In the following excerpt from
Unfinished Business, the second novel
in my Malone mystery series, Olivia and Bernie have been estranged for over
sixty years and, until recently, Bernie didn’t even know that they had a son.
Happily, they’ve finally found each other again and romance is in the air.
He grasped her left hand and
placed the diamond solitaire on her ring finger. The ring fit perfectly. With
his fingertips, he gently brushed a strand of her hair away from her face,
leaned in toward her and kissed her. “Now I am officially the happiest man in
the whole world,” he told her. He leaned back against the sofa and sighed
contentedly. “What would you say to a honeymoon in Dresden, Germany?”
Olivia’s hand flew to her heart.
“You’re kidding? I’ve always dreamed of going there, ever since I was a little
girl and Papa told me all those stories about where my ancestors came from.
When he talked about his visits when he was a boy, his descriptions of Dresden
were so vivid that he made them come alive for me. I could almost see the
picturesque town in a valley on the left bank of the Elbe River, the Ore
Mountains, looming in the distance to the north of the city, and the majestic
Dresden Castle. How did you know? How could you possibly know?”
“A little bird told me,” he
replied, grinning.
“Was that little bird named
Lawrence?”
He nodded. “So when do you want
to get married?” he asked.
“As soon as possible,” she
replied. “I think we’ve waited long enough, don’t you?”
“All good things are worth
waiting for,” he told her. “And you and Lawrence are the best that’s ever
happened to me.”
And
now for an excerpt from Unfinished Business
demonstrating the importance of suspense. The Westwood Strangler is
presumed dead but the police have just revealed the fact that, once again, a
killer is attacking women in their homes in Ann’s neighborhood. Imagine her
apprehension and fear as this scene unfolds.
It was so dark in the living room
that she had to inch her way to the door in order to look through the peephole
and peek out into the hallway. She couldn’t see anything; it was pitch black.
She turned and walked back over to the front window and looked outside. All the
streetlights were out and all of the neighboring houses were dark.
This is all we need, she thought,
recalling the advice that Richard Reneker, the psychologist, had given his
viewers back in October. “Ladies, lock your doors, keep lights on inside and
outside your home at night, and do not go anywhere alone.” Great! Light is one
of the best deterrents to crime, she thought. We have a maniac on the loose and
whether it’s the Westwood Strangler or a copycat, we have no lights on to help
keep him away.
She turned from the window and,
as she made her way slowly and cautiously through the living room, she bumped
into the coffee table. “Damn!” she exclaimed. She reached down to rub her
throbbing leg.
“Are you okay?” a man’s voice asked.
She jumped slightly and stood
straight up. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle a scream.
Links:
Patricia Gligor’s Amazon page:
Bio:
Patricia Gligor is a Cincinnati
native. She enjoys reading mystery/suspense novels, touring and photographing
old houses and traveling, especially to the ocean. Mixed Messages, the first
novel in her Malone Mystery Series, was published in April 2012 by Post Mortem
Press. Unfinished Business is the
second novel in the series.
Blurb for Unfinished Business:
The Westwood Strangler is dead.
Or so everyone believes.
Ann Kern is busy preparing for
her favorite holiday. She’s especially looking forward to her sister’s annual
Christmas visit. But, several things threaten to ruin her festive mood.
The National
Weather Service issues a severe winter storm warning for the Cincinnati area,
predicting blizzard conditions, and Ann worries that her sister and her new
boyfriend won’t be able to make the drive from South Carolina.
Then, a woman is found strangled
in Ann’s neighborhood and everyone, including the police, assumes it’s the work
of a copycat killer. However, when two more women are murdered in their homes,
the police announce their conviction that the Westwood Strangler is
responsible.
When Ann hears the news, the
sense of safety and security she’s worked so hard to recapture since her attack
on Halloween night, shatters. If the intruder who died in her apartment wasn’t
the Westwood Strangler, who is? And, who will be the next victim?
Giveaway:
At the end of
the blog tour, I will be giving away one copy of Unfinished Business, the second novel in my Malone mystery series.
Leave a comment and you’re automatically entered to win. Please include your
email address with your comment so that, if your name is selected, I may
contact you to get your mailing address. The winner will be announced on my
blog: http://pat-writersforum.blogspot.com/ on December 11. Best of luck!
