Locks, Hooks and Books: Blurb Blitz and Giveaway: Breakdown Series

Breakdown Series

by Debra Webb, Vicki Hinze, Peggy Webb and Regan Black

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GENRE: Suspense

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SERIES BLURB:

BREAKDOWN is a unique and groundbreaking four-book suspense series that will keep you turning pages until the killer is finally exposed.

In this explosive new miniseries, the idyllic community of Shutter Lake, nestled in the peaceful Sierra Nevada Mountains, is rocked by a shocking murder. Four women, friends who moved to the area to find healing and solace, must now dig deep and overcome the scars of past troubles to find a ruthless killer.

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BOOK BLURB:

The Dead Girl, BREAKDOWN Book 1 by Debra Webb

THE BREAKDOWN BEGINS... Former L.A. homicide detective Laney Holt walked away from big city crime after a shooting she couldn't put behind her. With L.A. in her rear view mirror, she accepted the position of deputy chief of police in a small picturesque paradise called Shutter Lake. Nestled in a peaceful valley surrounded by the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Shutter Lake is the perfect small town filled with pleasant, charming folks. The crime rate in Shutter Lake is zero...at least until the dead girl is found. The shocking murder shakes the town to its very foundation.

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EXCERPT

Deputy Chief Laney Holt watched the coroner and his assistant leave with the body before following Chief McCabe and Officer Trask. She heaved a big breath and glanced over at the guys in the white suits who were dusting for prints and searching for other trace elements of potential evidence. Their rhythmic movements prompted far too many bad memories for her comfort.

By the time she caught up with McCabe, he and Trask were in the victim’s sizeable walk-in closet.

“As I made a final walk-thru of the house before the crime scene investigators got started,” he was explaining, “I thought it might be a good idea to look behind all these clothes.” He indicted the line of blouses and tees hanging in a colorful row. “You know, just to make sure we weren’t overlooking anything that might be relevant.”

McCabe nodded and motioned for the younger man to get on with it.

“When I got to this row,” he reached up and parted the garments, “I found this.”

Behind the silk and cashmere tops was a wall safe. Not so surprising. Laney imagined most of the houses in Shutter Lake had hidden safes. Admittedly this one was considerably larger than average. She moved closer as Trask reached for the door.

“It wasn’t even closed all the way.” He glanced back as he opened it. “I think maybe this might be important.”

Once the safe stood open, the officer stepped aside so that McCabe and Laney could move in closer. The steel box in the wall was a little deeper than Laney had expected. A full foot at least and noticeably larger all the way around than the average one she’d seen.

“What’s behind this wall?” she asked, still reeling with surprise at the contents staring her in the face.

“There’s a coat closet on the other side of this wall. I checked,” Trask said. “Behind the coats you can see the outline of this thing. You know, anyone could have reached right in and taken all that.”

He was right. Evidently the person who killed Sylvia Cole had no idea the safe existed.

“I don’t believe I’ve ever seen one this big,” McCabe said, almost to himself.

But it wasn’t really the size of the safe that was so stunning.

It was the stacks and stacks of bundled cash sitting inside it.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Debra Webb is the award winning, USA Today bestselling author of more than 150 novels, including reader favorites the Faces of Evil, the Colby Agency, and the Shades of Death series. With more than four million books sold in numerous languages and countries, Debra’s love of storytelling goes back to her childhood on farm in Alabama. Visit Debra at http://www.debrawebb.com

Social Media Links for Debra Webb:

Website: https://www.debrawebb.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DebraWebbAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebraWebbAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debraewebb/

Purchase link: https://www.amazon.com//dp/B07B4DB56N

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MY REVIEW:

The Dead Girl by Debra Webb begins the exciting series, Breakdown. I have not read anything by her before and that will now change. I enjoyed getting to know Laney Holt and the beautiful setting of Shutter Lake. The mystery and suspense of the unlikely crime in the town kept me guessing until the end of “who done it”.

I give The Dead Girl four and a half stars. I am looking forward to continuing the Breakdown series.

I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my honest opinion.

