BOOK INFORMATION
TITLE – FATAL
FORTY-EIGHT
SERIES – The Kate Huntington Mysteries #7
AUTHOR – Kassandra Lamb
GENRE – Mystery/Thriller
PUBLICATION
DATE – Nov. 12, 2014
LENGTH
(Pages/# Words) - 272 pages
PUBLISHER – Misterio press LLC
COVER
ARTIST – Melinda
VanLone, Book Cover Corner
BOOK SYNOPSIS
Celebration turns to nightmare when psychotherapist Kate
Huntington’s guest of honor disappears en route to her own retirement party.
Kate’s former boss, Sally Ford, has been kidnapped by a serial killer who holds
his victims exactly forty-eight hours before killing them.
With time ticking away, the police allow Kate and her P.I.
husband to help with the investigation. The FBI agents involved in the case
have mixed reactions to the “civilian consultants.” The senior agent welcomes
Kate’s assistance as he fine-tunes his psychological profile. His voluptuous,
young partner is more by the book. She locks horns out in the field with Kate’s
husband, while back at headquarters, misunderstandings abound.
But they can ill afford these distractions. Sally’s time is
about to expire.
BUY & TBR LINKS
AMAZON
KINDLE US – http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PA0SZK2/
AMAZON
KINDLE CA – http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00PA0SZK2/
AMAZON
KINDLE UK – http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00PA0SZK2/
BARNES
& NOBLES NOOK – http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fatal-forty-eight-a-kate-huntington-mystery-kassandra-lamb/1120721258?ean=2940150442894
ITUNES
– https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id939475831
GOODREADS
– https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23509020-fatal-forty-eight
KOBO – http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/fatal-forty-eight
SCRIBD – https://www.scribd.com/book/246054747/FATAL-FORTY-EIGHT-A-Kate-Huntington-Mystery-7
EXCERPT
“Charles,” she said into the phone, “I’m sorry, but I have
to–”
“No, baby, that’s not the issue. I don’t care about going
out to dinner, but that wasn’t really where we were going tonight.”
“What do you mean?”
Charles blew out air on the other end of the line.
Dear lord, even
his sighs are sexy!
“You’ve got to promise you won’t let on that I told you.”
“Told me what?”
“I was charged with getting you to your surprise retirement
party tonight.”
It took a second for Sally to digest that. “So we’ve got to
show up at the restaurant then.”
“Yeah, that was the tricky part, how to get you to where
we’re really going,” Charles said. “The party’s at a former employee’s house. A
lady named Kate…can’t remember her last name.”
“Huntington.”
“No that isn’t it.”
“Oh, right, Canfield. She’s remarried since she left the
center.”
Sally glanced at her watch. Five o’clock. “Charles, I’ve
gotta go. I have this client waiting. What time’s the party?”
“Seven was when I was supposed to get you there.”
“Why don’t you swing by and pick me up at quarter of. We’ll
come back for my car later.”
“Okay,” Charles said, “but you’ve got to act surprised or
Pauline is going to skin me alive.”
“Pauline? She’s been retired six years now!”
“You seem to inspire loyalty in even your former employees,
baby.”
“Humph. See you at six forty-five.”
Sally hung up her desk phone and stood up. She tugged on
the bottom of her tailored jacket. At least she was wearing something she would
be comfortable in all evening. The pale peach suit was one of her favorite
outfits, partly because it complemented her chocolate brown skin but mainly
because it fit her so well, without any binding or pinching. Too often, in her
opinion, women’s clothing was too much about the latest style and not enough
about practicality and comfort.
She went out to the waiting area of the center, an apology
on her lips for keeping this new client waiting.
But he never gave her a chance to verbalize it.
The short, inconsequential-looking man stood up quickly.
“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Ms. Ford. I’m thrilled to make
your acquaintance.”
Thrilled to make
my acquaintance? What an odd choice of words.
Sally extended her hand. As the man shook it, he placed his
other hand on her arm.
A sharp zing. Her arm reflexively jerked away.
The man jumped back a little. “Oh my, I’m sorry. Static
electricity.” His embarrassed laughter sounded almost feminine. “It’s such a
nuisance this time of year.”
“No problem, Mr. Johnson,” Sally said. “Come on in to my
office.”
He followed her down the short hallway and through the door,
closing it behind him.
Sally stumbled a little as she walked to the sitting area
in the corner of the room, where she talked to clients. She was even more
exhausted than she’d realized. Hopefully they would be able to beg off from the
party after an hour or two. She gestured toward the loveseat and lowered
herself into her own chair.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Ford, for keeping you here this evening. I
see that your staff has all gone home.”
