Last week I shared an excerpt from What We Found. Here's another, from a bit later in the book.
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.”
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.
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
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. 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.
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.
