A #MFRWHooks for What We Found #Romance and #Mystery

Last week I shared an excerpt from chapter 1 of What We Found. For this week's Book Hooks, I have an excerpt from further in the novel.

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.

Excerpt

As I pushed through the door, something moved on my bed.

I gasped and jerked back, banging into the doorframe.

“Audra! It’s me.”

A whimper came from my throat. I clung to the doorframe as my legs threatened to collapse. My brain recognized the voice, but it couldn’t control my body’s reaction.

My bedside lamp flicked on. Ricky, sitting cross-legged near my pillow, grinned at me. “I’m sorry I scared you. I didn’t want Mom to know I was in here.”

I closed the door and staggered the three steps to the narrow bed. “Ricky. What are you doing here? Everything’s all right. Go to bed.”

“But I want to help!”

I rubbed my hands over my face. Half my brain was already asleep and the other half wanted to join it. “Help with what?”

“Help investigate! Help you find out what happened to that woman.”

“What?” I shook my head and sat on the end of the bed. “No. That’s the police’s job. I told them what I know. I’m done.”

“But they have a lot of cases, hundreds, probably. Those guys aren’t even local. They could use our help. They don’t know what’s really going on here, in our town.”

His words created an odd echo of something Jay had said. “What do you mean? What’s going on here?”

“I hear stuff in school, you know, who’s selling drugs or who got knocked around by her dad or whatever. Stuff the police don’t know.”

I remembered hearing rumors like that in school as well. I hadn’t always understood all the slang and innuendo, but Ricky, curious boy, would have figured it out. “But that stuff doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

“Maybe it does! You have to keep an open mind when you’re investigating. You have to look and listen. I can do that at school and around town. You can do that at the resort. Then we can put together what we learn and figure it out.”

It was too much. Too much pressure, too much risk, simply asking too much. “That’s crazy! I don’t know anything! I don’t know what I’m doing or—” I broke off, trying to hold back the tears.

Ricky got up. He stood beside the bed and smiled gently down at me. “You’re tired. We can talk about it tomorrow. You’ll see what a chance this is.”

Praise 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.” – Ellen R.

“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.” – Suzanne B.

“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.” – Pam

Learn about the true experience that inspired What We Found.

Sample or buy What We Found on Amazon.

Visit all the Book Hooks from #MFRWHooks - You might find your next great read! 

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. 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.

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. 

A #MFRWHooks for What We Found #Romance and #Mystery

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.

Excerpt:

I staggered back to Jay. My face felt strange, my lips pulled back in a weird grimace. “We have to call someone. Nine-one-one. The police.” I fumbled in my pocket for my phone.

My hand trembled as I lifted the phone toward my ear. Jay grabbed my wrist. “No.”

“What do you mean? We just found a body! We have to report it!”

He plucked the phone out of my hand. “We’re not telling anyone. We were never here.”

My hands dropped to my sides. “But – but – we can’t just – we have to – Jay, this is serious!”

“Exactly.” He pushed me toward the main path. “This is serious and we don’t want to be involved in it. Let somebody else find it.”

Kris Bock 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.

My #MFRWHooks for The Skeleton Canyon Treasure: #Romance and #Suspense in the Southwest

Last week I shared the opening of The Skeleton Canyon Treasure. Here's more of chapter 1:

He took a step toward her. “OK, I’m looking for someone.”

“A minute ago you were looking for me.”

He blew out a breath. “My uncle. He’s missing and I’m worried something happened to him. The trail led me here. I wasn’t sure at first which side you were on, and that’s why I wanted to look around before talking to you. But now that I see you, I can tell you wouldn’t have had anything to do with his disappearance.” His blue eyes twinkled, and the confident smile gave him a certain appeal. But if he thought she’d fall for shallow flattery, he was much mistaken. Even assuming one could consider it flattering to be told, “You’re probably too harmless to have kidnapped my uncle.”

She was sure he was lying about something, and probably about everything. His appearance shortly after the theft of her invention, a machine that might be worth millions, could not be a coincidence. One chance in 10,000 maybe. He, or his uncle if he really had an uncle, had to be connected somehow.

If she could figure out how, she might get her invention back. Let him keep underestimating her, as most men did. Camie turned on her own charm. She flashed a smile that had him blinking as if the light were too bright. “Let’s get that cup of coffee, and you can tell me about it.” That would get him out of her shop, and into a public place where it would be easier to get help if needed.

He nodded. “Lead the way.”

She led the way to the student center. The spot provided plenty of privacy without the isolation of her building. She gestured to the man as he sat across from her. “Explain. You might start with your name.”

