Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Laura Bradford's Death in Advertising Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Cover Reveal

 

I am so excited to have Laura Bradford here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Cover Reveal.

Thanks Laura and Pump Up Your Book Promotions for allowing me to join your Death in Advertising Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Laura! 






Title: Death in Advertising
Author: Laura Bradford
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Genre: Thriller/Suspense
Format: Ecopy

When Tobi Tobias decided to open her own ad agency, having to moonlight in a pet shop wasn’t part of her vision of course, neither was murder.


Sometimes when opportunity knocks, the door you open leads to a closet. That’s certainly the case for Tobi, whose weekends spent cleaning cages in her best friend’s pet shop may soon be over. She’s just landed her first big break — Zander Closet Company needs a catchy campaign slogan ASAP, and Tobi thinks she’s got the right hook to knock ’em dead: “When we’re done, even your skeletons will have a place.”

But when a real dead body topples out of a showcase closet, she’s about to discover there is such a thing as bad publicity. To save her fledgling business and not get killed by the competition, Tobi takes on a new pet project: solving the murder. But with a stressed-out parrot as the only witness to the crime, Tobi will really have to wing it to put the cagey killer behind bars.





Meet the Author

As a child, Laura Bradford fell in love with writing over a stack of blank paper, a box of crayons, and a freshly sharpened number two pencil. From that moment forward, she never wanted to do or be anything else. Today, Laura is the national bestselling author of several mystery series, including the Emergency Dessert Squad Mysteries, the Amish Mysteries, the Jenkins and Burns Mysteries, and the upcoming Tobi Tobias Mystery Series. She is a former Agatha Award nominee, and the recipient of an RT Reviewer’s Choice Award in romance. A graduate of Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, Laura enjoys making memories with her family, baking, and being an advocate for those living with Multiple Sclerosis.

For More Information

Visit Laura’s website. 

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Amanda K. Byrne's Game of Lies Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Cover Reveal

 

I am so excited to have Amanda K. Byrne here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Cover Reveal.

Thanks Amanda and Pump Up Your Book Promotions for allowing me to join your Game of Lies Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Amanda! 






Title: Game of Lies
Author: Amanda K. Byrne
Publisher: Lyrical Underground
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Format: Ecopy

The ties that bind, the vengeance that severs


Cass Turner, promising UCLA student, is gone. All that remains now is Cass the rogue assassin. Her target: all those who’ve sworn their loyalty to Isaiah, a man so ruthless Cass won’t find peace until he’s destroyed. Yet Cass’s brazen killing spree has driven a wedge between her and the man she loves. As a lieutenant in LA’s largest crime family, Nick Kosta has his own reasons for wanting Isaiah dead. But if Cass continues to play by her own rules, she’ll have to choose between Nick and getting even.

When her one chance at the ultimate revenge is snatched away, Cass’s world begins to fall apart. Now they’re going to play by Nick’s rules — even if it means betraying her trust. Because the danger to their lives, and their future, is far from over. But with the body count rising, and a target on Nick’s back, Cass will have to find a way to unearth the lies that surround the Kostas and find the killer in their midst before it’s too late.





Meet the Author

When she’s not plotting ways to sneak her latest shoe purchase past her partner, Amanda writes sexy, snarky romance and urban fantasy. She likes her heroines smart and unafraid to make mistakes, and her heroes strong enough to take them on.

If she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking hot chocolate, and trying not to destroy her house with her newest DIY project. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and no, it really doesn’t rain that much.

For More Information

Visit Amanda’s website.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Sarah Fox's The Crepes of Wrath Blog Tour with a Spotlight

 


I am so excited to have Sarah Fox here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight.

Thanks Sarah and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join The Crepes of Wrath Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Sarah!



New Cozy Series
File Size: 6124 KB
Print Length: 257 pages
Publisher: Alibi (August 16, 2016)
ASIN: B01A4ATX58






Synopsis

When Marley McKinney’s aging cousin, Jimmy, is hospitalized with pneumonia, she agrees to help run his pancake house while he recovers. With its rustic interior and syrupy scent, the Flip Side Pancake House is just as she pictured it—and the surly chef is a wizard with crêpes. Marley expects to spend a leisurely week or two in Wildwood Cove, the quaint, coastal community where she used to spend her summers, but then Cousin Jimmy is found murdered, sprawled on the rocks beneath a nearby cliff.

