Woman in Shadow

GIVEAWAY

PARKS, CARRIE STUART

WOMAN IN SHADOW

Award-winning author Carrie Stuart Parks combines her expertise as a forensic artist with her talent for crafting a gripping story in this page-turning web of light and shadow.

A woman off the grid.

Darby Graham thinks she's on a much-needed vacation in remote Idaho to relax. But before she even arrives at the ranch, an earthquake strikes. Then a barn on the edge of town is engulfed in flames and strange problems at the ranch begin to escalate, and Darby finds herself immersed in a chilling mystery.

A town on fire.

More fires erupt around town, and a serial arsonist sends taunting letters to the press after each. As a forensic linguist, this is Darby's area of expertise..but the scars her work has caused are also the reason she's trying to escape her life.

A growing darkness.

As the shadows continue moving in, pieces of the town around her come into sharper focus. To make it out alive, Darby must decide if she can trust the one man who sees her clearly.

My Review:

I don't pre-order many audible books -- I prefer to browse my wish list, looking for a book that matches my current mood -- but when I saw that Carrie Stuart Parks had a new book coming out I couldn't click on the pre-order button fast enough. Was even tempted to set my alarm for midnight on release day so I could get started right away. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and I managed to restrain myself until six a.m. but then it was compulsive listening all the way!

Parks has a knack for creating prickly heroines who are uniquely intriguing. Darby is just such a one -- battered and scarred by life's injustices and battling to make sense of where she's ended up. She's an alluring combination of snark and grit. And her sarcastic inner dialogue makes even the most serious discussions grin worthy. Thankfully she has enough self-control not to let the sass out...most of the time. :-)

I'd never heard of a forensic linguist before so that aspect of the suspense was really fascinating. And woohhheeee -- the suspense! Talk about gripping! There's so much I want to say but can't for fear of posting spoilers. But the way it plays out, all the the secondary characters involved who may or may not be suspects. The multiple twists, turns and dead ends! The gasp-out-loud moments. The times I guessed right. Even more times I guessed wrong! I was mesmerized from start to finish.

And in the midst of all that, there's even a solid faith thread as Darby struggles to find God in the midst of her pain. 

Add in a hint of romance, two crazy cool dogs and a title that fits the story to perfection (I have a thing about clever titles) and I was in storyland heaven. My only complaint -- it was over way too soon! 

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a paperback or ebook copy -- winner's choice 

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Woman in Shadow, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT AND DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday July 24 2021. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Relative Silence

 

GIVEAWAY

PARKS, CARRIE STUART

RELATIVE SILENCE

A powerful family with lots of secrets. A forensic artist with his own tragedies. And a hurricane bearing down on their private island.

Fifteen years ago Piper Boone's only child died in a boating accident, and Piper's almost perfect life came to an end too. After living through a divorce and losing her job, she retreats to Curlew Island and her childhood home -- a secluded mansion for the politically powerful Boone family, who are practically American royalty.

But Piper's desire to become a recluse is shattered when a mass shooter opens fire and kills three women at a cafe where Piper is having lunch. The crisis puts her family in the spotlight by dredging up rumors of the so-called Curlew Island Curse, which whispers say has taken the lives of several members of the Boone family, including Piper's father and sister.

Forensic artist Tucker Landry also survives the shooting and is tasked with the job of sketching a portrait of the shooter with Piper. They forge a bond over their shared love of movies and tragic pasts. But when police discover a connection between the shooting and two more murders on Curlew Island, they face a more terrible lineup of suspects than they could have imagined: Piper's family.

Unraveling the family's true history will be the key to Piper's survival -- or her certain death.

My Review:

Groping for words to use in a review again. This was one thrilling, mind-boggling, emotional roller-coasting, gah-there-are-too-many-suspects kind of suspense. My brain is still addled and I'm feeling bereft because I've now read all of Carrie Stuart Parks' books. Someone please tell me she has a new release coming out soon!

One of this author's strengths (and she has many) is the way she brings broken characters to life. They are real and raw and hurting -- and, as my friend is always saying, 'hurt people hurt people.' Love the gritty honesty portrayed in both Piper and Tucker. They are wounded and scarred, limping through life as they grapple with the enormity of overcoming. But they are brought together for such a time as this and the way they connect is thrilling. There is so much depth to the emotional and spiritual aspects of their lives that I'm still reeling from it all.

And pay attention to the details, readers. Because that's another of Parks' strengths -- the way she weaves together seemingly random bits of flotsam until you suddenly see something solid taking shape. 

