Heather was taking a math test when Mr. Scarlett, the vice principal, called her out in the hall to ask if she knew where Julie was. He was unusually stern.
“She has Phys Ed this period,” Heather said. Shouldn’t he know that?
“She’s not in class,” Mr. Scarlett said. “She wasn’t in Computer Applications first period, either. Your mother says she didn’t stay home sick.”
“No, she left before I did,” Heather said. She was mystified, and as the situation sank in, she experienced the first shudder of real fear. Julie liked school, and she would never cut classes. Their parents would kill them if they even thought of such a thing. They were not overly strict, but they were firm in their expectations that their daughters would always do the right thing.
She dug her cell phone, silenced during class, out of her purse, and dialed her sister’s number. It rang four times and went to voicemail. “It’s me,” she said. “Where are you? Call when you get this.”
Mystery/Suspense
Featured Post: Morgan’s Landing by Linda Griffin
I knew I wanted to be a “book maker” as soon as I learned to read and wrote my first story at the age of six. My passion for the printed word also led me to a career with the San Diego Public Library. I retired to spend more time on my writing and have had stories published in numerous literary journals Morgan’s Landing is my tenth book from The Wild Rose Press. In addition to the three R’s–reading, writing, and research–I enjoy travel, movies, Scrabble, and visiting museums and art galleries.
Featured Post: Thrown Away by Sheldon D. Newton
Sheldon D. Newton is a resident of the Bahamas. He is an author, pastor, international speaker, and a Senior Lecturer at Berea Theological University. He has written over forty books, which include three novels; Thrown Away, Genna’s Fight & Genna’s Ghost. He loves writing, reading, and sharing principles which enable people to live lives of purpose and fulfillment.
Featured Post: The Injustice of Valor by Gary Corbin
Gary Corbin is a writer, editor, and playwright in Camas, WA, a suburb of Portland, OR. Raised in a small town in New England, Gary has also lived in Louisiana (Geaux LSU Tigers!), Indiana (Go Hoosiers!), and Washington, DC before settling down in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
Join Gary’s mailing list (http://garycorbinwriting.com/about-gary-corbin/contact/) and be the first to be notified of free preview editions, 99 cent specials, free book promotions, and exclusive content.
Gary’s nine novels comprise three hit series featuring page-turning plots, flawed but lovable protagonists, and bad guys you love to hate.
His most recent works, the Valorie Dawes Thrillers, feature Valorie Dawes, a rookie policewoman with a #metoo past pursuing perpetrators of crimes against women in Clayton, CT. Val’s intuition, courage, and relentless hunger for justice sometimes pushes her close to–if not over–the line. Books in that series include A Woman of Valor (2019), In Search of Valor (2020), A Better Part of Valor (2021) and Mother of Valor (2022) follow Val’s path in pursuit of rapists, kidnappers, torturers, and sex traffckers. The fifth novel in that series, Under the Banner of Valor, is expected to release in Winter 2023/24.
Gary’s Lying Injustice Thrillers, his first series, is also his most decorated. Lying in Judgment, features Peter Robertson, a man serving on the jury of a murder trial–the murder that he committed. An Amazon.com best-selling legal thriller, Lying in Judgment selected as Bookworks.com “Book of the Week” for July 11-18, 2016, and was the feature novel on Literary Lightbox’s “Indie Spotlight” in February 2017. The sequel, Lying in Vengeance, released in September, 2017, explores the aftermath when a fellow juror blackmails him in hopes of forcing him to kill again–or be exposed for his first heinous crime.
Gary’s second novel, The Mountain Man’s Dog, came out in June 2016, kicking off the Mountain Man Mysteries series. Forester Lehigh Carter fears only two things: dogs and women. But when he rescues an injured dog on the highway and brings it into his ex-fiancee’s vet clinic, his fears collide, leading to an unwelcome deep dive into the worlds of romance, politics, pet ownership. The sequel, The Mountain Man’s Bride, was released Feb. 8, 2017. The third book in the series, The Mountain Man’s Badge, was released in June, 2018.
All of these mysteries are available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.
Gary’s plays have enjoyed critical acclaim and have enjoyed several productions in regional and community theaters. His writer’s reference, Write Better Right Now: A Dozen Mistakes Good Writers Make-And How to Fix Them, is available exclusively on Kindle.
Gary is a member of the Willamette Writers Group, Northwest Editors Guild, 9 Bridges Writers Group, PDX Playwrights, the Portland Area Theater Alliance, and the Bar Noir Writers Workshop, and participates in workshops and conferences in the Portland, Oregon area.
A homebrewer and coffee roaster, Gary loves to ski, cook, and watch his beloved Red Sox and Patriots. He hopes to someday train his dogs to obey. And when that doesn’t work, he escapes to the Oregon coast with his sweetheart.
FEATURED: The Bone Trap by Tormod Cockburn
About Featured Book: The Bone Trap by Tormod Cockburn Free on Amazon 19-23 Feb. With 1700 5-star reviews, 'The Bone Trap' kicks off a nine-book series. Reviewers say it's a thrilling novel with a hint of the supernatural. A struggling scientist holds a potential...