After she stumbles across evidence of stolen goods in Jimmy’s workshop, Marley is determined to find out what’s really going on in the not-so-quiet town of Wildwood Cove. With help from her childhood crush and her adopted cat, Flapjack, Marley sinks her teeth into the investigation. But if she’s not careful, she’s going to get burned by a killer who’s only interested in serving up trouble.





About The Author

Sarah Fox was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she developed a love for mysteries at a young age. When not writing novels or working as a legal writer, she is often reading her way through a stack of books or spending time outdoors with her English Springer Spaniel.

Author website: http://www.authorsarahfox.com/

Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/authorsarahfox

Twitter: @thewritefox

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14950357.Sarah_Fox

Purchase Links:

Penguin Random House Amazon.com Amazon.ca Chapters Barnes and Noble Google Play

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/crepes-wrath-sarah-fox







Friday, August 26, 2016

Chrystle Fiedler's Dandelion Dead Blog Tour with a Cover Reveal

 


I am so excited to have Chrystle Fiedler here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Cover Reveal.

Thanks Chrystle and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Dandelion Dead Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Chrystle!

Dandelion Dead: A Natural Remedies September 27, 2016

by Chrystle Fiedler

In a spicy cozy mystery filled with herbal remedies readers will love, a sustainable winery becomes the backdrop for murder! Fortunately, solving crimes comes naturally to charmingly unconventional homeopath and amateur sleuth Willow McQuade, as she looks for clues that will reveal a killer’s true essence.

Pre-Order todayAmazonB and N - IndieBound



 




Saturday, August 20, 2016

Janet Finsilver's Murder at the Mansion Blog Tour with a Spotlight



I am so excited to have Janet Finsilvere here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight.

Thanks Janet and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your  Murder at the Mansion Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Janet!



Murder at the Mansion
Cozy Mystery
Lyrical Underground (June 7, 2016)
Paperback: 190 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1616509323
E-Book ASIN: B015MA6EDO







Fortunes, fineries, and foul play

It’s whale-watching season in Redwood Cove, and B&B manager Kelly Jackson’s battening down the hatches for the tourist rush at Redwood Heights — a Victorian-style estate owned by her boss. And due to recent jewelry thefts, her duties include keeping track of the many dust-covered artifacts spread throughout the property. But when Kelly finds Sylvia Porter’s lifeless body, menial tasks don’t seem so terrible. Enlisting the help of a ragtag group of brainy retirees, aka the “Silver Sentinels,” Kelly’s on the hunt for clues hidden behind the mansion’s glamorous façade and for a killer who may want to make history of her next!




About the Author

Janet Finsilver is the USA TODAY best-selling author of the Kelly Jackson mystery series. She worked in education for many years as a teacher, a program administrator, and a workshop presenter. Janet majored in English and earned a Master’s Degree in Education. She loves animals and has two dogs – Kylie and Ellie. Janet has ridden western style since she was a child and was a member of the National Ski Patrol. One of the highlights of her life was touching whales in the San Ignacio Lagoon. MURDER AT REDWOOD COVE, her debut mystery, was released on October 13, 2015. Her second book, MURDER AT THE MANSION, was released on June 7, 2016.

Author Links

Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/janetfinsilverauthor/?fref=ts

Twitter https://twitter.com/JanetFinsilver

Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/janetfinsilver/

Web http://janetfinsilver.com/

Purchase Links


AmazonBarnes and Noble


Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/murder-mansion-janet-finsilver








Monday, August 15, 2016

Weekly Cozy, Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Reads (Aug 15)




 Weekly Cozy, Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Reads


Weekly Cozy, Mystery Thriller and Romantic Suspense Reads is a weekly Monday Meme that is hosted by Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews:

Post the books you read last week and books being read this week.

Read Last Week:

1.  Dying for a Taste - Leslie Kent
2.  Written Off - E.J. Copperman

Weekly Read:

1.  The Widower's Wife - Cate Holahan

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Marty Wingate's The Bluebonnet Betrayal Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Diane Vallere here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Giveaway.

