The HBS Author's Spotlight SHOWCASES K. T. Roberts' New Book: Death by Stiletto. Author Carolyn Hughey (K. T. Roberts is a published author of humorous contemporary romance and mystery novels.
Death by Stiletto
A Cape May Cozy Caper
Author: K. T. Roberts
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A jewel thief on the loose . . . a dead body in the closet . . . a good deed gone wrong, and the homecoming is just getting started!
When the McKall triplets return home to Cape May, New Jersey for their high school reunion, they never expected to be involved in a homicide on their first night in town. But after their former classmate Sissy Post bangs on their door and begs for help, they feel the need to become involved.
The misguided attempt to help places Shelby McKall at the murder scene, and lands both Shelby and Sissy in custody. When the victim turns out to be none other than the archenemy of both women, they find themselves in deep trouble with the evidence stacking high against them.
Now, the McKall sisters must prove Shelby’s innocence, and they’re looking to the newest detective on the force for help. Arrogant and stubborn, this former nerd—who sizzles hotter than the Arizona sun in August—gives the sisters a hard time at every turn. But as the crime spree continues, the sisters feel drastic measures are in order. Only this time, they’re in way over their heads!
Excerpt from Death by Stiletto
A gust of wind brushed against my back and caused me to shiver. Taking one last look at the sunset, now almost complete, I walked down the steps to my car, clicked on the fob and unlocked the doors when a sudden eerie feeling washed over me. It was like I was being watched.
My pulse raced as I looked around, and when I didn’t see anything, I chalked it up to my overactive imagination.
Even so, I didn’t lose any time getting inside the car. Locking the doors, I released the pent-up air I’d been holding in. I wasn’t sure why I was allowing scary thoughts to crowd my already overcrowded mind, but they seemed to have taken over.
Placing my purse down on the passenger’s seat, I saw something white sticking out from underneath. I didn’t remember seeing it there before, but concluded that I must have dropped the car rental agreement on the floor and Mags picked it up and left it on the seat. Yet, I vaguely remembered shoving the envelope into the glove compartment. I picked the envelope up intending to put it away when I noticed my name spelled out in cut-out letters.
That nervous feeling I’d had before getting into the car returned and now, my heart was pounding in my chest. I could hear my breathing pick up. Confused and scared, I tore off the end of the sealed envelope and pulled out the contents. Unfolding the note, I read the message. You’ll back off if you know what’s good for you.
Author Genre: Humor, Mystery & Thrillers, Romance
Website: Author K. T. Roberts
Author's Blog: It's Murder In The First
Twitter: @ScribBLINGDIVA
E-Mail: kt@ktrobertsmysteries.com
Goodreads: Check Out Goodreads
Facebook: Check Out Facebook
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Amazon Author Profile
Author Description: K. T. Roberts writes romantic suspense and cozy mysteries with sass and brass.
In 2012, K.T. decided to try her hand at writing in her favorite genre: suspense and mystery. Hence, the Kensington-Gerard Detective Series was born. Happy with the results, she penned Blind Retribution and is currently working on The Vow, a romantic suspense, which was named by one of her fans during a contest she conducted. Those contest winners will be characters in this novel.
Missing her roots, this Jersey Girl recently returned home with her real-life hero, Bob, and like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz says,"'there's no place like home."
They have four children. As a professional chef, on those rare occasions when she's not writing, she loves to whip up gastronomic treats for family and friends.
She has memberships in Romance Writers of America, Valley of the Sun Romance Writers and Sisters in Crime.
Author's Book List
Blind Retribution
It should have been an open-and-shut case. When a car bomb explodes, taking with it the wife of a prominent heart surgeon, NYPD detective Maxine Turner is sure she has arrested the right suspect—until Cory Rossini, a private investigator, begins muddying the waters. Max already has enough to deal with: her longtime partner is retiring, her latest case is suddenly anything but simple, and she now has a troubling attraction to a man who is proving to be annoyingly persistent.
Having taken on the task of proving his friend’s innocence, Cory isn’t about to drop the ball—no matter how distractingly beautiful he finds the detective assigned to the investigation. When his sleuthing turns up other homicides connected to the cardiology department, including a young woman whose throat has been slit, he convinces Max that they should work together. And as they delve further into the vicious murders, they search for the one lead that will steer them straight to a killer…
EXCERPT:
Helen Barrett opened the heavy door of her husband’s red Lamborghini, slid into the beige bucket seat, and wiggled in until she felt comfortable. She shut the car door with a thud, and it locked into place. The aroma of leather enveloped her, and she instinctively inhaled. She couldn’t believe she was sitting behind the steering wheel of her husband’s prized possession. He never let anyone drive it . . .
Sliding her hands over the leather dashboard made her giddy. Seeing so many dials made her feel like a pilot preparing for takeoff. She smiled in the surrounding silence. It was . . . deafening . . . peaceful . . . eerie. Helen sighed deeply. Contented heat pooled in her heart, knowing that Jeffrey was as much in love with her as she was with him.
