After a three year search for a serial killer known as The Prophet, FBI agents Sean Sebastian and Rheta Morgan; both who have a personal reason to stop him, finally get a break and The Prophet is within their reach. Confrontation leads them to discover a secret network called the New Brotherhood and the more they find out about the New Brotherhood, the more determined they are to stop it.
When The Prophet takes Rheta and Sean's sister hostage, the race is on to free them and bring down the Brotherhood.
KJ lives in a small town (population 495) in Wisconsin. From her deck she can see the Mississippi River on one side and the bluffs, where eagles live and nest on the other side. She lives with her husband Dave and dog Sammy. Her two children are grown and one has children of her own and for that fact she feels blessed. She loves to watch people and that has helped her with her writing. She loves to create characters and put them in a troubling situation and just sit back and let them do all the work. They surprise even her at times. They take on a life of their own and the twists and turns become a story. She found she liked mystery/thrillers the best. She likes to keep her readers guessing until the very end of the book.
An Excerpt from The Prophet
Torches encircling the group sullied the crisp clean night air. The sheer volume of people standing around waiting was bigger tonight than usual, but it was still kept at a manageable number. Up high on Granddad’s Bluff most of the land was farmland and woods. The meeting was in a clearing in the woods. The clearing was above the city of La Crosse, Wisconsin.
The man these people were here to meet with stood in the shadows of the trees nearby and looked out at his flock. The hood of his dark red robe hid his face to his people, yet it allowed him to look out on them. His cold blue eyes gazed at the people gathered there with a certain disdain. He knew he shouldn’t stay in one area too long and he had a feeling his time here would be gone soon.
“Are you ready?” Cole asked him. He too, was looking over the crowd and the number of people made him more than a little nervous. He didn’t like it when the numbers swelled this much this fast. It always took them a little longer to gain this much support in a town this size. “I think it’s almost time to leave this area and set up somewhere else.”
“Are you getting nervous?” The Prophet asked.
“Aren’t you?” Cole asked back. Looking out at the crowd he turned to the man next to him.
“The Gatherings seem to be growing and I feel too exposed. We have to maintain a certain amount of secrecy and this is getting out of hand.”
The Prophet smiled at the younger man.
“I agree, but I still have to find the Chosen One here.”
“Then pick one, will you? I don’t want to get caught because you couldn’t choose one of these ladies. We have too many people now and the odds are one of them is bound to talk to the wrong person,” Cole complained.
The Prophet grinned.
“She has to be just the right person. Maybe she’ll be here tonight.”
Cole grabbed his arm and warned him.
“Just make sure she isn’t related to you know who. If we’re to keep one step ahead of the law you might want to be more careful about whom you choose.”
The Prophet jerked his arm away. The grin he was wearing a moment ago turned into a snarl of fury.
“When I need advice from you, I’ll ask for it. If you remember correctly, making Sarah the Chosen One was your idea, not mine.”
Cole narrowed his eyes and stared back at his mentor.
“She was getting too close and you were getting too involved with her. She was clouding your judgment and you know it. If you hadn’t taken her when you did, there’s no telling how far you would have let her in.”
The Prophet closed his eyes and for a brief moment in time he saw her face again. Cole was right. Sarah had touched his soul if only for a brief moment of time. He had learned never to make the same mistake again. While he enjoyed the women he slept with, he didn’t let them any closer than he wanted.
Without looking at Cole again, he looked out at the crowd of people waiting for him. He could hear the whispers and words of adoration they had for him. He steeled his heart and inhaled deeply the night air. He could smell the smoke from the torches and the intermingled scent of human sweat. His people were waiting for him.
He turned his head and looked at Cole. All emotion was gone from his face.
“Let’s get this show on the road.” He raised his hands to his hood and pulled it back just far enough for his face to be seen. He stepped out of the shadows and raised his hands to silence the crowd.
The people hushed as a group as he walked among them. They felt his presence and were awed by it. Elijah Banks smiled at them as he walked through the crowd, caressing them with his touch. This was the part he hated the most about these meetings. He actually had to come into contact with his followers.
‘They are like mindless sheep,’ he thought as he made his way to the inner circle. They crowded around him, eager for his attention. When he stood above them and looked down he was still amazed at their expressions…pure adoration aimed at him.
Elijah smiled. Suddenly, a new scent drifted to his nostrils. It caught his attention and brought his head up slightly. It was a light and flowery perfume. It filled his body with purpose. His heart beat a little faster as he recognized the signal he was waiting for. He looked over the crowd of people to pinpoint where it was coming from.
