Wednesday, July 21, 2021

Deadly Business ~ Lone Star Book Blog Tours Guest Post, Book Trailer, & Giveaway!


DEADLY BUSINESS
by Anita Dickason

Pages: 324 pages
Publication Date: July 4, 2021
Genre: Suspense / Thriller / Crime Thriller


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With You I Am

A Texas Multi-Billion Dollar Lure!

Following a tactical raid at an Oklahoma farm, a phone call sends U.S. Deputy Marshal Piper McKay rushing back to the East Texas cattle ranch where she grew up. Her grandmother, Jennie Layton, is near death from a crushed skull. When local authorities claim the cause of the injury was an accident, Piper isn’t convinced.

Who wants Jennie dead and why? Is the reason connected to a dubious contract Piper finds in Jennie’s desk?

Piper realizes her grandmother isn’t the only one in danger when she barely escapes a deadly attack. Thrust into the middle of a high-stakes, high-risk shell game, Piper’s become the target. The case takes a bizarre turn when Piper unknowingly crosses paths with a Special Ranger. If he can’t derail her investigation, it could cost him his life.

With millions of dollars on the line, nothing will stop a ring of cold-blooded killers, including the murders of a U.S. Marshal and a Special Ranger.


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Deadly Business: It’s not the Old West.

Guest Post

by Anita Dickason

I’m always on the hunt for interesting topics for a book. About two years ago, I came across a news article in Florida. The article dealt with the conclusion of an extensive investigation into cattle rustling. The break in the case came from the DNA on file for one of the animals. This was something new, animal DNA. At the time, I thought, wow, this is high-tech stuff and would make a great story.

It wasn’t until late last year after I finished Operation Navajo, my fourth FBI Tracker novel, that my thoughts turned to what is next? The DNA story came to mind. So I started researching and was blown away by the magnitude of the problem.

In Texas, cattle rustling is big business for the crooks. If a thief breaks into a house and steals a TV, they can only get pennies on the dollar when they sell it. Steal a cow, and you can get the full value that can go upwards to over a couple of thousand bucks.

When I delved into the DNA research, it got even more interesting. The use of cattle DNA is an international, multi-billion dollar business.

I had the basis for a story. Not the Old West, but the New West, where the crime not only involves theft but has also turned into white-collar crimes of financial fraud.

My next decision was whether to make the book another FBI Tracker novel or use an entirely new cast of characters. It wasn’t a hard decision as my research had also discovered the Special Rangers.

I’ve been a cop in Texas for close to 27 years and never heard of a Special Ranger. Most people are very familiar with Texas Rangers. Special Rangers are on the same level. In fact, they are commissioned by the Texas Department of Public Safety, just the same as a Texas Ranger. The difference is who pays the salary. Texas Rangers are paid by the state. Special Rangers are paid by the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association. In several cases, they have an edge over the Texas Rangers. Special Rangers based along the Texas/Oklahoma border have a dual commission, Texas and Oklahoma. It means they have jurisdiction to investigate crimes in both states. What I learned about this truly unique group of officers made me wish I would have had the opportunity to have been one.  

In Deadly Business, I weaved my plot around a crime that extends across three states. In addition, I used DNA to add a unique twist. The cast of characters includes a Special Ranger and a U.S. Marshal who find themselves tripping over each other. U.S. Marshal Piper McKay is bent on finding out who tried to kill her grandmother and in the process becomes a target. Special Ranger Cade Tanner is trying to derail her investigation to keep from getting killed.

As one reviewer stated, “The plot is fast and furious.”

About the Author

Anita Dickason

Award-winning Author Anita Dickason is a twenty-two veteran of the Dallas Police Department. She served as a patrol officer, undercover narcotics detective, advanced accident investigator, tactical officer, and first female sniper on the Dallas SWAT team. 

Anita writes about what she knows, cops and crime. Her police background provides an unending source of inspiration for her plots and characters. Many incidents and characters portrayed in her books are based on personal experience. For her, the characters are the fun part of writing as she never knows where they will take her. There is always something out of the ordinary in her stories. 

In Anita’s debut novel, Sentinels of the Night, she created an elite FBI Unit, the Trackers. Since then, she has added three more Tracker crime thrillers, Going Gone!, A u 7 9, and Operation Navajo. The novels are not a series and can be read in any order. 

As a Texas author, many of Anita’s books are based in Texas, or there is a link to Texas. When she stepped outside of the Tracker novels and wrote, Not Dead, she selected Meridian, a small community in central Texas for the location.


GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! 

FOUR WINNERS:
1
st: Autographed hardcover copy + tote back, mousepad, pen, & bookmark;
2
nd: Tote bag, coaster, pen, & bookmark;
3
rd & 4th: eBook copy.

(US only; ends midnight, CDT, July 30, 2021) 

Deadly Business Giveaway


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7/20/21

Review

Bibliotica

7/20/21

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7/21/21

Notable Quotable

Missus Gonzo

7/22/21

Review

It's Not All Gravy

7/23/21

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That's What She's Reading

7/24/21

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StoreyBook Reviews

7/25/21

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All the Ups and Downs

7/26/21

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Reading by Moonlight

7/27/21

BONUS Review

The Plain-Spoken Pen

7/27/21

Guest Post

Hall Ways Blog

7/28/21

Review

Chapter Break Book Blog

7/29/21

Review

Forgotten Winds

7/29/21

BONUS Review

Jennie Reads


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2 comments:

  1. I absolutely love working with you. Your talent and organizational skills are truly exceptional. Thank you. Anita

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The feeling is mutual! Always fun to promote your books, and YOU being organized makes it loads easier!

      Delete