Taker of Lives by Leslie Wolfe Book Tour and Giveaway :)
Taker of Lives
by
Leslie Wolfe
Genre:
Thriller, Suspense
How
can you outrun a killer you won’t see coming?
They
are the most violent, blood-thirsty, and vicious of criminals. While
hunting for them, FBI profilers call these monsters UNSUBS, short for
unknown subjects of ongoing investigations. At any given time, in the
United States there are more than fifty serial killers at large,
preying on vulnerable, unsuspecting victims.
Until
yesterday, no one knew Florida had another serial killer on the
loose. Special Agent Tess
Winnettcalls this particularly
elusive one the Taker of
Lives.
The
crimes: bewildering
After a
well-known model commits suicide, Tess refuses to accept the findings
and pushes for an investigation into the reasons behind the beautiful
young woman’s decision to end her life. What she finds surpasses
her wildest fears.
The
evidence: disturbing
Each
new crime scene brings more questions than answers. While secrets are
revealed, even those meant to be kept forever in the dark, Tess can
draw only one conclusion: she’s not the one in charge; the Taker
of Lives controls the game, the
players, even the course of the investigation.
The
race: intense
With little
information and even less evidence, Tess must connect the dots of a
deadly scenario with a large number of potential victims. If she
fails, another beautiful, young girl will die tonight, and the blood
will be on her hands.
The Taker
of Lives might be closer than
you think. Who’s watching you sleep
tonight?
**Only
.99 cents!!**
1
Nightmare
She
woke with a start, her heart instantly racing when the raw memory of
strange, gloved hands on her body invaded her consciousness. She
could still feel the cold latex on her skin, touching her, stripping
her naked, manipulating her limbs, sending shivers of fear and
aversion through her veins. She remembered feeling paralyzed, wanting
to scream but staring powerlessly at the face of a monster hiding
behind a mask, laughing in quiet, raspy gurgles that only she could
hear, glaring at her with merciless, hateful eyes.
She
rubbed her forehead with frozen, trembling fingers and forced herself
to breathe, gasping in deep, long breaths of air to wash away the
memory of the troublesome nightmare. Must’ve been a nightmare…
she was in her own bed, wearing her favorite silk jammies, and she
could hear her mother’s rushed footfalls as she was getting ready
for work. Nothing was out of place.
Just
a night terror, that’s all it was. The worst she could remember, a
vivid one she won’t be forgetting any time soon, still, just a
nightmare. Her eyes fell on Pat’s photo, framed on her night table,
and she focused on his loving smile for a moment, imagining his
strong arms wrapped around her body, making her feel safe again.
Better.
She
stood, feeling a little weak at the knees, but pushed herself to walk
out of the bedroom, heading toward the kitchen. Her throat was
parched dry, as if she hadn’t had a drink of water in ages. She
filled a glass at the sink and gulped it down avidly, then breathed
again.
“Good
morning, sweetie,” her mother greeted her, then grazed her cheek
with a warm hand. “Feeling better?”
She
frowned, a bit confused. What was her mother talking about?
Her
mother stopped her morning get-ready rush and gave her a head-to-toe
scrutiny, then a tiny smile stretched her lips. “You were a little
dizzy last night, and your blood pressure was lower than what I like
to see.”
“Ah,”
she reacted, still frowning, realizing she didn’t remember much of
the night before.
“Christina,
we discussed this,” her mother said in her clinical voice, the tone
she reserved for her most disobedient patients. “You don’t eat
much, these photo shoots are a resource drain, so you have
to
pace yourself. You’ll burn out. Vogue
won’t
go bankrupt if you take a day off every once in a while.”
It
was the eternal conflict between the two of them. Her mother meant
well but failed to realize a model’s career span only lasted a few
short years, and she couldn’t afford to waste a single day. She was
twenty-four years old, already on her way to becoming old news. Soon,
the agencies would start sending her templated emails, saying stuff
like, “After careful consideration, yadda, yadda, we have decided
to proceed with a different candidate who suits our needs better at
this time.” Free translation? “You’re too old for this game,
sorry. We’ve got someone younger; find something else to do with
yourself.”
