Sneak Peek Saturday - Excerpt from the upcoming Kell Storm novel, Eye of the Storm

The first two containers held exactly what was stated on the manifest, crates of machine parts, bound for Chicago. When they cracked the doors on the third container however, it was all they could do to keep from vomiting. The overpowering stench emanating from the open door was just the beginning. Greg was the first one to regain his composure, and with a hand over his nose and mouth, he entered the container.

“Sick sons of bitches,” he said as he exited moments later. “We’ve got three inside, dead. I didn’t get close enough to check, but my guess is that they died from dehydration. And from the level of decomp, it looks like they’ve been here for a while too.”

Kelli looked up at him, forcing down the bile in her throat. “Those Russian son of a bitches. They kidnap these girls, throw them in this thing and then don’t even give a fuck if they live or not,” she said, balling her fist, her face growing hotter. “I want these fuckers, Greg; they have to pay for this shit.”

“Calm down, Kelli. They will pay, but let’s get these girls out of there first, okay?” He put his arm around her and eased her away from the container. “Gallo, Graham. One of you want to get forensics down here, and a coroner,” he called over his shoulder.

Sneak Peek Saturday - Excerpt from the upcoming Kelli Storm novel, Eye of the Storm

Wednesday September 25^th – 4:22 A.M. – Yonkers

Home of Kelli Storm

Kelli rolled onto her back and opened her eyes. Was that breaking glass, or was I dreaming? Shit, I’d better get up and check anyway. She looked over at Greg, who was still sleeping, shrugged and climbed out of bed. She stepped into her slippers, threw on her robe and picked her Glock up off the nightstand.

As she moved toward the door, another sound came from the hallway, and this time she knew she wasn’t dreaming it. It wasn’t breaking glass this time, it was human, and it was close. She stepped back, raising the weapon held tight in her hands, her eyes focused on the door. Her legs bumped against the bed and she fought to keep her balance.

A floorboard creaked just outside the door and she steadied herself, both hands on her Glock, ready for the intruder. She stood frozen, finger on the trigger as the doorknob turned and the door eased open. The door inched open wider and a large silhouette appeared, right hand raised, the glint of steel reflecting in the moonlight.

“Stop right there,” she shouted. “Drop the knife and get on your knees.”

The figure froze, but only for a second and then lunged forward, the knife high above its head.

Sneak Peek Saturday - Excerpt from the upcoming Kelli Storm novel, Eye of the Storm

Friday September 20^th – 1:40 P.M. – Brighton Beach

400 Block – Brightwater Court – Club Tatiana

  It was like a scene out of a war movie; gray and white smoke billowed up from what remained of the club, injured were being placed on stretchers and into the backs of ambulances, while emergency workers searched the rubble for survivors.

  Kelli flashed her badge as she and Greg ducked under the yellow tape. She surveyed the scene, shook her head and turned to Greg. “It has to be the Italians, payback for our bartender.”

  “Yeah, big time payback,” he said, still scanning the devastation. “Looks like they used C4 or something, not much left of this place.”

  “There’s the FDNY Captain, let’s go see if he can fill us in on what happened here,” she said and started walking. “I just hope the women’s bathroom is still there.”

  “By the look of things, I wouldn’t bet on it.”

  “Excuse me, Captain, Detective Storm, Thirty-third Precinct. Can you tell us what happened here?”

  The man looked at her, nodded at Greg and looked back at Kelli. “I won’t know all of the details until we can get in there and do a full investigation, but I can tell you that this was no accident. The focus of the blast was located at an interior rear wall, and from the debris field, I’d have to say that this was a professional job, set for maximum casualties.”

  “Any idea what explosive was used?”

  “Not yet. Like I told you, we’ll know more after we can get in there and conduct a full investigation. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to this,” he said and turned.

  “Just one more question. Is the women’s bathroom still intact?”

  He stopped, turned his head and gave her a puzzled look. “If you have to go that bad, Detective, there’s a restaurant on the corner that I’m sure would be more suitable.”

She shook her head and sighed. “Yes, I’m sure that it would be, but that’s not why I’m asking. We’ve had this place under surveillance for some time and there was something hidden in the women’s bathroom. I just need to know if it’s still there or not.”

  “Yes, it’s still there, but there was extensive damage. I’ll tell you what, if this thing is that important, come back tomorrow morning, around eight. The Fire Marshall will be out here and I’ll let him know that you’re coming,” he said, then turned and walked away.

  Kelli watched him leave and then turned to Greg. “We just can’t catch a break on this case. If that book is gone, we’ve got nothing, and these bastards get to keep doing what they’ve been doing. Shit.”