“Ah, didn’t we get to that? I’m Ryan MacAllister.” He grinned. “Age 32. Occupation, mining geologist. Currently between contract jobs. References available upon request.”

She almost asked to see a driver’s license and those references. But that could wait. Better to let him think she trusted everything he said for the moment. “Tell me about your uncle, Ryan.”

He hesitated, but this time she didn’t get the impression he was stalling or making up lies. Rather, he didn’t seem to know how to start. Finally he said, “He’s brilliant. A genius. But, well, he doesn’t quite fit in with normal society.”

Camie nodded. A few of her geek friends fit that profile. Some people would say she did as well. She didn’t consider it a bad thing, since “normal society” tended to suck.

“His hobby is treasure hunting.”

Camie tensed slightly, but she thought she hid her reaction well enough. Things were beginning to make sense.

“He’s always chasing after some treasure or another, trying to put together clues from old manuscripts, sort out rumors from facts, and so on. Once in a while, rarely, he’s actually found something.”

“What has he been working on lately?”

“The Skeleton Canyon treasure.” He snapped the phrase and stared at her, as if expecting to surprise her into some kind of admission. When she simply gazed back, he added, “Heard of it?”

She shook her head. Her friend Erin was the expert when it came to history and legend. Camie was in charge of the technology, and she had wilderness experience that came in handy. Together they’d found one long-lost treasure several years before and gotten some fame for their success, but since then they’d done no more than offer occasional advice on treasure hunting. It wasn’t a vocation, or even a serious hobby.

He watched her for several more seconds, eyes narrowed in suspicion, before he went on. “Skeleton Canyon isn’t too far from here. Southeastern Arizona, near the New Mexico border. But no one knows where exactly the treasure is, of course. My uncle was trying to piece together some clues. He kept a journal. A few days ago, I received the journal in the mail. No explanation except for a note that said to hold onto it for him.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t that the plot of the third Indiana Jones movie?”

The Skeleton Canyon Treasure

When Camille Dagneau surprises a strange man in the college machine shop she runs, she is ready for battle. Ryan MacAllister seems equally suspicious of her, but he insists he’s merely looking for his missing uncle, who has disappeared while hunting for a lost treasure. He believes Camie is the key to finding the treasure, and his uncle. But Camie – beautiful, brilliant, and prickly – isn’t about to trust this oversized geologist, or the attraction she feels.

Following the clues in the missing man’s journal will take Camie, Ryan, and the cat Tiger on a trail through New Mexico and Arizona. They’ll visit the Tombstone graveyard at night, uncover clues in museums, and ultimately wind up in Skeleton Canyon, where rumor says nineteenth-century cowboy bandits secreted their treasure in a cave. To rescue Ryan’s uncle, they’ll face steep cliffs, twisty tunnels, and worse dangers in human form, but trusting each other may be the biggest challenge. And they’re running out of time ….

If you love suspense and romance, don’t miss this gripping adventure! The Southwest Treasure Hunters novels include The Mad Monk’s Treasure and The Dead Man’s Treasure. Each novel stands alone in this series mixing action and adventure with light romance. I’ve previously shared part of the first chapter from The Mad Monk’s Treasure, as well as the opening and a later excerpt from The Dead Man’s Treasure. 

Praise:

“The Skeleton Canyon Treasure is a light, breezy action/adventure/romance that's perfect for summer reading.”

"A great mystery, love story, and search for a treasure.”

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town.

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.

Quick Enchilada Casserole #Recipe for #MFRWauthor Blog Hop

In my novel  Counterfeits, the hero sends an enchilada casserole to the heroine and her friends for their lunch (gotta love a man who cooks). The following recipe is not traditional, but it’s my quicker and healthier version of an enchilada casserole. The directions are informal, as I cook by the “make it up as you go along” method.

Enchilada Casserole

Learn more at http://mfrw52week.blogspot.com/

Several handfuls of tortilla chips

One large onion

1 tablespoon oil for cooking

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 can (~10 oz) cream of chicken soup

1 can or jar (12-15 oz) of enchilada sauce (red or green)

1-2 cans (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Chopped green chile to taste

Optional: additional vegetables, such as shredded or chopped broccoli/carrots/squash, steamed spinach,  

1-2 cups shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, or Mexican blend cheese

• Spray oil a 9 x 13 casserole dish or rub lightly with oil.
• Scatter broken tortilla chips in the bottom of the dish. (This is a great way to use the broken chips at the bottom of the bag. It doesn’t matter what size they are or if they're stale.)
• Chop a large onion and sauté in oil.
• Add about 3 cups of chopped cooked chicken (from a rotisserie chicken, leftover cooked chicken, or frozen chicken tenders that you cook in advance)..
• Add cream of chicken soup, enchilada sauce, pinto beans, optional veggies, and green chile (or red chile powder). Mix well.
• Pour the chicken and sauce mixture over the tortilla chips. Cover with another layer of broken tortilla chips.
• Top with a layer of shredded cheddar, Jack, or Mexican cheese.
• Bake at 350° for about 45 min.

