Death by Chocolate by Sally Berneathy
$2.99 (7/24/2012)
Lindsay Powell's only secret is the recipe for her chocolate chip
cookies, but she is surrounded by neighbors with deadly secrets.
Suddenly Lindsay finds herself battling poisoned chocolate, a dead man
who doesn't seem very dead and a psycho stalker.
Her best friend
and co-worker, Paula, dyes her blond hair brown, hides from everybody
and insists on always having an emergency exit from any room. Secrets
from Paula's past have come back to put lives in jeopardy.
Determined
to help Paula and save her own life, Lindsay enlists the reluctant aid
of another neighbor, Fred, an OCD computer nerd. In spite of his mundane
existence, Fred possesses tidbits of knowledge about such things as
hidden microphones, guns and the inside of maximum security prisons.
Lindsay needs more than a chocolate fix to survive all this chaos.
EXCERPT FROM CHAPTER 2:
"Are you in some kind of trouble?" I asked Paula. "Tell me. I'm your friend."
"You're
the best friend I've ever had. You gave me a job and a place to live.
I'll do anything you ask except tell you about my past."
"Well,
we've made some progress. This is the first time you've admitted you
have a past and didn't spring, fully grown, from the front seat of that
rolling wreck you used to drive."
Paula bit her lip as if she regretted saying that much.
I pushed myself up from the sofa. "I want you to know I'm not mad at
you," I said, "just because you're supposed to be my friend but you
won't even tell me the intimate details of your sex life."
She relaxed enough to smile.
I crossed the room and unlocked the door, then turned back to say
goodbye, not surprised Paula had followed me. She'd have that door
triple locked before I was off the porch. "Time to touch up those blond
roots," I said, just to let her know I'd noticed.
Paula blanched.
"Do you think the police noticed?" The question came out in a desperate
whisper, and I immediately regretted adding to her fears.
"Men can be pretty unobservant about stuff like that."
I left her house feeling like a jerk for the blond roots remark and
like I ought to do something to help her, but clueless what that
something might be.
I wasn't sure I could help myself. I took my
time going back to my house. I wasn't in any hurry to deal with my
almost-ex, the man that one part of me wanted gone and the other part
wanted back. In a different way, I was every bit as terrified of him as
Paula was of the abusive man, I was now positive, she'd known in her
past.
I slapped the fender of Rick's SUV passed it, deliberately leaving fingerprints. He hated that.
I stepped up onto the porch and saw another problem. The stray cat was
still there, lying on my door mat, creating a perfect border for the
words Go Away! Obviously he couldn't read.
But neither could Rick who stood on that same mat last night and paid just as much attention to the message as the cat did.
"Go home," I ordered.
He stood and stretched, arching his back.
I opened the door...and he darted inside.
Yes, it was pretty obvious this cat was a male. He ignored me just like Rick did.
"What's that cat doing here?" Rick demanded as the feline curled up in
my faded rose-colored recliner. He was a big cat, completely filling the
seat. He gave a tiny, contented meow before settling down, completely
at home.
Rick sprawled on my sofa, making himself as much at home as
the cat. I'd been gone long enough for him to shower, blow dry his hair
with my dryer, shave with my razor, and slip back into his khaki slacks
and white Polo shirt that enhanced his tan. To top it all off, he was
drinking from my favorite mug, the one that said "Life is uncertain. Eat
chocolate now."
"Go home," I repeated.
"Yeah, cat, go home."
"I was talking to you. This is--" I looked at the regal creature in my
chair-- "this is King Henry, my new cat. He's staying and you're going.”
With her perfectly tousled blonde hair and pink, pouty lips, Gianna Salvani is the girl everyone loves to hate. She has it all - fame, fortuneand unrivaled beauty. But behind the seductive smile is an insecure girl who still grieves for the father she lost years ago. With a controversial new film in the can, and the release of her debut album looming, Gianna ispoised to take center stage. But when a shocking secret leaves her exposed, her fame will bring her face-to-face with a nightmare she never saw coming. Because lurking in the shadow of her spotlight is an obsessed killer with plans of his own for Gianna.
Ignited by his first conquest, Gianna's greatest admirer begins a brutal hunt to claim her as the ultimate trophy in a string of look-alike murders. Motivated by envy, he forces himself into her seemingly untainted world and threatens to ruin everything she's built by revealing a hidden tie that binds them. And if you knew his secret, you'd want to kill her too
Kindle / Paperback
Billy Jolie graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Mass Communications. He lives in the Tampa Bay area.
Follow him on Facebook / Twitter / Blog / Goodreads
Follow the Tour
Promotional Book Tours and Billy Jolie are giving away a $50 Amazon Gc and 5 autographed copies! a Rafflecopter giveaway
Brought to you by http://Promotionalbooktours.com