Thanks Diane and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Silk Stalkings Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Diane!





The Bluebonnet Betrayal: A Potting Shed Mystery
Cozy Mystery

5th in Series
Publisher: Alibi (August 2, 2016)
Print Length: 294 pages
ASIN: B017QLSIU4






Bestselling author Marty Wingate “plants clever clues with a dash of romantic spice,” raves Mary Daheim. Now Wingate’s inimitable gardening heroine, Pru Parke, is importing a precious bloom from Texas—and she won’t let a vicious murder stop her.

Pru’s life in England is coming full circle. A Texas transplant, she’s married to the love of her life, thriving in the plum gardening position she shares with her long-lost brother, and prepping a Chelsea Flower Show exhibit featuring the beloved bluebonnets of the Texas hill country. Technically, Twyla Woodford, the president of a gardening club in the Lone Star State, is in charge of the London event, but Pru seems to be the one getting her hands dirty. When they finally do meet, Pru senses a kindred spirit — until Twyla turns up dead.

Although Twyla’s body was half buried under a wall in their display, Pru remains determined to mount a spectacular show. Twyla would have insisted. So Pru recruits her husband, former Detective Chief Inspector Christopher Pearse, to go undercover and do a bit of unofficial digging into Twyla’s final hours. If Pru has anything to say about it, this killer is going to learn the hard way not to mess with Texas.




About the Author

Marty Wingate is a Seattle-based writer and speaker who shares her love of Britain in her two mystery series. The Potting Shed books feature Pru Parke, a middle-aged American gardener transplanted from Texas to England, and Birds of a Feather follows Julia Lanchester, bird lover, who runs a tourist office in a Suffolk village. Marty writes garden articles for magazines including Country Gardens and theAmerican Gardener. She is a member of the Royal Horticultural Society, Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and the Crime Writers Association. She leads garden tours to England, Scotland and Ireland, spending free moments deep in research for her books. Or in pubs.

Author Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martywingateauthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/martywingate

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/453259.Marty_Wingate

Website: www.martywingate.com

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/marthawingate/

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Marty-Wingate/e/B001JS1AIS

Purchase Links

Amazon B and N kobo

iBooks Google Play

Books a Million

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/bluebonnet-betrayal-marty-wingate








Friday, August 12, 2016

Diane Vallere's Silk Stalkings Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Diane Vallere here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Giveaway.

Thanks Diane and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Silk Stalkings Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Diane!




Silk Stalkings (A Material Witness Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Berkley (August 2, 2016)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0425270592
E-Book ASIN: B01839Q47C








Fabric shop owner Polyester Monroe can get tangled up in textiles, but it’s murder that really throws her for a loop in the latest mystery from the national bestselling author of Crushed Velvet.

The time has come for San Ladrón, California’s annual Miss Tangorli beauty pageant, and Poly has agreed to use Material Girl’s inventory of shimmery silks to create embellished gowns fit for a crown. But when millionaire Harvey Halliwell — the man who revived the city’s citrus trade with his imported tangorli tree — is found dead days before the pageant contestants are announced, something sour takes over the town.

To make matters worse, her friend, mechanic Charlie Brooks, is soon caught up in the crime, having been seen in the company of the case’s prime suspect. Now Poly’s on a mission to squeeze out the truth. But as she searches for a pattern, the killer seems intent on cutting up the evidence.




About The Author

I’m a former fashion buyer turned mystery writer, trading fashion accessories for accessories to murder. I was bit by the mystery bug as a kid reading Trixie Belden, Connie Blair, and The Three Investigators. Now I’m writing three series: the Style & Error Mysteries, the Mad for Mod Mysteries, Material Witness Mysteries, and the new Costume Shop Cozy Mysteries!

The Material Witness mysteries feature Polyester Monroe, who inherits the fabric shop where she was born. Books include SUEDE TO REST and CRUSHED VELVET . The third, SILK STALKINGS, will be out in August 2016.

