A Deadly Promise by Rachel Amphlett

 

A DEADLY PROMISE

A Detective Kay Hunter Novel

Book #13

by

RACHEL AMPHLETT

British Police Procedural / Women Detectives / Murder Mystery

Saxon Publishing

February 5, 2025

336 Pages

ABOUT THE BOOK: When a woman’s mutilated body is discovered in a remote countryside property, Detective Kay Hunter is faced with one of the most challenging investigations of her career.

There is nothing in the victim’s past to explain her brutal slaying, and no clues as to how her killer got away.

Then a second body is found in a run-down storage facility, the man’s remains covered in horrific injuries that bear the hallmarks of prolonged torture.

With two families demanding justice, Kay is under pressure from her superiors to deliver a swift result–but there is no evidence to connect the two victims.

When a third victim is found just a short distance from her own incident room, Kay realises that the killer has no intention of stopping–and they already have their next victim in their sights…

A Deadly Promise is the 13th book in the Detective Kay Hunter series by USA Today bestselling author Rachel Amphlett and perfect for those who love fast-paced crime thrillers.

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HALL WAYS REVIEW: This is a favorite series, and I'm never disappointed by the stories, which are British police procedurals. I particularly enjoy reading these books with my ears because of the delightful accents, and the oh-so-British politeness and style. A DEADLY PROMISE was a bit more graphic than others in the series, with the details and cruelties of the murders unfathomable, yet believable, in these warped times we live in. 

In A DEADLY PROMISE, the 13th book in the Detective Kay Hunter series, all the familiar characters are in place, with hints that some of the favorites may be moving on to bigger roles and callings.  The characters and setting are realistic, including how budgets and cost-cutting are impacting the efficacy of Kay's team to do their jobs.

As is the case in most books in the series, there is some relief from the horrendous casework in the home life Kay shares with her veterinarian partner, Adam. The animals-at-home shenanigans are always chuckle worthy, and I find I relax as much as Kay does when she walks through her front door. 

When all was finally revealed, I did struggle a bit with the grisly murder motive making sense. It seemed to be counterintuitive, but then, the murderer is clearly more motivated to fill a sick need than anything else, despite anything said otherwise. 

ABOUT THE NARRATION: Alison Campbell, as always, provides an outstanding performance. Campbell’s pacing is even, her diction perfectly clear. I listened at 1.2x for my own patience and comfort, but regular speed was fine. At this point in the series, she has mastered the voices for the key returning players, and that's something awesome that these characters each sound the same as they have from the beginning. 

Even with the less-than-ideal resolution in A DEADLY PROMISE, I recommend this and all the books in this series to those who enjoy riding along with a team of detectives to solve crimes. Each stands alone just fine, but I'd recommend starting at the beginning. Here, Kay is at the top of her detective game, but I have enjoyed watching her climb every rung of the ladder within the department, and it's more satisfying having gone on that journey with her.  

Click to link up to Hall Ways reviews of books 1-9

*forgive the broken links on the posts*

    

Book 10 Review on Goodreads

Book 11 Review on Goodreads

Book 12 Review

NEXT UP IN THE SERIES:

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Before turning to writing, USA Today bestselling crime author Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio as a presenter and freelance producer for the BBC, and worked in publishing as an editorial assistant.

She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction with over 30 novels and short stories featuring spies, detectives, vigilantes, and assassins.

Rachel’s stories are available in eBook, print and audiobook formats from libraries and retailers as well as her own shop on this website.

A keen traveler and accidental private investigator, Rachel has both Australian and British citizenship.

The Iris Code: A Tracker Novel ~ eBook Review

 

THE IRIS CODE

A Tracker Novel

by

Anita Dickason

Suspense / Mystery / Thriller

318 pages

Publication Date: June 17, 2024

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FROM THE TBR PILE. This author's one of my favorites, and I adore her Tori Winters series, which I just recently (finally) reviewed on my blog. But though I had the honor of helping Anita Dickason promote her Tracker novels over the years, I had never had a chance to read one of them. (The irony of the bookish job from which I have now retired, is that I rarely got to read books.) When THE IRIS CODE published last summer, I immediately bought it on Kindle, and there it had sat until this week. Looks like I'll have a new series to binge. Good thing I'm retired. Read on...