The suspense is compelling -- the kind of edge of your seat stuff that transform a good plot into something exceptional. I'm still a little light-headed from all the breath-holding! :-)

A definite must-read for the discerning suspense aficionado who loves intense suspense with a side of romance.

 GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

Winner can choose between a paperback copy or an ecopy

If you would like a chance to win a copy of one Relative Silence, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Sunday October 23 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Portrait of Vengeance

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!

PARKS, CARRIE STUART
PORTRAIT OF VENGEANCE

An unsolved case. A tempest of memories. The future's at stake -- and time is running out...

Gwen Marcey has done a good job of keeping the pain of hr past boxed up. But as she investigates the case of a missing child in Lapwai, Idaho, details keep surfacing that are eerily similar to her childhood traumas. She doesn't believe in coincidences. So what's going on here?

No one knows more about the impact of the past than the Nex Perce people of Lapwai. Gwen finds herself an unwelcome visitor to some, making her investigation even more difficult. The questions keep piling up, but answers are slow in coming -- and the clock is ticking for a missing little girl. Meanwhile, her ex-husband back home is threatening to take sole custody of their daughter.

As Gwen's past and present collide, she's in a desperate race for the truth. Because only truth will ensure she still has a future.

My Review:

published in 2017

There should be a picture of Gwen Marcey under the word 'survivor' in the dictionary! Oy, what she goes through in this page-turning frenzy of a read! If I started listing things, I'd be posting spoilers so I won't but...whoa! I could not put this book down! (Well, stop listening since this one is in my audible library.)

I love Gwen! She's a surprising mix of snark and faith and her sardonic wit had me in stitches. Her delivery is terrible, though, which makes her snappy comments all the funnier since no one else in the room either a) appreciates her humour or b) gets it at all. Except for me, of course. I snort-laughed as much as I screamed and cringed my way through this gripping suspense.

So many twists and turns! So many big reveals about Gwen's past which makes it so much easier to understand her quirks now. Love how she's grown throughout this series (and I'm devastated that this is the last Gwen Marcey book!) You could read Portrait of Vengeance as a standalone but I think you'll find more depth in both plot and characters if you've read the first three books.

Love that Gwen's friend, Beth is back as her unconventional sidekick. The give and take between these two brings a real charge to the story. And Winston!!!! Great Pyrenees extarordinaire! He is my all time hero!

I am both sublimely happy (because this series is so good) and dejectedly morose (because this series seems to be over way too soon.)

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a read copy of  Portrait of Vengeance, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday September 19 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

When Death Draws Near

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!

PARKS, CARRIE STUART
WHEN DEATH DRAWS NEAR

Gwen Marcey takes death in stride. Until she's faced with her own mortality.

Forensic artist Gwen Marcey is between jobs when she accepts temporary work in Pikeville, Kentucky -- a small town facing big-city crime. But before Gwen can finish her first drawing of the serial rapist who is on the loose, the latest witness vanishes. Just like all the others.

Owen suspects a connection between the rapist and the "accidental" deaths that are happening around town, but the local sheriff has little interest in her theories. When her difitally-obsessed teenage daughter joins her, Gwen turns her attention to a second assignment: going undercover in a serpent-handling church. She could get a handsome reward for uncovering illegal activity -- a reward she desperately needs, as it seems her breast cancer has returned. But snakes aren't the only ones ready to kill. Can Gwen uncover the truth -- and convince anyone to believe her -- before she becomes a victim herself?

My Review:

published in 2016

One  of the things I love most about Gwen Marcey is that she is so relatable. She doesn't have it all together and she's real and vulnerable in her walk with the Lord even when she's raising her voice in sarcastic anger. She's an intriguing mix of contradictions. Snarky and vulnerable. Stubborn and hesitant. Faith-fueled and doubtful. Such a complex, interesting character with deep layers that are slowly being peeled back with every book. This is the third Gwen Marcey book and, while it can be read as a standalone, there's enough in her personal life story that will make more of an impact if you've read A Cry from the Dust and The Bones Will Speak first.

Again, Parks has astounded me with the breadth and depth of this suspense. Her background as a forensic artist brings such a unique spin to the story and there are so many interesting insights into the complexities of this career. It involves so much more than I'd imagined! Her investigation into a fringe snake-handling religious group ups the tension and though, I have a huge snake phobia, I coped quite well...except for one gripping scene (shudder.) But the suspense is so compelling it kept me reading...er listening...anyway!

