VBT Dead Gold by Hawk MacKinney

Dead Gold

by Hawk MacKinney

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GENRE: Mystery/Suspense

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BLURB:

The dazzling lure of Olympic gold fame is a spotlight glare hotter than any fifteen minutes of fame.

During plans for a cross-country ski vacation, Aspen Police Department Criminal Investigation Division Detective David “Spinner” Krespinak and SEAL-bud Craige Ingram are ensnared by glamour, upmarket glitz and bling, and greed in the deadly champagne powder world of a money-gets-you-anything high-country ski-mecca. Body parts start turning up in the most unlikely places. As the two friends start their investigation, A hornets nest of the local elite do not want the publicity. For good reason it seems, they may be part of the mystery of bodies and body parts piling up at the morgue.

The closer they get to the killer the more confused they become. Who is behind the murders and mutilation? The list of suspects grows as they close the net on the killer.

The tender underbelly of Aspen is not what it seems. It is a raw open sore that oozes blood, drugs, and murder.

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Excerpt Two:

A heavy burgundy turtleneck turned up against the frosty bite, Spinner was waiting at the foot of the steps. A big angular grin spread all over his rugged face, “Hard to believe you finally hauled your butt out here.”

“Time gets away for both of us and our twenty-eight hour days. Been a while since you’ve kicked back at Moccasin Bend.”

With a hearty guffaw Spinner retorted, “You haven’t changed one damn bit, Peadinger. You’ll always be the same compulsive CO, churning full blast 'till you’re sure all bases have been covered.” The two bear-hugged like long-lost brothers.

Craige said, “It's good to be here and even better seein’ your bronco-bustin’ backside.”

Spinner was a quiet-spoken Kentucky transplant to west Texas, and then Aspen, and his easy throaty laugh always made Craige feel everything was okay. He brightened Craige’s world as much as the other way round. No matter how long they’d been apart, the two exSEALs remained closer than close.

Spinner said, “Been too long since our last runs on that Big Sky Montana ski trip.”

With a touch of the pensive for times that called back some good memories—and some not so good, Craige said, “How could Big Sky have been that long ago? Seems like it was only a year or so. That was right before we deployed for Operation Nightfire off Lastovo Island.”

'Nightfire’ was hardly out of Craige’s mouth before dark shades moved across both their faces. The snarling double deals fiasco and compromises bordering on sheer stupid came with a nasty stench of treachery, and it left keepsake scars on both their handpicked teams selected for an in-out HALO recon with orders to avoid contact. On-the-ground objectives targeted and acquired. Heavy camoed, they rechecked their gear, and prepared to re-stage. Kicked in a get-the-hell-out-of-Dodge and regrouped. Established a secure base and reconned their perimeters during the moonless night. Recon went off without a hitch—except for the before-dawn ambush hit. Darrell and two navy corpsmen weren’t where they were supposed to be. Their deaths an obscene memory no one forgot.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Hawk MacKinney served in the US Navy for over 20 years. While serving as a Navy Commander, he also had a career as a full-time faculty member at several major state medical facilities. He earned two postgraduate degrees with studies in languages and history. He has taught postgraduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem, Israel.

In addition to professional articles and texts on chordate neuroembryology, Hawk has authored several works of fiction—historical love stories, science fiction and mystery-thrillers. His titles are not genre-centered, but plot-character driven. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award, details the family bloodlines of his serial protagonist in the Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series—murder and mayhem with a touch of romance. Hidden Chamber of Death, the first book in the mystery series, was followed by Book 2, Westobou Gold and his latest, Book 3, Curse of the Ancients. All have received national attention. The Bleikovat Event was Vol I in The Cairns of Sainctuarie Science Fiction Series followed by Vol II, The Missing Planets. Vol III, Inanna Phantom is in final galleys.

www.hawkmackinney.net

www.amazon.com

www.barnesandnoble.com

Interview with Hawk MacKinney

1. Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story?

The interplay of characters is allowed to skitter hijacking a tale…to a point. Early in a manuscript a skeletal outline is one key in holding the reigns and keeping any character from meandering into a social-media wilderness that has nothing to do with the plot. BUT…one can learn from the characters; i.e., the person in the mirror is talking back to you. Listen. You might want to flesh out the character. It’s fun.

2. Convince us why you feel your book is a must read.

The convincing comes from the reader. Dead Gold is Book 4 in the MOCCASIN HOLLOW MYSTERY SERIES, but the historical romance prequel, Moccasin Trace, is the real lead-in. It introduces the bloodlines of Craige Ingram, the protagonist in the MOCCASIN HOLLOW MYSTERY SERIES.

3. Have you written any other books that are not published?

About ten or more…some are throw-aways; i.e., I keep the notes but scratch the plot. Others are already in edit. If one of those titles finds a publisher, it’s NEXT and on to more science fiction or mystery thrillers.

4. Pen or typewriter or computer?

Yes, all 3…along with a pencil.

5. Anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?

- No matter what any expert says—don’t write for what’s market-HOT. Write what you enjoy…it’ll be your best writing.

- Don’t say `NO’ to the person in the mirror.

- If one enjoys writing…keep writing…published or not.

- If you give someone your word that you’ll have so-and-so by so-and-so…DO IT. Otherwise your words are worthless.

Hawk MacKinney

www.hawkmackinney.net

URL Dead Gold video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9s_Gm1ThNJE&t=9s

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Hawk MacKinney will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here: 

 http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2019/02/vbt-dead-gold-by-hawk-mackinney.html