"Holy Smokes" - The Wicked Cries Wolf by McKenna Grey - Excerpt
In the shadow of Alaska’s Chugach Mountains, a darkness lurks and threatens a quiet coastal village in The Wicked Cries Wolf, the third book in the Kyndall Family Thriller series.
The Wicked Cries Wolf
A woman desperate for solitude. A man with an enemy he can’t see. A dangerous game neither wants to play.
International bestselling author Meaghan Ryers has gained wealth, success, and fame . . . and all she wants is to be left alone. When her sister suggests she escape to someplace quiet where no one will find her, Meaghan picks a spot on the map and heads for Alaska.
Sheriff Donovan Kyndall of Stewart’s Crossing, Alaska, arrives at the scene of a car fire after receiving a mysterious call. He doesn’t expect a woman from out of town to be at the scene, begging him to believe someone was killed. As clues into the fire emerge, Donovan has to ask himself how she’s connected and how a caller knows details from his own tragic past.
As the truth is revealed, Donovan and Meaghan are entangled in a puzzle of lies, treachery, and clues they must decode if they are to survive.
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In the author's words . . .
I had so much fun in Alaska with Donovan and Meaghan, and the other Kyndall family members who returned for a bit more adventure. This is one of those books where you have to read every word or you might miss something, and I'll admit, I was stumped a few times during the writing of it. The Kyndall family—three brothers and a sister—are all brave, chivalrous, endearing, and wonderfully flawed. Their relationships are at the heart of what makes the difficulties they face possible to endure. They are each other's strength and wisdom . . . even when they are being chased, shot at, stabbed, or trying to figure out who and why.
The Wicked Cries Wolf is the third stand-alone novel (fourth installment), so I hope you take a chance and enjoy the series from the beginning. It begins with an introduction to the four siblings in the short story prequel, "Blade of Death."
-McKenna
Enjoy an Excerpt from
The Wicked Cries Wolf
Prologue
Fire snaked into his lungs. Suffocating. Debilitating. He couldn’t breathe, his body immobile. He clawed at the air, at the coarse rope binding his feet, at everything his hands managed to reach. Why were his hands free?
Is this how someone feels when they burn?
Helios promised him there would be consequences. It had only been one more fire, one more kill. He had craved it more than he feared Helios’s warning.
One more mistake.
Smoke curled upward from the flames, dancing up the walls in a seductive swirl of lights and sound. The crackling of gunshots echoed somewhere beyond the steel door.
No chance of escape.
He didn’t deserve to die this way. His scream lodged deep in his lungs, so deep it burned his insides. A round of hacking coughs escaped his scorched lips. He desperately wanted water or a beer. Yes, when he got out of this—if he made it—he’d down a whole six-pack of Bud Light and thank whatever powers that be for his salvation.
I’ll be good. If you let me live, God, I’ll be good forever.
Did he hear his name coming back to him from the darkness beyond the flames? Yes, but from where, exactly?
Damian.
It’s only in my head. No. No, no, no!
He heard shouts, or was fear mocking him? He yanked at the ropes around his ankles and brought away flesh covered in his own blood. Why couldn’t he move?
The door pounded. No, someone pounded on the door. The blaze caressed the floor around him, moving closer with a lover’s passion, inch by inch. He heard the loud crash this time and was certain someone stood on the other side of the door. A gust of air whooshed into the room and the fire found new life. It tormented him, licked his skin. A scream escaped, louder now because of the burn. Two strong bodies in masks lifted him away from the center of the inferno. His eyes remained opened, even as the sensation of floating carried him away from the chamber. He’d promised to be good and he would be. No man or woman or creature walking the earth could claim to be so good as he from this moment on and into forever.
Darkness consumed his whispered thanks while a cacophony of sirens trumpeted his fall into oblivion.
Excerpt Copyright (c) McKenna Grey
Praise for the Kyndall Family Thrillers
"Holy smokes! This is one suspenseful, anxiety-ridden, skin-crawling tale of murder, mystery, and psychological creepiness. Looking for a hard-to-figure-out mystery with a side order of nail biting? Then look no further!" – InD'tale Magazine on The Dragon's Staircase
“I was literally at the edge of my seat. The suspense level is amazing.”
—Donna McBroom-Theriot, My Life, One Story at a Time
“I’m amazed at how smooth these two authors have combined their talents into one fabulous story." –Linda Thompson, Host of www.TheAuthorsShow.com
“THE DRAGON’S STAIRCASE by McKenna Grey and Everly Archard is romantic suspense full of thrills and spine-tingling moments. The twist at the end is as unexpected as it is disconcerting . . . the story keeps you guessing at every turn. This is a great start to a series that promises to be full of wonderful surprises."
— Readers’ Favorite
“McKenna Grey & Everly Archard, I loved this book! I was captured, terrorized, thrilled, and couldn’t put it down. I loved the first book in the Kyndall Family Thrillers, “The Dragon’s Staircase”, and this one ... well I read it in one day! I love all the Kyndall family characters and their love and protectiveness towards each other. Your mix of romance and thriller really is astounding! I cannot wait for book number three about Donovan Kyndall to come out.”
—Kindle Reviewer on Shadow of the Forgotten
The Author
McKenna Grey is the contemporary alter-ego of an award-winning, historical romance author. She writes romantic suspense, including the Kyndall Family series, and heartwarming, small-town romance to break up the murder and mayhem. She lives and plays in the northern Rocky Mountains where she manages to stay out of the trouble her characters can't seem to avoid.
Learn more at www.mckennagrey.com
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Genre: Romantic Suspense/Thriller
Type: Novel
Series: Kyndall Family Thrillers, book 3
Content Note: 3 Hearts/PG-13 - Bedroom scene, but no graphic sex. The violence isn't gory or descriptive.
McKenna Grey is giving away a $25 Amazon Gift Card!
By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old. Void where prohibited by law. One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card. This giveaway ends midnight October 30. Winner will be contacted via email on November 1. Winner has 48 hours to reply. This giveaway is sponsored by the author and hosted by Pump Up Your Book Virtual Book Promotions.
Good luck everyone!
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