Complexities in plot and characters combined with stellar storytelling skills make any Gwen Marcey book unputdownable. Having said that, I think When Death Draws Near is definitely the best so far. I have one more to go -- Portrait of Vengeance is awaiting me in my audible line up.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  When Death Draws Near, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 29 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

The Bones Will Speak

GIVEAWAY
RANDOM RETRO READ DAY!

PARKS, CARRIE STUART
THE BONES WILL SPEAK

Forensic artist Gwen Marcey has become the target of a serial killer who believes he's been appointed God's executioner.

In Copper Creek, Montana, Gwen Marcey is struggling to put together her life after cancer and divorce. When her dog retrieves a skull of a murder victim and leads her to the victim's grave, Gwen uses her forensic art ability to identify a serial killer. She is horrified to discover all the victims look like her fourteen-year-old daughter.

The murderer is a "lone wolf," a member of the terrorist group Phineas Priesthood -- and he has a score to settle with Gwen. Unraveling the tangled Christian identity movement, where race-not-grace provides salvation, Gwen is in a frantic rush against time. She must use all her skills to uncover the killer before he can carry out his threat to destroy her and everyone she loves.

My Review:

published in 2015

Carrie Stuart Parks writes from the unique perspective of a forensic artist who has worked with multiple law enforcement agencies -- just like her heroine, Gwen Marcey -- and that brings obvious true-to-life aspects to her novels. They are edgy and gritty and even uncomfortable at times as well as utterly compelling.

I love Gwen! She's a survivor -- of cancer and divorce and parenting a mercurial teen. Her life's a mess and that brings out her inner snark quite often yet she has this core of strength that keeps her fighting to put the pieces of her shattered life back together. Gwen is faced with the audacious challenge to forgive along with the honest struggle that can actually be. So raw and real. No sugar coating here -- either in life or faith. This was an emotionally volatile read for me (especially when her ex turns up -- bah!)

The forensic art details are fascinating and I loved the methodical police procedural aspect to the suspense. So many intricate details made all the more disturbing since they are based on actual cases the author worked on. Definitely a don't-bug-me-unless-the-house-is-on-fire-I'm-reading kind of novel!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of  The Bones Will Speak, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 8 2020 . Offer open to International Readers. Good luck

Fragments of Fear

GIVEAWAY

PARKS, CARRIE STUART
FRAGMENTS OF FEAR

Stolen art. A New Mexico archaeological dig. An abandoned dog. And a secret that's worth killing for.

Evelyn McTavish's world came crashing down with the suicide of her fiance. As she struggles to put her life back together and make a living from her art, she receives a call that her dog is about to be destroyed at the pound. Except she doesn't own a dog. The shelter is adamant that the microchip embedded in the canine with her name and address makes it hers.

Evelyn recognizes the dog as one owned by archaeologist John Coyote because she was commissioned to draw the two of them. The simple solution is to return the dog to his owner -- but she arrives only to discover John's murdered body.

As Evelyn herself becomes a target, she crosses paths with undercover FBI agent Sawyer Price. The more he gets to know her, the more personally invested he becomes in keeping her safe. Together, they're desperate to find the links between so many disparate pieces.

And the clock is ticking.

My Review:

I don't think my heart-rate is back to normal yet. What an incredible suspense! I listened to the audible version and nearly got heatstroke because I have this rule that I have to be doing something while listening to a book so I stayed out in the garden way longer than I should have just so I could keep listening! But it turned out okay because then I got to recover by languishing on my fainting couch with a cool cloth on my forehead listening to more of this incredibly unputdownable book.

Honestly, I'm not sure I can even describe how good this novel is. The suspense elements about drove me crazy -- if I wasn't hyperventilating, I was trying to puzzle out what on earth was going on! What an intricately sinister plot! Lots of surprises in store for the enterprising suspense reader. Kinda puts me in the mind of Terri Blackstock's If I Run series -- has that same kind of desperate vibe only it's all wrapped up in one book.

Evelyn (prefers to be called Tavish) is recovering from some heavy life stuff. She's broken and vulnerable and is desperately searching for peace. But between a domineering mother and past events that have brutally battered her confidence, she's pretty much a wreck when we first meet up with her. And when the crazy things start happening, no one takes her seriously. Including the police. Talk about frayed nerves and nails bitten to the quick! Parks kept me on the raw edge of reader angst right to the very end.

In a case of flight or fight, Tavish always chooses to fight. She doesn't do it well at first. Sometimes she's so hesitant it's painful but she has an inner core of strength that won't let her back down and I love that about her. She's determined to discover the truth -- no matter where it might lead. In the process she learns a lot about herself and discovers how to live out Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Her journey from lost soul to claimed daughter is inspiring!

