Book Title: Crazed Reckoning, a Nick
Spinelli Mystery
Author: Valerie J. Clarizio
Author: Valerie J. Clarizio
Publisher: Melange Books, LLC
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Length: 120 pages
Release Date: March 5, 2015
Blurb:
After experiencing a murderous Christmas and Valentine's Day
with love interest Shannon O'Hara, Detective Nick Spinelli assumed
Saint Patrick's Day couldn't be any worse.
He
was wrong.While out on a geocaching adventure in Door County, Shannon and her friend Anna find more than a clue in the cache box. When Shannon disappears, Spinelli is sent racing to find her. Amidst the chaos of an unruly Irish celebration, and a decades-old Irish family feud, he must rescue her from the hands of a madman.
Authors Bio:
Valerie is a writer of romantic suspense, contemporary
romance, and women’s fiction novels. She lives in beautiful Door County
Wisconsin with her husband and two very spoiled cats. She loves to read,
write, and spend time at her cabin in the Upper Peninsula of
Michigan. She’s lived her life surrounded by men, three
brothers, a husband, and a male Siamese cat who required his own instruction
manual. Keeping up with all the men in her life has turned her
into a successful hunter and fisherwoman.
She is a member of Romance Writers of America and
the Wisconsin Romance Writers of America. Additionally, she was a finalist in
the 2011 Celtic Hearts Romance Writers, Novellas Need Love, Too! Contest.
Website: https://valclarizio.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/VClarizio
Excerpt
The ladies
chatted as they walked. Anna, as always, cut to the chase. “So how’s it been
going with that handsome Detective Spinelli of yours lately?”
Shannon glanced
at her watch and then shot a smile over her shoulder. “Well, you took a bit
longer than I expected,” she teased.
Anna returned
her smile. “I held out as long as I could. You know I’m living vicariously
through you, so don’t keep this old lady waiting here.”
Shannon stopped
and waited for Anna to catch up. “Actually, he’s been kind of quiet and distant
since the whole Valentine’s Day episode. I can’t seem to make him realize it
wasn’t his fault. Bethany had issues.” Just saying Bethany’s name sent a
bone-chilling disturbance deep into her core.
Though the
temperature still hovered around forty degrees, Anna swiped her gloved hand
over her moist brow. “The poor guy. I’m not sure what to say. I can’t imagine
how it must feel to have a psycho ex-girlfriend kill four of his present
girlfriend’s ex-lovers, attempt to kill him and then kill herself. And on
Valentine’s Day of all days. The day I was sure he would pop the big question
to you. What should have been one of the biggest and best days of his life
turned out to be the worst.”
“There’s not a
day goes by I don’t think of that awful day. And he won’t talk about it. The
second I bring up the topic, he clams up.” Shannon sighed. “And honestly, I
really thought he would propose as well.”
“With all that’s
gone on in the past three months, I’m surprised he let you out of his sight to
come along on our girls’ weekend.”
“I know. I could
tell by the look in his eyes when I told him what our plans for this weekend,
he wasn’t pleased. He asked me to reconsider, but I couldn’t. I really just
needed to get away from the city and everything that has gone on lately. At
first he insisted upon coming along, but Captain Jackson assigned some hot case
to him, Walker and Marsh. So he couldn’t get away.”
Shannon’s eyes
watered. Over the past three months, she’d found herself the happiest she’d
ever been, the saddest, and the most frightened. She’d met Spinelli, and they’d
gotten off to a rocky start. But she fell in love with him and couldn’t be any
happier, in regard to their relationship. During that same time frame, two of
her co-workers had been murdered; she had been kidnapped and was next on the
murder’s list. If Spinelli hadn’t stepped in and saved the day, she would have
been killed. The whole rescue was like something right out of a fairy tale with
a knight in shining armor coming to the rescue of an endangered maiden. Truth
be told, he was actually dressed in a Santa suit rather than armor. But that
didn’t matter to her, he was her knight no matter what he wore. And then of
course, there was the issue with Spinelli’s ex-girlfriend who sought a
murderous revenge against the both of them. Again, Nick stepped in and saved
the day. My hero.
Anna stepped
forward and hugged Shannon. “I’m so sorry all this crap happened to you. You so
didn’t deserve any of this, but you can’t change what’s already happened. The
only thing you can do is figure out how to deal with it and move forward.”
“I know.”
Shannon’s cell
phone vibrated. She pulled it from her zippered pocket and glanced at the
display. She couldn’t help but smile as she read the text from Spinelli.
Anna giggled.
“What is that, number ten already?”
Shannon looked
up and caught Anna’s amused gaze. “Eight, but who’s counting? Every hour on the
hour.” Though he went a bit overboard with the number of texts, Shannon--and
the butterflies in her stomach--welcomed each and every one. His
overprotectiveness warmed her heart. Like a schoolgirl, she desperately missed
him already; they hadn’t even been apart a full day.
Shannon shot off
a quick response before she slipped her phone back into her pocket.
The ladies
continued down the trail, Shannon leading the way. The wind picked up as they
crossed over from the hardwoods to the cedars. The damp mossy smell let her
know they neared the lake.
“Shannon.”
“What?” Shannon
asked as she looked over her shoulder.
Anna shrugged.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t say
my name?”
Anna pulled a
frown. “No.”
“Oh, hmm.”
Shannon would have sworn she’d hear someone say her name. She tried to shrug it
off, tell herself it was just the wind, but the unease spiraling in the pit of
her stomach forced her senses into ‘full alert’ mode.
Teaser
“Let me get this right. You’re telling me your dead father’s finger
showed up in a cache box in Door County, over forty years after your father
died.”
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ReplyDeleteThank youfor this post. Sounds like a book I'd love and would have trouble putting down. :) I'll be looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteCarol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
Thank youfor this post. Sounds like a book I'd love and would have trouble putting down. :) I'll be looking forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteCarol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com