The Dangerous Edge of Things

Tina Whittle's debut novel, The Dangerous Edge of Things will keep you on the edge of your chair enthralled by her precise yet vivid descriptions of Atlanta, GA. Ms. Whittle's characters do not depend on their southerness for their uniqueness, but evolve with the modern city.

Teresa Ann "Tai" Randolph inherited half of a Confederate gun shop and moved from Savannah to explore the possibilities of her inheritance. One week in town, crashing at her brother Eric's home she discovers the gunshot body of a young woman.
The belated welcoming party gets worse as Eric is in the Bahamas and doesn't answer her frantic messages when subsequent events prove he is acquainted with the victim. Eric is employed by the security firm Phoenix and in typical older-brother fashion provides his impetuous baby-sister with a body guard and employment she does not want.

Enter the body guard, Trey Seaver is one of the most original characters in modern mystery fiction. Ms. Whittle builds Trey with adroit descriptions that fascinate and create empathy with Tai's frustration while she attempts to communicate with "the Iceman."

Tai and Trey must work as a team to keep her alive and unmask a killer. Her approach to anyone in authority is to argue and ignore while he is subservient to unreasonable demands. Tai has yet to find a box and Trey can not function without one. The tug-of-war between them is explosive until the very last word. The action's pace is faster than his Ferrari; it will drive you into the midnight hours.

Visit Tina at http://www.tinawhittle.com.

Tina Whittle's The Dangerous Edge of Things is soon to be released by Poisoned Pen Press to book stores and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.com.

Nash Black, author of Indie finalists Writing as a Small Business and Haints.

Broken

Karin Slaughter's Broken will be her next award winner. The complex story of depression, revenge, greed, disabilities, and hatred is told with the stunning brilliance of a master writer.
There is never any let-up in this fast-paced police procedural. A young woman is murdered and the young man who is arrested for her killing commits suicide in his cell.
Their deaths reunited some of Slaughter's most intriguing characters as Dr. Sara Linton calls the state crime division to report Detective Lena Adams for negligence and lying about the circumstances surrounding the arrest. Dr. Linton believes this previous behavior of evading responsibility caused the death of her husband and she wants Lena punished.

Special Agent Will Trent is sent to the scene to investigate and is thwarted at every turn by the members of the force to prevent him from doing his job. He must turn both to Sara and Lena for help after the boy friend of the murdered girl is also killed by the same methods. The conflict between the two woman is detrimental to his efforts to complete his investigation, but for both women an internal devotion to their respective jobs finally supersedes their hatred of each other.
Slaughter exhibits a fantastic talent for descriptive prose that will have you putting the book in your lap to savor her images. Her strength shows in the small ordinary experiences of life and vividness of the surroundings. She handles the raw scenes of death with the crisp flat style of a police report, never broaching sensationalism.

I had the privilege of sharing a head table at a writing workshop with Karin. One of the things we discussed was, "Why are women never taught to protect and respect themselves as children?" It is a question I've not forgotten and for which I still seek an answer.
Broken will be available in bookstores everywhere in late June, until then you can visit with Karin, who loves to get letters at http://karinslaughter.com/.

Nash Black, author of Writing as a Small Business and Haints.

Return of the Texas Ranger

Kingsville, TX in 1927 where the King Ranch has brought progress to a sleepy little town with the advent of the railroad. The glory days of the Texas Border Wars are long gone, but former Texas ranger Sheriff Richard "Red" Regan gets a jolt as his old colleague Whitey Wilson steps off the circus train.

Whitey lives in the past and has refused to move forward, now he has a mission to find the killer of their mentor, Nacho Ybarra. Then maybe, Whitey has returned to claim Red's wife and son as his own.

Red is fighting the physical pain from an old bullet lodged against his spine and must force himself to do his job with the aid of a few little pills a pharmacist friend has given him. It is a daily battle to hide his agony and he knows Whitey is walking trouble for Whitey is a man who consistently will not abide by the rules.

This vivid western mystery by a native son of Kingsville is a winner for reading enjoyment. It has all the twists, subplots, humor, loyalty, and suspense of a mystery, but is truly a western. Many mysteries are set in the west, but could occur anywhere. This is a story where both time and place become a major character.

Return of the Texas Ranger is Dac Crossley's sequel to the award winning Guns Across the Rio with all the ethnic ties spiced with conflicting loyalties that will keep you turning the pages. You can trust Dac to provide accurate details as to time, place, traditions, customs, and culture, which make his stories come so alive. You'll be glancing down to check if you have mud on your shoes as you follow the story on a rainswept night.

This reader would enjoy more stories about Red, Whitey, and Nacho before their careers have met the future because of the knowledgeable insight that flows from the words of this unique author.

Join Dac's legion of followers at http://daccrossley.typepad.com/ where he adds new insight into the legends of Texas history and discusses everything that inhabits the South Texas country or the joy of going barefoot in the summer time. You can learn more about this new author in the mystery field by visiting his website at http://soilmite@earthlink.net. Dac Crossley's books are available from Amazon.com or at the Alamo if you're traveling to San Antonio this summer.

by Nash Black, author of Writing as a Small Business & Haints.