Yvonne
I got a little carried away with reading this one and found myself up round the 70% finished level on my Kindle, before I realised that I hadn’t made a note of any ‘teaser’ lines. The ever shifting storyline really does keep you glued to the pages, so a little later than usual…
For all you ‘random page surfers’ out there –
TEASER LINES – CHAPTER 21 – KINDLE EDITION
“You are not anxious to do this.
Well, that’s not exactly right. You are anxious, in the sense that anxiety is a low fluctuating hum beneath your surface calm. You are prepared to do this only to protect yourself. You really have no wish to hurt her. The memories with this one are too fresh. Too sweet. Too vivid.
But you will probably have to do it.
And, you tell yourself, several other important functions may well be served. Confusing the issue is one. Throwing suspicion elsewhere is another. Sentiment cannot be allowed to defeat self-preservation.
First, you must check on the person to whom you hope attention will be drawn. Is he at home tonight? That could prove a deciding factor. If he is with her, or is planning to meet her when she gets off work, you would have two people with which to deal, simultaneously … and that would not do.”
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THE PREMISE
In a small Midwest town, twenty-eight-year-old Krista Larson has made her mark as the youngest female police chief in the country. She’s learned from the best: her father, Keith, a decorated former detective. But as accustomed as they are to the relative quiet of their idyllic tourist town, things quickly turn with Krista’s ten-year high school reunion.
With the out-of-towners holed up in a lakefront lodge, it doesn’t take long to stir up old grudges and resentments. Now a successful TV host, Astrid Lund, voted the “Girl Most Likely to Succeed”—and then some—is back in town. Her reputation as a dogged reporter has made the stunning blonde famous. Her reputation among her former classmates and rivals has made her infamous. Astrid’s list of enemies is a long one. And as the reunion begins, so does a triple murder investigation.
Krista and her father are following leads and opening long-locked doors from their hometown to the Florida suburbs to Chicago’s underworld. They just never imagined what would be revealed: the secrets and scandals of Krista’s own past.
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So you have taken a look, will you read the book? Let me know what you think in the comments section below.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia @ ‘The Purple Booker‘. Each week she shares her own teaser lines and invites other bloggers to do the same. So if you have a few moments, why not stop by and see what’s on offer this time!
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Isn’t it delightful when I book is so gripping that you don’t realise how quickly you’re reading it until you suddenly surface and think, ‘Oh!’ I must say I enjoyed reading the synopsis, it does actually sound very good, so am looking forward to your review.
Hi Cath,
This book was so easy to read, with a free flowing storyline, great narrative and dialogue and excellent characterizations – it’s no wonder I became so engrossed!
Generally my reading tends to be sporadic and quite slow these days and I didn’t have any more time to allocate to ‘Girl Most Likely’, but I just seemed to get through the pages much quicker than usual.
I have a conversation with the author planned for publication day, so I’ll probably hold off on the review until after that, although I am busy trying to get my thoughts together now, while they are still fresh in my mind.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you have a good book on the go right now 🙂
This definitely sounds sinister… and premeditated!
Oh Yes! sinister sums up this entire storyline, which touches on quite a few social issues of the modern age.
However, I think this is about the only part of the plot which may not have been premeditated or pre-planned in great detail, hence what happens just a couple of pages further on in the book – see, now you’ll need to read it to find out what that is!! 🙂
Seriously, this was a great book, well written and I can’t wait to chat to the author in a few weeks time.
It sounds like a good mystery. Thanks for sharing it. My Teaser
Hi Laura,
This is quite a traditional murder / mystery in many respects, because although the motive is not altogether clear from the very beginning, the list of suspects is known and contained, albeit a very long list. They are all also gathered together in one place, so it is just a case of working out ‘whodunnit’ and ‘whydunnit’. It kept me turning the pages to the very end!
Thanks for stopping by, it was great to hear from you 🙂
Liking the cover though I have my reservations as to whether or not I’d enjoy this one, your getting ‘carried away’ reading it about the only thing that might find me picking up a copy.
Hi Tracy,
The cover is pretty much ‘in your face’, isn’t it? Not one you are going too forget in a hurry and it kind of does what it says on the tin!
The author himself has some pretty impressive credentials and past credits, including having several of his books and series stories turned into films.
I was really pleased to see that he is also working on a second book featuring Keith and Krista Larson, although it is going to be a prequel, which I am not a huge fan of, which is such a shame. I can only hope that Max then decides to move forward with the characters and give them their own series!
I can see where this story as it stands alone right now, could quite easily be turned into a full-length feature film.
Still ‘one man’s meat is another man’s poison’ and it wouldn’t do for us all to enjoy the same books!
Thanks for stopping by, I always enjoy sharing thought s and comments with you 🙂
Is it okay for the author to drop by?
I am working on a second Krista and Keith Larson novel, and while I originally conceived it as a prequel, it just wouldn’t cooperate — and I realized I needed to spend more time in this place with this people, in their present situation, before going back to essentially do an origin story. I realized you have to really know the characters well before wanting to hop a time machine to find out more about them and why they came to be who they are. These kind comments are much appreciated.
Of course it is okay to have you visit, everyone is welcome here 🙂
I must admit to being quietly pleased you have decided to change your mind about the prequel for the time being. It is just a personal thing, but I am not that keen on prequels.
Also, I want to know whether Keith gets to work with his daughter on any more cases. I suspect that his retirement plans may be short-lived!
Following the development of Krista’s character will also be interesting.
‘Happy Writing’ and I look forward to sharing my Q&A session on April 1st, I am certain that my readers will find it very insightful 🙂
Thanks for your friendly response. Yes, this series (if that’s what it becomes) is about Krista and Keith as a team. If I’m not out of line, I would argue that what I think bothered you about some of the byways the plotting went down had to do with a couple of things that I feel are vital. First, Keith needed something to do that couldn’t be handled by Krista. Second, I wanted to make the world of the novel bigger and a short Chicago section was a way of doing that, plus it had to do with the murder victim’s background/home ground. Additionally, some action and suspense, beyond just the killer with a knife, was necessary in my opinion, and the mob stuff (relating again to the murder victims’ job and turf) made sense. I already took heat for the investigation being too Christie-like by way of the suspects all being attendees of the reunion…of course, since I love Christie and that kind of story, despite my noir credentials, I find being called Christie-like a huge compliment. Again, thanks for your views and your even-handed, even friendly tone.
How could you possibly be out of line – this is your book 🙂
Please don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t hugely bothered about any of the side story issues, everything worked great for me. I enjoyed your style of writing and the plot development.
Also I am a keen Christie fan, so would view it as a huge compliment to be compared to that great lady. I love a ‘final reveal’ scene, after all those little suspect analyses and deductions of course 🙂
You might enjoy my novel THE LONDON BLITZ MURDERS, in which Christie is the detective (and the crime is a real one).
I’ll check it out.
Thank You
🙂