Sally shook her head, then wished she hadn’t when the room
spun for a brief moment. “I was planning to work late anyway.” After she’d
heard the poor man’s story over the phone earlier, and his comments that had
hinted of severe depression and suicidal ideation, she wasn’t about to make him
wait until Monday.
She just hoped she could stay alert enough to be helpful.
Fatigue was making her limbs heavy, and she realized her mind was wandering.
Mr. Johnson was talking and she had no idea what he had just said. She shook
her head again. Her vision blurred but her mind cleared enough for his words to
partially register.
“What time is Mr. Tolliver picking you up, Ms. Ford?”
Sally tried to push herself up straighter in her chair. She
wondered vaguely how this man knew about Charles. “What did you say?” Her voice
sounded slurred, as if she’d been drinking.
“I need to know exactly when Mr. Tolliver was supposed to
pick you up, Ms. Ford,” Johnson said more firmly.
Was supposed to, not is picking me up!
Panic shot through her system. Her brain told her body to
jump up and run, but her limbs didn’t respond. They felt like they were made of
lead.
“Why…” Sally’s head fell back against the chair, her neck
no longer able to support its weight.
“Because that is when the clock starts,” the man said.
But Sally didn’t hear him. She had already sunk into
darkness.
CHARACTER BIOS
Kate
Huntington-Canfield:
Born Kathleen O’Donnell, Kate has the Black-Irish coloring
of dark curls and sky-blue eyes. At five-eight and with a decent figure–thanks
to a good metabolism and tri-weekly aikido classes–she considers herself
reasonably attractive. But occasionally another woman comes on to her hunky
second husband, an uncomfortable reminder that she’s not quite in his league
looks-wise.
Kate’s known for her voracious appetite, her inability to
cook much of anything that’s edible, her warmth and intelligence, and an
insatiable curiosity about what makes people tick. Her greatest passion, after
her husband, is her work as a psychotherapist specializing in helping people
recover from the traumatic events in their lives.
Trauma entered her own life a few years ago, when she was
widowed at the hands of a killer with a murderous grudge against her and her
close friend, lawyer Rob Franklin (Book 1 in the series).
Kate gets a second chance at love with private detective,
Skip Canfield, but their respective professions sometimes bring murder and
mayhem into their lives. Kate can’t help but worry that someday she will lose
another husband to violence.
Reginald William
“Skip” Canfield, III:
Skip Canfield is six-five and drop-dead gorgeous. Gold
flecks dance in his hazel eyes and his straight, brown hair has an annoying
habit of flopping down over his forehead. But he wasn’t always tall,
broad-shouldered and buff. The short, scrawny teenager who was bullied because
of his goofy nickname still lives inside of him.
One can hear a touch of his Texan origins in his speech now
and again, even though he’s lived in Maryland a couple decades now. Sometimes
he let’s that Texas drawl creep in on purpose, when he wants to charm the
ladies.
He was a confirmed bachelor, until he reconnected with a
former client during a case several years ago. That summer, he fell for Kate
Huntington and fell hard. But she was still grieving for her murdered husband
(Book 2).
Skip is nothing if not patient, and eventually his patience
paid off (Book 3). His laid-back personality serves him well in his work as a
bodyguard and private investigator. There’s only one thing that can cause him
to lose his cool–a threat to his wife or kids.
He and Kate have built a good life together. He adores his
sometimes intense, occasionally a tad jealous, but always delightful and
delectable wife.
AUTHOR BIO
Writing and psychology have always vied for number one on
Kassandra Lamb’s Greatest Passions list. In her youth, she had to make a
decision between writing and paying the bills. Partial to electricity and food,
she studied psychology. Now retired from a career as a psychotherapist and
college professor, she spends most of her time in an alternate universe with
her characters. The portal to this universe (aka her computer) is located in
Florida where her husband and dog catch occasional glimpses of her. She and her
husband also spend part of each summer in her native Maryland, where the Kate
Huntington mysteries are set.
AUTHOR FOLLOW LINKS
AMAZON
AUTHOR PAGE – http://www.amazon.com/Kassandra-Lamb/e/B006NB5WAI/
WEBSITE /
BLOG – http://kassandralamb.com – blog at http://misteriopress.com
FACEBOOK
– http://www.facebook.com/kassandralambauthor
TWITTER
– https://twitter.com/KassandraLamb
PINTEREST
– http://www.pinterest.com/kassandralamb/
GOODREADS
– http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5624939.Kassandra_Lamb
GIVEAWAY PRIZES
$20 Amazon gift card, either book charm or
key chain (winner’s choice) and signed paperback copy of any Kate Huntington
Mystery (if winner is outside of US/Canada, a comparable gift certificate may
be substituted)
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