FEATURED: The Missing Schoolgirls by Peter Zander-Howell
About Featured Book: The Missing Schoolgirls by Peter Zander-Howell In 1938, two fourteen-year-old girls go missing from an exclusive boarding school. Did they abscond, or have they been kidnapped? The girls’ parents - and indeed the parents of many other pupils –...
Featured Post: DARK LITTLE SECRETS by Willow Rose
Willow Rose is a multi-million-copy best-selling Author and an ALL-star Author of more than 100 novels.
She has sold more than six million books that are translated into many languages.
Willow’s books are fast-paced, nail-biting pageturners with twists you won’t see coming.
That’s why her fans call her The Queen of Plot Twists.
Willow lives on Florida’s Space Coast with her kids, two cats, and her Goldendoodle. When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and watching the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
Featured Post: AVENGING ANGEL: Love and Death in Old Brooklyn by Charles S Isaacs
Charles S. Isaacs has been a schoolteacher, a college professor, a community organizer, a Congressional consultant, a social activist, a gambler and an occasional journalist. He has written opinion columns and feature stories for numerous newspapers and magazines. During recent decades, he has been a consultant to dozens of non-profit organizations operating in the social justice arena. His published work includes fiction, poetry and award-winning non-fiction.
Featured Post: Ghost of Honor: A Ghost Cozy Mystery Series (Haunted Everly After Book 13) by ReGina Welling Erin Lynn
ReGina Welling and Erin Lynn are a mother-daughter writing team. Together, they have penned four series, The Fate Weaver series, the Ponderosa Pines Cozy Mysteries, the Mag & Clara Balefire Mysteries, and the Haunted Everly After Mysteries. ReGina is also the author of the Psychic Seasons books and Earthbound series. They live in rural Maine.
Check out one of our featured posts!
FEATURED: Sold to the Silver Foxes by Laylah Snow
About Featured Book: Sold to the Silver Foxes by Laylah Snow I sold my soul to three devils in designer suits… For one entire month. It was either auctioning off my virginity to three billionaire brothers... Or risk losing my sister. I didn’t have to think twice. But...
FEATURED: Brokenness and New Beginnings: A Story of Hope For Those Facing Separation and Divorce by Francis P. DeLellis
About Featured Book: Brokenness and New Beginnings: A Story of Hope For Those Facing Separation and Divorce by Francis P. DeLellis A survivor of separation and divorce, Francis P. DeLellis opens his heart and all the pain it held for the world to see, with the hope of...
FEATURED: My Brother’s Best Friends by Natasha L. Black
About Featured Book: My Brother's Best Friends by Natasha L. Black "There's zero chance of knowing who the father is. Identical triplets share almost identical DNA." The words slam into me like a freight train. Oh. Hell. How did I let this happen? After losing my job...
FEATURED: Silver Fox Daddies by Liz Archer
About Featured Book: Silver Fox Daddies by Liz Archer Three silver fox bikers. Two pink lines. One drunk voicemail. And zero clue who the daddy is. I’m a librarian. But one drunk voicemail later, I lost my v-card to three bikers twice my age. Now I’m pregnant… And the...
FEATURED: Claimed by the Deputies by Kai Lesy
About Featured Book: Claimed by the Deputies by Kai Lesy One moment I’m alone, fantasizing about the grumpy silver-fox next door. The next, my vibrator explodes. Then... He. Shows. Up. Sheriff Lucas Riggs. My next-door neighbor with a hero complex and a jawline made...
FEATURED: Southpaw by Dennis Gilfeather
About Featured Book: Dennis Gilfeather, Southpaw by Dennis Gilfeather Dennis Gilfeather a young Scottish pugilist who practices the noble art of boxing.... "There seemed to be a huge gaping hole inside of me. I wanted some answers but didn’t know where to look. I felt...
FEATURED: Mind Unleashed: Mastering Your Mental Potential by NP Chambers
About Featured Book: Mind Unleashed: Mastering Your Mental Potential by Np Chambers Master the Inner Workings of Your Mind Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your mind and transform your life? Dive into a compelling journey of mental mastery with Mind...
FEATURED: Shine a Light by Nicky Corcoran
About Featured Book: Shine a Light by Nicky Corcoran My book ‘Shine a Light’ is an updated version (Updated in May 2025). The paperback is written in English and is priced at £5.50. It is also available in kindle unlimited for free. ‘Shine A Light’ puts a spotlight on...
FEATURED: His Son’s Ex by K.C. Crowne
About Featured Book: His Son's Ex by K.C. Crowne Crashing my ex’s wedding was for closure… Until his plastic bride called me fat in front of everyone. Three hundred witnesses. Dead silence. That's when the Mafia king put her in her place. Dante Bellacino. Devil in an...
Featured Author Interview: Joachim Lépine
Tell us about yourself.: I teach marketing for people who hate marketing with a passion. As a translator by trade who built two highly successful businesses from the ground up, I love helping fellow introverts translate their natural qualities into marketing...