The Reluctant Runaway by Jill Elizabeth Nelson

Stolen Indian artifacts. . .

A dead museum guard. . .

A missing wife and mom. . .

A baby in mortal danger. . .

Museum security expert Desiree Jacobs and FBI agent Tony Lucano scramble to unearth the horrifying secret that links every incident. The investigation thrusts them into the path of something dark and sinister.

Something that craves blood sacrifice.

From the high society of the U.S. capital to the streets of Desi's beloved Boston to the mountain desert of New Mexico, Desi and Tony must thwart forces of darkness—relying on God’s guidance and strength—to save a young woman and her baby from a villain more desperate than they can imagine.

Free Copy of Coral Moon

Hey all, I waited a couple days to announce this because I was too busy absorbing all I could from Brandilyn's well crafted suspense, Coral Moon.

Now that I'm completely finished with the book, as much as I hate to part with it...I'm giving away my copy of Coral Moon. All you have to do is leave me a comment and tell me why you want to read the book or mention a favorite Brandilyn book and I'll put your name in a hat and draw the winner Tuesday.

Warning...this is not a book for the faint of heart. Sigh. It's extremely suspenseful and delves into spiritual warfare. So if you're a member of the BHCC this is not the book for you. Otherwise, you're going to love it. ;)

Read the last post for a description of the book.

CORAL MOON BY BRANDILYN COLLINS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Brandilyn Collins is the bestselling author of Violet Dawn, Web Of Lies, Dead of Night, Stain of Guilt, Brink of Death, and Eyes of Elisha just to name a few.

Brandilyn and her family divide their time between the California Bay Area and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

She also maintains an informative blog called Forensics and Faith where she daily dispenses wisdom on writing, life, and the Christian book industry.


THE BOOK:

The figure remained still as stone. Leslie couldn't even detect a breath.

Spider fingers teased the back of her neck.

Leslie's feet rooted to the pavement. She dropped her gaze to the driveway, seeking...what? Spatters of blood? Footprints? She saw nothing. Honed through her recent coverage of crime scene evidence, the testimony as last month's trial, the reporter in Leslie spewed warnings: Notice everything, touch nothing...


Leslie Brymes hurries out to her car on a typical workday morning...and discovers a dead body inside.

Why was the corpse left for her to find? And what is the meaning of the message pinned to its chest?

In Coral Moon, the senseless murder of a beloved Kanner Lake citizen spirals the small Idaho town into a terrifying glimpse of spiritual forces beyond our world. What appears true seems impossible.

OR IS IT?

And as Brandilyn would say...

Everyone knows I love a good suspense book. That's why Brandilyn has become one of my all-time favorite writers. Being a reviewer is fun, but when you get a book by a favorite writer, it's like setting down with an old friend.

In Coral Moon, Collins does exactly what's expected of a writer of her caliber. She writes a wonderfully crafted, suspenseful story that pulls you in from the first page. Look at this excerpt from the first chapter. I know this is a long post, but I wanted to show you how a suspense book should start.

Kill tonight—or die.

The words burned, hot acid eating through his eyes, his brain. Right down to his soul.

Only a crazy person would obey.

He slapped both hands to his ears, squeezed hard against his head. Screwed his eyes shut. He hung there, cut off from the world, snagged on the life sounds of his body. The whoosh of breath, the beat of his heart.

The words boiled.

His skull hurt. He pulled his hands away, let them fall. The kitchen spun. He dropped into a chair, bent forward, and breathed deeply until the dizziness passed.

He sat up, looked again to the table.

The note lay upon the unfolded Kanner Lake Times newspaper, each word horrific against the backdrop of a coral crescent moon.

How did they get in here?

What a stupid question. As if they lacked stealth, as if mere walls and locked entrances could keep them out. He’d been down the hall in the bedroom watching TV, door wide open, yet had heard nothing. Hadn’t even sensed their presence as he pushed off the bed and walked to the kitchen for some water.

A chill blew over his feet.

His eyes bugged, then scanned the room. Over white refrigerator and oak cabinets, wiped-down counters and empty sink. To the threshold of the kitchen and into the hallway. There his gaze lingered as the chill worked up to his ankles.

It had to be coming from the front of the house.

His skin oozed sweat, a web of sticky fear spinning down over him. Trembling, he pulled himself out of the chair. He clung to the smooth table edge, ensuring his balance. Then, heart beating in his throat, he forced himself across the floor, around the corner, and toward the front door.

It hung open a few inches.

They were taunting him.

He approached, hands up and fingers spread, as if pushing through phantoms. Sounds of the night wafted on the frigid air—the rustle of breeze through tree limbs, distant car tires singing against pavement. He reached the door, peered around it, knowing he was a fool to seek sign of them. The air smelled crisp, tanged with the purity of pine trees. The last vestiges of snow dusted his porch, bearing the tracks of his footprints alone.

He closed the door and locked it. As if that would do any good. He sagged against the wall, defeated and sick. How stupid to think they would leave him in peace. Hadn’t he seen this coming? All the events of the last few months . . .

Shoulders drawn, he made his way back to the kitchen and his inevitable fate. Each footstep drew him away from the life he’d built, reasoning and confidence seeping from him like blood from a fatal wound. His conscience pulsed at what he had to do.

The message sat on his table, an executioner beckoning victim to the noose. He fell into the chair, wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. He read the words, fresh nausea rising in his stomach. No misunderstanding their commands. They had a chess score to settle. He was their pawn.

He pushed back against the chair, arms crossed and hugging himself, the way he used to do as a boy. Dully, he stared at the window, seeing only his own pitiable reflection. For a long time he watched himself, first transfixed in fright, then with the evolving expression of self-preservation.

If he just did this one thing, his debt would be paid. They’d leave him alone.

For another hour...two…he sat, forcing down the queasiness as he thought through dozens of details. How he should do it. What could go wrong.

By the time he rose near midnight, he’d laid his plans.

Gathering the necessary items, shrugging on a coat, he slipped out into the cold and soulless night.

If you'd like to visit the folks from Kanner Lake, stop by Brandilyn's character blog... Scenes and Beans.

SOMETHING SO SIMPLE..

As Brandilyn Collins would say, my husband is a normal. Meaning he's not one of us. The writerly, imaginative, somewhat disturbed, LOL... He doesn't enjoy reading & he doesn't really "get" my writing. Now I'm not saying he's not proud when he sees my byline in the paper--and he's so encouraging with my fiction. (even though he doesn't read it) He simply doesn't have a lot of interest in the publishing world.

It bothers me a little, but then he has a hobby that I don't like and I don't have any interest in -- that's a story for another time. ;) So imagine my surprise when I came home the other day and he said, "Hey, I know it's not much, but I got you this." He pulled out a scrapbook. At first I'm thinking, "Does this man know me?" I hate scrapbooking. (more power to y'all that get into it...just not my thing) Anyway, I'm looking at it wondering. Then he says, "I noticed your articles are piling up in your keepsake box and I thought you might want to put them in a scrapbook for when Tanner is older."

Awww...how sweet was that? I realized that though we are so different and he sometimes seems like he isn't listening, I think he is. I think he's doing the best he can in a world he has very little interest in and I need to be more patient with him and find ways to include him in this crazy world.

I know most of my readers fairly well and I know your spouses are very supportive, but do they "get" it? And what was the last just for fun, sweet thing your spouse did for you? Something simple, but meaningful.