ABOUT THE BOOK: A local reporter and photographer’s canine search and rescue training at an abandoned farm outside of Fredericksburg, Texas, takes a bizarre twist. Riley Phillips’ dog, Milo, alerts on the real deal—a corpse with a bullet hole in his head.

Riley’s nose for news is already twitching over the gruesome discovery. When the body turns up missing, her spider senses kick into overdrive. Who doesn’t want the man identified, and why? Are her crime scene photographs the only clue?

What Riley’s camera captured puts the FBI Tracker Unit on high alert, and Riley in a killer’s crosshairs. Learning the identity of the mystery man takes on an ominous urgency.

Can FBI Tracker Cody Lightfoot and Riley find the answer in time to stop a deadly attack? Or will they be the next victims?

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MY eBOOK REVIEW

HALL WAYS REVIEW: I didn’t want this story to end. 

WOW, WOW, WOW. I haven’t been this enthralled by a book in a long time. The tension, action, and edge-of-your-seat suspense made me not want THE IRIS CODE to end. This is my first Tracker novel but won’t be my last (and lucky me, there are a bunch of them to read!)

As I mentioned above in this post, I've read books in another series by Anita Dickason, so the bar was set high for this one. I expected immersive storytelling, excellent worldbuilding, and stellar editing. I got all that and still was blown away. Sure, Dickason is a gifted writer, but she also works very hard to hone her craft and deliver a finished product that rivals any traditionally published book I've read. No shortcuts are taken in her process, and it shows.

My only critiques of the book are related to my alma mater. First, the main character of the book is a Texas A&M Aggie, and she doesn't wear her Aggie ring?! That's madness. Second, our corpse is an Aggie, and everyone knows that the Aggie code is we don't cheat, steal, or lie, so... *Snicker.* 

I'm a firm believer that books come into our lives at just the right time for just the right reason. Sure, I'd had this one on the TBR for nine months, but NOW, after reading several disappointing novels in a row, was when I needed to read it. Just ask my husband -- he was the recipient of my post-read gushing about THE IRIS CODE. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Award-winning Author Anita Dickason is a twenty-two-year 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, which are not a series and can be read in any order, and Deadly Business, a crime thriller.

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 and the Tori Winters Mysteries series, she set them in the small Texas communities of Meridian and Granbury, respectively.

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Vanishing into the 100% Dark ~ Lone Star Lit Campaign Review & Giveaway!

VANISHING INTO 

THE 100% DARK

Bean to Bar Mysteries, #8

BY AMBER ROYER

Cozy Mystery / Culinary Mystery

Publisher: Golden Tip Press

Pages: 288

Publication Date: March 4, 2025

Scroll down to enter the giveaway!

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SYNOPSIS

Bean to chocolate maker Felicity Koerber has been invited to be part of a chocolate festival in Tokyo. It’s a big deal for a Texas gal with a chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand, so a whole group of her friends come along to support her. It’s intimidating enough to be giving a class on chocolate making with the help of a translator, but she also stumbles across the scene of a murder, where a quirky group of international actors and stunt performers are making a monster movie. Felicity has already solved half a dozen murders back in Texas so at this point, her friends basically expect her to get involved – even before the young media influencer in Felicity’s group becomes the main suspect. Felicity has taken on the role of chaperone for Chloe, so she can’t imagine how she could explain what went wrong to the girl’s mother -- which gives her even more motivation to figure out the real killer.

In the meantime, things get complicated at the chocolate festival when a rival chocolate maker tries to get Felicity disqualified from the awards competition – and claims that her amateur sleuth status is bringing undesirables into the festival. And things are even more complicated as the stress of being in an unfamiliar place brings out secrets about Felicity’s friends – and her fiancé.

Honda the calico cat makes an appearance on the movie set, making Felicity homesick for her pet bunny, left at home. But the cat may know more about what happened than she is letting on. Can Felicity solve the murder in time to keep Chloe from getting arrested, while making things right with the people she cares about, and presenting a good showing at the chocolate festival?

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REVIEW

HALL WAYS REVIEW: Buckle up, readers, because you’re in for a wild ride in VANISHING INTO THE 100% DARK, the eighth book in Amber Royer’s Bean to Bar Mysteries series. Main character Felicity packs her bags, her chocolates, and a team of people to travel out of Galveston and into Tokyo, where a mess of mysteries unfolds. Prepare for twists and turns, and quite possibly a record-breaking number of red herrings.

