The HBS Author's Spotlight SHOWCASES Khaled Talib's Book: Gun Kiss.
Khaled writes Thrillers, Mysteries, and Suspense novels and short stories.
Gun Kiss
Author: Khaled Talib
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A stolen piece of history, an abducted actress and international intrigue…
When the Deringer pistol that shot Abraham Lincoln is stolen and ends up in the hands of a Russian military general, covert agent Blake Deco is tasked by the FBI to head to the Balkans to recover the historical weapon. Meanwhile, the United States media is abuzz with news of the mysterious disappearance of Hollywood movie star, Goldie St. Helen.
After Blake’s return from overseas, he receives a tip from a Mexican friend that a drug lord, obsessed with the beautiful actress, is holding her captive in Tijuana. With the help of a reluctant army friend, Blake mounts a daring rescue. What he doesn’t expect is to have feelings for Goldie—or that a killer is hunting them.
Excerpt from Gun Kiss by Khaled Talib
The cat plagued his mind as he shaved, running the blade painfully over the blisters. He paid attention to his thin lips, under his long, narrow nose, and the sides of his neck.
He strode out of the bathroom and headed to the bedroom to change. After slipping into a pair of sweat pants and a clean T-shirt, he picked up an iPad on the desk, went to the kitchen, and got a cold beer, then stepped out onto the living room's balcony.
He stretched out on the wooden chaise lounge, one foot over the other, and rested the tablet on his stomach. He skimmed through USA Today’s news feed. The alt-right were becoming more vocal these days and holding more marches. Membership had suddenly shot up amongst the different splinter groups. He slid the screen with his finger to the next bit of news, then paused at a story about a famous Hollywood movie star who disappeared. The case had left the police baffled.
Goldie St. Helen left her Los Feliz home yesterday morning for the airport. She was expected to join a film crew in Chicago. Paparazzi and autograph hunters stationed at the airport thought the actress might've tried to dodge them. A check with the airline revealed the plane took off without her. Investigation was ongoing.
Blake's phone chimed from inside the living room and he stepped inside to retrieve it.
“My man,” Blake said, hearing Jack’s voice at the other end. “The sun is shining rays of greenbacks.”
“When can we expect to see the money?” Jack sounded enthusiastic.
“I expect soon,” Blake said. “Caulfield at HSI is liaising with the Feds.”
“The first thing I’ll do is visit Europe. I’ll travel by train, check out the countryside, sip wine. It’s the journey, Blake, the journey.”
“I sure know what you mean. I might join you.”
“By the way, a friend of yours called—some Mexican named Chavez. He said he tried calling you on your cell. I told him you were out of town.”
“Chavez? I didn’t see a missed call from him. Did he say what he wanted?”
“He wants you to call him back.”
“I’ll call him now.” Blake hung up and called Chavez.
“Hey, Chavez, what’s up?” Blake asked after his friend answered.
“Amigo, I need to see you.” Chavez sounded tense.
“You okay, man? You don’t sound chill,” Blake said.
“Please come to Tijuana, now. It’s important,” Chavez said.
“Chavez, I just got back from Europe, and I have jet lag. I can’t possibly—”
“It’s bad, amigo—it’s real bad.”
“Spell it out, Chavez.” Blake listened with curiosity and concern.
“I know who kidnapped the actress,” Chavez said.
“What actress?”
“The Hollywood actress who was kidnapped. The blonde. I know where she is,” Chavez said.
“Goldie St. Helen? I read about her in the news.”
“Yeah, that one.”
“You need to call the cops.”
“Amigo, you know how it is here. I can’t call the cops. I try to stay clear of them. And if Dai Lo finds out I ratted on him, my life is over.”
“Dai Lo, the drug lord? He kidnapped the actress?”
“Si.”
“Jesus, I’m calling the Feds,” Blake said.
“No, Feds—this has to be done quietly,” Chavez said. “Nobody must know I told you. I’ll explain more when you come.”
Author Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense
Website: The Official Khaled Talib Website
Author's Blog: Support Khaled's Patreon
Twitter: @KhaledTalib
E-Mail: Khaled_talib AT hotmail dot com
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Amazon Author Profile
Author Description: Khaled Talib is a former magazine journalist with local and international exposure. He has authored three thrillers since 2014, of which some have been translated into Spanish, Italian and Portuguese.
The author's works have been praised by NY Times bestselling author Gayle Lynds, NY Times bestselling author Ruth Harris, USA Today bestselling author Jon Land, NY Times bestselling author Keith Thomson, K.J. Howe, and Jon McGoran.
His debut thriller, Smokescreen, was listed as one of the six "boundary-breaking indies" in 2016 by the IndieReader. His second novel, Incognito, won the Silver Award for the AuthorsDB Book Cover Contest 2017. Gun Kiss is his third novel.
Khaled, who has a sweet tooth, is a member of the International Thriller Writers. His current favorite movie is Once Upon A Time in Hollywood.
Author's Book List
Incognito
Pope Gregoire XVII was last seen waving to the crowd at Saint Peter's square from the famous Apostolic Palace window. Despite several layers of tight security, neither the Gendarmerie nor The Entity (the Vatican's secret service) or the Swiss Guards claimed to know anything about his sudden mysterious disappearance.
As the world mourns for the pope, a frantic search begins in Italy and beyond its borders amid speculation that the Holy See may know more than they are telling.
Ayden Tanner, a former British SAS commando officer -- who is officially dead -- is dispatched with two other crew members to find the Supreme Pontiff by The League of Invisible Knights, a covert division of Anonymous that aims to bring about the triumph of good over evil.
A secret arrangement is made for Ayden to meet Rafael Rabolini, the Papacy's press secretary, in Geneva, who might be able to tell him more. But trouble unexpectedly starts from the moment Ayden arrives in the city that winter day…
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Stories to Creep You Out Until Dawn - 10 Eye-Bulging Flash Fiction
Ten real- life bone chilling stories from evil spirits, ghoulish figures to the paranormal, the supernatural, the unexplained, and things that do more than just go bump in the night.
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Amazon
I Swear It Happened Just Like This - 17 Short Stories for Your Pocket
Scary stories, funny stories, philosophical stories, strange-but-true stories, and more. 17 personal stories altogether to share with your friends to keep the conversation going when words expire.
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Amazon
Smokescreen
At an ancient café in Cairo, two veteran spies plot a covert mission to resolve — once and for all — the Israeli – Palestinian conflict. The pledge: Israel will make a major concession as part of the peace treaty. In Singapore, Jethro Westrope, a magazine journalist, stumbles onto the scene of a murder: the beautiful Niki Kishwani directs him, in her last breath, to a digital recorder, evidence that puts Jethro’s life in serious danger. And, much worse, he is framed for Niki’s murder. Jethro sets out to find Niki’s killer and is drawn into a web of deception and intrigue involving officials from the Singaporean, Israeli, and American governments, each with a complex, competing, and potentially deadly agenda. Against this pulse-pounding backdrop, Jethro races to find answers and save himself —yet nothing is as it seems. He finds himself at the centre of a political plot so diabolical and sweeping in its world implications that he is stunned to discover tomorrow’s news headlines today. He is being set up not only as a murderer but as an assassin, and something much larger than his own fate is in his hands.
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Thank you, James.
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