When he saw her he smiled. She was perfect. Her face was so trusting and innocent. He wouldn’t mind bedding her, but Cole had been right. They needed to finish here and move on. He had made the bank transfer already. Now all that was left was picking the Chosen One. The woman he would ultimately convert.
While he played at being a spiritual guide to those mindless sheep who had nothing before he came into their midst, he wasn’t playing games when it came to picking her. This part was for him and him alone to play out. He chose just the right woman and it was by his hand her soul was freed.
Now he had found her, he could barely contain himself during the Meeting. His eyes kept going back to hers. He couldn’t even remember what he had talked about; his mind was on what would take place later.
When the meeting was done and he had to walk back through the throng of people again, the masses crowded him. Hands reached out and touched any part of him they could reach. The admiration they had for him was at fever pitch and Elijah was stunned by it. Finally, he broke free of the crowd and Cole was by his side.
“Wow,” he told Elijah.
Elijah raised his eyebrows.
“What’s the matter with you?” he asked his apprentice.
“You never cease to amaze me,” Cole told him
“What are you talking about?” Elijah asked, still scanning the crowd of people. He was looking for her.
“Tonight’s meeting was very moving. These people hardly breathed while you were speaking. You’re going to have to teach me that little trick.”
Elijah raised his head as Cole’s words finally penetrated his thoughts. “What little trick?”
“You weren’t paying attention tonight were you? You held these people in the palm of your hand. Without even trying, you can sway a bunch of total strangers to your will and they wouldn’t even know it.” Cole told him. The Prophet smiled slightly.
“It’s the name of the game.” He paused and told Cole, “I found the Chosen One.”
Cole just stared at him. Elijah had the gift many men would kill for and he wasn’t even aware of it most of the time. It was frustrating to be so close to something so real and yet not be able to find the key that would unlock the powers for himself.
Elijah looked at the crowd of people still milling around the meadow hoping for a private talk with the man they called The Prophet. He finally found her again. She was standing off to the side of the main group all by herself. He took a step toward her but Cole pulled him back.
“There are too many people around right now. Let me talk to her.”
Before Elijah could protest, Cole made his way over to her and led her away from him. His action seemed to signal to the crowd Elijah was willing to talk to them and one by one they began to come over to him. Elijah listened to them and nodded in the right places but his mind wasn’t really into it. He was thinking about her.
Elijah finally walked over to her when the crowd finally thinned out and just the three of them were there. His heart was beating faster the closer he got to her. He caught the scent of her perfume again and it sent a shiver down his spine. He smiled and she tipped her head down. He reached out and tipped it back up so he could see the adoration in her eyes.
“I have chosen you from all the people here tonight for something special,” Elijah told her. “What is your name?”
She smiled and blushed ever so slightly. “My name is Eden Grace.”
Elijah caught his breath.
“Eden,” he whispered. “What a lovely name.”
“Eden was just telling me she heard about the Meeting from a friend of hers and since she’s all alone in the world, she decided to come and see what it was all about,” Cole explained.
Elijah looked at Cole and then back at Eden.
“How can someone so beautiful be all alone?” he asked her. Eden shrugged.
“My parents died about three years ago and I was an only child.” She paused and told him. “You are a very good speaker. You almost make me want to believe.”
Elijah smiled. “You don’t believe right now?” Eden shrugged again.
“I’m not sure what to believe. We never went to church when I was a child but after listening to you speak tonight, I’m beginning to wonder about God and other things.”
It was what he’d been waiting to hear.
“Would you like to convert?” Elijah asked as he turned her away from the fire and into the shadows.
MY THOUGHTS:
The Prophet is a book that grabs you right away and does not let go until the conclusion. A book filled with suspense and action. Elijah is a man that is pure evil, who has murdered many people and does not care at all for anything except the power he has over his victims and followers. He will do whatever it takes to achieve these goals. FBI agent Rheta's sister was a victim of Elihah's evil. She has searched for three years, so with her partner Sean, who has secrets of his own, they search the midwest for Elijah and his followers. The setting for this book caught my attention as I also live in Wisconsin and some of the story took place there and other familiar places. The authors descriptions of these areas is spot on. When she mentioned the town I live in, I had to go and make sure my doors were locked. I enjoyed this novel and recommend it to anyone who loves a good murder mystery.
I received an ecopy of this book for review from Ever After PR and was not monetarily compensated for my review.
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