Title: Girl of Lies Author: Charles Sheehan-Miles
Series: Rachel's Peril #1
Publisher: Cincinnatus Press
Release Date: December 19, 2013
Genre: Mystery
More Info: Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon US
Purchase: Barnes & Noble
Andrea Thompson is smart, assertive and beautiful. She’s also desperately lonely. Raised in Europe by her grandmother, she struggles knowing neither of her parents wanted her, and she has no idea why.
When Andrea receives an urgent call from her older sister Carrie, she agrees to fly to the United States to help. Carrie’s newborn daughter Rachel needs a bone marrow transplant.
What Andrea doesn’t know is that her return to the United States will launch a chain of events that will uncover secrets hidden for decades. Secrets which will rock the Thompson family and ignite a political firestorm.
Secrets that some will kill to protect.
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Excerpt:
Dylan
“Give me one of those.” Sarah was slumped back in a cast iron chair as she said the words, her injured leg tucked up in front of her.
“Hell, no,” Dylan said as he lit his cigarette, shielding the lighter from the wind. He took a long drag from the cigarette, the coal lighting up, the faint sound of the tobacco burning audibly in his ears.
“I’m eighteen now.”
He raised an eyebrow, glancing over at her. After the too intense discussion with Carrie, he’d stepped outside for a smoke, planning on a little solitude. Sarah had followed him out onto the balcony. Twenty stories up, he could see most of Bethesda and parts of northwest Washington, DC spread out below his feet.
“I don’t give a shit if you’re thirty,” Dylan said. “I’m not giving you a cigarette. If you want one that bad, buy your own.”
“You’re kidding, right? I don’t leave the house. I’m a cripple, didn’t you know that?”
He slumped into the seat across from her. “You’re no more a cripple than I am. Actually your injuries weren’t as bad as mine.”
She shrugged. “I’m not a soldier.”
“Better toughen up, then. What’s this about you being a cripple?”
She sneered. “It’s nothing. Mom and Dad basically laid down the rule I couldn’t ever leave without an escort.”
“Alex said you home schooled this year?”
“Tutors, mostly. I can’t imagine what it cost. But it’s changed everything.”
“How?”
She raised her eyebrows. “You went to high school. You know what I’m talking about.”
Dylan shrugged and took a drag off his cigarette. “I don’t really. My high schooling wasn’t exactly normal.”
Her eyes widened a little, then she said, “Oh, that’s right. I forgot. I remember the night Alexandra told Dad you’d dropped out of school. He was overjoyed.”
“I’m sure he was.”
Unexpectedly she leaned forward, tilting her head slightly to the right, a serious expression in her eyes.
“You’re drinking again, aren’t you?”
Dylan froze. For nearly fifteen seconds he didn’t move. Then his eyes darted to the sliding glass door.
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**My full review will follow on Christmas Day as part of the blog tour, but for now, here are my unadulterated raw feelings on reading this masterpiece. **
Let me start off my saying that I had the PRIVILEGE of being a BETA reader for this novel. And what a privilege it was! To witness a story unfolding almost from conception is an experience like none other and one I will always cherish. My little book loving heart is happy.
I’ve been a fan of Charles since reading Just Remember to Breathe back in April. I read one, then the next one, then the next one, then the waiting game. Itching for any mere morsel from the Thompson Family. You see, you don’t merely read the Thompson family’s stories, you LIVE them. You experience them. You pack up all your belongings and move in with them. I read almost a book a day, and for a story to stick with me this many months later is rare. Not only rare but the sign of a phenomenally talented author who weaves tales with such layers and intricacies. There is a depth that comes with his stories that rocks you to your core. He is one of my go-to authors because like a fine wine, his books simply keep getting better. There are no fillers, no dull moments, never a time where you wish the book would just be over already. You are taken on a journey and left searching your soul for answers to questions you never knew you had. His books make you think, they are filled with angst, soul-shattering heartbreak, and endings that while not typical, perfect nonetheless (no matter how much grief we give him for The Last Hour). Charles writes with a purpose, and end-goal, and any tidbit of information you find, you can be certain it’s there for a reason.