The books in this series are formulaic but not cookie-cutter, so the series works and remains engaging. Suitcases aren’t the only things to unpack in VANISHING INTO THE 100% DARK. Readers can expect to be treated to: mouthwatering chocolate descriptions, at least one murder mystery to be solved before the wrong person is arrested, a tangle of subplots, a steal-the-show animal, a first-edition book, a multitude of new (and reintroduced) characters, and some very light romance. It’s a lot, particularly if one’s not familiar with the prior books, so I don’t recommend jumping in here. Too much has happened beforehand to lay the foundation for the relationships Felicity has established.

“How do you ask questions when you don’t

even know what you want to know?”

In VANISHING INTO THE 100% DARK, we spend a lot of time inside main character Felicity’s head, which isn’t a bad place to be given she’s quirky, quick-thinking, and savvy. A few downsides are that it creates some clunky transitions into dialogue, and we see that despite how she says otherwise, Felicity is still quite insecure in her relationship with Logan. Honestly, their relationship seems a little awkward and lackluster in this installment, and despite being told their love exists and a few scenes that showed it, I didn’t really feel the affection between Felicity and Logan. I appreciate that Royer is intentional about appropriateness and how she frames the relationship, but after the build-up to Felicity choosing #TeamLogan, I would have liked some sparks to fly.

With the international setting of VANISHING INTO THE 100% DARK, readers learn some fun tidbits about Japanese lifestyle – like their love of the local 7-11, efficient toilets with built-in sinks on top of the tanks, and that Japanese phones must make a camera shutter noise when a photo is taken (and the why! Wow!) I giggled every time a Japanese person asked Felicity if Galveston was near where JFK was shot and wondered if this was pulled from Royer’s own experience there. (I recall years ago traveling to France, when the Dallas series was all the rage, and everyone asked if I had a ranch and horses!) It’s always tricky to organically include foreign words and phrases, but Royer does it well and includes plenty of Japanese (and a few French words, thanks to chocolatier, Henri) to remind readers of the setting.  Given the author’s travels to Japan, I expected fully immersive worldbuilding, but there just isn’t space for it in keeping up with the characters and their goings-on.

From a craft perspective, Royer shines in plotting elaborate storylines, making everyone look like a suspect, and creating a core group of realistic characters for the Bean to Bar Mysteries. She is a solid, talented writer, and her books have all the right ingredients to be bestsellers. Unfortunately, for me the story’s potential is weighed down due to the need for polish and thorough editing (to eliminate the odd overuse of the past perfect tense, comma errors, and typos). While these issues affect my enjoyment of books, if you’re a fan of the genre and don’t mind a few rough edges, you’ll likely find VANISHING INTO THE 100% DARK one hundred percent charming.

I learned early on in this series that it’s best to just go with the flow. Readers are expected to suspend their disbelief, so I recommend doing that and not trying to figure out the whodunits or even the why-they-dun-its and enjoy the roller-coaster ride. By the time everything unravels, it all makes sense – and you’ll be exhausted! In VANISHING INTO THE 100% DARK, the action, culinary delights, and Godzilla-like monsters will keep readers entertained to the delicious end.

To learn more about the book, look for #LoneStarLitVanishingIntoThe100Dark on your preferred social media platform.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amber Royer writes the Chocoverse space opera series and the Bean to Bar Mysteries. She is also the author of Story Like a Journalist: a Workbook for Novelists and has co-authored a chocolate-related cookbook with her husband. She also teaches creative writing and is an author coach.

Website ◆ Instagram ◆ X/Twitter 

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Just A Hat ~ Lone Star Lit Blitz Audiobook Review & Educator-Only Giveaway!

 

JUST A HAT

By SHANAH KHUBIAR

Young Adult / Coming of Age / Jewish Fiction / Small-Town Texas / 1970s

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Pages: 254

Publication Date: July 18, 2023

 Scroll down for giveaway! 

SYNOPSIS

Action-packed, humorous, and bittersweet, this 1970s-era coming-of-age novel is more relevant than ever--exploring how a second-generation immigrant kid in a new hometown must navigate bullying, unexpected friendships, and the struggle of keeping both feet firmly planted in two very different cultures.

