Sharon's INSPIRATIONAL Short stories of Faith and Romance can be found HERE or visit her
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Friday, April 30, 2010

Mask of the Betrayer Available today!

MASK OF THE BETRAYER

Sharon Donovan

Fiction-Psychological thriller/suspense

Whimsical Publications,

LLC/paperback 282 pages

April 2010

$13.95

ISBN-13: 978-1-936167-06-7

When the whispers in the night, the whispers of her lover, are the whispers of a killer, will Margot escape before she becomes the next victim?

Deep in the foothills of Red Rock Canyon, a serial killer stalks. He leaves his signature—a skull mask on the corpse. But when the homicide cop realizes the crimes are the reenactment of a case never solved ten years ago--all fingers point to Michael DeVeccio. And when Margot realizes she is married to the killer, her life
becomes a living nightmare.

Excerpt:

Suspecting her affair with Carlos, he had surveillance equipment installed all over the mansion. Once he showed her the very graphic video of her and his uncle going at it in the satin-lined coffin, he’d used it to his advantage.

Michael suspected his uncle knew more about his parents’ accident than he’d let on, but couldn’t prove a thing. Desperate to uncover the truth, Michael blackmailedCandace into getting Carlos to confess on tape. If she failed, she’d be killed. Stuck between a rock and a hard spot, Candace had done things to the old coot that disgusted even her. But those things had made the old man sing like a canary and the taped confession had saved her life. After her mission was a done deal, Michael kicked her out of Vegas and told her if she ever returned, he would rip her lung out.

Reaching Carlos DeVeccio’s bedroom, she got a little thrill as old memories surfaced. Just a few more seconds and she’d fall into the arms of her lover. She smiled to herself. She had returned to Vegas for a reason. She was flat broke. But after tonight, Michael would be her ticket back into the world of luxury. Then she’d be mistress of the manor once more. And more to the point, she’d have access to his billion dollar bank
roll.

With a devious smile, she pushed her way through the heavy mahogany door. Crossing the threshold, she entered the house of horrors. Carlos DeVeccio had been a real nut, one straight out of the books. But with her fetish for face masks, she loved his collection and had often come into his wing just to admire them. What a thrill it had been to have sex in the coffin, howling along with the werewolf. Some might think it a
bit kinky, but they didn’t know what they were missing. Calling out to her lover, her pulse quickened a beat. “Michael? Are you here yet, darling?”

That’s when she heard it, manic laughter from the final circle of hell. A slither of fear trickled down her spine, releasing a wild rush of adrenaline. Carlos?

She thought about the death of Lacy Diamond. Two Ninja assassinations were no coincidence. Sensing danger, she felt for her sword. It was gone. Panic soared through her. Where the hell was it?

The laughter got louder and louder, moving in closer and closer. It seemed to be bouncing off the walls. She couldn’t tell from which direction it was coming. Just then, the bell in the tower gonged, thundering off the walls like canon balls. Instinctively, she covered her ears with her hands. Where the hell was Michael?

Evil eyes from the face masks followed her every move. She had to escape this hell before it was too late. She couldn’t think over the gonging of the bell. Every few seconds, the werewolf howled at the moon. She screamed, even though she knew no one would ever hear her. Floundering in wild disarray, disoriented by the darkness and relentless gonging, she searched in vain for the door. Her arms swam in mid-air, like a person drowning, desperate for an anchor, something to hold onto. She reached out and grabbed at nothing. She had to find a way out of this mausoleum of the living dead before it was too late. Where the hell was Michael?

The laughter got closer. Perspiration drenched her skin. The chilling laughter echoed in her ears, louder and louder, closer and closer. The bell in the bell tower broke through the thin filament of sanity she had left. The werewolf open his mouth and howled at the moon. Where was Michael? He’d know what to do. He was a master swordsman. His fencing skills were extraordinary. He could wield a Ninja star with his  eyes closed and hit the mark. Where was he?

Blood thundered in her ears, but not loud enough to block out the manic laughter. It was close but she couldn’t see a thing. She wished she had her sword. She turned to run; it was too late. She heard a distinct click. The killer had just depressed the button on her Zorro sword, releasing the thirty-seven inch blade. His psychotic laughter reached an ear-splitting crescendo just as the bell in the tower gonged out its last
chime. From the dark shadows, Valentino pounced, her Zorro sword gleaming in the moonlight.

“Surprise!” he thrust the sword into her heart. “I promised to make you scream, darling Candace. Let me hear you scream.”


MASK OF THE BETRAYER

AVAILABLE NOW!

Whimsical Publications, LLC

www.whimsicalpublications.com


BUY LINK:

print and ebook once it's available:

http://www.whimsicalpublications.com/books.html

12 comments:

P.L. Parker said...

Congratulations - sounds great Sharon.

Debra St. John said...

Congrats on your release!

I have shivers going up and down my spine!

Candace Morehouse said...

Ooh, this sounds so good, Sharon. Congrats on the new release! I love the character's name (of course) but she sounds like a real bee-atch. Great excerpt!

Sharon Donovan said...

Thanks, Patsy. Debra, that's good with a spine tingler! Candace, of course it's a beautiful name, and her personality is no reflection on you, of course!

Jane Richardson said...

WOW, this sounds amazing, Sharon - real edge-of-the-seat stuff! Loads and loads of good luck for your release, my friend, it's going to be a winner!

Jane x

Hywela Lyn said...

Congratulations on your release Sharon, dear friend. This like an intriguing, edge of the seat book. Can't wait to read it.
Wishing you loads and loads of sales.

Liana Laverentz said...

Happy release day, Sharon! Here's to many more!

Liana Laverentz
www.lianalaverentz.com

M.Flagg said...

Congratulations on your new release, Sharon! Great excerpt, too! I wish you tons of sales.

Anne Patrick said...

Wow! Now I have goose bumps. Awesome excerpt, Sharon!

Best of luck to you with your new release! I wish you lots of sales.

Sharon Donovan said...

Hello, ladies! Thank you so much for your well wishes on Mask of the Betrayer. I do so appreciate your encouragement. Oliver, glasses of champagne all around for these fine women! Oh, yes, and by all means bring the chocolate covered strawberries.
Sharon

Cate Masters said...

Very exciting, Sharon! Huge congrats!

Mary Ricksen said...

Sharon I am so happy for you!!!
I'm dancin' in my head!