What if you found out your husband was cheating? What if his lover turned up dead?: Killer Motives a Psychological Thriller, Suspense by Bonnie Traymore Book Tour with Guest Post and Giveaway
What if you found out your husband was cheating?
What if his lover turned up dead?
Killer Motives
Hudson Valley Series Book 1
by Bonnie Traymore
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Suspense
Readers' Favorite 2023 Silver Medal Award Winner,
Mystery-Murder
Audiobook Reviewer 2023 Best Mystery Award
"This
book has all the twists and turns that make a thriller worth reading"
- Amazon
Victoria’s life isn’t as perfect as it
seems. But with two homicide detectives on her doorstep, it's about
to get a lot worse.
Still reeling from the shocking
discovery that her husband is having a passionate affair with
his real estate client, Victoria struggles to process the
mind-blowing news that Nick’s lover is dead—brutally
murdered in cold blood on the very same evening she
uncovered the truth.
And now two detectives are on her
doorstep, waiting to question both of them. Is she a suspect?
With
little hard evidence and no shortage of suspects with "killer
motives," Detectives Jack Stark and Lexi Sanchez are under
intense pressure to solve the high-profile murder case that rocks the
picturesque village of Tarrytown just as the town is gearing up for
the area’s annual Halloween festivities and an influx of
tourists.
As Victoria sets out to clear herself and find
out the truth, she’s faced with two terrifying possibilities—either
her husband is a murderer or someone is out to get them.
Conflicted
about her marriage and emotionally raw, she sets out to find the
truth about what happened that night.
But does she
really want to know?
Perfect for fans of Shari Lapena,
Jeneva Rose, Sarah Pekkanen, Kaira Rouda, or Shalini Boland.
"This
book was exciting, had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, revenge, a
fantastic who done it and some crazy twists and turns!"
-NetGalley
"A compelling and suspenseful thriller
with intriguing twists and turns." - Amazon
"Great
book! Great storyline!" - Amazon
"This book is
awesome sexy & suspenseful!" - Amazon
For
fans of Daniel Hurst, Shari Lapena, Shalini Boland, Kaira Rouda,
Minka Kent, Jeneva Rose, or Leslie Wolfe.
Amazon * Audiobook * Bookbub * Goodreads
Victoria was home working off some nervous energy as she put
the dishes away and wiped
yesterday’s smudges off the white Shaker cabinet doors. Out
the kitchen window, the sun
sparkled magically on the Hudson River reflecting the scarlet
and gold of the fall foliage clinging
to its steep banks. Her melancholy mood from the evening
before had turned to excitement,
bolstered by a bit too much caffeine on an empty stomach and
her Alanis jams playing in the
background. She had already called her attorney and had an
appointment for next week. She
would put all that out of mind until then. Today, she had a
meeting scheduled at her office at
eleven this morning, an important one, and her benefit dinner
tonight. It was now half past nine
and she needed to get going. She was almost finished emptying
the dishwasher in her methodical
manner--only a few cups were left--when her cell phone
vibrated against the granite island
countertop, its dark surface blending in with the stone. She
reached over to grab it. There was a
text from her husband: It’s an emergency. Call me.
There were also three missed calls from him and a voicemail.
Nick was not given to
hyperbole. Quite the opposite. He was actually a bit too laid
back, never worrying much about
anything. He had never sent a text like that before. She
called immediately, not bothering to
check her voicemail, putting it on speaker as she finished
her chores.
“Vic?” His voice was soft, almost apologetic. He didn’t seem
hurt or in danger.
“Nick. What is it?” She felt mildly annoyed, already.
“I have something to tell you, and I’m warning you it’s
pretty shocking.” Was he actually
going to confess about the affair now? Over a cell call? That
was totally unlike him.
“I have to get to work, Nick. What’s so urgent?” She was
starting to wish she’d ignored his
text.
“My client. From the Shady Hill property. The one I went to
see last night? The police called
me. She was found dead. At her house. This morning.”
Victoria placed the last clean mug on the counter. Dead? A
heart attack or something? No.
The police wouldn’t call Nick for something like that. There
had to be more to it. She picked up
the phone and took it off speaker.
“What happened?” She wasn’t sure she wanted to know the
answer.
“I don’t know, but a homicide detective is meeting me at the
house any minute now. They
called and wanted to meet with me in person. ‘See if I could
shed some light on it,’ was how he
put it. Jeff told me to meet them at our house, not at the
station.”
“Homicide? She was murdered?” Victoria had to hand it to
Nick. This certainly reached the
bar of ‘emergency.’
“They didn’t say that, exactly. He said he’d tell me more in
person. I don’t know much more
than you do at this point. What if I was the last person to
see her alive, Vic?” Nick’s voice was
shakier now, almost panicky.