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BOOK BLURB:

So Many Secrets, BREAKDOWN Book 2 by Vicki Hinze

THE BREAKDOWN DEEPENS... Seven years ago, Dr. Dana Perkins came to idyllic Shutter Lake seeking safety from a traumatic experience in Phoenix. She became the principal at Shutter Lake School--and found her refuge… until Sylvia Cole was killed and one of Dana's best and brightest students, Vinn Bradshaw, confessed to the murder. A murder Dana is certain he didn't commit. But who is he protecting? Why? Seeking the truth shatters Dana's safety. Yet who could have predicted proving Vinn innocent would jeopardize her friends and neighbors… and expose so many secrets?

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EXCERPT

Laney straightened and stopped rubbing her thigh. “You know exactly what it’s like.”

“Unfortunately, I do,” Dana admitted. “Before I came to Shutter Lake, for peace and tranquility, I taught at an elementary school in Phoenix. There was a mass shooting. Long story short, I lost four students. When the shooting started, we weren’t in our classroom, we were in a hallway, and there was nowhere to go. Finally, we ran back to a janitor’s closet and piled into it. I sat closest to the door. It was hot and locked and the kids were so scared. I told them we had to be quiet and maybe the shooter wouldn’t know we were there. He’d turned his back and started firing in another direction.”

“So you saved the kids.”

Dana let her agony show in her eyes. “Four died.” She recited their names. “Cara, Misty, Sara and Joshua.” She tugged at her earlobe and swallowed a lump of fresh tears from her throat. “Part of me died, too.”

“Yes.” Laney sparked recognition. “Exactly.” She sipped from her coffee. “So you have nightmares, too.”

“I did for more than five years. But this with Sylvia...it’s brought them back.”

“So they never end.”

“Regret is merciless, Laney. That’s the simple truth. But we get better at coping with it. And that, my friend, is also the truth.”

“Merciless, I’ve got down pat. It’s something…else, something that eases this stuff, I’m still searching for.”

“Yes, I know.” Dana tapped her folded forefingers. “We search because we feel guilty that we couldn’t prevent the incident. Because we couldn’t do more. Guilt tells us we’re there to protect and defend, and when we fail, for whatever reason we fail, we might be given forgiveness from everyone else in the world, but we struggle—oh, how we struggle—to forgive ourselves.”

Laney stilled and stared at Dana for a long time. “It’s not regret, it’s guilt that rises up again and torments us.”

“It does, but guilt can’t ease things in us any more than regret could, because it isn’t what’s really tormenting us,” Dana said.

“Then what is?” Laney winced. “I’m missing a step here.”

Dana had, too. For a very long time. “Forgiveness is tricky. We think we forgive others so they can move forward, and so we do. But we don’t accept that we must forgive ourselves so that we can move forward, too.” Dana let that sink in. “It’s really hard for us to admit, especially to ourselves, that we were helpless. Or that we tried and just plain failed. So we forgive everyone else, no problem. But we don’t forgive ourselves because way down deep in places we don’t talk about or even acknowledge exist, we have this spark of doubt. We hang onto it with all we’ve got, and we continue to believe there is something else we could have done. Some way we could have changed the outcome.”

“Second-guessing ourselves, so it comes out in our dreams.” Laney grunted. “I get it.”

“Here’s the most important part,” Dana said. “Until we accept that what happened did happen and it’s done, we’re stuck on this hamster wheel of hell. There’s only one thing that can stop the wheel so we can get off.”

“What?”

“Us actually forgiving ourselves. That is the only act that can set us free. It’s simple but complex and hard to do, yet once we do it, we’re free to move on.”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Raised in New Orleans, Vicki Hinze began writing before Kindergarten but her journey to writing books included a lot of corporate pit-stops. Eventually, she settled in and her first novel landed an array of awards and on the bestseller list. With nearly 40 books published, she's been back many times with awards in multiple genres and appearances on multiple bestseller lists, including USA TODAY. Vicki is recognized by Who's Who in the World as an author and an educator and is best known for chilling suspense, trailblazing, and creating series that genre-blend. Her works include suspense, mystery and romance. Since 1994, this former VP of International Thriller Writers has written heavily about military and military families and in nearly all genres except horror. Hinze is a Floridian married to a former Hurricane Hunter/Special Operations Officer. She constantly pushes the boundaries on existing genres, opening the door for new novel blends.

