Title: Death at Dawn
Author: Sue Jaskula
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Book Blurb:
Newly wed after a whirlwind romance Emma McIntyre couldn't be happier or more in love. Until she wasn't. Working as a full-time nurse, a part-time bar manager, grieving a loved one, and aiding a drug addicted brother, she thought life couldn't be more stressful. Until it was. A small-town murder drives her troubled life into a tailspin of terror and her marriage into a spiral of suspicion.
Emma's brother, Sam Martin, depends increasingly on painkillers to get through the day. Proving himself worthy to the love of his life is his only incentive to get clean. Avoiding police and dodging his dealer, Sam is determined to quit drugs … or die trying.
In her frazzled state, how can Emma help piece together a murder while keeping what’s left of her family safe, herself sane and her new marriage intact?
Excerpt:
Wet hair mixed with blood and fell in tangled strands across sightless eyes; eyes that were open, wide open in terror.
Bile rose in my throat. “Holy shit, shit, shit, what do I do?”
I stepped forward, then rethought. “No, we can’t go near, can’t touch anything.” I glanced around slowly, then spun wildly in every direction. “Help,” I screamed. No one was nearby. Pulling his leash tighter until Brooks touched my leg, I edged slowly toward the house uncertain if staying in place might pose a threat. Once inside, I grabbed my cell, punched nine-one-one, then had trouble finding my voice in reply to the operator’s question.
“What is your emergency?”
The dog barked continuously at the door, drowning out the operator. I moved to the kitchen window where I could see the edge of the lake.
“Hello, is someone there?” Her second request was louder.
“I’m here,” I replied, barely a whisper.
“I can hardly hear you. Do you have an emergency? Ma’am, do you need help?” Her voice grew more demanding.
I cleared my throat. “I saw…there’s something in the lake.”
“Something in the lake?” She sounded doubtful.
“Someone, that is, not some thing. There is a body floating at the edge of the lake, beside my house.” I choked on a sob. “Dead, I think. There is a dead body floating in the lake right outside my back door.”
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Author Biography:
My career has spanned many years in a mix of criminal and civil law and hospital surgical administrative work. Along with my work and life experience, I hold a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English and a Creative Writing Certificate both from McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.
I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to take early retirement and pursue a career in writing, a pursuit I have entered into with energy and enthusiasm. I am currently a registered member of Toronto Romance Writers, Crime Writers of Canada, and Sisters in Crime / Sisters in Crime Toronto chapter.
My husband and I share our home in Grimsby, Ontario, with our youngest daughter, her boyfriend, our dog and two cats. But I spend a great deal of time at our cottage in Kincardine, Ontario near my daughter, son-in-law and first grandson. On these shores of Lake Huron, with some of the best walking trails in the country, my imagination soars and my best stories come to life.
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