But
that day hadn’t arrived yet; she was still one of the most
sought-after models in the industry, and her photo shoots took her
around the globe, adorning her in designer clothing that she got to
keep after showing on coveted catwalks under the incessant flicker of
thousands of flashlights. Dizzy or not, she had a schedule, and she
intended to keep it. Her pickup limo was due at nine, and she wasn’t
going to be ready in time.
She
toughed it out and pushed her mother’s concerns aside with a
beaming smile and a hand gesture.
“I’ll
be fine, Mom, don’t worry. I’ll even do some blood tests if you’d
like, but not today. Any coffee left for me?”
Her
mother gestured toward the Keurig machine. “Got you some vanilla
pods, the ones you like.”
“Hazelnut
too?”
“Hazelnut
too, sweetie,” she smiled, then placed a smooch on her cheek and
rushed out of the house, jingling the car keys in her hand. “Have a
safe flight! And get some rest.”
“I
will,” Christina replied to the empty house, suddenly as cold and
quiet and scary as her nightmare had been.
Still
shivering, she threw the coffee maker a regretful glance as soon as
she realized it was a quarter to nine. Not nearly enough time to put
on makeup and get dressed. She forced herself to move quickly,
although it felt like she moved in slow motion, the air thick as if
it were water, opposing too much resistance for her weakened body to
overcome.
She
entered the bathroom and turned on the vanity lights, then gave her
face a critical overview. Dark circles under her eyes that would
require concealer, a pallor that asked for more blush than usual and
maybe a darker foundation tone. Hollow, haunted eyes that needed a
touch of eyeshadow to bring their faded color forward.
She
turned on the shower and began undoing her buttons, still examining
her face, but her fingers hesitated; she looked in the mirror and her
breath caught. Her pajama top was buttoned wrong, the lowest button
fastened through the second lowest buttonhole. Trivial.
Then
why did she feel her blood turn to ice when she looked at the uneven
hems?
She
felt a new wave of dizziness wash over her and took a step back. A
strangled whimper came out of her mouth as faint memories invaded her
mind.
Cold,
latex-gloved hands touching her, stripping her naked, manipulating
her body. A piercing, evil stare from behind a mask, and a raspy,
terrifying laugh, a stranger’s snicker, yet eerily familiar. The
sound of a camera shutter, over and over, in a familiar rhythm of
rapid bursts. Her own skin, turning to goose bumps when those strange
hands invaded her. The same hands dressing her, putting on her pajama
top, grazing against her breasts while doing the buttons.
She
wrapped her arms around her body and took faltering steps back until
she ran into the wall, her eyes riveted on the mirror, on the image
of her unevenly done buttons.
“Oh,
God, please…” she whimpered, as tears rolled down her pale
cheeks. “Please don’t let it be true.”
The
nightmare was real.
Leslie Wolfe is a bestselling author whose novels break the mold of traditional thrillers. She creates unforgettable, brilliant, strong women heroes who deliver fast-paced, satisfying suspense, backed up by extensive background research in technology and psychology.
Leslie
released the first novel, Executive,
in October 2011. It was very well received, including inquiries from
Hollywood. Since then, Leslie published numerous novels and enjoyed
growing success and recognition in the marketplace. Among Leslie’s
most notable works, The Watson Girl
(2017) was recognized for offering a unique insight into the mind of
a serial killer and a rarely seen first person account of his
actions, in a dramatic and intense procedural thriller.
A
complete list of Leslie’s titles is available at
http://wolfenovels.com/order.
Leslie
enjoys engaging with readers every day and would love to hear from
you.
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an insider: gain early access to previews of Leslie’s new novels.
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