Social Media Links for Vicki Hinze:

https://www.vickihinze.com/

http://facebook.com/Vicki.Hinze.Author

https://twitter.com/vickihinze

https://www.pinterest.com/vickihinze/

Purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FLD4513

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MY REVIEW:

I have heard about Vicky Hinze’s books before but have not read any of them previous to this one. After reading So Many Secrets, I can now understand why she has been recommended to me.

So Many Secrets, the second installment of the Breakdown series is an excellent read. Once again, a reader visits Shutter Lake and meet Dana Perkins. Her story will keep readers on the edge of their seat.

I give So Many Secrets five stars

I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

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BOOK BLURB:

All the Lies, BREAKDOWN Book 3 by Peggy Webb

THE BREAKDOWN BROADENS... Julia Ford was once famous globally for investigative journalism until the story she was covering went so wrong and an unthinkable act put her on the run. She sought refuge in idyllic Shutter Lake, took a job as lifestyle reporter for the local paper and remained hidden in plan sight for five years...until murder snuffed out Sylvia Cole, the young woman who knew too much.

With Sylvia's killer still on the loose, another girl missing and Julia's past showing up in the form of FBI Special Agent Richards, Julia begins a search that uncovers an evil spreading throughout Shutter Lake. Her last encounter with evil ripped her life apart. But this one could destroy some of the town's most prominent citizens and tear down Shutter Lake's very foundation. How far will she go to expose the deadly secrets in a once-perfect town built on lies?

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EXCERPT

Only twenty days ‘til Halloween. Julia knew. She’d counted. Every October for the last five years.

As if she needed any reminders, ghoulish carved pumpkins decorated doorsteps, faux bats hung from trees, and ghosts lurked in every dark corner of her neighborhood – the one she’d deliberately chosen when she moved here. Nothing bad could ever happen in a neighborhood on a street named Harmony. On a quiet street where kids tossed balls at twilight and mothers stood in doorways calling them to supper, where the blue-ribbon school was just a few blocks away and the police station was within easy walking distance.

For that matter, nearly everything Julia needed was within walking distance. Until now. Until Dana Perkins had pulled her out of a safe rut and asked her to dredge up investigative skills from a life she’d left behind. One of Dana’s students at Shutter Lake High was missing, and she would not rest until the girl was found.

Less than an hour ago Dana had pressed her again about the girl as they stood in front of city hall where Julia’s instincts told her Chief of Police Griff McCabe was lying about closing in on Sylvia’s Cole’s killer. Everybody in Shutter Lake was up in arms about the town’s first murder.

Julia shifted her shoulder bag to a more comfortable position as she strode toward her cottage, a modest craftsman where culinary herbs grew on the kitchen windowsill and light poured through the windows in every room. Julia couldn’t stand the darkness. Nor the pumpkins. Those grotesque masks. She wanted to walk up and slap every one of them.

She glanced around as if someone might have read her thoughts. Satisfied that her secret was safe, she hurried inside to her orderly cocoon. The Victorian wall-hung mirror in the hallway showed a tall, slender woman on the wrong side of forty with long blond hair windblown and blue eyes untroubled. Julia Ford, lifestyle columnist for the Firefly, a weekly newspaper few outside of Shutter Lake had ever heard of, a paper she’d have dismissed as insignificant before she came here.

She nodded at her reflection, satisfied. Her mask was still in place.

Kicking off her shoes she padded barefoot to her kitchen and made her favorite drink, green tea chai from a mix she ordered online. Fading light coming through the stained glass in Julia’s kitchen window turned her walls a rainbow of soft pink and gold. She loved that about California - the mild weather and the perpetual sunlight that gave Shutter Lake a golden glow.

Until the glow got tainted by murder. And now a disappearance. A runaway? A kidnapping?

She carried her drink into the sunroom she used as an office and powered up her computer.

“Let’s see where you’re hiding, Josie Rodriguez.”

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Peggy Webb, USA Today bestselling author, has penned more than 80 books in multiple genres and is the most prolific writer the state of Mississippi has ever produced. She also writes as Elaine Hussey. Her acclaimed novel, The Sweetest Hallelujah, garnered praise from critics who dubbed her one of the “Southern literary greats” and compared her to Harper Lee. Peggy holds an M.A. from the University of Mississippi and is a former adjunct instructor of writing at Mississippi State University (2004-2005). A gifted musician and actress, Peggy loves taking the stage at Tupelo Community Theater, singing in a 60-voice church choir and playing her vintage baby grand.

