Saturday, February 4, 2017

RRBC AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: Author S. BURKE and her new release, "ACTS BEYOND REDEMPTION"

It's my pleasure to host author S. Burke today. She is a fellow member of the RRBC, or Rave Reviews Book Club, an international Association of Indie Authors. 

Mystery and suspense lovers are in for a treat, as S. Burke's most recent novel, "Acts Beyond Redemption," takes readers behind the walls of the FBI and into the investigations of eighteen serial murders.

With that lead in, I'm passing the mic to our guest, S. Burke!

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Hi, and welcome to my Rave Reviews Book Club “SPOTLIGHT” Tour!
Please join me in thanking my awesome host.
Today I’m sharing with you a brief extract from Chapter 1 of Acts Beyond Redemption.  

Blurb:

Acts Beyond Redemption takes you on a twisted, deadly, journey.

Mike Matheson is head of a Special Task Force set up by the F.B.I to track down and apprehend the serial killers responsible for 18 brutal murders.

The team are exhausted, frustrated, and ready to burn out after almost five years and no leads.
Their nightmares are stripping them to the bone.

Nothing has prepared them for this.
Someone on the inside is deflecting their weary eyes away from an incomprehensible and terrifying truth.

Who will be buried in the shattered remains of a country where freedom and honor are treasured above all things?

Just how far will those elected to protect and defend go, to keep the American dream alive?

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The setting is the FBI New York H.Q of the ‘Countdown Murders’ Task Force.
Doctor Nigel Cantrell, considered one of the best Forensic Psychologists in the country has been flown in to profile a suspect and interview her.
We Begin ...Part way through the chapter.

An excerpt from Acts Beyond Redemption.

The doctor entered the room quietly, noticing as he did that the lone occupant didn’t bother looking up. Her bowed head remained on her folded arms, although he was certain she was aware of his presence.
“Hello?” he said softly.
The woman raised herself into a sitting position and stretched, flexing her long arms and yawning as she did so.
“Hello, Eileen, my name is Nigel Cantrell. May I sit?”
He was ignored.
“I was hoping that you and I might talk awhile. Would that be okay?”
“Would it not be more correct to introduce yourself as Doctor Nigel Cantrell?” she asked in a warm lilting voice. “I’ve read much of your work, Doctor. I found it, shall we say, inspiring.”
She stood, a tall woman, confident of her beauty. She walked over to him, assessing him much as you would an insect under a microscope, she sniffed at him, leaning into his space; she was a predator, scenting its prey.
The woman circled him twice, moving closer, slowly closer. Then, with a well-manicured fingernail, she reached out and gently traced the jagged scar on his face, making deep moaning sounds as she did.
Giving a throaty laugh, she moved back, just a little.
The hairs on his neck stood on end, and he felt a cold, gut-wrenching recognition of something inhuman and unholy. He chose to disregard her presence; if he were correct, she would react to that.
He focused instead on the nagging thought he was missing something vital on that list. Sitting, without her consent, and ignoring her presence, he focused on his notes.
In spite of herself, she appeared intrigued. She perched on the table next to where he sat, crossed her long slim legs, and leant forward to read what he wrote.
Abruptly he looked up, and said, “Yes! Yes, of course!”
He felt, rather than saw, her body tremble. His brain recognized it - not as fear as one might expect - but as excitement.
Finally, he looked up at her, noting her dilated pupils. “Sheila?” he asked. “It is Sheila, isn’t it? There will be no more bodies. Will there, Sheila?” He repeated the name, allowing his voice to raise a fraction “Sheila?”
“Oh, what a clever little man.” The woman clapped her hands together slowly, mocking him. “Clever, clever, little man!”
The doctor did not react. He stood, carefully avoiding eye contact, crossed to the door and left the room.
***
“What the hell are you doing, Cantrell?” stormed Mike Matheson as the doctor re-entered.
Cantrell was too preoccupied to respond; instead, he hurried over to the list of names.
He wrote on the board in large letters. A, E, H, I, L, M, N, O, P, S, W.
“Sheila didn’t slip up, gentleman. That’s her correct name, by the way. Sheila allowed you to catch her.”
“What? Why in the name of God would she do that? We hadn’t even come close to finding our killer. She’s much too clever! She made a mistake, pure and simple,” Mike stated in a voice reserved thus far for errant underlings.
“No, Mike. She made no mistakes. She decided the when, the where, and the how; then, well, then, she sat back and waited for your people to arrive.”
“What are you talking about, man?”
Doctor Nigel Cantrell tapped the letters with his pen …A, E, H, I, L, M, N, P, O, S, W.
“Remove P and M for the Paul and Martin she mentioned earlier in her ‘tirade’, and rearrange the letters just so, and what are we left with? Ah, yes, I thought as much.”
A, E, H, I, L, N, O, S, W.
“She had finished, gentleman,” he said firmly. “All she wanted then was for everyone to acknowledge how brilliant she is.” He stood back to allow the startled agents to see what was written there.
SHEILA WON.                                         
###

I’m mean aren’t I? But anything more would be a spoiler.
Isn’t Sheila just delightful?
I had so much fun creating my monster.
I look forward to catching up with you again on the tour. I'll be sharing much more with you about the book and the folks that hide between the covers. Thanks so much for stopping by. And a huge thank you to my wonderful host.

