ever practical, Simone assumes the claim is baseless, but her best friend encourages her to find out for sure. Despite her deep-rooted fear of flying, Simone boards a jet to travel to Paris at Christmastime to uncover the truth.

During the long flight, Simone meets the charming Kyle Larsson, who's on his way to France to become an apprentice clockmaker. Though they abruptly part ways, an unexpected rendezvous in the French Alps at Simone's family's clock factory may lead to the discovery of the family treasure . . . and so much more.

For anyone who is wearying of staying home, Melody Carlson invites you to spend Christmas with her in the beautiful French Alps this year. So pull on your mittens, tie your scarf tight, and prepare yourself for a magical mountain holiday.

MY REVIEW:  Beloved author Melody Carlson is known for her heartwarming, heart-tugging holiday tales. With their captivating characters, compelling story lines, and underlying element of abiding faith, her seasonal stories are not to be missed. "A Christmas in the Alps" is the story of a young woman's journey outside her own personal boundaries and how the truths she finds and the discoveries she makes will bring the past into the present and clear the way for the future to come. After the death of her grandmother, Simone Winthrop finds a letter addressed to her from her French great-grandmother, who was also named Simone. The long unseen letter had never been opened, and Simone is stunned by its contents.  According to the letter, Simone has inherited a treasure, but she must travel to France to claim it.  Despite her fear of flying, Simone is encouraged by her best friend to take a leap of faith and claim the treasure. Simone is quite discomfited on the flight--until a nice young passenger, Kyle Larsson, calms her and makes the time pass in a pleasant manner. Kyle is on his way to  Europe to become an apprentice clockmaker. They part ways at the airport, but have an unexpected reunion at the clock factory owned by Simone's family. This is a sweet, charming, holiday love story where the true meaning of "treasure" is love of family and friends, spiritual faith, and care for one's fellow man. The descriptions of holiday celebrations in other cultures are like a happy travelogue, and are especially uplifting to those of us facing travel restrictions.

Review Copy Gratis Revell Books

 A French Christmas!

Praise for Melody Carlson's Christmas novellas

"As light and sweet as a Hallmark movie."--Booklist on The Christmas Swap

"A perfect book to curl up with by the fire."--Fresh Fiction on The Christmas Swap

"A deftly crafted novel from a gifted storyteller."--The Midwest Book Review on Christmas in Winter Hill

"Intriguing, sweet, and heartfelt."--Urban Lit Magazine on Christmas in Winter Hill

"The perfect afternoon getaway during a busy holiday season."--Library Journal on A Christmas by the Sea

"A Christmas story that will warm your heart."--Family Fiction on A Christmas by the Sea
 
 
Melody Carlson
 
Melody Carlson 
 
Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus.

She also writes many teen books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series.

Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.
 

 

Monday, October 4, 2021

"The Christie Affair"--by Nina de Gramont--a stunning new novel that reimagines the unexplained 11-day disappearance of Agatha Christie that captivated the world--lingering questions and more are explored in a brilliant, unforgettable, lush, and powerful novel

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The Christie Affair

"A long time ago, in another country, I nearly killed a woman. It's a particular feeling, the urge to murder. First comes rage, larger than any you've ever imagined. It takes over your body so completely, it's like a divine force, grabbing hold of your will, your limbs, your psyche. It conveys a strength you never knew you possessed. Your hands, harmless until now, rise up to squeeze another person's life away. There's a joy to it. In retrospect, it's frightening, but I daresay in the moment it feels sweet. The way justice feels sweet."

So begins The Christie Affair, told from the point of view of Miss Nan O'Dea, a fictional character but based on someone real. In 1925, she infiltrated the wealthy, rarified world of author Agatha Christie and her husband, Archie. A world of London townhomes, country houses, shooting parties, and tennis matches. Nan O'Dea became Archie's mistress, luring him away from his devoted wife. In every way, she became a part of their world--first, both Christies. Then, just Archie.

The question is, why?

And what did it have to do with the mysterious eleven days that Agatha Christie went missing?

The answer takes you back time, to Ireland, to a young girl in love, to a time before The Great War. To a star-crossed couple who were destined to be together--until war and pandemic and shameful secrets tore them apart.

What makes a woman desperate enough to destroy another woman's marriage?
What makes someone vengeful enough to hatch a plot years in the making?
What drives someone to murder?