Social Media Links for Peggy Webb:

Websites: www.peggywebb.com

https://twitter.com/PeggyWebbAuthor

https://www.facebook.com/peggy.webb.92

Purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FS51LHD

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MY REVIEW:

All the Lies is the third installment and Peggy Webb’s contribution to the Breakdown series. The series continues in Shutter Lake with Julia Ford on the run. She experiences danger and fast-paced action. I could not put the book down. It is that good. I had it read in one sitting.

All the Lies is getting a well deserved 5 plus stars from me. I can not wait to see what happens in the last book of the series.

I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

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BOOK BLURB:

BREAKDOWN Book 4: What She Knew by Regan Black

THE BREAKDOWN ERUPTS…Dr. Luciana Perez thought she hit the jackpot when she landed the position at the Shutter Lake Medical Clinic. Until her friend Sylvia Cole is murdered and the authorities come calling, certain that Luciana has more information about the crime.

But Luciana only knows Sylvia had secrets she wasn’t inclined to share. Secrets that had Sylvia seriously worried. Secrets someone was willing to kill to keep buried. Every day that the killer isn’t found, Luciana’s fear tightens like a noose around her neck: fear of her own secrets being exposed, fear of becoming the next victim, and fear that the murderer will irrevocably shatter the idyllic peace and security of their beautiful town.

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EXCERPT

Her house of cards was swaying. About to topple.

Dr. Luciana Perez sat in her home office, her chair turned toward the gray, rainy evening on the other side of the window. The vibrant fall color of the trees behind her house had been muted by the weather as well as her mood. On the desk, her cell phone chimed with yet another text message alert and she ignored it, her courage momentarily failing her.

She’d heard the news via text an hour ago and she had yet to shake off the chill that washed over her. A young woman, stripped to the waist, had been pulled from the river. The body was not immediately recognizable, thanks to the natural course of decomposition, but she could almost hear the name in the ping and patter of raindrops against the glass: Josie Rodriguez.

Ana had never been more grateful that her scope of work at the Shutter Lake Medical Clinic didn’t include serving as the coroner.

The text message notifying her about the body had been from her friend Dana Perkins. Dana, a superb psychologist and principal of Shutter Lake School, had been worried about Josie for weeks. Ana knew this wasn’t the answer Dana had hoped for when she asked their friend Julia Ford, a former investigative reporter to look into the girl’s disappearance.

Maybe it wasn’t Josie after all.

If only. A bitter, half-sob slipped through Ana’s lips. If the remains turned out to be someone other than Josie, the tension and fear gripping Shutter Lake would only increase exponentially. She had a few patients who didn’t need that kind of stress exacerbating underlying concerns and conditions.

Some of the brightest minds in industry, technology, and banking had come together to build and develop this town, planting their idea of paradise in the gorgeous Sierra Mountains of northern California. From the school to the cutting edge medical clinic she ran to the commitment to the arts, Shutter Lake had been a slice of heaven. More than a home, here she’d found the peace and stability she needed to heal even as she engaged her skills to heal others.

She loved being their doctor, caring for the community as a whole. Her staff, carefully selected, had become a second family and a high-functioning team every bit as essential to delivering excellent care as the state-of-the-art equipment the city council provided.

Murder had changed that.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Regan Black, a USA Today bestselling author, writes award-winning, action-packed novels. Raised in the Midwest and California, she and her family, along with their adopted greyhound and two arrogant cats reside in the South Carolina Lowcountry where the rich blend of legend, romance, and history fuels her imagination.

Social Media Links for Regan Black:

Website: http://www.ReganBlack.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ReganBlack.fans

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ReganBlack

Instagram: http://https//www.instagram.com/reganblackauthor/

Purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FYNCC9Y

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MY REVIEW:

What She Knew is the final book from the exciting Breakdown series. I have enjoyed this series and Regan Black does not disappoint. This time the reader is introduced to Dr Luciana Perez, who gets involved in the murder investigation of her friend.

What She Knew concludes the Breakdown series perfectly and unexpectedly. I like how the authors formatted this series and would love and hope they will contribute another one like this in the future.

5 stars.

I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.

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