Mocha, Moonlight and Murder
by MaryAnn Kempher
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Instead
of feeding her late-night appetite, a midnight food run nearly gets 28-year-old
Katherine O’Brian killed. She’s the only person to see the man who brutally
murdered a local woman, and the killer is hell-bent on making sure she doesn’t
talk.
Scott
Mitchell left a broken engagement behind when he moved to Reno, and the last
thing he needs is more melodrama. But when he and Katherine are paired for a
college project, that’s what he gets. It can be very distracting when someone
is out to kill your lab partner. Together, they try to figure out what the police
haven’t been able to—the identity of the murderer. Passion flares, but with Katherine’s
life in danger, romance seems like more than a bad idea.
Scott
and Katherine will face jealousy, misunderstandings, lust, and rivals, not to mention
attempted murder—and all before their first real date.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt
When
Katherine first woke up on Saturday, she was feeling a little depressed. Right
away, she started thinking about Scott and whether or not they could remain
friends. But when she remembered her plans for the day, her mood lifted. She
was going to a new mall - super-exciting because it was modeled after Macy’s in
New York and had seven floors. There was even an observation deck. When she
arrived, the first thing she did was take the elevator to the top.
It was a cold
day, though beautiful, so she wasn’t surprised that only a few other people
rode up with her to enjoy the view. She walked around, peeking over the side at
the people below. She thought how spectacular it must be up there at night.
After a few more minutes she left, deciding to take the stairs.
She’d walked
down three flights when she heard a door slam above. She cringed as the sound
of feet hitting the metal stairs echoed off the walls and grew louder the
closer they came. In a matter of seconds, she was faced with another masked
man, scarier than the one she’d encountered in her apartment, because this one
wore a diabolical clown mask, complete with garish makeup and a pointy-toothed
smile. At first she thought it was a joke, some stupid teenager trying to be
funny, but then he pushed her against the wall and held a knife to her throat.
Katherine
held her hands up defensively. “What do you want?”
He raised the
knife.
Katherine
screamed, “Help!” as she shoved the man as hard as she could and tried to run
down the stairs, but he took them three at a time and grabbed her by the hair,
jerking her backward. Tears were streaming down her face.
“Let me go,
let me go!”
He pushed her
down and she hit her head on a stair. She watched, dazed, as he raised his
knife once more, but then a door slammed below. She could hear footsteps
running up the stairs. The man looked over his shoulder.
“Sh*t,” he
muttered.
The last
thing Katherine saw was his steel-toed boot; it grazed her head as he rushed up
the stairs.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
MaryAnn
Kempher's writing is infused with romance and mystery. Her
love of romance
stories goes back to her teen years spent living in
Reno NV where
Mocha, Moonlight, and Murder is set. MaryAnn's
travels have
taken her to beautiful cities in Italy, Southeast Asia and
the sultry
desert country of Qatar. She met her husband on one of her
romantic
misadventures. She has two children and currently lives in Florida where she
and her family share their home with two dogs and a cat. Her writing influences
include favorite authors Jane Austen and Agatha Christie. She's also a huge fan
of the Hercule Poirot mysteries.
Her guilty
pleasures include any and all sweets, including a good cup of Mocha.
For more
about MaryAnn Kempher, visit mkempher.com
Buy Links:
Barnes &
Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mocha-moonlight-and-murder-maryann-kempher/1115124644
MaryAnn will be awarding an autographed print copy of the book (international giveaway) to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour.
Follow the tour and comment; the more they comment, the better their chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Follow the tour and comment; the more they comment, the better their chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
Thanks for the excerpt and the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great read!!
natasha_donohoo_8 at hotmail dot com