An engine started.
The battered old truck stood out like a janitor at the prom. It was dark blue,
splattered with mud and probably decades old, with a cap on the bed. The
evening sun glared off the side window, but as I walked slowly past the front I
saw a figure inside – the one-handed man. He had his hand on the wheel but his
head back, eyes closed.
I paused, studying his face. I guessed he was
in his twenties, with short, light brown hair and pleasant features in a mask
as still as death.
He opened his eyes and looked straight into
mine.
I couldn’t move as he held my gaze. My heart
thumped against my ribs. He studied me without expression, no smile, no frown,
nothing in his face but weariness.
Finally I had to blink, and once the eye
contact was broken, I jerked my gaze away and kept moving. I quickly turned
between the next two cars, to get out of his view. I’d have to cross behind his
truck to reach my car, which might look odd if he was still watching, but I
didn’t care so long as I got out of there, fast.
I noticed the rusty screeching again. It was
coming from his truck. I stumbled to a stop, staring at the back of the truck.
What could be making that sound? The tailgate and back window on the cap were
closed, hiding the sight inside, but the screech came again and again like
someone – something – screaming.
The screams seemed to echo in my head. I
couldn’t take any more. I turned away with a hand over my mouth to hold back my
own scream and hurried to my car.
What We Found
Finding a dead body
changes a person.
22-year-old Audra
Needham is back in her small New Mexico hometown, ready to work hard, fit in,
and help her younger brother. Going for a walk in the woods with her former
crush, Jay, seems like a harmless distraction … until they stumble on a body.
Jay, who has
secrets of his own to protect, insists they walk away and keep quiet. But Audra
can't simply forget what she's seen. The woman needs to be found, and her story
deserves to be told.
More than one
person isn't happy about Audra bringing a crime to life. The dead woman was
murdered, and Audra could be next on the vengeful killer's list. She’ll have to
stand up for herself in order to stand up for the murder victim. It’s a risk,
and so is reaching out to the mysterious young man who works with deadly birds
of prey. With her 12-year-old brother determined to play detective, and romance
budding in the last place she expected, Audra learns that some risks are worth
taking – no matter the danger, to her body or her heart.
Reader Reviews for What We Found:
“Another
action-packed suspense novel by Kris Bock, perhaps her best to-date. The author
weaves an intriguing tale with appealing characters. Watching Audra, the main
character, evolve into an emotionally-mature and independent young woman is
gratifying.”
“This book had me
guessing to the end who was the murderer. Well written characters drive the
story. Good romance. Exceptional and believable plot twists and turns. I loved
it! I recommend this book highly.”
“This is a nonstop
suspense. Love the characters and how real they seem with every episode played
out. This is a love story and suspense all in one.”
Learn about the true experience that inspired What We Found.
Sample or buy What We
Found on Amazon.
Kris Bock lives in New Mexico, where she enjoys hiking, watching
the sunset from her patio, and hanging out with her husband and their ferrets.
Her home office looks out on nature, complete with distracting wildlife such as
roadrunners and foxes. Her BFA in photography is used mainly to show Facebook
friends how lovely the Southwest is.
Kris writes novels of
suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Whispers
in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest
ruins. In Counterfeits,
stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico
desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to
reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. In The
Skeleton Canyon Treasure, sparks fly when reader favorites Camie and Tiger
help a mysterious man track down his missing uncle.
Read excerpts
at www.krisbock.com or
visit her Amazon page. Sign up
for the Kris Bock newsletter for
announcements of new books, sales, and more.
What a tense situation. Suspense unending
ReplyDeleteI loved how you wrote Audra's reaction to finding the body. This is a great introduction to a suspenseful mystery. New Mexico is a great setting for a mystery. It has its own mysteries.
ReplyDeleteIt's much less dramatic than you book, but a couple months after moving here, my wife and son found the corpse of a woman who'd been shot. That's pretty much every Canuck's worst fear about the States. We darned near turned around and moved back to British Columbia . . . but we did end up staying. And since then, no corpses.
ReplyDeleteGlad you only found the one! This book was inspired by a real experience, but of course I made it more dramatic for the novel.
ReplyDeleteLooks like another winner ;)
ReplyDelete