  “Well, maybe not exactly what they’ve been doing,” he said, looking back at the rubble, “but I know what you’re saying. Listen, let’s just head back to the office and brief Porter, and figure out our next move.”

  “Yeah, but I want to swing by Coney Island Hospital first, see if Glinka is well enough to talk, maybe he can shed some light on this,” she said and waved her hand at the building remains.

Saint Patrick's Day Special

Starting today and running through St. Patrick's Day, all three Kelli Storm novels will be on sale for .99 cents each!

 

 

Get them here!

Cover art by George Arnold of WGA Designs

Coming Soon! Eye of the Storm - Book 4 in the Kelli Storm Series

 

Cover art by Patti Roberts, author of the Paradox and Witchwood Estate Series, Cairns, Queensland, Australia. 

Cover reveal for the upcoming Kelli Storm novel, Eye of the Storm

Thanks to my friend, Patti Roberts, for this great cover design.

 

Be sure to check out Patti's sight - http://paradoxbooktrailerproductions.blogspot.com.au/ for your next cover.

An excerpt from Eye of the Storm:

Friday August 16^th – 9:20 A.M. – New York, New York

Office of the Chief Medical Examiner

Roberto Rodriguez knew less than his wife did. He told them that as soon as he got home, which was around one-thirty; he had taken a shower and gone straight to bed. Kelli could see that he was lying but didn’t press the issue.

The mixed odors of death and antiseptic struck her as she pushed through the double doors into the autopsy room. Jack Hastings was sitting at his desk and turned as she and Eric entered. “What’s with all the secrecy, Jack?”

Jack stood and picked up an evidence bag containing a stained piece of paper. “I thought it best not to say anything over the phone,” he said and held it out to her.

Kelli took the offered bag, turned it in her hand and looked down at the scrap of paper. “Now I see why you wanted to keep this quiet,” she said and looked at Eric. “I don’t believe this.”

Eric gave her a puzzled look. “Believe what? What’s on it?”

“It’s got my name on it, and just below that is the name of an old friend of ours, Vasily Fenenko,” she said and turned to Jack. “I need to look at the body, Jack.”

Happy Thanksgiving

I just wanted to wish all of my fans a Happy Thanksgiving. I am truly thankful to all of you for following my blog and supporting my writing. Thank you.

Teaser Tuesday - Opening Scene from the next Kelli Storm novel

I'm switching it up a little, instead of having Thriller Thursday, I decided to do a Teaser Tuesday. Here is the first scene from the much anticipated upcoming Kelli Storm novel, yet untitled. Enjoy!

Friday August 16^th – 6:37 A.M. – Washington Heights

Highbridge Park – Edgecombe Avenue and West 163^rd

Detective Kelli Storm pulled up behind the Medical Examiner’s van and spotted her partner, Eric Ryder, standing next to a uniformed officer. She parked, got out and approached the two men. “Great way to start the day. So what have we got, Eric?”

Eric excused the uniformed officer, turned and sighed. “We’ve got a DB. Female, approximately nineteen years old, no ID, no purse. Had her throat sliced open, but it looks to be a dump job, no blood here.”

“Okay, let’s go have a look,” she said and headed for the crime scene tape. “Where’s the body?”

“Just on the other side of these rocks, to the right here.”

As she cleared the rock outcropping, Kelli spotted the M.E. and several uniformed officers. She ducked under the tape and headed for the M.E., Jack Hastings. “Morning, Jack.”

“Well, good morning, Detective Storm. Guess you and your partner got the luck of the draw on this one, you’re lieutenant must really like you” he said as he stood up from the body. “Terrible thing,” he said as he looked down at the body and shook his head.

“Yeah, it is, Jack, and yes, Frank absolutely loves us,” she said and rolled her eyes. “What else can you tell me that you haven’t already told Eric?”

“I can’t give you much more except that she wasn’t killed here. As for time of death, hard to tell, but if I had to guess I’d say that she died sometime between one and three this morning. I’ll know more once I get her on the table.”

Kelli looked down at the body, closed her eyes and sighed. “Okay, Jack, just keep us posted,” she said and looked at Eric. “Who found the body?”

“Early morning jogger. I’ve got one of the uniforms babysitting him. Officer Wolanski took his statement,” he said, flipping out his notebook. “I got his information and a copy of the statement. You want to take him back to the Squad for more questioning?”

“No, as long as we have his contact info, let the guy go. If we need anything, we can always get with him later. Come on, let’s head to the Squad and run our victim through the system, see if we can ID her,” she said and watched as the Medical Examiner’s assistant wheeled the body to the van. “Why do I have a bad feeling about this?”