The Style and Error Series features former fashion buyer turned amateur sleuth Samantha Kidd. Books in that series include DESIGNER DIRTY LAUNDRY ; BUYER, BEWARE ; THE BRIM REAPER ; and SOME LIKE IT HAUTE . (A short story, “Just Kidding ,” tells the story of how Samantha first met shoe designer Nick Taylor). Book 5, GRAND THEFT RETRO, will be out in 2016.

The Madison Night Mysteries feature a modern day interior decorator who specializes in midcentury design (studying Doris Day movies to get the look right). Books are PILLOW STALK ,THAT TOUCH OF INK , and WITH VICS YOU GET EGGROLL . A prequel novella, “Midnight Ice,” can be found in OTHER PEOPLE’S BAGGAGE .

The new Costume Shop Cozy Mysteries feature former magician’s assistant Margo Tamblyn who has come home to run her family’s costume chop. A Disguise to Die For was released February 2, 2016 and Masking for Trouble will be released October 4.

Author Links

Webpage: http://www.dianevallere.com/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/DianeVallereAuthor

Twitter: https://twitter.com/dianevallere

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4739022.Diane_Vallere

Purchase Links

AmazonB and N Google Play

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/silk-stalkings-diane-vallere







Thursday, August 11, 2016

Cheryl Hollen's Cracked to Death Blog Tour with a Spotlight and Giveaway

 

I am so excited to have Cheryl Hollen here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight and Giveaway.

Thanks Cheryl and Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours for allowing me to join your Cracked to Death Blog Tour!

Please take it away, Cheryl!




Cracked to Death (A Webb’s Glass Shop Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Kensington (June 28, 2016)
ISBN-13: 978-1617737640








Synopsis

When a treasure hunt leads to deadly plunder, it’s up to glass shop owner Savannah Webb and her trusty investigative posse to map out the true motives of a killer.


It’s the dog days of summer in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Webb’s Glass Shop proprietor Savannah Webb has an eco-friendly plan to help locals escape the heat – a recyclable bottle-crafting workshop taught by reticent store manager Amanda Blake. Turns out, the class is a bigger smash than expected, thanks in part to a pair of staggeringly old bottles brought in by snorkeler Martin Lane.

Linked to a storied pirate shipwreck, the relics definitely pique Savannah’s interest. But intrigue turns to shock when Martin’s lifeless body washes ashore the next morning, another glass artifact tucked in his dive bag. With cell phone records connecting Amanda to the drowning, Savannah must voyage through unchartered territory to exonerate her colleague and capture the twisted criminal behind Martin’s death.




ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cheryl Hollon now writes full-time after she left an engineering career of designing and building military flight simulators in amazing countries such as England, Wales, Australia, Singapore, Taiwan, and India. Fulfilling the dream of a lifetime, she combines her love of writing with a passion for creating glass art. In the small glass studio behind her house in St. Petersburg, Florida, Cheryl and her husband design, create, and produce fused glass, stained glass, and painted glass artworks. Visit her online at http://cherylhollon.com, on Facebook or on Twitter @CherylHollon.

Purchase Links:

Amazon B and N

IndieBound

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please follow the rest of the tour here, thanks:

https://www.escapewithdollycas.com/great-escapes-virtual-book-tours/books-currently-on-tour/cracked-death-cheryl-hollon








M.L. Buchman's Heart Strike Blog Tour with a Spotlight, Excerpt, Guest Post and Giveaway





I am so excited to have M.L. Buchman here at Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews with a Spotlight, Excerpt, Guest Post and Giveaway.

Thanks M.L. and Sourcebooks for allowing me to join your Heart Strike Blog Tour!

Please take it away, M.L.!





Title: Heart Strike
Series: Delta Force, #2
Author: M.L. Buchman
Pubdate: August 2nd 2016
ISBN: 9781492619253

SERGEANT RICHIE “Q” GOLDMAN: The smartest soldier on any team

SERGEANT MELISSA “THE CAT” MOORE: Newest on the team, determined to be the best


Rescued from an icy mountaintop by a Delta operative, Melissa Moore has never met a challenge she can’t conquer. Not only she will make Delta Force, she will be the best female warrior in The Unit, and woe to anyone who says otherwise. Technical wizard Richie Goldman is Bond’s “Q” turned warrior. A genius about everything except women, he takes point on the team’s most dangerous mission yet. When the Delta Force team goes undercover in the depths of the Colombian jungle, surviving attacks from every side requires that Richie and Melissa strike right at the heart of the matter…and come out with their own hearts intact.


