The Purse
by Julie A. Burns
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GENRE: Mystery Thriller
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BLURB:
When
Lydia Blackwell visits her dying father for the last time, he reveals the
deeply hidden truth about her mother. After the funeral, the stranger Derek
Meade gifts her with a gorgeous antique purse. But before she has the chance to
connect with the man who knew her father intimately, Lydia finds Derek murdered
in his home.
Lieutenant Sonja MacIntosh is assigned to investigate Mr. Meade’s death, but her career on the force never prepared her for Lydia Blackwell. As Sonja works to solve the murder, Lydia takes the greatest risk of her life in leaving Chicago to search for clues to her mother’s past. Their instant attraction surprises them both, but even through the chaos Lydia can’t deny the intensity of her feelings for the strong willed Lieutenant.
Lydia’s possession of the antique purse throws her already chaotic life into a whirlwind of kidnapping, blackmail, vengeful mob bosses, and mind-numbing revelations. Through it all, Lydia must find the strength to accept herself – and those closest to her – despite their darkest secrets.
Lieutenant Sonja MacIntosh is assigned to investigate Mr. Meade’s death, but her career on the force never prepared her for Lydia Blackwell. As Sonja works to solve the murder, Lydia takes the greatest risk of her life in leaving Chicago to search for clues to her mother’s past. Their instant attraction surprises them both, but even through the chaos Lydia can’t deny the intensity of her feelings for the strong willed Lieutenant.
Lydia’s possession of the antique purse throws her already chaotic life into a whirlwind of kidnapping, blackmail, vengeful mob bosses, and mind-numbing revelations. Through it all, Lydia must find the strength to accept herself – and those closest to her – despite their darkest secrets.
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Excerpt
Two:
As she walked into the bedroom, the smell of her father’s
cologne lingered even through all the sickness that had been in the air.
Stepping over to the deep walk-in closet, Lydia opened the double doors to
reveal her father’s suits, ties, and shoes. She made a mental note to have
Rosita donate her father’s clothes so they didn’t hang like a shrine. She
stared at every inch of the closet until her eyes fell on a small shoebox
buried on the top shelf. Lydia retrieved the step-ladder from within a hidden
compartment in the closet’s wall and stood on it to pull down the shoebox.
Without thinking, she strolled over to her father’s bed, sat down, and went
through all the memories kept in the cardboard box.
Many were just baby pictures of Lydia, and then she
discovered a picture of her mother when she was pregnant. How beautiful she
was; she looked so happy and carefree. What in the world could have happened?
More questions, no answers. Lydia decided to keep the picture with her. Digging
deeper yet into the box, she also found pictures of her father and Derek
together. They made a handsome couple, though it was still difficult to believe
her father had been involved with a man. At least true love hadn’t escaped him
as she’d previously thought.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Julie A. Burns
is a native Iowan born in Marshalltown, Iowa and raised in Davenport, Iowa.
After her parent’s divorce at age 7, she took to writing, whether it was her
diary or poems about people she met or situations that bothered her. After
graduating from high school in 1983, she spent time working as a Nurse’s Aide
in different nursing homes in Iowa. In 1989, she gave birth to a daughter,
Brittany and raised her as a single parent. In the same year, she enrolled at
Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in
Sociology in 1994. Since then, Julie has spent time working with
developmentally disabled adults and the mentally ill throughout Iowa and also
in Wyoming, where she lived for 6 years. Julie currently lives in Waterloo,
Iowa with her spouse. When she’s not writing, she enjoys being a grandmother to
3 year old Sophie.
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION
Julie will be awarding 1 printed book of
The Purse or 2 ebooks (The Purse and a second of their choice) from RRPI to a
randomly drawn winner (international) via rafflecopter during the tour.
