Yvonne
The shadowy figure turned from his intended victim and advanced with a knife in his hand and a smirk on his face. Francis “Frankie” Ryan’s phone roused her from the same dream that had haunted her for weeks.
Lieutenant Marks made a half-hearted attempt to sound apologetic.
“I hope I didn’t wake you, Francis. You’ve probably gotten used to sleeping in. It’s been a month, right?”
“Yeah. I’m fine. What do you have for me?”
“It’s a double homicide at a motel on Adams. Should be right up your alley. Sounds like some guy caught a man with his girl and cut off his Johnson.”
Frankie deliberately kept her voice flat because she knew Marks was reminding her in his not so subtle way why she had been on suspension. The LA Sentinel story had labeled her the “Feminist Vigilante.”
“Give me the address. I’ll call John before heading out.”
…
Once again, my extract for this post poses so many questions, so I shall leave them all for you to ask and ponder upon in your comments.
‘Happy Reading’ everyone 🙂
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This sounds like a book I would really enjoy reading – does make me wonder why she’s been dubbed a vigilante….lol…guess she got caught doing something she should have thought about more…..lol…Here’s My Book Beginning & Friday 56
Hi Maria,
My thoughts exactly and given that the press had not only dubbed her a vigilante, but a feminist vigilante, perhaps the case that Marks has assigned to her, is particularly relevant.
Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your comment and enjoy your weekend 🙂
You are right so many questions and no answers. I hope you get them all figured out. Happy reading.
My Friday Quotes
Hi Anne,
Frankie does sound like a bit of a maverick, doesn’t she? Although her dream is obviously bothering her – more like a nightmare, if you ask me!
Thanks for stopping by, I always appreciate your visits 🙂
I’ve not heard of this book before but the opening lines definitely make me want to read more, I may have to add this book to my wishlist! 🙂
My Book Beginnings post is here: https://rathertoofondofbooks.wordpress.com/2015/10/16/book-beginnings-16-october/
Hi Hayley
Stan has recently published the second book in the Frankie Ryan series, so I guess that he sees a bright future for his unconventional protagonist!
I also quite like the originality of the cover art 🙂
Have a good weekend and ‘Happy Reading’
I enjoyed that first sentence so much I was disappointed it was a dream. It sounded so hard-edged!
Hi Elizabeth,
I am guessing, that this is the first book in what I can only assume is going to be a series, as book two has recently been published. Therefore, I can only hope that I shall be returning to the dream at some point during the course of the story, to fill in some of the background details about Frankie and her suspension!
First impressions, Frankie does sound like a pretty hard-nosed character and I can imagine that the story will unfold at quite a pace and with no holds barred!
Thanks for stopping by, enjoy your weekend and ‘Happy Reading’ 🙂
Oh, yes, I like Frankie already….her boss, not so much. An intriguing twist: a case that is reminiscent of something bad that happened in her own life.
Thanks for sharing…and for visiting my blog.
Hi Lorraine,
I can’t decide whether the dream / nightmare incident is something which has happened to Frankie personally; if it is something which has happened to someone close to her, or whom she was supposed to be protecting; or if it is simply a dream / premonition, in which case she needs to be careful!
Thanks for taking the time to comment, it is always good to have you visit 🙂
Well, yes… this does raise many questions! I like the sound of it, though. Vigilante stories can often be quite entertaining (I think we’ve shared our common interest in the ‘Death Wish’ movies) and the idea of a feminist vigilante is intriguing.
I know my current book won’t interest you since it’s a memoir, but it was chosen by a member of my book club who is Iranian and, so far, I’ve found it to be quite good.
“When I was seven, my parents, my fourteen-year-old brother, Farshid, and I moved from Abadan, Iran, to Whittier, California.”
~ Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
Hi Kelly,
I think you get it, when you say that this story should be quite entertaining. I found a slightly different take on the synopsis I already had and this short extract from it seems to illustrate your point to perfection 🙂
“Silent Partner is a paranormal mystery, a police procedure novel with a female detective that will remind you of Harry Bosch, a ghost story that suggests what lies beyond death, and a comic look at a tabloid where the truth is whatever sells.”
Unlike anything I have read before, this one is certainly going to challenge my usual reading!
———————–
Just because I don’t personally read memoirs and may not always agree with some of the authors airing their dirty linen in public, that certainly doesn’t stop me being interested in what you are reading and I usually end up by checking out the book in more detail!
Firoozeh sounds like such a fun loving, extrovert person, who manages to uncover the good in everyone and isn’t frightened to laugh at herself. The world could do with a few more people like her!
I think it’s a good idea, that if you have a mix of diverse cultures and nationalities in your reading group, then they should select a book from within their own group of authors, to be read and discussed by the club. What some heated and interesting discussions that would make for 🙂
Thanks for sharing and ‘Happy Reading’
I really didn’t think about it until you said it, but I’ve read very few memoirs that were actually the “tell all-dirty laundry” type. Most have just been interesting and often inspiring accounts of people’s lives. I finished this one today and thought it was very good and quite funny. I look forward to our book club meeting to see how our member’s life compares and will review it shortly thereafter.
I do hope that I haven’t maligned or vilified too many people’s memoirs with my blanket comments, I certainly didn’t intend to.
I shall look forward to your review of ‘Funny In Farsi’, as this one did sound quite interesting and your own book club member will possibly be able to relate to some of Firoozeh’s stories and anecdotes.
Have a lovely Sunday 🙂
The opening makes me curious about Frankie’s back story. Why was she dubbed a vigilante? I also like the way the author showed that the character had been dreaming, using only one sentence instead of drawing us into a description of the dream, only to later reveal that it was a dream instead of part of the story. Looks like the writing is skillful.
My Friday post features The Beach Walkers.
Hi Sandra,
Knowing how many lines to feature for BBOF, is always a balancing act and maybe just that first line alone, would have had me thinking something entirely different to the actual storyline which Stan is unfolding line by line. Now all I need to know is, who is John?
Stan Schatt, is also the author of several non-fiction books, so I imagine that a well structured storyline and skilful editing, is going to be second nature to him!
Thanks for adding such an interesting comment, I really appreciate it 🙂
I’m not sure if this one would be my cup of tea, but the beginning does pose quite a few questions 🙂
Hi Nikki,
I don’t generally read much paranormal material, however there seems to be so many other quirky aspects to the story, that I don’t think that any one single element will dominate too much!
If the story involves a good murder / mystery, then I’m open to trying anything within reason.
Hope you are well and catching some great autumn photographs 🙂
You had me at “Feminist Vigilante”. Enjoy!
Hi Naida,
I am assuming that as a serving officer, who it seems has only been on one month’s suspension, then her tag as ‘feminist vigilante’ can’t have been for anything too drastic!
The more I am reading though, the stronger the character of Frankie is becoming and I can well imagine her not taking too many prisoners, as she definitely doesn’t suffer fools gladly – especially men!
Great to see a strong female lead. this one is shaping up well so far 🙂