These questions and more are explored in Nina de Gramont's brilliant, unforgettable, lush, and powerful novel.

Reviews

"The Christie Affair is a genuine marvel. An astonishingly clever novel that manages to be both a deeply satisfying mystery and a profoundly moving story about lost love and the many ways in which grief can shape one's character. Full of unexpected twists and written in beautiful prose, The Christie Affair brilliantly answers a question that has haunted readers for years: What happened to Agatha Christie in the days she was missing? Nina de Gramont takes this thread of a story and weaves it into a rich and vibrant tapestry." -- Kristin Hannah, author of The Four Winds

"The Christie Affair is a pitch-perfect hat trick of a novel, delivering a fascinating glimpse into history, with the sensational and unexplained disappearance of Agatha Christie, a layered and completely satisfying murder mystery, and a moving, emotional rendering of love, loss, revenge and redemption―all with effortlessly stunning prose. I loved every page, and will be recommending this to everyone I know!" -- Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife and When the Stars Go Dark

"This novel about the 11-day disappearance of Agatha Christie, told from the point of view of Christie’s husband’s mistress, is such a delight: intriguing, fast-paced, and elegantly written. Nina de Gramont takes you on an adventure through the English countryside with as many twists and turns as, well, an Agatha Christie novel. The unlikely alliances, complex motivations, and jaw-dropping surprises will keep you riveted until the very last page.” -- Christina Baker Kline, author of Orphan Train and The Exiles

“Dare I admit I haven’t read any Agatha Christie or know about her disappearance? I feared this might somehow diminish The Christie Affair for me. But Nina de Gramont’s skillful storytelling is exceeded only by her tenderness for her characters, and I was swept up, turning the pages and savoring them, too. This is a cracking good read!"-- Therese Fowler, author of A Good Neighborhood

"Immersive, reflexive and propulsive, The Christie Affair is an extremely impressive literary novel which reveals its hidden themes and secrets through a narrative dance brilliantly done. This tale of two very different women who want the very same things in life forges surprising bonds both with its characters and the reader, deliciously subverting our notions of what makes a heroine, mother, writer and wife." -- Natalie Jenner, author of The Jane Austen Society

"The Christie Affair is my favorite kind of story: a fresh take on a real-life event, layered with mystery and filled with breath-taking plot twists. Toss in the windswept English countryside and a tragic past, and I’m done for. Nina de Gramont’s novel shines on so many levels, it’s hard to keep count: as an ode to Agatha Christie’s legacy, as a dashing love story, and as a tribute to complicated, determined women. Magnificent."--Fiona Davis, author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue

"I read in a single sitting The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont, who weaves a captivating tale around the real life disappearance of mystery writer Agatha Christie from the point of view of her husband’s lover. The story combines dark pasts, dangerous liaisons and unforeseen twists into a masterful work reminiscent of one of Christie’s enigmatic works. The Christie Affair is both enthralling and beguiling, and will keep readers guessing until the very last page." -- Pam Jenoff, author of The Lost Girl of Paris

 

Nina de Gramont

Nina de Gramont 

Nina de Gramont's latest novel, The Christie Affair, will be available In February, 2022. She is the author of a collection of short stories, Of Cats and Men, as well as the novels Gossip of the Starlings and The Last September. She has written several YA novels (Every Little Thing in the World, Meet Me at the River, The Boy I Love, and -- under the pen name Marina Gessner -- The Distance From Me to You). Nina teaches creative writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She lives in coastal North Carolina with her daughter and her husband, the writer David Gessner. 

 

"Such a Pretty Smile"--by Kristi DeMeester--a biting novel from an electrifying new voice--a heart-stopping tour-de-force about powerful women, angry men, and all the ways in which girls fight against the forces that try to silence them

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Such a Pretty Smile

There’s something out there that’s killing. Known only as The Cur, he leaves no traces, save for the torn bodies of girls, on the verge of becoming women, who are known as trouble-makers; those who refuse to conform, to know their place. Girls who don’t know when to shut up.

2019: Thirteen-year-old Lila Sawyer has secrets she can’t share with anyone. Not the school psychologist she’s seeing. Not her father, who has a new wife, and a new baby. And not her mother—the infamous Caroline Sawyer, a unique artist whose eerie sculptures, made from bent twigs and crimped leaves, have made her a local celebrity. But soon Lila feels haunted from within, terrorized by a delicious evil that shows her how to find her voice—until she is punished for using it.