This is one of my standards, because it only takes about half an hour to put together, and it makes enough leftovers for lunches. If you try it, I hope you enjoy it! You can also vary it by using black beans or ground beef, by skipping the meat and adding vegetables, or by adding extra red chile powder or chopped green chile if you like it spicy. 

(In New Mexico, it's chile, not chili, when referring to the vegetable.)

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.

Fans of Mary Stewart, Barbara Michaels, and Terry Odell will want to check out Kris Bock’s romantic adventures. “Counterfeits is the kind of romantic suspense novel I have enjoyed since I first read Mary Stewart’s Moonspinners.” 5 Stars – Roberta at Sensuous Reviews blog

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.

A #MFRWHooks for What We Found #Romance and #Mystery

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.

Amazing #NewMexico Skies

Today I wanted to share more of the amazing scenery we've had with evening clouds. No other commentary necessary!

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 BFA in photography is used mainly to show Facebook friends how lovely New Mexico is.

Kris writes novels of suspense and romance in dramatic Southwestern landscapes. In The Mad Monk’s Treasure, friends hunt for a lost treasure in the desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, relatives compete to find a buried treasure. In The Skeleton Canyon Treasure, reader favorites Camie and the cat Tiger help track down a missing man.

Whispers in the Dark brings romance and suspense to an archaeology dig among ancient Southwest ruins. In the romantic mystery What We Found, a young woman uncovers a murder. In Counterfeits, stolen paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico mountain town.

Fans of Mary Stewart, Barbara Michaels, and Terry Odell should try Kris Bock’s romantic adventures. “Counterfeits is the kind of romantic suspense novel I have enjoyed since I first read Mary Stewart’s Moonspinners.” 5 Stars – Roberta at Sensuous Reviews blog

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.

New Mexico #Hiking North Baldy Trail

A couple of weeks ago, my hiking partners and I wanted a good trail without too much heat. The elevation of our part of central New Mexico (around 4800 feet) keeps it cooler than, say, Phoenix. But it's still pretty hot to hike in the summer.

Water Canyon, in central New Mexico between Socorro and Magdalena, has dozens of trails. The trail starting start at the bottom of the mountains can be good for cooler weather. Most of them head up the mountain, so they're an amazing workout. On hot summer days, hikers can start at the top of the mountains. It's about 20 degrees cooler up there, at around 10,000 feet, making it possible to hike even in July and August – but with such thin air, but use sunscreen!

To get to the North Baldy Trail, drive up the long, winding road from the campground. (Signs still claim this road is not good for passenger vehicles, but in recent years it has typically been fine. In summer you should have no problem even in a low-clearance car.) It takes about half an hour to drive up the road from the campground to the top. This is the view from the trailhead, looking away from the trail. Note the observatory in the upper right.

The Timber Ridge Trail also starts near here. North Baldy Trail, No. 8 as the sign indicates,  starts on the north side of the road. The trail takes you from South Baldy to North Baldy Peak, with views of Sierra Blanca, Mt. Taylor, the Sandias, Manzano, and Jemez Mountains. This trail starts in the forest, on a narrow, single file track. Soon it comes out onto the ridge. 

For much of the hike you can get amazing panoramic views in both directions (roughly east and west – the center of this picture is roughly north.)

We had some questions about this loose rubble. It looks like it must have fallen down from a higher peak, but this is the highest peak! We described it to my geologist husband, who suggested that these rocks collapsed on each other as the surrounding earth eroded away. A reminder that even the tallest mountain today might have been much taller in the past.

As a round-trip out and back, the hike is just over 10 miles. Of course, you can always turn around sooner!

Information on this and other local trails from Magdalena.

Kris 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.

Fans of Mary Stewart, Barbara Michaels, and Terry Odell will love Kris Bock’s romantic adventures. “Counterfeits is the kind of romantic suspense novel I have enjoyed since I first read Mary Stewart’s Moonspinners.” 5 Stars – Roberta at Sensuous Reviews blog

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.

A #Suspense and #Romance #MFRWHooks from @Kris_Bock

Whispers in the Dark

by Kris Bock

Chapter 1 excerpt:

What had I gotten myself into?

I closed my eyes. Yes, I was driving, but a moment of distraction seemed safe enough, since I hadn’t seen another car in half an hour. Even the jackrabbits and rattlesnakes were hiding in the shade, leaving the road clear of everything but rocks and ruts.