M. L. Buchman has over 35 novels and an ever-expanding flock of short stories in print. His military romantic suspense books have been named Barnes & Noble and NPR “Top 5 of the year,” Booklist “Top 10 of the Year,” and RT “Top 10 Romantic Suspense of the Year.” In addition to romantic suspense, he also writes contemporaries, thrillers, and fantasy and science fiction.


In among his career as a corporate project manager he has: rebuilt and single-handed a fifty-foot sailboat, both flown and jumped out of airplanes, designed and built two houses, and bicycled solo around the world.


He is now a full-time writer, living on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife. He is constantly amazed at what you can do with a degree in Geophysics. You may keep up with his writing at www.mlbuchman.com.


Buy Links:

Amazon

Books-A-Million

Barnes and Noble

Chapters

iBooks

Indiebound



Guest Post

The first book in my new Delta Force #1, Target Engaged was called “His best yet” by Booklist and was also named a finalist for RWA’s prestigious RITA award.

Well, my answer to that is Heart Strike, releasing August 3rd, 2016. But it got me thinking. What are my favorite sequels? For a change-up, I focused on the action side rather than the romance, and here’s what I came up with.

5. The Color of Money

Paul Newman and a very young Tom Cruise in The Color of Money. The original Jackie Gleason and a very young Paul Newman The Hustler was a master work of a tight psychological drama. They upped the stakes and made it utterly captivating in the highly energetic sequel.


4. Jason Bourne

Jason Bourne #2 & #3 didn’t disappoint…for a single second. They sustained the tension, remained true to the character (an essential), and found ways to ratchet the tension higher in each successive one. Number 4? Not so much.


3. The Wrath of Khan

The Wrath of Khan notoriously took one of the most disappointing movie launches ever, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and created a massive and incredible franchise that has continued ever since. Khan is still one of the great, over-the-top, out-of-control villains.


2. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Sometimes a great sequel comes third rather than second. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade pitted Harrison Ford against Sean Connery in gloriously foolish father-son mayhem that completely honored the first film.


1. The Dark Knight Rises

This choice surprises me. I like the Dark Knight reboot, but I’m not a big fan of the comic book heroes in general and frequently skip them. It took me a couple of years to catch up with this one and what I love about it isn’t the acting (which was wonderful), or the action (which was dramatic). It was the story. The writer and director completely set us up to thinking this story was going one direction…then in the last half hour it went another way entirely. AND that twist was perfectly in character, just wholly unexpected.


Now, I write romantic suspense, so the ending is fairly predictable, but I certainly hope that you enjoy the journey of my latest Delta Force novel, number 2, Heart Strike!


EXCERPT


Action sequels, even romantic suspense ones, only have a short moment of introduction before it’s time to get everyone moving…and moving fast! Delta Force #2, Heart Strike, opens with the team from Delta #1, Target Engaged, mapping coca fields in Boliva. They’re targeting them for massive defoliant drops from the CIA’s 747 tanker plane.

Trouble comes when command issues an order for the team to pull out ahead of schedule to pick up a new team member and a new assignment.

Thankfully, no one anywhere adapts faster to a changing situation than a team of Delta Force operators.


Sunrise was less than an hour off when Chad jostled his shoulder.

Richie hadn’t been asleep and barely managed to suppress an oath as Chad shook him hard enough to wake the dead — his idea of humor. Richie noticed that he was a little more cautious with Duane who often woke with his knife half-drawn. Kyle and Carla were already at the hut’s entrance.

Kyle had taken one look at the order and, in minutes, outlined a plan of how they were going to exit the farm with hopefully minimal exposure and risk. The guards they were anticipating would be off duty and the patrol timing would be wrong, but Kyle’s plan was as solid as they could get with what they knew.

No way would Richie be missing this place. Dirt floor, woven grass mat, and a thatched roof that could really use some thatch before the next rainstorm but wasn’t going to get it.