2004: Caroline Sawyer hears dogs everywhere. Snarling, barking, teeth snapping that no one else seems to notice. At first, she blames the phantom sounds on her insomnia and her acute stress in caring for her ailing father. But then the delusions begin to take shape—both in her waking hours, and in the violent, visceral sculptures she creates while in a trance-like state. Her fiancé is convinced she needs help. Her new psychiatrist waves her “problem” away with pills. But Caroline’s past is a dark cellar, filled with repressed memories and a lurking horror that the men around her can’t understand.

As past demons become a present threat, both Caroline and Lila must chase the source of this unrelenting, oppressive power to its malignant core. Brilliantly paced, unsettling to the bone, and unapologetically fierce, Such a Pretty Smile is a powerful allegory for what it can mean to be a woman, and an untamed rallying cry for anyone ever told to sit down, shut up, and smile pretty.

Reviews

"Wonderfully well written; the dread, the enigma, build with each scene. It’s coming of age, it’s family secrets, it’s life in the balance, too. It’s Thomas Harris, it’s Lois Duncan… but no, it’s Kristi DeMeester, in complete confident control of your experience. An outstanding story in outstanding hands." –Josh Malerman New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box and Malorie

"Raw, beautiful, and absolutely haunting. Such a Pretty Smile captivates both with the shadows that lurk beneath, and an unwavering look at the wildness and horrors of girlhood." - Camilla Sten, author of The Lost Village

"I've never read anything quite like SUCH A PRETTY SMILE: at turns brutal and shocking, at turns lush and evocative, and deeply disquieting throughout. This novel unsettled me at nearly every turn of the page, and that feeling has stayed with me since I closed its cover days ago. Kristi DeMeester is a highly-original voice in horror and I can't wait to see what she writes next." -emily m. danforth

"Kristi DeMeester is certainly an exciting new voice. Her exploration of toxic female friendships and her deep dive into the darkest parts of the human psyche made this a riveting, compulsive and horrifyingly entertaining read." - #1 international bestselling author Liz Nugent

"Kristi DeMeester's novel is a menacing, mysterious, and righteously angry fever dream, one that hooks into you from page one. SUCH A PRETTY SMILE is unafraid to bare its feminist fangs."--Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts and Survivor Song

"A mother and daughter fight for their lives and their sanity in Kristi DeMeester’s SUCH A PRETTY SMILE, a quietly brutal feminist horror novel about what it means to be a ‘good girl’ in a world of men―and monsters. Thoughtful, creepy, and razor-sharp. This one will cut you.” ―Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Ararat and Red Hands

"With expert pacing and captivating characters, Kristi DeMeester’s SUCH A PRETTY SMILE is a gothic thriller that speaks to the strength of women. A darkly feminist and timely novel, I was spellbound until the final page." – Karma Brown, bestselling author of RECIPE FOR A PERFECT WIFE

"Darkly visceral...will leave readers doubting reality as the uncanny merges with the real-world horrors of a young girl coming of age." - Publishers Weekly

 

Kristi DeMeester

Kristi DeMeester 

Kristi DeMeester is the author of "Beneath", published by Word Horde, and "Everything That's Underneath" by Apex Books. Her short fiction has been included in Ellen Datlow's Year's Best Horror Volumes 9 and 11, Year's Best Weird Fiction Volumes 1, 3, and 5, and Stephen Jone's Best New Horror. Her short fiction has also appeared in publications such as Black Static, The Dark, Pseudopod, as well as several others. In her spare time, she alternates between telling people how to pronounce her last name and how to spell her first. 

 

Saturday, October 2, 2021

"The Churchill Sisters: The Extraordinary Lives of Winston and Clementine's Daughters"--by Rachel Trethewey--as complex in their own way as their Mitford cousins, Winston and Clementine Churchill’s daughters each had a unique relationship with their famous father--Rachel Trethewey's biography tells their remarkable stories for the first time

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The Churchill Sisters: The Extraordinary Lives of Winston and Clementine's Daughters

As complex in their own way as their Mitford cousins, Winston and Clementine Churchill’s daughters each had a unique relationship with their famous father. Rachel Trethewey's biography, The Churchill Sisters, tells their story.

