Blurb—Unholy
Alliance (2nd book in the Donahue Cousins
series)
A
decade ago, Tori Rourke, and her cousin, Vivienne, ran from the Irish
mob after witnessing a brutal murder. Tori was framed by the mob, and
while she served time in prison, she worried that the killer, Seamus
McGinn, had kidnapped her missing cousin.
Attorney Grady D. Fletcher, defender of the wrongly condemned, appeals Tori’s case and wins her release. Now, going by Victoria Morningstar, she runs a food truck from a seedy waterfront neighborhood, hoping to find her cousin's kidnapper.
When Grady agrees to defend a new client, Samuel Peterson, who’s been accused of beating to death the wife of a noted professor, the evidence mounts. The professor is missing, as well as his laptop that contains data dangerous to national security.
And Seamus McGinn is back, and rumors of a massive annihilation is about to begin. As they race to assist the FBI, the bonds between Grady and Tori are about to be tested. It becomes clear Grady and Tori are falling fast for each other, but what to do about it is a different story. He’s a divorced dad who wants more time with his kid. She brings danger to his front door.
Grady has questions of his own; Is Vivienne at the center of the mob’s operation? How much will it cost Tori before she learns the truth? All Grady knows is the biggest danger is the one standing right behind you.
Attorney Grady D. Fletcher, defender of the wrongly condemned, appeals Tori’s case and wins her release. Now, going by Victoria Morningstar, she runs a food truck from a seedy waterfront neighborhood, hoping to find her cousin's kidnapper.
When Grady agrees to defend a new client, Samuel Peterson, who’s been accused of beating to death the wife of a noted professor, the evidence mounts. The professor is missing, as well as his laptop that contains data dangerous to national security.
And Seamus McGinn is back, and rumors of a massive annihilation is about to begin. As they race to assist the FBI, the bonds between Grady and Tori are about to be tested. It becomes clear Grady and Tori are falling fast for each other, but what to do about it is a different story. He’s a divorced dad who wants more time with his kid. She brings danger to his front door.
Grady has questions of his own; Is Vivienne at the center of the mob’s operation? How much will it cost Tori before she learns the truth? All Grady knows is the biggest danger is the one standing right behind you.
Excerpt
“Don’t
let the anxiety of freedom consume you.” Attorney Grady Donahue
Fletcher clenched his teeth and rehearsed what he’d say to his
client, Victoria Morningstar. He’d won her appeal and drove to pick
her up at Gladstone Penitentiary. “At least you won’t be placed
in solitary.” That was worse.
Six
months earlier Grady had phoned a reporter at the Los Angeles
Globe. "Drew Barker. Grady Fletcher here.”
“Ah,
the lawyer. Calling about a tip?”
“I
am. Here's something you can investigate. Tori Morningstar, did she
murder Irene Brennan?"
"I
wrote that story many years back," the journalist had said. “I
assume you have new discoveries.”
"Fraud,
illegal testimony. Do you want the story first?" A second
passed. "Otherwise, I'll call the Orange County Guardian."
"Okay,
okay. We want it."
Three
days later Grady had a hand in writing the first article in Drew
Barker’s column. "The public labeled Tori Morningstar as an
undesirable. Not black and poor, but disfavored, accused,
incarcerated, and wrongly condemned. Her cellphone has been
recovered. Her call to 911 identified her voice and substantiated
screams of the victim in the background. Could she have beaten
someone while speaking to dispatch at the same time?"
The
reporter had written the second article. "People who get their
ideas about criminal lawyers from TV probably would be disappointed
in Grady Fletcher. He lacks flash but stands up straight, his posture
neither ramrod nor slouched. He doesn't smoke, doesn't wear thousand
dollar suits. His voice is soft and low, one of his assets. He speaks
truth with a voice inviting confidences."
As
nice as that was, Grady’s stomach cramped over pressure and strain
from Drew Barker’s final article with the headline, Tori
Morningstar, Released Today. Picked up by the online service,
Newser, KTLA, and CBS Los Angeles, they planned to broadcast his
arrival to escort his client from Gladstone.
Tori’s
decade-long prison sentence ended today but with a sobering fear over
tomorrow.
When
was a July morning this hot? Grady balanced her release papers on his
lap as he rolled up one sleeve then the other while gripping the damp
steering wheel. Sweat blossomed on his throbbing forehead, wrapped
like a python’s grip. He adjusted the dial for the AC and embraced
the challenge of helping another client get back on track. Embrace
and conquer. Or at least sound like it.
Available
from:
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Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2qZHuNv
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/2rCUhGq
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qj70dd
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Smashwords: http://bit.ly/2rTyeIB
About
the Author
Book
Buyers Best finalist Kathleen Rowland is devoted to giving her
readers fast-paced, high-stakes suspense with a sizzling love story
sure to melt their hearts. Writing a romantic suspense Irish
American series for Tirgearr Publishing, Deadly Alliance is
followed by Unholy Alliance. Bittersweet Alliance is
in the works.
Keep
an icy drink handy while reading these hot stories.
Kathleen
used to write computer programs but now writes novels. She grew up
in Iowa where she caught lightning bugs, ran barefoot, and raced her
sailboat on Lake Okoboji. Now she wears flip-flops and sails with
her husband, Gerry, on Newport Harbor but wishes there were lightning
bugs in California.
Kathleen
exists happily with her witty CPA husband, Gerry, in their 70’s
poolside retreat in Southern California where she adores time spent
with visiting grandchildren, dogs, one bunny, and noisy neighbors.
While proud of their five children who’ve flown the coop, she
appreciates the luxury of time to write. If you’d enjoy news, sign
up for Kathleen’s newsletter at
