Intrigue Archives

Quite a busy day here – it’s time for another cover reveal.

Ready!

Wanna know more? Read on…

Stumbling to the ground, he claws at the earth around him, trying to stabilise himself, but his attacker is on him in seconds. As he stares at the lights of the bustling streets on the other side of the park gates, he doesn’t even have time to yell for help before everything goes black.

When the body of wealthy businessman Charles Stott is found dead on Wimbledon Common, covered in bruises just feet away from his luxury home, Detective Dan Lockhart is called to investigate the shocking scene. Examining the sickeningly disfigured body before him, Lockhart knows he’s dealing with a brutal killer and, as he bends down to take a closer look, he notices something on the victim’s neck: a small, crudely drawn symbol in black ink. It seems the murderer has marked his victim, but why? Dan needs to get inside the perpetrator’s mind, so he contacts psychologist Dr Lexi Green.

As the ensuing media circus puts pressure on Dan and Lexi’s investigation, another victim is found and the headlines are quick to report a serial killer is on the loose. The body of a successful lawyer has been discovered in a park with the same purple bruising and hand-drawn symbol on his neck. Dan fears that more victims will follow.

As the case intensifies, Dan uncovers a new lead on his missing wife, Jess, who disappeared eleven years ago. Determined to follow it up, he must choose between tracking down a serial murderer and finding Jess. Can he make the impossible decision before the killer strikes once more?

Fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Cara Hunter will love this thrilling new series from Chris Merritt. From an explosive start to a heart-stopping finale, you will not want to put this book down!

Here’s the link to pre-order!

This book is due to be published on SEPT 11, 2020.

BUY LINK
https://geni.us/B08CH9H7YDCover

Author Bio

Hello! I’m a British author whose crime thrillers combine psychology, suspense, and characters you care about.

All my novels are set in London, where I live. My first trilogy starred Zac Boateng and Kat Jones, two detectives motivated by family, who tackle organised crime and police corruption. LAST WITNESS, the second Boateng and Jones book, reached #13 in the UK Kindle chart in 2019.

My second series features detective Dan Lockhart – an ex-soldier with a missing wife – and psychologist Dr Lexi Green, an American living in London. These novels are darker, more psychological serial-killer cases, with romantic relationships as a central theme.

I began writing fiction in 2014, after previous careers as a diplomat, based in Iraq and Jerusalem, and later as a psychologist working with victims and perpetrators of crime. I specialised in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which sparked my interest in telling stories about how people cope when faced with extreme adversity.

Now, I spend most of my time writing novels and drinking coffee while *thinking* about writing novels. When I’m not writing, I love climbing and playing basketball.

You can find out more about my work at www.cjmerritt.co.uk or follow me on Twitter @DrCJMerritt

This book went a completely different way than I thought it would, and I couldn’t be happier about that. I do love it when a book surprises me like that. Although, now that I think about it, even if the book had been more straightforward without the intrigue (more on that later), I still would have enjoyed it.

The author set the scene perfectly in the opening chapter with Amanda’s drive through the fog on her way to Avalon Springs. Aside from being well-described and atmospheric, it also illustrated the mental fog that Amanda was in personally.

As always, I know that sounds cryptic, but I don’t want to spoil anything in this review. Suffice to say that the fog that Amanda encounters on the California Coast can hide many secrets. And that is another thing the author gets absolutely right: small-towns and their hidden stories.

(On a side note, the descriptions of the location, the redwood groves, in particular, reminded me of growing up in the SF Bay Area and our cabin in the Sierra Nevada that was surrounded by giant redwoods. Good memories.)

In an isolated area, there are not always options for…well, almost anything. It is effortless for people to grow up and stay in the area because it is comfortable or because something is holding them to it. Both are true in Avalon Springs. Add in the recession or the diminishment of industry, and you can get more of a ghost town.

It also applies to the people of such a town. Their lives are often inextricably woven together, whether by choice or by circumstance. That is what Amanda finds herself in the middle of as she tries to uncover her past. The characters’ interactions weave together naturally, and nothing feels forced or trite. I liked how even Amanda’s kids were fully-realized characters and not just “props.”

The intrigue of who knew what, or who did what, had me second-guessing what I thought I knew. It also kept me turning pages, but not in a roller coaster “what’s going to happen next” way. Rather, it was the slow revealing of secrets and unraveling of lies that made this an entertaining and thought-provoking read.

Author Bio

Lauren Westwood writes dark and romantic women’s fiction and is also an award-winning children’s writer. Originally from California, she now lives in England in a persnickety old house built in 1602, with her partner and three daughters.

Lauren loves hearing from readers, so if you wish to get in touch, please visit her here: