OUT AN IN
a mystery-thriller
a mystery-thriller
MARIE DONOVAN MYSTERIES, #1
by
PAT DUNLAP EVANS
Genre: Fiction / Romantic Suspense
Publisher: A.M. Chai Literary
Date of Publication: April 27, 2016
Number of Pages: 316
Scroll down for Giveaway!
Stunning beauty and amateur cellist Marie Donovan finds herself in deep trouble after her pro-quarterback husband dives off a Dallas high rise—many say in shame after his shady investments go sour. Just months later, the grieving Marie faces capital murder charges for the death of a lecherous opera maestro. When hard evidence points squarely at her, only her best friend and defense lawyer believe her.
Marie is no stranger to struggle. During her six years as an NFL Football wife, she fends off groupies eager to take her man, all the while feeling lost in her husband’s macho culture. Studying the cello becomes Marie’s solace until her hard-drinking husband retires after an injury. Returning to Dallas, he plays with high society's money in an investment scheme until winning at all costs leaves Marie and her twin sons on the hook for millions.
Scorned by society friends, charged with murder, Marie pins her hopes on hunky defense lawyer Ryan Ingles, one of Cole's college football pals. After Ryan’s legal team discovers some of the maestro’s dark secrets, Marie and Ryan’s investigative troupe travel to exotic islands in search of clues Cole left behind. As the tropics weave a romantic spell, a corrupt offshore banker dashes Marie's hopes. She wonders if she’ll ever be free of blame...and able to claim her own place in this world.
PRAISE FOR OUT AND IN
"Out and In is the perfect mystery-thriller for the beach, a long flight, or to savor before bed...an exciting but heartfelt story about a beautiful woman who struggles to prove her innocence … As for the ending, I am still stunned.” — Lara Reznik, Amazon best-selling author of The Girl from Long Guyland and Bagels and Salsa.
"Could not put it down, once I started reading. Definitely a must-read. Look forward to reading more books from Pat Dunlap Evans. " -- five-star Amazon review by reader "Mimi"
"Awesome...flowed nicely ... definitely kept you on your toes to who actually committed the murder. The lead character was a perfect blend of hard and soft. A great read." -- five-star Amazon review by reader "Tiffany"
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| Out and In was the perfect beach read for me! |
✪✪✪✪
HALL
WAYS REVIEW: From the very first lines of Out
and In, readers know that main character Marie is a pragmatic,
logical, and sarcastic soul. The narration is often from Marie's point-of-view,
with Marie speaking directly to the reader. This approach results in a feeling
that the reader is a friend -- but interestingly, not necessarily a trusted
one. The narration style is only one of many aspects of the book that
makes Out and In a truly
unique and engaging story.
Author Pat Dunlap Evans fleshes-out some memorable characters, two
of whom are dead as the story starts. Through Marie's visits down memory lane,
other characters' comments and dialogue, and the deliciously biased newspaper
column, "Out and In," readers are inserted into the high society
scene and lifestyles of the rich, careless, and even murderous. If you
are looking for people to love and relate to, this probably isn't your book,
but it is highly entertaining, somewhat voyeuristic fun. The characters' lack of scruples and snobbery
and their oh-no-she/he-didn't moments make for riveting reading.
Much of Out and In is told in a conversational
style, with the main character recounting or summarizing events. This sometimes
takes the reader out of the action and being able to really experience the
story unfolding. At other times, there is more dialogue and real-time action,
and there is a sprinkling of chapters told from the killer’s point of view that
readers will scour for clues. Evans includes some truly clever double entendres
and saucy comments that will evoke some giggles. The book needs some additional
editing and proofreading to clean-up a
broad range of errors, typos, and too-long passages that are a bit of a distraction (for me) from the story, but again, the story is such a good time, many won't notice or care.
Overall, Out and In is a
quick, fun, and JUICY story for those who love gossip and drama and a peek
inside worlds to which most don't have access. I give it my beach-read
seal of approval.
Thank you to Lone Star
Book Blog Tours and the author for providing me a print copy in exchange for my
honest opinion – the only kind I give.
Pat Dunlap Evans was born in Michigan but "got to Texas as soon as I could," she says. Her family lived in San Antonio and later Dallas, where she attended South Oak Cliff High School and Southern Methodist University. Pat eventually completed her bachelor's and master's degrees in English at University of Missouri, Kansas City, with emphasis on creative writing. She also taught freshman writing courses as a part-time lecturer.
After a divorce, Pat stressed her way as a single mom through twenty-five years of high-stress advertising and marketing roles before retiring to write fiction and screenplays. She lives in the Lake Travis area with her second husband Dr. Bill Evans and enjoys travel, golf, volunteer work, sailing, and the chaos of the couple's combined five adult children, five grandchildren, and two cockalier dogs.
After a divorce, Pat stressed her way as a single mom through twenty-five years of high-stress advertising and marketing roles before retiring to write fiction and screenplays. She lives in the Lake Travis area with her second husband Dr. Bill Evans and enjoys travel, golf, volunteer work, sailing, and the chaos of the couple's combined five adult children, five grandchildren, and two cockalier dogs.
◆ AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE ◆ BLOG ◆
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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!
1ST PRIZE:
Signed Copy of Out and In + $10 Amazon Gift Card
Signed Copy of Out and In + $10 Amazon Gift Card
2ND PRIZE:
Signed Copy of Out and In + $5 Amazon Gift Card
Signed Copy of Out and In + $5 Amazon Gift Card
3RD PRIZE:
$5 Amazon Gift Card
$5 Amazon Gift Card
(US ONLY)
September 12-21, 2018
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Waiting to grab my free copy tomorrow so I can read this book!
ReplyDeleteYep! Nothing to lose!
DeleteThis sounds like a super engaging book. Great review!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sawyer -- and it's a free download for a few days starting tomorrow!
DeleteThe way that thing he is holding placed on her back looks weird to me lol. Glad you enjoyed this! Great review.
ReplyDeleteHahahaha! He's supposed to be playing her like an instrument. I don't love the cover, but the story is good.
DeleteI like the sound of this, and I love that cover!
ReplyDeleteIt's a really unique story -- and cover!
DeleteScore - loves me a freebie - Thanx - I will be watching for this one tomorrow
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. It's an easy, fun story.
DeleteI remember seeing this one somewhere and thinking what a clever cover!! Great review.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nikki. It is really a clever cover, though NOT my kind of fella.
DeleteNot a book for me, but love your thoughts. Great giveaway too.
ReplyDeleteI was really surprised by this book -- the cover made me think it was going to be one thing (and NOT my thing), but the story was really good. I enjoyed the chapters that were basically the Out and In newspaper columns about the socialite scene.
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