Future & Past Titles

The Trigger Effect

What could they have possibly done to deserve this?

From the author of Don't Go ThereThe Rubik Memorandum and Smitten, Trigger Effect is a coming of age romance that is interrupted by a serial killer. Two Dallas Area teenagers were found murdered behind the supermarket with a gunshot wound in the back of their pretty blond heads. Drugs were not involved. Their homes were in the trendy, upscale suburban neighborhood of Thomas Glen. They were honor students. The police have no clues.

Solving the case falls into the laps of Police Lieutenant Reed Pascoe and Detective Denise Smith. Nothing about the investigation makes sense to them. Suspects are scarce or nonexistent. Their investigation tears apart the lives of everyone remotely close to the kids or the crime, revealing secrets, infidelity, and perversion. In the process, nobody is left undamaged.

Collaboration with another author can be risky. Brenda Sevcik made it easy. I wanted to enhance the involvement of my readers with the characters, and Brenda accepted that mission and infused each with a new sensitivity and awareness. And once we got deep into the plot, she became so invested in my process of creating drama and suspense, we began to think as if we were of one mind. We became true collaborators in our art. There was so much joy and excitement working together, it was difficult to pronounce it done. We wanted to continue the collaboration. Don't be surprised if you see another novel by us down the road.

Smitten

Sometimes your classmate can be a serial killer. One of his victims was the twin sister of the girl I loved. It changed her profoundly, and therefore, it changed us.

From the author of Don't Go There and The Rubik Memorandum, Smitten is a coming of age romance that is interrupted by a serial killer. The stunningly attractive Michelle and Ben were eighteen and in love when Clay killed his first victim. Why her? Was she picked at random, or was revenge a part of the equation? And why did he start sending Michelle letters two years later. In the years between 1967 and 1982 twenty-six people were suspected victims of serial killers in Atlanta. How could Ben prevent Michelle from becoming the next victim? They chose to hunt the hunter.

 

The Rubik Memorandum

Genre: Suspense - Mystery/Thriller

Craney Island fuel depot is on fire. It’s one of only two that serve the Atlantic Ocean fleet of the U.S. Navy. Daneli Crisis Management is sent to investigate the cause and minimize the impacts. Their report of cause – sabotage. The key piece of evidence that envisions the scheme is a memorandum written by an analyst in the Defense Department. The analyst and the Department of Justice recipient are found murdered. The lead investigator for Daneli, Victor Majeski, slowly unravels a conspiracy so diabolical the FBI, Navy and Homeland Security consider it as nonsense. Are they involved? What is motive? Vic risks his life to find the truth. Along the way he falls in love with the FBI agent assigned to partner with him.

Don’t Go There!

Genre: Suspense - Mystery/Thriller

My first novel!

If you enjoy a cliff-hanger this book is right up your alley.

Risk! There are all kinds. This story is full of them. Sometimes risk is just another word for adventure. Entering unfamiliar territory, whether it’s geographical or in one’s personal experience, can be a matter of perspective. Do you prefer the comfort of what is familiar or do you crave new experiences? It’s just a matter of attitude.

Stimulus! Your anxiety rises. The rush of adrenalin and the release of endorphins in your body creates excitement. It’s merely a chemical process. But how does the brain process and interpret the stimulus? Are you thrilled, or are you scared or agitated? Does it block your cognitive reasoning? Do you become nervous and full of dread? Are you among the few who can measure and control your emotions and reactions in the spur of an excited moment? Guess what! The only way we find out the answer to that question is to face a life and death situation - and survive.

So, here you are. You worked hard and sacrificed the present for your future. You get the opportunity to fulfill your parents’ dreams. You become a lawyer. You meet a great gal and you fall in love. You get a great job with great opportunity in a growing and vibrant company. You do well. Management likes you, and you are on a fast-track to promotion. You find great opportunities to learn and develop your skills. You meet all your challenges and succeed in spectacular fashion. Everything is just peachy keen.

Then, one day, a new opportunity arises. It’s a big money-making opportunity for the company. It’s a huge construction project in a foreign country. The government of that foreign country wants your company to build this thing for them because they don’t have the expertise to do it themselves. Your company has never done work in a foreign county. Your company has never performed a project for someone else’s benefit. By the way, it’s a third-world country. Its modern history is filled with corruption, crime and shaky governing. And here’s the kicker - your company executives want you to lead the project. Wow! What a rush! This is the type of thing that separates the men from the boys, the women from the girls, and real heroes from pretenders.

This is the new world of Eli Taylor. He has many skills and has grown to be a true leader in few short years. So far in his career he has not shown he fears any challenge. Okay, so this one is just bigger than anything you have ever done. Okay, it’s in Bolivia. And, by the way, the most ruthless Russian mafia, Red Bratva, has been waiting for the opportunity to restore a drug trafficking cartel under their control in the region. They envision your company’s project as the best cover to hide their nefarious intentions. Your project is to build a pipeline system from La Paz, across the Andes mountains, to a Pacific Ocean port on the coast of Peru.

Things go well at first. Then information becomes available from the FBI that a drug trafficking operation has become active along the route of your pipeline. Your company has no choice but to cooperate with the FBI’s and Bolivia’s investigation. You suspect that the leader of the drug trafficking operation is none other than the contract security officer of a company helping your company build the pipeline. He is using an alias, Andrew Johnson, to hide his identity. You discover he’s no ordinary security specialist. He’s an international, criminal operative hired by the Red Bratva to infiltrate your project for the purpose of cloaking his activities.

Johnson doesn’t expect you and the FBI are aware of his intentions until he is confronted with the potential of capture, right in front of your eyes. In a bloody escape attempt you are both seriously wounded. Johnson’s Red Bratva accomplices free him while he recuperates in a Lima, Peru prison hospital. He leaves a message for you, seeking a bloody revenge against you and your love interest, Danielle Merchant.

At this point there is no turning back. You either try to hide or confront your adversary. You and Danielle choose not to run and hide, but to prepare to meet the challenge. Your moment of truth is about to take place. You will soon find out what you are made of.

How does it end? You’ll have to read the book to find out. I promise you’ll be surprised, and you won’t be disappointed.