Little Blue

 

New York musician Jude Rossi's world is shattered when his 14-year-old daughter, Little Blue—a rising star in the music scene—dies unexpectedly at her record deal party.

Though the coroner’s report lists “overdose,” Jude knows that his daughter’s disdain for drugs means there’s something far more sinister at play. With no means to investigate, he spirals into a dark abyss of grief, turning his back on his once-thriving music career.

Two years later, Jude works as a low-paid janitor in a boxing gym. One fateful night he encounters Mad Madge, a homeless woman claiming she can reconnect him with his daughter. Desperate and intoxicated, he consumes a strange serum and is thrust into a nightmarish realm. There, Little Blue’s spirit reveals that a snake-tattooed man is responsible for her death, igniting a fierce hunger for vengeance when Jude awakens in a hospital bed.

As Jude spirals deeper into his obsession, he meets Lauren Banks, an addiction psychology student who distracts him from his deadly vendetta. With her help, he begins to reclaim the life he lost, even landing a job at her father's entertainment law firm. But the haunting messages from spirits pull him back into the darkness, unraveling a web of truths about music industry execs and his daughter’s tragic end.

Nothing will stop Jude from seeking revenge for his little girl. However, he is unprepared for the lengths some will go to protect their secrets and power.

my review...

I can’t know what it feels like to lose a child, but I can see the devastation that it could cause. That happened to Jude Rossi when he lost his daughter. But somehow, in his complete downfall, there are just too many questions in his mind.

I would normally tell you that paranormal is not one of my favorite genres, but Little Blue has a bit of everything. I think the mystery and suspense created by the author made the paranormal seem in the background. My mind always seemed to be focused on the outcome.

An excellent read that can't help but pull on your heartstrings. I will definitely put some more of her books on my TBR list.

read an excerpt...

My gaze locks on the hospital bed where, under the tangled mess of tubes, wires, and electrodes, my child lies motionless. I step toward her, my feet moving on their own. “Daddy’s here, Little Blue. You can wake up now,” I whisper.

Kim, my daughter’s mother, sniffs. “The doctors found Fentanyl in her system.”

“That’s impossible.” I gently stroke Little Blue’s hair. “She would never take drugs.”

Tears stream down my cheeks as I stare at my child, willing her to wake up. I reach down to touch her cold hand and a loud, continuous beep erupts from the equipment.

Kim panics. “What’s going on?”

Footsteps echo down the hallway, and two nurses enter the room. One rushes to a gray machine positioned beside Little Blue’s bed. The nurse’s hands move swiftly as she presses a series of buttons on the screen.

She motions for me to step aside as a doctor bursts into the room. He heads directly to Little Blue’s bed, his movements precise and urgent as he takes her vitals. I stand paralyzed, helplessly watching as the doctor barks out “Code blue,” and one of the nurses darts out of the room. The doctor turns and motions towards the door, “she’s gone into cardiac arrest,” he says, “I need you to wait in the hallway.”

Kim screams. “Oh my God! Please help my baby!”

Her father wraps his arms around her and ushers her out of the room. His wife, sobbing uncontrollably, follows close behind.

“You too, sir.” The doctor points to the door.

I shake my head. “I need to be with my child. I can’t leave her alone.”

Two nurses enter, pushing a cart loaded with medical equipment. One of them locks eyes with me. “You have to leave.”

Reluctantly I step backward, keeping my eyes fixed on my daughter—my only child—lying vulnerable amidst a flurry of frantic medical staff. This can't be real. I’m in a nightmare I can’t escape.

Kim’s anguished cries reverberate down the hallway, mingling with the sounds of urgent activity. I’m helpless as I witness the chaos unfolding around me.

And then, just as swiftly as the medical team had rushed in to save my child, all activity stops and the team files out of the room. No one meets my gaze. The last to exit is the doctor. He stops in front of me, takes a deep breath, and shakes his head. “I’m sorry,” he says. “We did everything we could. But between her brain injury and the drugs in her system, her heart just wasn’t strong enough.”

He places a hand on my shoulder before walking down the hall to deliver the news to Kim and her parents. Moments later, Kim’s primal scream pierces the air, followed by the sounds of her collapsing to the floor.

Enveloped in a fog of shock and disbelief, I turn away from the room where my child lies and move towards her mother, each step heavier as the weight of the doctor's words settles in. Amidst the agony and confusion, a grim certainty emerges from deep in my guts: the bright light that was my daughter has been extinguished, not by a tragic accident but by some nameless evil.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Jay Lang grew up on the ocean, splitting her time between Read Island and Vancouver Island before moving to Vancouver to work as a TV, film and commercial actress. Eventually she left the industry for a quieter life on a live-a-board boat, where she worked as a clothing designer for rock bands. Five years later she moved to Abbotsford to attend university. There, she fell in love with creative writing.  Little Blue is her twelfth novel published by BWL Publishing Inc.  Jay spends her days hiking and drawing inspiration for her writing from nature.

 

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