It's 1979, and thirteen-year-old Joseph Nissan can't help but notice that small-town Texas has something in common with Revolution-era Iran: an absence of fellow Jews. And in such a small town it seems obvious that a brown kid like him was bound to make friends with Latinos--which is a plus, since his new buds, the Ybarra twins, have his back. But when the Iran hostage crisis, two neighborhood bullies, and the local reverend's beautiful daughter put him in all sorts of danger, Joseph must find new ways to cope at home and at school.

As he struggles to trust others and stay true to himself, a fiercely guarded family secret keeps his father at a distance, and even his piano teacher, Miss Eleanor--who is like a grandmother to him--can't always protect him. But Joseph is not alone, and with a little help from his friends, he finds the courage to confront his fears and discovers he can inspire others to find their courage, too.

Just a Hat is an authentically one-of-a-kind YA debut that fuses the humor of Firoozeh Dumas's Funny in Farsi with the poignancy of Daniel Nayeri's Everything Sad Is Untrue.

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AMAZON | BLACKSTONE PUBLISHING

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AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

Audiobook Narrated by Ramiz Monsef

Length: 6 hours, 33 minutes 

HALL WAYS BLOG'S AUDIOBOOK REVIEW (Originally posted 4/30/2024) This book. I don’t know where to begin my gushing about Just a Hat, which is quite possibly my favorite book of the year so far. Maybe I start with 1978, Hazel, Texas.

Small-town Texas. 1978 and every other year of our Lord. Sigh.

I enjoyed returning to the seventies and recalling things like biking to the 7-11 and friends who joined resources wondering, “what would they buy with their pooled seventy-eight cents?” I remember the expense of a long-distance phone call and not having a quick and easy way to communicate with my parents if my plans changed or I ran into trouble. But if not for these little reminders the author dropped along the way, the novel could very well be set in current times.  The narrow-mindedness of ill-informed folks and their prejudices, stereotyping, and anger and fear of anyone who is “other” sadly persists in small-town Texas and beyond.  

“Rage. Control. RAGE.”

Author Shanah Khubiar has written some magnificent characters who just pop from the page. The emotions of the main character, nearly-thirteen-year-old Joseph, are palpable. As he tries to take control and adhere to his father’s teachings, Joseph learns to channel his anger into throwing a football, and here again, Khubiar slides in a reality of pretty much any year in Texas: football is king and often times, is the great equalizer.

Kids will love that there are curse words in other languages (Hebrew & Arabic & Farsi), and those reading with their ears will learn the correct pronunciations. To that point -- the author doesn’t shy away from using all the horrible, derogatory terms that ignorant people used…and continue to use. Hate words. I think it’s the right choice to include them because it lends authenticity to the story and the shock of hearing them reminds the reader how powerful words are, then suggests:

“Let words change us and make us better people.”

The audiobook narration is outstanding, and Ramiz Monsef’s performance perfectly complements Khubiar’s writing.  Hearing Monsef voice the characters and pronounce words that were unfamiliar to me added an additional layer of realism to Just a Hat and made the story unforgettable. Pacing was perfect and I listened at 1x speed. Top-notch recording quality, too. Blackstone Audio never disappoints.

I highly recommend Just a Hat to readers of all ages because it’s not only a well-written, entertaining story that’s colored with humor and heartbreak, but it’s also a reminder that we must continue fighting the same battles to overcome hate, prejudice, and biases that persist. 

To learn more about the book, look for #LoneStarLitJustAHat on your preferred social media platform.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shanah Khubiar is a retired law enforcement officer, and she is now self-employed as a subject matter specialist. She holds a BS and MEd in education from East Texas State University and a PhD in philosophy. A student of her Persian ancestry, she incorporates (Mizrachi) Middle Eastern Jewry into her fiction, examining the historical challenges and triumphs of a different culture and narrative than what usually appears in literature. Khubiar is a sometime resident and always a fan of most things Texas.