And there's a spectacular dog! A Puli -- the first I've ever encountered in either fictional or real life! Parks knows how to write in 'dog'. I think she might be a dog whisperer! Loved Tavish's connection with this lovable mutt that soon turns into an unbreakable bond. These two have each other's back -- all the time.

A spectacular edge-of-your-seat suspense that comes complete with some light romance.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Fragments of Fear, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 10 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

Formula of Deception

GIVEAWAY

PARKS, CARRIE STUART
FORMULA OF DECEPTION

An artist hiding from an escaped killer uncovers one of World War II's most dangerous secrets -- a secret that desperate man will do anything to keep hidden.

After the murder of her twin sister, Murphy Anderson changed her name and appearance and moved to Kodiak, Alaska, to avoid the press and publicity. But when local authorities discover she's an artist and request her help in drawing a dying man's memories, she unintentionally ends up in the limelight again -- and back in the killer's crosshairs.

The deathbed confessions of an Alaskan hunter have Murphy drawing the five bodies he discovered on remote Ruuwaq Island ten years ago. But what investigators find has them mystified. Evidence suggests that the bodies were deliberately destroyed, and what they uncover in an abandoned Quonset hut from World War II only brings more questions.

As one by one the investigators who were at the hut die, Murphy knows there is something much darker at stake. What happened on this island during the war? And who is willing to kill to keep its secrets buried?

My Review:

Whoa! I'm stunned speechless after that ending! Gobsmacked. Sucker-punched. Reeling in astonishment. And I have no idea how to review Formula of Deception without letting a herd of cats out of the bag so all I can say is -- stunningly stupefying suspense!!!! Pay attention, readers, because it's going to get a whole lot more complicated before things start to make any sense. Loved every clue-deducing second!

I had some pretty hare-brained theories as I waged deeper into the cold case mire and then I had such a scathingly brilliant idea and I was sooooo certain I was right...until I wasn't! Carrie Stuart Parks shocked me numerous times throughout this read. And Murphy's backstory shocked me most of all. Honestly -- I'm in a post-read-dithery state and can't make much more sense than this: read Formula of Deception and experience all the chills and thrills for yourself!

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of Formula of Deception, leave a comment below, or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday May 4 2019. Offer open to International Readers. Good luck!

A Cry From the Dust

GIVEAWAY

PARKS, CARRIE STUART
A CRY FROM THE DUST

A secret from a grim page of American history threatens to destroy thousands of lives.

Gwen Marcey was tops in her forensic field. Then cancer struck, her husband left, and her teenage daughter engaged in active rebellion. Gwen's best chance to start a new life was a temporary job in Utah reconstructing faces from an 1857 massacre site.

The Mountain Meadows Interpretive Center asked Gwen to reconstruct the faces of three intact bodies that were discovered from the wagon train massacre of more 120 people by Mormon fanatics calling themselves Avenging Angels. But just as she is nearing completion on her reconstructions, things around the center turn deadly.

Gwen discovers the ritualized murder of a young college student  with a stolen identity and is called on by the local people to use her forensic skills to aid the investigation. Soon she discovers an uncanny resemblance between one of her reconstructions and the death mask of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church. And realizes that she's next target of the recreated Avenging Angels who believe she has an icon from the grave.

Gwen must weave through a labyrinth of Mormon history, discovering secret societies and festering grudges in a race against time.

Will she be able to stop another massacre?

My Review:

published in 2014
My thanks to my public library for providing me with this retro read!

Whoa!!!! What took me so long to become acquainted with Carrie Stuart Parks? I have no excuse. None -- and I'm four books behind! What gripping, edge-of-your-seat, rabid-page-turning, thrilling suspense! I couldn't put this one down from the get go.

Love Gwen -- messy life, personal conflicts, sardonic humour -- what a heroine! And what an intriguing profession -- the forensic art details are fascinating and bring a fresh kind of charge to the story.

What an adrenaline rush of a read! Sinister mysteries all tangled together in a puzzling net of conspiracies and just when I thought I had a grasp on it all -- I didn't! And be forewarned -- you get to a point where there is no putting this book down until the end. Tremendously good and I'm already on the hunt for the next Gwen Marcey novel.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

If you would like a chance to win a copy of A Cry From the Dust, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoreadATyahooDOTca. If you add your email to a comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it's easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on October 7 2018. Offer open to International Readers.