I was starting an adventure. I had to remind myself of that—an adventure. I wanted to be here. I wanted to get away from the city, the classroom and office, the people. You couldn’t get much farther away than this, a tiny cluster of seven-hundred-year-old ruins in the Four Corners area of the Southwest. I had found the middle of nowhere.

As I had wanted, I reminded myself.

The car bumped into a pothole and my head smacked back on the headrest. Maybe I needed to pay more attention to the road after all. I had almost gotten used to the constant vibration from the rough dirt track, but I still got an occasional surprise from potholes as big as wading pools and ridges the size of speed bumps.

The vast landscape drew my attention, the open space leaving me a bit breathless, a reverse of claustrophobia. At a glance the scene lacked color, a wash of parched tan that spoke of emptiness, drought, death. I clenched the steering wheel and breathed deeply through my nose to filter out the dust pouring through the open window. I’d shut off the air-conditioning hours ago to keep my wreck from overheating.

Creative Commons license

It wasn’t like I’d have to live in this dusty wasteland forever. I wanted to test myself in unfamiliar terrain, face life head-on, and prove I had healed. Then I could go back to normal life, stronger and ready to face more ordinary challenges. I didn’t have to love it here; I only had to survive.

But my eyes, adapted to New England’s green trees and grass, slowly started to appreciate this different palette. A painter probably could have named a dozen shades of brown, along with the soft reds—gentle shades of pink and orange and rust and purple—from the sandstone mesas. The scant vegetation added muted, dusty green. The rare patch of yellow wildflowers looked shockingly bright. And above it all lay the vast sky, incredibly blue and so bright it hurt my eyes to look up, even with sunglasses.

I gave a low whistle. “You’re not in Boston anymore.”

I saw a bump on the horizon, a tan cube that stood out against the undulating mesas only because of its straight lines and sharp angles. I took a quick breath and felt my heart rate speed. Almost there. I turned on the car radio, hoping for some distraction. The “seek” button scanned for five seconds before finally settling on a crackly voice. It sounded like a news program, something on tourists being careful about carjackings.

I had to smile. This, a bad neighborhood? Maybe for the mice.

I glanced around at the empty landscape. A black speck in the distant sky caught my eye, a hawk soaring in lazy circles. I shivered. I knew what it was like to be the mouse, helpless in a predator’s claws.

But not here. I refused to be the mouse out here.

Whispers in the Dark

Young archeologist Kylie Hafford heads to the remote Puebloan ruins of Lost Valley, Colorado, to excavate. Her first exploration of the crumbling ruins ends in a confrontation with a gorgeous, angry man who looks like a warrior from the Pueblo’s ancient past. If only Danesh weren’t so aggravating… and fascinating. Then she literally stumbles across Sean, a charming, playful tourist. His attentions feel safer, until she glimpses secrets he’d rather keep hidden.

The summer heats up as two sexy men pursue her. She finds mysteries – and surprising friendships – among the other campground residents. Could the wide-eyed woman and her silent children be in the kind of danger all too familiar to Kylie?

Mysterious lights, murmuring voices, and equipment gone missing plague her dig. A midnight encounter sends Kylie  plummeting into a deep canyon. She’ll need all her strength and wits to survive. Everything becomes clear – if she wants to save the man she’s come to love and see the villains brought to justice, she must face her demons and fight.

Whispers in the Dark, romantic suspense set in the Four Corners region of the Southwest, will appeal to fans of Mary Stewart, Barbara Michaels, and Terry Odell. This title stands alone and is not part of a series.

“This book kept me turning pages until the end. The plot was full of twists and turns, always keeping the reader rooting for the heroine. Excellent read!” Reader Suzanne B.

Visit all the Book Hooks author blogs. You might find your next great read!

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. 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.

Amazing #NewMexico Skies

Today I wanted to share some of the amazing scenery we've had with evening storms. No other commentary necessary!

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance set in Southwestern landscapes. In The Mad Monk’s Treasure, two friends hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, relatives follow a series of challenging clues to compete for a buried treasure. In The Skeleton Canyon Treasure, sparks fly when reader favorites Camie and the cat Tiger help a mysterious man track down his missing uncle.

Whispers in the Dark brings romantic suspense to an archaeology dig among ancient Southwest ruins. In the romantic mystery What We Found, a young woman finds a murder victim in the woods. In Counterfeits, stolen paintings bring danger to a small town in the New Mexico mountains. “Counterfeits is the kind of romantic suspense novel I have enjoyed since I first read Mary Stewart’s Moonspinners.” 5 Stars – Roberta at Sensuous Reviews blog 

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.