Title:
Evil Lives in the Night
Author:
Jan Selbourne and Anne Krist
Genre:
Historical Noir Mystery
Book Blurb:
In Jan Selbourne’s The Next Stop is Dead, a woman boards a city train one night and finds herself alone in the car with four strangers, all men. When she discovers one of them is dead, she has to find a way to exit the train and get help. Will she escape, or will the next stop be her final one?
In Anne Krist’s Missing, sisters Audra and Daina communicate using “twin language.” But how much difference will that make when Daina disappears? Can Audra find her sister before her abductor ends Daina’s life? Even with the help of an over-protective detective, saving her missing twin might not happen in time.
Reader and Reviewer comments:
I enjoyed these stories. They fit together despite being half a world apart. There's an innocence to the stories you don't find in the crime drama of today.
Eileen, 4 Stars
I really enjoyed these two novellas. I am a fan of mystery and historic novels, so these two were great to read. Keep up the good work ladies I am waiting for the next books or novellas to be published. They are great gifts for my sister. Highly recommended. Daphne--5 Stars/4 Stars
Excerpt:
From The Next Stop:
Doug looked up in disbelief at the tall, grey-haired inspector. “Well, well, look what the wind blew in. Inspector bloody Parker himself. Couldn’t they find anyone else to work on a Sunday?”
“We meet again,” Parker replied curtly and pointed to the papers on the desk. “Now it’s bodies on trains.” He bent down close to Doug’s face. “Where’d you pick her up?”
“I didn’t pick her up. She was on the train when I got in at Richmond.”
Parker stood up. “And unknown to each other, you said, ‘Let’s pretend we’re in Agatha Christie’s movie Murder on the Orient Express.” He gazed at the ceiling. “Correction, Murder on the Dandenong Express.”
Doug steadied his breathing. “I told the police what Miss McLeod and I saw on that train.”
“It’s a pity you’ve sunk so low to making up stories.”
“Not so low I’d sell my soul for the job, Inspector.” Doug replied softly.
The room was deathly quiet until Parker spoke. “You’ve already been told, and I’ll tell you again. The train was searched and all passengers on the train questioned. The stations searched and railway staff questioned.”
“What’s to stop them opening the door on the other side and dropping onto the railway tracks?” Doug shouted at him.
“We aren’t that stupid,” Parker snapped back. “Saturday afternoon trains run every thirty minutes. The train travelling to the city at that time was stopped at Huntingdale. Passengers waiting for that train on the Oakleigh, Murrumbeena and Carnegie platforms were questioned. No one saw men jumping out of the Dandenong train.” His fingers tapped on the desk. “A bloody debacle. You and Miss McLeod will be charged with willfully wasting police time and resources and disrupting public transport.”
From Missing:
The morning hadn’t even really started and Audra felt fatigue and strain pull at her. The mirror had shown drawn skin in her cheeks, pale instead of their normal rosiness, and dark circles marred her eyes. A headache pounded behind those baggy eyes and the two pots of coffee she’d drunk since three o’clock didn’t help. Once again, she wore Daina’s coat as she ran down the hill to the bus stop on Dace. A transit change and three blocks later, and she sat in the downtown police station, tapping her foot and worrying the watch on her left wrist to see how much time she had to get to work.
“Ma’am?” The woman behind the partition with the glass front called Audra over. “Who was it you wanted to see again?”
“My sister is missing. I need to talk with whomever can help me. Please.”
“Come through the door and I’ll direct you to someone.”
“Thank you,” Audra said. Her voice held a quiver and she steeled herself to get through this process without breaking down.
She stepped through a wooden door to her right and then walked the maze of desks to get to the officer the woman pointed out.
“May I help you?” the officer asked, pointing to a chair beside his desk.
“I need to file a missing person report. It’s my sister. She wasn’t there when I got home last night, and we never go out after dark during the week. I need to find her.”
“Slow down, Miss.” He bent over to search a desk drawer for a form which he rolled into a typewriter sitting on an extension to his desk.
“Now. Name?”
Audra blinked. “My name or my sister’s?”
He barely stifled a sigh, like a man so used to doing his job that he’d lost all patience for those who didn’t understand what to do with his questions.
“The name of the missing person.”
“Daina Katyas. D-A-I-N-A.”
“Age?”
“Twenty-five.”
“When did she go missing?”
“Yesterday some time. As I said, she wasn’t there when I arrived home last ni—"
With that, he swiveled in his chair and held up a hand. “I can’t file a report until she’s been missing longer than half a day.”
“What? But that won’t do. She’s in danger!”
“How do you know this?”
“Her voice held tension when she called to me. I could tell.”
“She called you? After she went missing or before?”
Audra twisted the strap of her pocketbook and slid to the edge of the seat. “I don’t know. I just know.”
Taking a deep breath, she tried hard to calm herself, knowing how crazy that last statement had sounded. “Look, Officer…” She couldn’t focus on his nametag. She couldn’t focus on anything. She took another deep breath and another. Suddenly, her purse fell to the floor and she couldn’t catch air no matter how many deep breaths she grabbed. Pinpoints of blinding light flashed before her. She felt herself slipping from the chair. Gasping, falling into darkness.
Buy Link:
Amazon Kindle Unlimited
What’s the first binge-worthy book you read and why was it a must-read?
I’ve always enjoyed reading but I’m not sure I’d ever read a book more than once until Outlander. Even then, sci-fi or paranormal had never been my “thing” to read. But Gabaldan’s book just had something that captured me and held on through to the end…at 4 AM. And then it stayed in my mind for weeks. I’ve since read the whole series (except for the final book because you, know, it’s the final), and when I wanted to slap Clair upside the head, I was always in love with Jaimie. That character alone made it a must-read.
What makes your featured book a binge-worthy read?
Jan and I both feature mysteries set in the 1950s but on different sides of the world, which adds a twist. When I used to go to the beach and wanted a good book to bring along, I always went for the mysteries—something fast paced and engrossing. I think you will find those qualities in Evil Lives in the Night. Be sure to read it in the daylight!
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $75 Amazon (US or Canada) gift card.
Open internationally. You must have a valid Amazon US or Amazon Canada account to win.
Runs August 1 – 31
Drawing will be held on September 1.
A few years ago, Dee S. Knight began writing, making getting up in the morning fun. During the day, her characters killed people, fell in love, became drunk with power, or sober with responsibility. And they had sex, lots of sex.
After a while, Dee split her personality into thirds. She writes as Anne Krist for sweeter romances, and Jenna Stewart for ménage and shifter stories. All three of her personas are found on the Nomad Authors website (www.nomadauthors.com). Fortunately, Dee’s high school sweetheart is the love of her life and husband to all three ladies! Once a month, look for Dee’s Charity Sunday blog posts, where your comment can support a selected charity.
Author Jan Selbourne:
Jan Selbourne was born and educated in Melbourne, Australia and her love of literature and history began as soon as she learned to read and hold a pen. After graduating from a Melbourne Business College her career began in the dusty world of ledgers and accounting, working in Victoria, Queensland and the United Kingdom. On the point of retiring, she changed course to work as secretary of a large NSW historical society. Now retired Jan is enjoying her love of travelling and literature. She has two children, a stray live in cat and lives near Maitland, New South Wales.
Social Media Links:
Where to find Anne:
Website: https://nomadauthors.com/annekrist/index.html Blog: https://nomadauthors.com/blog Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeeSKnight Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeeSKnight2018 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/265222.Dee_S_Knight Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B079BGZNDN Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/h8t2y6 LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/dee-s-knight-0500749
Sweet ‘n Sassy Divas https://bit.ly/1ChWN3K
Where to find Jan:
Website: https://nomadauthors.com/JanSelbourne/index.html Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/jan.selbourne Twitter: https://twitter.com/JanSelbourne LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-selbourne-2817b6140/ Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/h8t2y6
Sounds good! & my first binge worthy book was Harry Potter!
Just the titles give me the shivers !! LOL. All best!
Thank you, Dee and Jan, for sharing your book in our Binge-Worthy Book Festival!