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A Madness Unmade ~ Book Review

A MADNESS UNMADE

The Deathly Inheritance Duology, Book One

By E.K. Larson-Burnett

Young Adult / Gaslamp Fantasy / Coming of Age 

March 3, 2024

271 pages

HALL WAYS REVIEW: Initially drawn to the cover, then intrigued by the premise, by page five I was immersed in the magic of A MADNESS UNMADE: THE DEATHLY INHERITANCE DUOLOGY, BOOK ONE. Though there are elements reminiscent of books by authors like J.K. Rowling, V.E. Schwab, T.J. Klune, Ransom Riggs, plus some Haunted Mansion vibe, none of this story felt copy-cat-ish. Author E.K. Larson-Burnett managed to mix all the best magical morsels together and put her own inventive mark on A MADNESS UNMADE, creating a style all her own.

Laurel was “feeling as though she had been dunked in a goblet of champagne, dizzy and buzzing and alive.”

There are many subplots happening in A MADNESS UNMADE, but the teacher in me noted and enjoyed the underlying message of different people having different learning styles. While main-character Laurel’s first tutor is impatient and intolerant of Laurel’s struggles to learn what she must as Guardian of the Underhallow, when he gives up on her, it’s a gift. Laurel’s second tutor recognizes her challenges  and adjusts his lessons accordingly. And she blooms! Seeing Laurel grow in her self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-acceptance is wonderful to watch unfold. The icing on the cake is that she has love and support from a group of caring ghosts!

The undead in A MADNESS UNMADE are, ironically, fully fleshed out characters. Add-in that because of Laurel’s magic, she can experience their touch and fully engage with them makes the storyline even more robust, and unique among most ghost stories. There is a wide cast of ghosts (Revenants), but at start of the book, there’s a helpful section titled, “The Rumbroom Family Ancestry” that helps keep Laurel’s family straight. (Though I think a family tree visual would have been easier for my learning style. Some relationships are unclear, and I wonder about Genevieve, Laurel’s great-great aunt, who’s never mentioned again. Hmmmm.)   

“He towered before her, which would have been intimidating if not for his eyebrows lurching up and down with each word like waltzing black worms.”

In A MADNESS UNMADE,  Larson-Burnett provides readers excellent world building and explanations about the mechanics of how the Revenant world operates. The writing and language are often humorous, and always delightful with cleverly crafted turns of phrase to immerse readers in the time period and tone of the setting. The illustrations sprinkled throughout the story are a welcome addition, too.

“She could no longer pansy-foot in the penumbral presence of its terror.”

Since this is the first book in a duology, I suspected there would be many questions left unanswered, and I wasn’t wrong. Tension ramps up considerably in the last quarter of the book, and readers are left alongside Laurel to puzzle out a whole lot of mysteries. And with the specter of the League for Revenant Reformation and Dissipators looming about, along with their ever-changing Revenant Accords, it feels like the clock is ticking on how much time is left for Laurel and her house full of ghosts to keep their peaceful existence.

“She was a blister rubbed raw, an exposed nerve in a storm of sharp things.”

*BRACE YOURSELF* I have no complaints about the editing. I read an ARC copy and it was pert near perfect. Anyone who follows my reviews knows it is a rare thing when I don’t find editing issues. My only grievance with A MADNESS UNMADE is that the second book isn’t ready NOW.   Meanwhile, I’ll be buying a paperback copy so I can enjoy that cover and maybe revisit Laurel and her ghostly friends while I eagerly anticipate the next installment.

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Gunbarrel Highway ~ Lone Star Lit Campaign Audiobook Review & Giveaway!

 

GUNBARREL HIGHWAY

By Sean Bridges

Suspense / Thriller

Wild Rose Press

Pages: 264

Audiobook Length: 

Publication Date: November 20, 2024

Scroll down to enter the giveaway!

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SYNOPSIS

Texas trophy wife Claudia Grant dies after she causes an early morning car accident. In the other vehicle, Daniel Morrison, an attorney struggling with a pending divorce and pill addiction, panics and leaves the scene.

The victim’s husband, congressional candidate Hayden Grant, is a corrupt politician who seizes the opportunity and places a million-dollar reward on Morrison’s capture. Dead or alive.

Daniel is on the run. Roya Navarro, a determined San Antonio police detective, is hot on his trail with local law enforcement, county sheriffs, a hungry journalist, and trigger-happy citizens all across the Lone Star state out on the hunt for the bounty.