He felt sorry for the laborers. Some of the farmers were about to have an even worse season than the last one. At a big site like this, they were little better than slaves. Once the coca was gone, they’d be free, but with no assets and no working farm crop. In the coca business, locals just weren’t part of the profit equation.

Rolando and the drug lord’s other armed guards Richie liked well enough, but had less sympathy for.

The Delta team slipped out into the darkness, just a hint of the blue in the sky that was already washing out the fainter stars. They passed the farmers’ huts and were almost to the road leading out of the camp.

“Where are you going, amigos?” Rolando, his AK-47 no longer over his shoulder but now in his hands.

“Hey, buddy.” Chad started forward, but stopped and tried to look stupid when Rolando flicked off the safety.

Carla stepped forward with an easy sway of her hips. Her dirty blue work shirt unbuttoned far enough to reveal that her assets weren’t all that much less impressive than the fabled Mayra’s.

Rolando’s eyes dropped to her cleavage.

She moved a hand up to his chest. With a little flick of her wrist, she revealed the long KA-BAR military knife she was holding and rammed it up under his chin and into his brain.

Rolando twitched once.

“That’s for trying to ram it up my backside without asking.”

“He what?” Kyle snarled, but Carla didn’t waste any time answering. If there was ever a woman able to defend herself, Richie knew it was Carla Anderson.

Then Rolando collapsed to the ground and his finger must have snagged on the trigger. A single 7.62mm round gave a loud crack and zinged off into the trees.

“Shit!” the whole team said pretty much in unison.

With their clandestine departure blown, Chad swept up the AK-47 and fired a security round into Rolando’s forehead.

In seconds, they were fifty meters away and moving fast. Kyle had Rolando’s sidearm and Carla had a subcompact Glock 27 that she’d produced from somewhere—where was one of the questions Richie suspected he’d be better off not asking. Still, it was an interesting problem because they’d all been checked on arrival as being unarmed. Richie had pre-buried his GPS and satellite gear in the jungle, carefully crossing then recrossing the mined perimeter before they’d come into the camp so that he could retrieve them once the team had been accepted.

The two guards at the main gate were half-awake when they stumbled to their feet. They went back down fast and Richie and Duane now had AK-47s as well. Chad stripped them of a pair of Makarov handguns, tossing one to Richie that he caught midair.

There was an old Jeep parked by the gate, but neither of the guards had a key. It was probably back in the open, on Rolando’s body. Chad started hot-wiring it while the rest of them stood watch.

Then Richie heard it. Distant at first, but building fast. The four-engine gut-thumping roar of a loaded 747.

“Come on, Chad,” Carla pleaded. “Get us out of here.”

The Jeep’s engine roared to life and they piled in.

Duane tossed his AK-47 to Chad and dove into the driver’s seat—he was the best driver they had. He’d been working up the sprint-car circuit toward NASCAR when he’d taken his detour into the military.

Kyle and Richie dropped two more armed guards who came rushing from the huts, half-dressed and scared awake.

Duane raced the Jeep out of camp along the road, praying for no booby traps.

Then the largest tanker plane in the world descended and began its run.

The 747, converted for firefighting, had been put into deep storage in the Tucson desert when its owners went out of business. The CIA had found another use for the massive plane, which now began its dump of twenty thousand gallons—over eighty tons—of defoliant across the exact coordinates that Richie had sent to them just six hours ago.

His Delta team had been to twelve coca farms in the last six months. And the 747 tanker had visited each in turn. Twelve farms that wouldn’t produce a single leaf of coca anytime soon.

“Down,” Chad shouted.

They all ducked and hung on as Duane rammed the heavy wooden outer barrier at thirty miles an hour. It blew apart. A four-by-four shattered the windshield and Carla knocked the remains of the glass clear with the butt of a Chinese QBB machine gun she’d acquired somewhere along the way before turning it around to shoot a guard who’d been standing well clear of the gate.

Richie kept an eye out to the rear, but no one was following. If they were, they’d have a long way to go. The team had been pulled out of Bolivia. They were being tasked to a new assignment.

That was fine.

After six months training together and another six in the field, it was the last line of the message that had worried them all. Proceed to Maracaibo, Venezuela. Acquire new team member.

Giveaway

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/54ca7af7388