Desert Heat
by P.H. Turner
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GENRE: Romantic Suspense
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BLURB:
Social worker Jordan Bia finds a child who escaped her captors and a life in the sex trade, but four other girls from her small Mexican village were not so lucky. Smugglers hide their human cargo in the hoodoos of a remote canyon on the reservation—a place the Navajo shun, fearful of the witches who practice their black rituals and feast on the dark energy of evil. Mysterious rites, omens of death, and bodies litter the canyon.
When she meets Navajo police officer Sam Tohee, sparks fly fueled by the danger of hunting men who buy and sell little girls. Techno savvy Jordan plots to trap the smugglers and free the rest of the children, but unless she and Sam can find the power to defeat the witches she may not live long enough to save the girls.
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EXCERPT
Parking by the Weatherford Hotel lifted my spirits. I was off duty and this might be fun. The third floor Zane Grey Ballroom was a popular watering hole for the locals in downtown Flagstaff. The Grey was misnamed since it had never been a ballroom, but always a beautiful bar full of stained glass and gleaming wood. Antique photos of the hotel from its heyday in the late 1890s hung on the walls. The warped old stairs creaked all the way to the third floor where convivial conversation and laughter drifted out over the smoky sounds of jazz. My worries drifted away, and I had a tingle of anticipation. Maybe the blind date and I would walk out of my desert of broken dreams together.
I scanned the crowd for Taylor. She waved at me from a table adjacent to the carved wood fireplace. She and Trace sat beside a tall man with jet black hair, sculpted short on the sides and longish on top. The men stood as I approached. My date had a warrior's face, a hawk nose balanced by high cheek bones and a chiseled jaw. Taylor reached over and grabbed my hand."Hey, you look great." She jerked her thumb toward the warrior. "This is Sam Tohee."
Sam's hand was warm and calloused, his fingers thick and hard as he clasped my own. A grin tugged at the edge of his generous mouth, and when his eyes held mine, it became a slow contagious smile that spread across his face.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I call Austin, Texas home now after working on the East and West coasts, the Rocky Mountains, and an island in the Gulf of Mexico. I've come full circle to live and work close to the farm my family settled in the 1850's.
Truth is stranger than fiction, and years in the news business provided lots of peculiar characters and stories to write about. My books are set in my favorite places, the desert canyons and high mountains of the American West.
Buy link for Desert Heat
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GIVEAWAY
P.H. Turner will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance!
DeleteDo you Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks?
ReplyDeleteI just read until something calls me away from my play time.
DeleteHi, Mai! Good question & great answer!!
DeleteThank you for hosting Desert Heat!
ReplyDeleteThank you, for letting me be part of your Blog Tour!! By the way...HOT cover
Deletewho would be your dream cast choice to play Jordan Bia and Sam Tohee,in a movie version of the book!!!
ReplyDeleteJessica Alba and Lou Diamond Phillips!
DeleteOoh! Great choice!!
DeleteEnjoyed the excerpt, sounds like a great book, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank you for joining me today.
DeleteHi, Eva! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteSounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy Desert Heat!
DeleteHi, Rita! Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteVery good excerpt. I really enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteHi, MomJane! Thanks for stopping by!!
DeleteThank you. I'm happy you joined us today.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the excerpt! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI loved doing the research for this book! Thanks...
DeleteHi, Betty! Thanks for stopping by!!
DeleteGreat post, thanks for sharing the excerpt :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for joining in!
DeleteWow! What amazing history to live in a place thats been around in the family since the 1850s. I would love this so much . My family does not have any deep roots like that at all. The oldest property in our family right now goes back to the 1930's in Germany.
ReplyDeleteHi, Silvia! Thanks for your lovely comment!!
DeleteI've lived and worked in so many places, but when I came back to this area, it just feels right. Living where they lived ties me to them.
ReplyDeleteThe book seems very intriguing, going to my "to be read" list! :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy Desert Heat!
DeleteHi, Dario! Thanks for stopping by!!
DeleteI really enjoyed the excerpt. Thank you.
ReplyDelete