 

Suzanne Burke lives, laughs, writes and enjoys her life in the beautiful harbor-side city of Sydney Australia.

She is a mother and grandmother, now in her sixties, and considers every moment of every day as a precious treasure to be valued and explored, and not simply endured.

Her non-fiction works are written under the pen-name of Stacey Danson. They are both challenging and thought provoking works covering the earliest years of her life, the topic of child abuse and the PTSD that accompanied her into her later years  are not, by virtue of their subject matter an easy or comfortable read, yet so many have read them. She will be forever grateful that her readers have assisted in raising the awareness into this painful and enduring evil. An awareness that is vital in any efforts to stem this tide of inhuman acts perpetrated on the most innocent of us all … the children.

She escapes into the world of fiction in her thriller and suspense novels, continually exploring other genres such as paranormal and dystopian, and always delighting in the magical escapism offered in the written word.

She is an avid reader and reviewer who enjoys sharing the works she explores.

Follow Suzanne online:
Twitter handle - @pursoot


40 comments:

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  2. Congrats on a superb day 2 of your SA month, Suzanne! Thanks so much, Laurie for hosting on your lovely site!! ~Mar

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    1. Such a fun interview with S. Burke! Great excerpt!

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    2. Thanks again, Mar. The support has been just awesome. And a special thanks to Laurie for hosting this stop on my tour. It is a lovely site indeed.

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  3. Another fantastic post, Suzanne. I enjoy reading what you're posting at each stop on your tour. You really are worthy of the Spotlight. May this honor bring many new readers to your work.

    Thank you for hosting, Lauri. Your support is wonderful!

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    1. I'm awed by the talent and support of this group, as S. Burke's work proves.

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    2. Thanks so much, Beem. I appreciate you making the time to stop by again.

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  4. Am starting this book tonight - what a co-incidence! :-P Thanks for the monster teaser, Soooz! ;-)
    And thanks for having us all over, Laurie! :-)

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    1. Hi, Jan! (Waves frantically from Sydney) I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Sheila is sooooo um ... lol. Have fun!

      Laurie, can you send me a virtual baked 'Apple Pie'? I do love home cooking.

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    2. It probably tastes very much like my regular Apple pie. :-( LOL!

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  5. Hi, Laurie! Thank you so very much for hosting this leg of my tour. I'm delighted to be here.

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    1. Thanks, Michelle. The intrigue is to die for! lol.

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  7. Thank you so much for hosting me, Laurie. I appreciate it.

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    1. I was very honored. Wishing you great success this month as your tour continues!

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  8. I started.this book a couple of days ago. It was great to revisit the beginning again as I develope all my "theories" as to what is going on. Enjoying seeing new blogs too and meeting hosts.

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    1. Thanks again for stopping by. It's so lovely to learn that you are reading 'Acts Beyond Redemption' I look forward to hearing if your "theories" play out.

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  9. Sheila sounds like an intriguing monster. Well done.
    Rebecca Carter, writing as Ronesa Aveela

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    1. Hi and thank you, Rebecca. Sheila was such a great character to write. Monster is an apt description, but I've grown quite attached to her.

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  10. This was a superb post, Suzanne and I said so yesterday morning... the comment seems to have been lost.

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    1. My rhino-fingers may have hit the delete button instead of "publish." My apologies, John. Thanks so much for checking back and reposting!

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    3. John, thanks so much. I'm so delighted that you enjoyed the excerpt. It was generous of you to pop back and repost your comment. Laurie, I've hit the wrong buttons on my own blog more times than I care to admit to. I think it's an occupational hazard we writers all share. Again, my thanks for hosting this pivotal stop on my tour.

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  11. Fantastic post, Soooz! This book is an absolute thrill ride! Book 2 is downloaded and ready to go on my Kindle!
    Thanks for the warm welcome, Laurie! :)

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    1. Stop back any time. Soooz, it was a blast!

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    2. Hi, Natalie! Your review was so much appreciated. I can't wait to hear what you think of Book 2. Watch out for the ending ... lol.

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    1. Wow! Thanks so much, Wendy. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it.

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  13. Great excerpt, Soooze. Sounds wonderful. Thanks Laurie for hosting Soooze.

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  14. Enjoyed this book immensely and Sheila - what a great character. I am so glad they gave this honor to such a deserving person. Thanks for hosting this Laurie

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    1. My pleasure, Jo Ann! Thanks for popping by!

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    2. Hiya, Jo! Thanks so much for making the time to stop by. Your review was marvelous. I'm thrilled you enjoyed it so much.

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  15. Suzanne, I am looking at your book cover and wondering what a bone chilling story you have there. I'll be looking forward to finding out. Enjoy your tour, and thank you Laurie for hosting her.

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by again, Joy. Most folks appear to agree that it is indeed a 'bone chilling' story.

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  16. I'm late, but that is an awesome excerpt, Soooz. Very chilling!
    And thanks to Laurie for hosting!

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