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AUDIOBOOK REVIEW

(print/eBook rating)

HALL WAYS HYBRID AUDIO/eBOOK REVIEW. In Gunbarrel Highway by Sean Bridges, the tale that unfolds is a non-stop, action-packed, outrageous (yet totally believable) story that thoroughly entertains the reader.

I listened to the audiobook initially, and I don’t recommend it. More on that later. But in listening, I was able to sift through the noise enough to know this is a book that packs a punch. So, upon finishing the audiobook, I opened up the eBook and it was like a whole different story.

The attention-grabbing, blush-worthy opening paragraph told from Claudia Grant’s perspective is steamy, but not overly graphic. And for those who don’t much love the spice, fear not! That scene continues some thirty pages later, and then, the rest of Gunbarrel Highway is pure adrenaline-inducing fiction. Author Bridges does a great job in the first few chapters of building up the mindsets and character of Claudia, and the main character Daniel, before the big wreck that changes everything.

“Bro. Bro. Legal or not, who gives a shit? You. You’re guilty as fuck. You know how I know that? I saw it on TV.”

This quote from hillbilly-ish, brother-in-law Ron, may be the most poignant from the book. It highlights what strikes hardest in Gunbarrel Highway: what should be sensationalism is, sadly, easily imagined in our current political and societal climate. From the not-so-subtle racism and immoral and illegal activities of a congressional candidate to the if-it’s-on-tv-it’s-true mentality and people turning savage on each other for an improbable reward, this book mirrors our messed-up world. The plots and subplots in Gunbarrel Highway are a scary and disheartening train wreck that keeps readers turning pages.

Author Bridges knows how to flesh out his characters, presenting readers with a robust cast who fall mostly on the unlikable end of the scale. (Detective Navarro being the exception, though I couldn’t understand why San Antonio Police would be assigned a case that happened in San Marcos.) Add to that the omniscient point of view that puts us inside many individuals' heads, we know them inside and out. Bridges’s writing is engaging, and he employs some interesting style choices and word combinations; the former went unnoticed in the audiobook, but both interrupted the flow of the story when reading with my eyes. A bit of additional editing to clean-up the smattering of errors and overused words and to tighten up unnecessary and unnecessarily long passages, would take this book to the highest level.

Anyone who follows my reviews knows it’s a rare book that passes editing muster for me, and I understand that many readers will blow past the things I notice. It’s a bit of a curse to have eyes drawn to errors, and that’s why it’s often a pleasure to read with my ears and enjoy an audiobook where I can’t see them. Unfortunately, the audiobook is a hot mess.

From a technical standpoint, there are two different chapters that repeat entire scenes from other chapters, and several other places where lines are repeated. Additionally, listeners hear the narrator taking deep breaths and even swallowing. The narrator’s natural voice during expository sections is engaging, and if she’d just read the book instead of performing, it probably would have been great. But most of the characters are over-the-top, exaggerated, and unevenly voiced, and the accents chosen for some of the characters are puzzling. The pacing is inconsistent, and there are several words mispronounced. I do not recommend listening to Gunbarrel Highway because the delivery doesn’t do Bridges’s story justice.

So back to the eBook: despite the polishing issues, the twists and turns in Gunbarrel Highway are stellar. Even when the reader is likely to predict an outcome, how that outcome comes to fruition is often a huge shocker. Things get REALLY interesting with a big reveal that changes the course of the story. It is truly nothing but edge-of-your-seat reading from that point right to the end, when at last, characters and readers alike can take a collective deep breath.

To learn more about the book, look for #LoneStarLitGunbarrelHighway on your preferred social media platform.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sean Bridges is an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nicholl-Award-winning screenwriter and author. He's a Stephen King Dollar Baby with his festival winning audio production of One for the Road.

His Audible Parade Productions company created a serial audio thriller, Triple Six and is currently at work on its next horror/suspense audio series, Parasite Zero.

His latest screenplay, Beginner’s Luck is a 2024 award-winner at the SAFILM-San Antonio Film Festival and Austin Film Festival. He’s also worked on a number of projects for Troublemaker Studios out of Austin, TX. He lives and works in the Texas Hill Country.

Website ◆ Goodreads ◆ Instagram ◆ LinkedIn ◆ Amazon ◆ Facebook

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