The Blaze Trilogy

WHISPERS [Dean Koontz] meets BACKDRAFT [Kirk Mitchell] meets JIGSAW [Ed McBain]

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SMOKE: A small town sheriff tracks a psychopath targeting members of a retired mariner's family. (on submission)

Excerpt:
It was her uncanny likeness to Adele, his adoptive sister, that made him stare at her. She sat to one side of a barstool with an arm propped on the padded edge. Nice-looking legs were crossed beneath a short denim skirt. She sipped a margarita. Checked out the Saturday night crowd in the intimate saloon setting, smiled and waved at anyone she knew.

He sat at the bar. The slow moving couples on the dance floor reminded him of his brief stint as a deckhand on a cargo ship and the way the vessel rocked side to side on the rolling sea in advance of a storm. He loved it, even when he was almost swept overboard by a crashing wave.

Jim retrieved the pack of Morillos in his shirt pocket. One by one, the single men honed in on her only to get shot down. He lit a cigarette to curb a satisfied smile.

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FIRE (working title): A reporter furthers his budding career as a crime scene photographer by filming new construction being set ablaze by his older brother who has a dark secret of his own. (second draft in progress)

Excerpt:
Flames reached the height of the nearby trees and glowed magnificently against the night sky. A thick layer of fog shrouded the mountain and mingled with a great wave of black smoke as it rapidly devoured the lower half of a full moon. Frightened deer were driven deeper into the wood to find relief from the intense heat.

He breathed deep. Smiled about the sights and sounds being recorded on his camera. Watching the house burn to the ground was exciting. Hearing the terrified screams of the people trapped inside aroused him.

He didn't know the newlyweds had already moved in. Damn place is still under construction.

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ASHES (working title): In a deadly game of Scavenger Hunt, clues to the whereabouts of a kidnapped woman lead authorities to the charred remains of a farmhouse. (plotted)

[Each story is a standalone.]

Copyright 2010 Sharon Austin All Rights Reserved