“So? You’re certainly not responsible for her death?”
“That’s what Jeff said.”
“What does Jeff have to do with this? You called Jeff before
you called me?” She thought
that sounded like the actions of a guilty person, reaching
out to your attorney friend. But guilty
of what?
“He’s an attorney! And he knows her! I told you, remember?
They had that law suit going.
Let’s not do this now. Please!” His tone was harsher now,
devoid of sentimentality. “I just
wanted to give you a heads-up. The detective might get there
before I do. They’ll probably want
to question you too. Tell them I’m on my way. I’d appreciate
some support. I’m your husband,
Victoria, please try to remember that.” He hung up.
She picked up the mug she’d left on the counter, looking out
to the sun’s rays sparkling on
the Hudson, her thoughts suspended in the timeless currents
of the flowing river. It was all
starting to hit her now, just what a disaster this was. The
photos that were supposed to liberate
her from the marriage were now a liability, potentially
placing her at a crime scene. What do
detectives look for? Means, motive, and opportunity? She had
two out of three for now. Should
she be worried? And what about Nick? He was acting strangely
last night, and she’d attributed it
to a guilty conscience. The affair, she assumed. But could it
have been more? She knew Nick
wasn’t overtly violent, but anyone could commit murder given
the right circumstances. What if
the woman had gotten pushy? Demanding? Threatening? How far
would Nick go to protect what
was his? She needed time to think, consult with an attorney.
But she didn’t have the luxury of
time.
The gate buzzer sounded, jolting her out of her stupor, and
the mug slipped from her hand,
shattering into pieces on the travertine tile floor. She
quickly picked up the big chunks, but the
shards of porcelain would have to wait.
Which of your novels can you imagine made into a movie?
Of all my novels, the setting of Killer Motives begs for the
big screen. The Hudson Valley is
spectacularly beautiful, and the region is steeped in
history and legend. Setting the book there
just before Halloween, which is the biggest holiday of the
year in Sleepy Hollow/Tarrytown,
makes it all the more inviting. I can see the images of the
Halloween parade, the backdrop of the
Hudson River, a few scenes in Manhattan. We actually won
Best Audiobook Mystery from
Audiobook Reviewer Magazine, Robin McAlpine and myself, and
no small part due to Robin’s
expert narration bringing it to life. Imagine what a visual
element would bring. Come on all you
film people out there. Let’s do this!
Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?
I just wrote a short story about the detective in this book,
Jack Stark. In Killer Motives, Jack
talks about cold cases that he goes back to once in a while
and works on. I always had this idea
to bring to Honolulu for a cold case here, so the story goes
back in time 30 years prior when he
was married to another woman who he later divorced. And then
it goes past the series when he
comes to Honolulu with his new wife, who was a character in
one of the books. I just wrote the
story and am mulling over whether it’s good enough to put up
on my website as a freebie. I had
to write it though, because sometimes a story will just
stick in my head until I get it on the page.
Advice they would give new authors?
I just read Stephen King’s On Writing. It was excellent, not
only as a writing advice book but as
a memoir. It made me think a lot about why I do this. It
also had some great tips for craft. But
more than anything else, it validated what I’d already
pretty much gleaned on my own. It never
gets any easier, and we are all constantly filled with
self-doubt about our next book, even the
GOATS.
What is something unique/quirky about you?
I’m a little neurotic and I like things a certain way. If I
see a doormat that’s crooked for example,
I will straighten it. Before we go to bed, I have to have
all the pillows on the sofa in the right
place. My husband will mess with me and like move them after
I get them in the right place and I
tell him you’re messing with the universe, dude. Sometimes I
put this into my writing. For
example, in The Stepfamily, when Laura Foster goes out to
check her car and pump the brakes
before driving down the hill, she mentions that she’s the
kind of person who runs back into the
house to make sure she’s turned off the stove. I used to be
the kind of person who had to pull
back the handle on the mailbox to make sure the letter
dropped down, but they’ve replaced those
with slots so that doesn’t happen much anymore. Phew!
Bonnie Traymore is the award-winning, Amazon best selling author of page-turner mystery/thrillers that hit close to home. Her books feature strong but relatable female protagonists. The plots explore difficult topics such as jealousy, infidelity, murder, and the impact of psychological disorders, but she also includes bits of romance and humor to lighten the mood from time to time. She's an active status member of International Thriller Writers and Mystery Writers of America.
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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
$10 Amazon giftcard – 1 winner,
Audiobook of Killer Motives – 2 winners!
This looks really interesting. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good thriller. I like the excerpt.
ReplyDelete