Today I am delighted to have Susanne Matthews stopping by with her latest release
The last person disgraced reporter Faye
Lewis wants back in her life is Detective Rob Halliday, the man she blames for
ruining her career and breaking her heart. But when she finds an old friend
murdered, he’s the one she calls.
For the past year, Rob and his team
have been hunting the Harvester, a serial killer who ritualistically murders
new mothers and vanishes with their infants. What Rob doesn’t need is another
case, especially one involving his ex-fiancée.
Then Faye is assaulted, and Rob
realizes the cases are connected. She may hold the answers he needs to find the
elusive killer. But the more they investigate, the more complex the situation
becomes. Can they set the past aside and work together, or will the Harvester
and his followers reap another prize?
The White Carnation will be available April
20, 2015. For buy links, please visit http://www.mhsusannematthews.ca/
Excerpt:
Twenty minutes later, the unmarked police
sedan pulled up behind the black and white outside the brownstone. The
paramedics were parked farther along the street, just ahead of the police car,
reducing traffic to a single lane. The coroner’s van pulled up behind them. Rob
got out and approached the coroner.
“Amos, I didn’t expect to see you here so
soon. I called for a bus, not the meat wagon.”
“Paramedics were nearby so Logan got here
quickly. He radioed in—exsanguination due to a lacerated throat. He’s still up
there. Nothing he can do for the victim, but your fiancée is taking it hard.”
“The victim was like a second mother to
her.”
Your
fiancée—Amos’s words were true once, but never
again. There was no way Rob would hitch his wagon to a woman who could believe
he’d betray her like that, a woman who’d put her job so far ahead of him, he’d
barely been on her radar at times. The sex had been great, but love was
supposed to be more than that. Still, she’d reached out to him. He took the
stairs to the brownstone two at a time, his lean, muscular body having no
problem with the climb. He flashed his badge at the officer who stood guarding
the door. “Anyone showing any interest?”
“No, Detective. According to the concierge,
the people in number five are in Europe, and I don’t think the rest of the
residents are home from work yet. Looks like a robbery—the place has been
tossed pretty good—and there’s no damage to the door, so she must have let them
in. Logan says her throat’s been slit from behind.”
“Where’s Ms. Lewis?”
“In the living room with Logan. He wanted
to take her to the ER—claims she’s in shock. I told him she had to stay put
until you arrived. He’s pissed at me. Says I’m interfering with his job. He
seems pretty friendly with her. I heard she’s some big shot investigative
reporter.” He chuckled. “Some crime reporter—she’s puked a couple of times
already.” He continued to laugh. Rob’s face must have reflected the anger
moving to the surface because the guard choked it off.
“Rick Logan is one of the best paramedics
we have. For the record, McMillan,” Rob read the nameplate on the policeman’s
uniform, “the next time he says someone has to go the ER, you’d better damn
well listen to him. And as for Ms. Lewis, the victim was a personal friend.
It’s different when the victim’s someone you know.” His voice was clipped, his
displeasure obvious.
Rob turned and entered the apartment. He’d
learned the need to remain objective in order to do the job properly, but as
he’d told the young officer, it was different when it was personal. Not only
had the victim been an acquaintance, Faye was in there. He swallowed and tried
to find the emotional distance he needed.
The place was a mess, just as the officer
had said. He looked around quickly, his trained eye taking in everything in an
instant—the wallet on the table, money on the floor mixed with the victim’s
blood, the take-out bag, Faye’s purse and its scattered contents. Whatever this
had been, it hadn’t been a routine robbery. Someone had been looking for
something other than the usual snatch and grab items, so what were they after?
What could Mrs. Green have that was worth dying for?
He found Faye sitting on the living-room
sofa with Logan. Her face was red and blotchy, her blue-green eyes
mascara-rimmed from her tears, and her clothing disheveled and covered in blood.
She stood and moved forward, stopping before she reached him. Wrapping her arms
around herself, she looked young and vulnerable, not a bit like the bitter,
angry woman she’d been the last time he’d seen her.
About the author:
Susanne
Matthews was born and raised in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. She’s always been an avid reader of all
types of books, but always with a penchant for happily ever after romances. In
her imagination, she travelled to foreign lands, past and present, and soared
into the future. A retired educator, Susanne spends her time writing and
creating adventures for her readers. She loves the ins and outs of romance, and
the complex journey it takes to get from the first word to the last period of a
novel. As she writes, her characters take on a life of their own, and she
shares their fears and agonies on the road to self-discovery and love.
Amazon author page and
Goodreads author page
Thanks for having me.
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