Girl of Lies is a slight departure from what readers will be used to with his other Thompson Sisters books. Have no fear though. He writes so flawlessly that you won’t even mind the slight disappearance of romance. While there are still romantic undertones, this is largely a suspense novel. The perfect mingling of John Grisham and Melissa Brown, Girl of Lies dives into action within the first few pages. You are literally flying by the seat of your pants the entire journey. Truth after truth, lie after lie, perilous danger, deception, murder, fear, revelations; these are all things you have to look forward to. You may think you know the Thompson family, but we haven’t even begun to scratch the surface!
Unlike his previous books, this new spin-off trilogy will be a continual story. You have been forewarned; go into this book expecting a major cliffhanger. I welcomed it! This is a book that crosses genres, and will be loved and enjoyed by many. It has a little bit of everything for everyone. For all the revelations that will be uncovered in this book, I imagine there will be many more to come. We have only just begun this journey my friends…… I cannot wait to see what unfolds next!
5 resounding, heart-pounding, action-packed, web of lies stars!
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Join Charles for the release day party on December 20th. Prizes, games and more!
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The Rachel’s Peril Trilogy is a spin-off of the wildly popular Thompson Sisters series! While you don’t HAVE to read these books first, it is definitely recommended!
Book One: A Song About Julia
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Everyone should have something to rebel against.
Crank Wilson left his South Boston home at sixteen to start a punk band and burn out his rage at the world. Six years later, he’s still at odds with his father, a Boston cop, and doesn’t ever speak to his mother. The only relationship that really matters is with his younger brother, but watching out for Sean can be a full-time job. The one thing Crank wants in life is to be left the hell alone to write his music and drive his band to success.
Julia Thompson left a secret behind in Beijing that exploded into scandal in Washington, DC, threatening her father’s career and dominating her family’s life. Now, in her senior year at Harvard, she’s haunted by a voice from her past and refuses to ever lose control of her emotions again, especially when it comes to a guy.
When Julia and Crank meet at an anti-war protest in Washington in the fall of 2002, the connection between them is so powerful it threatens to tear everything apart.
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Book One.Five: Falling Stars
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Crank Wilson and Julia Thompson love each other madly. But after Crank’s huge mistake during the summer, on the road with Crank’s rock band Morbid Obesity, they aren’t getting along.
Sean Wilson and Carrie Thompson are the seventeen year old younger siblings of Julia and Crank. Carrie is on her way to New York to start college at Columbia University and Sean is on his way home to Boston. For the next five days, they’re stuck in a car. Along the way, they’ll contend with screaming matches, giant spiders and a 240-pound pissed off Marine.
And the whole way, Crank will be faced with one question. After he screwed up so badly, is there any way he can win Julia back?
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Book Two: Just Remember To Breathe
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Alex Thompson’s life is following the script. A pre-law student at Columbia University, she’s focused on her grades, her life and her future. The last thing she needs is to reconnect with the boy who broke her heart.
Dylan Paris comes home from Afghanistan severely injured and knows that the one thing he cannot do is drag Alex into the mess he’s made of his life.
When Dylan and Alex are assigned to the same work study program and are forced to work side by side, they have to make new ground rules to keep from killing each other.
Only problem is, they keep breaking the rules.
The first rule is to never, ever talk about how they fell in love.
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Book Three: The Last Hour
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Twenty-seven year old Carrie Thompson-Sherman has the life she always wanted: her PhD, a prestigious fellowship, and an amazing husband.
Her life begins to unravel as a jealous colleague puts her fellowship in jeopardy and a haunting secret Ray Sherman carried home from Afghanistan comes to light.
Hounded by a federal investigation and the ensuing media feeding frenzy, Carrie and Ray desperately lean on each other, until a disastrous accident puts both Ray and her sister’s lives at risk.
In the last hour, Carrie and Ray will each find themselves faced with a choice.
A choice that will change everything.
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