Bright, attractive and well-connected, in any other family the Churchill girls – Diana, Sarah, Marigold and Mary – would have shone. But they were not in another family, they were Churchills, and neither they nor anyone else could ever forget it. From their father – ‘the greatest Englishman’ – to their brother, golden boy Randolph, to their eccentric and exciting cousins, the Mitford Girls, they were surrounded by a clan of larger-than-life characters which often saw them overlooked. While Marigold died too young to achieve her potential, the other daughters lived lives full of passion, drama and tragedy.

Diana, intense and diffident; Sarah, glamorous and stubborn; Mary, dependable yet determined – each so different but each imbued with a sense of responsibility toward each other and their country. Far from being cosseted debutantes, these women were eyewitnesses at some of the most important events in world history, at Tehran, Yalta and Potsdam. Yet this is not a story set on the battlefields or in Parliament; it is an intimate saga that sheds light on the complex dynamics of family set against the backdrop of a tumultuous century.

Drawing on previously unpublished family letters from the Churchill archives, The Churchill Sisters brings Winston’s daughters out of the shadows and tells their remarkable stories for the first time.

Reviews

“[Trethewey] sets a brisk pace and succeeds in depicting a trio of intriguing women at a perilous moment in world affairs.” –Publishers Weekly

"This remarkable, sometimes tragic story of the daughters who supported their brilliant historical giant of a father will appeal to a broad range of readers...an engrossing and intelligent group biography." --Kirkus Reviews

"Enthralling." --The Bookseller (UK), Editor's Choice

“[The sisters’] lives were just as full of drama, passion and tragedy as the Mitfords…this intimate saga sheds much light on the complex dynamics of a family where forgiveness and acceptance were often required.” –The Bookshelf (UK)

"Trethewey has been able to shed invaluable new light on the tangled and occasionally fraught relationships that Churchill’s three adult daughters...each had with Winston, their mother Clementine, their brother Randolph, and each other...she has rightly produced a fine, uplifting work." --Andrew Roberts, bestselling author of Churchill: Walking with Destiny

“A thoughtful portrait of the lives of three women on the forefront of history, but most importantly, a poignant story of sisterhood.” –Catherine Grace Katz, bestselling author of The Daughters of Yalta

“A delightful and fascinating study of an unexplored area of Churchill family life.” –Celia Sandys, author of Chasing Churchill and granddaughter of Winston Churchill

“An absorbing insight into the lives of their extraordinary daughters. With careful research and a sympathetic understanding of her subject matter, an enthralling study of this unconventional trio fills a void that had existed for too long.” –Shelagh Montague Browne, personal secretary to Clementine Churchill

“Churchill’s daughters were at the heart of his inner circle...this book puts them center stage and reveals both the scale of their contribution and the resulting personal cost.” –Allen Packwood, Director of the Churchill Archives Center at Cambridge University

“A fresh and fascinating insight both into Churchill as a father and his remarkable children.” –Andrew Lownie, bestselling author of The Mountbattens

“This fascinating book brings the lives of [Churchill's] daughters out of the shadows for the first time...the extraordinary talents and resilience of these remarkable women that shine through. A revelation.” –Andrew Wilson, award-winning author of Mad Girl’s Love Song: Sylvia Plath and Life Before Ted

“Comprehensively researched and lovingly detailed.” –Anne deCourcy, author of The Husband Hunters

 

Rachel Trethewey

Rachel Trethewey

Rachel Trethewey was born in Torquay, Devon. She has always loved history. After attending Torquay Girls’ Grammar School, she read History at St Edmund Hall, Oxford where she won the Philip Geddes Prize for Student Journalism.

Her journalistic career began on the Daily Express Women’s Page, she went on to write for the Daily Mail’s Femail and has reviewed books for the Independent. She has also written for a range of women’s magazines.

As a mature student she completed an MA in Victorian Studies and a PhD on the Progressive Ideas of Anna Laetitia Barbauld at Exeter University. She has written three books, Mistress of the Arts: The Passionate Life of Georgina, Duchess of Bedford, Pearls Before Poppies: The Story of the Red Cross Pearls and Before Wallis: Edward VIII’s Other Women.

https://hhbagency.com/index.php/rachel-trethewey/