Helen shook her head and glanced at her watch. It was later than she’d thought. They’d made love all night, like newlyweds. Now it was mid-morning. She couldn’t remember the last time they’d stayed in bed this late on a Sunday. Luckily, they weren’t leaving for Venice for their second honeymoon until late tonight, but it had been too long since she and Jeffrey had shared this kind of romance, and all she wanted to do was hurry back into his waiting arms.
She shook her head as she thought back over the last several weeks. What a crazy ride it had been. At first, she hadn’t trusted Jeffrey’s sincerity about wanting to make their marriage work or his confession that he’d never stopped loving her. But his actions had changed all that, and the hurt she’d felt for so long slowly disappeared after he’d proposed all over again and even planned an elaborate reception to celebrate their renewed wedding vows with family and friends. She was happier than she’d been in a long time.
Euphoria coursed through her body. She could live like this for the rest of her life, knowing she had all she needed—Jeffrey’s love and devotion. This was wedded bliss—the mature kind of love that only comes after years of being with someone. This was even better than the first time they’d married fifteen years ago.
Helen pulled the seat belt across her chest, snapped it into place, and took another deep breath.
She inserted the key into the ignition, anxious to hear the roar of the engine, then heaved out one last breath before turning the motor over. An odd popping sound came from beneath the dashboard and echoed in her ears. Oh God, what did I do wrong? She sat for a few seconds waiting to see if the noise continued, and then a loud blast erupted and the hood of the car shot into the air. She screamed as rich red flames mushroomed across the windshield. Panicked, she screamed again. Confusion set in like rigor mortis, rendering her helpless.
Get out of the car! she told herself.
She tried to release her seat belt, but her fingers fumbled as if frozen. She pulled on the seat belt with force, trying to release the latch. Nothing. A sudden intense blast of heat made her look down at her feet. Her sandals were in flames and for a second she was mesmerized as she watched the fire spread across the straps. Then the pain set in. She stamped her feet as hard as she could.
She screamed at the top of her lungs. “Jeffrey, help me!” Surely, he must have heard the blast.
She pounded on the door but couldn’t find the handle. Her mother’s voice echoed through her mind. Everyone has to die from something.
Was she going to die? No, dammit. Not today she wasn’t. “Jeffrey!” she screamed again, her throat sore from straining.
Hysteria overwhelmed her, and she banged on the window with all her might. Nothing happened and no one came. No one to help, not even Jeffrey.
She slammed her fist on the horn just as a second blast popped the trunk and rocked the car. Her voice, no longer audible, released a silent scream. Helplessness took over as the tears gushed down her cheeks and that old familiar pain Jeffrey had managed to erase resurfaced. She should have known better. Everything he’d fed her over the last two weeks was a lie, and like a fool, she’d fallen for it. The bastard never intended to spend the rest of his life with her. All he’d wanted was to silence her voice.
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Strangers in the Night
On one very magical day in New York City, two strangers meet by chance in a wine shop, each reaching for the same bottle. A meeting no one could have predicted, but their undeniable chemistry is destined to be sealed in fate.
Having gone their separate ways, the two meet up again only blocks away. Now that he’s been given a second chance, he’s not letting her slip away this time. He discovers his Cinderella is leaving the following day and he’s fraught with anxiety. But not to worry, she’s got a plan! If he finds that rare bottle of wine again, her name and phone number will be on it, a certainty that true love and fate have chosen their destiny.
A year later, circumstances conspire to bring her back to New York. A chance encounter reconnects them. Only this time, without the prerequisite bottle of wine. He wonders if she’ll still want to be with him now that she’s learned his secret? But only the Gods of Fate can answer that question.
EXCERPT:
“Oh my God, it’s you,” he said with a beaming smile. Excitement bubbled inside him over seeing her again. He cautioned himself to tamp down his reaction before the poor girl rushed off again. “It looks like we’re having another serendipitous moment,” he said with a wide grin. “You do know she called out the name, Boogie, don’t you?” he said half-joking.
She ignored his question and made direct eye contact with him. “Do you believe in fate?” she asked with a broad smile.
He laughed. “I don’t know. Why do you ask?”
The barista’s deadpan voice interrupted. “Will one of you please take this coffee before it gets cold!”
He picked up the container and handed it to her.
“No, that’s yours,” she said. “I ordered hot chocolate. I just heard the name Boogie and thought my drink was ready.”
“Is that your name?” he asked, jerking his head back with raised brows.
She giggled. “No. That’s my dog’s name. He’s a black lab.” Ericka gave him a squinted side glance. “Why do you use that name?”
“I’m afraid of the Boogieman?” he teased.
“Really?”
“No.” He released a low laugh. “Although, I have no doubt I was as a kid.” He winked at her and it brought a smile to her face. “I guess it reminds me of my childhood, and honestly, no one else uses it . . . well . . . except you.”
“It’s fate,” she said firmly. “Do you believe in it?”
He liked the determined expression on her face. “I could turn into a believer. Go ahead, convince me.”
“Well, I never did before today, but I’m convinced now after running into you again. And regardless of whether you admit it or not, so do you.” He gave her a quizzical look and waited for her to explain. “Why else would you have chosen this particular café?”
