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| Mystery/Suspense/Domestic Thriller |
If you love the suspense and plot twists of domestic thrillers, this page-turner will be for you. Seamus McCree’s first solo bodyguard assignment goes from bad to worse. His client disappears. His granddog finds a buried human bone. Police find a fresh human body.
His client is to testify in a Chicago money laundering trial. He’s paranoid that with a price on his head, if the police know where he’s staying, the information will leak. Seamus promised his business partner and lover, Abigail Hancock, that he’d keep the witness safe at the McCree family camp located deep in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan’s woods.
Abigail is furious at his incompetence and their relationship flounders. Even his often-helpful son, Paddy, must put family safety ahead of helping his father. Seamus risks his own safety and freedom to turn amateur sleuth in hopes he can solve the crimes, fulfill his promise of protection, and win back Abigail. Wit and grit are on his side, but the clock is ticking . . . and the hit man is on his way.
His client is to testify in a Chicago money laundering trial. He’s paranoid that with a price on his head, if the police know where he’s staying, the information will leak. Seamus promised his business partner and lover, Abigail Hancock, that he’d keep the witness safe at the McCree family camp located deep in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan’s woods.
Abigail is furious at his incompetence and their relationship flounders. Even his often-helpful son, Paddy, must put family safety ahead of helping his father. Seamus risks his own safety and freedom to turn amateur sleuth in hopes he can solve the crimes, fulfill his promise of protection, and win back Abigail. Wit and grit are on his side, but the clock is ticking . . . and the hit man is on his way.
EXCERPT
“Silver-tongued even as a kid. Comin back, he wore his money loud. Rentin a million-dollar spread on Chicaugon Lake. Sportin an Amasa bumper sticker on his brandy-new Escalade SUV was kinda rubbin everyone’s nose in it, wouldn’t you say? I know he tried callin some of the folks he knew, and they wasn’t much interested in seein him, ’cept a few of the guys who thought maybe they could hit him up for a job. My daughter, Jenny, and her husband turned down his offer to buy them dinner. You got me talkin, Seamus, and I don’t remember
“I’m not even sure I had one, and I don’t have the excuse of having a piano key for every birthday either. You want to stay here tonight rather than drive to town?”
“Oh, hell no. I woulda kept drinkin if I was gonna do that. I’m off. You give me a call first thing if Elliot shows. Otherwise, I’ll give Pete Bjork a holler, let him decide whether to call the sheriff.”
“Can I ask one more favor? Can you drop me near where I left my other ATV? I’ll walk in the rest of the way and bring it home.”
Owen produced a large yawn. “Roger Wilco that.”
What, Patrick wondered, did Owen mean using the name of the main character of the Space Quest science-fiction computer games he had discovered twenty years ago at a church rummage sale? A janitor with a quest for “truth, justice and really clean floors” didn’t seem to fit at all.
MY REVIEW
Seamus McCree is the kind of guy you love in books…breaks
the rules a little but always to get to the truth and do the right thing. Just what I always want my heroes to be like.
Someone saving me from the Happy Reaper. He reminds me a little of Travis McGee
and I loved reading about him, the people who care about him and the people he
cares about. In the midst of this tough, grimy chase for murderers, Seamus has
a grandchild which allows us to see many sides to him. That’s part of what
makes this such an easy and yet exciting read.
If this is the paragraph that a reviewer is supposed to talk
about the skills of the writer then I need lots of room. This book is
well-written in pretty well all of the ways we learned a book was supposed to
be built. I think you already have an idea of what I think about this
storyline. This plot and its development have you sitting on the edge of your
seat much of the time. The reason the
story is so gripping is because Jackson is excellent at calming you down,
describing beautiful scenery where you really begin to enjoy yourself and then
boom (did I say boom) well…it feels like that when he surprises you with
something you just did not expect. As far as his characters are concerned, they
fit right into this story and he teaches you to know them and most importantly
to be a part of them. You know what
happens then don’t you? You never ever put the book down. That’s how a good
writer crafts a story that you live in until the end. Now I’ll have to sit on
the edge of my seat waiting for another book.
**This book was provided to me free of charge in exchange for an honest review.
READ INTERVIEW from James Jackson HERE.
His answers are as interesting as his book.
AUTHOR Bio and Links: (Really an exciting Giveaway by the author below)
James M. Jackson authors the Seamus McCree series consisting of five novels and one novella. Jim splits his time between the deep woods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and
Georgia’s Lowcountry. He claims the moves between locations are weather-related, but others suggest they may have more to do with not overstaying his welcome. He is the past president of the 700+ member Guppy Chapter of Sisters in Crime. You can find information about Jim and his books at http://jamesmjackson.com. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads and/or Amazon.
James M. Jackson will be awarding the chance to name a character who will appear in FALSE BOTTOM (Seamus McCree #6) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for having me today -- and I'm particularly glad you enjoyed Empty Promises.
ReplyDeleteI'll stop back in later to respond to any comments or questions your readers have.
Very glad to have such a book on my blog and wish you the best of luck with it.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed that sample of the book. Thank you. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteKarenM -- that's the plan -- you too!
ReplyDelete