“What does this café have to do with fate? Do you think it has magical powers or something?”
“I do. But here are three more things that have me convinced.” She held up three fingers and used her other hand, obviously prepared to tick them off after addressing each point. “One, you walked from Park Avenue all the way to Second Avenue when you could have stopped for coffee right down the street from Lehmann’s.”
“Okay,” he said.
“You see?” she said with wide-eyed effervescence. “My point, exactly.”
“Okay, I’m liking the sounds of this fate stuff. So what are the other two things?” he asked anxiously.
“Alright. So what are the chances of two strangers running into one another twice in one day, several blocks apart, especially in a city this large?”
“Without question, it’s fate.”
“Are you making fun of me?”
“Absolutely not. I’m very serious.” He winked “What is the third thing?”
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Deadly Obsessions - Gerard-Kensington Detective series Book 3
Three bodies and counting . . . a manifesto with a long list of names . . . an abducted child, and the killer is using a familiar MO that was the trademark of a serial killer still at large. Is it possible this so-called copycat spurred the Red Reaper into a jealous rage and he’s doing what he does best . . . killing? Or is this someone who’s having too much fun impersonating him and killing everyone on his list?
When two unrelated killings take place, it sends the detectives into a tailspin . . . and now it’s a race against the clock before he kills the next person on his list . . . Detective Jesse Kensington!
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Catering to Love - Chef's Toque Romances
Gabi Johnson tests more than new recipes after her parents use their home as collateral to finance her dream restaurant. The Inn at Carters’ Mill in New Hope, Pennsylvania, is just a half-day’s drive but a world away from her failed catering business in New York. Nell and John Carter want to sell the inn but not to their moody sous-chef, Corey Edwards, and instead they entrust it to Gabi.
When Gabi meets Corey, sparks fly. But he only remembers his failed restaurant and the woman he blames for it. As Gabi works with her young staff, she puts up with Corey’s snarly insubordination because he’s a pro and she needs him. And, well, there’s that attraction thing.
As pressure mounts to debut the menu Gabi believes will establish her restaurant’s reputation and cash flow, she tests her relationships, new and old. Sixteen delicious recipes reveal their makers’ inner thoughts.
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One Menu at a Time
Mix one part job seeker, one part gourmet chef, and one part frazzled guardian, and the result is Jamie, one very stressed-out gal. Jamie dons the apron of a personal chef, but when her sweating in the kitchen fails to bring results to her bank account, she’s back to square one.
Then her matchmaking sister Renee comes to the rescue with the perfect solution. What about the sexy NASCAR driver who is looking for a private chef and who just so happens to be the brother to one of Renee’s best friends? At first Jamie does not see beyond Chase’s charming demeanor—he seems to collect women like she collects recipes. But when Jamie discovers they have more in common than she thought, will she allow Chase to capture her heart?
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Dishing Up Romance - A Chef's Toque Romance
Cassie Pirelli is at it again in her ongoing saga of denial. Past mistakes with romance have left her scarred. But she's banking on a change! Those scars are minor compared to the ones she now faces: losing a job, searching for a new career, giving up the apartment she so loves in the Village, and having to listen to Mama's ongoing nagfest about marriage and grandbabies.
But fate didn't get the memo that she's focusing on her career, and neither did Papa, who's joined forces with Mama. Despite their attempts, Cassie holds strong to her conviction to pursue professional success over a romantic relationship--that is, until the arrival of Mr. Rock-hard-chest Contractor Guy, Josh Benson, who could throw her plans right down the commercial garbage disposal.
In her new career as a chef, Cassie devises thirty recipes she happily shares. But will these recipes test her resolve and lure her into a world of love?
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Educating Daphne
Isabella Carrington really screwed up this time!
It took her three years to build her reputation as a political columnist and only minutes to watch it nosedive, all because of a dumb mistake. Okay, so she got a little sloppy when she convinced her peer to let her write the Valentine's Day column so she could dedicate it to her boyfriend. Too bad she didn't pay more attention to the photograph she used for the column: a picture of the Mayor's wife kissing another man! Now...she's lost the job, the career, and the boyfriend!
But you can be sure it won't take long for Rory Winters, editor at the Globe to take control. He's ready to hire her on the spot. And speaking of spots--he's always had a soft one for her. Issie's the one who got away before it got started. But this clever man has it all figured out now. Let her write Dear Daphne, a column where she'll be dishing out advice to the masses on how to snag a lasting love. He doesn't know she's down on love these days. But ole Rory thinks it's a win-win. He's banking on the column increasing the papers circulation and while that's taking place, he's getting an education on how to snag her love...and she's learning how to love. How clever is that?
And then there's that little matter of ROSES . . lots of roses. So who's the secret admirer?
Oh, and just wait until you see what happens when the Mayor cuts in on Rory's territory. And that smoldering fire turns into intense heat...and this time, he's willing to do whatever it takes…except let her get away!
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What a beautiful presentation of my books, James. Thank you so much!
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