REVIEW and GIVEAWAY
Eye for Eye
(Talion Book 1)
(Talion Book 1)
by J. K. Franko
Eye for Eye by J. K. Franko is currently on tour with Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. The tour stops here today for my review, an excerpt, and a giveaway. Please be sure to visit the other tour stops as well.
Description
What would you do if someone hurt the one you love?
Roy and Susie are on a skiing holiday, trying to take a break from the constant reminders of their daughter, tragically killed by a careless driver. Out of the blue they meet Deb and Tom, another couple with a tragic past and a shocking proposal to put things right.
As the bodies accumulate, secrets are revealed and alliances crumble. Ultimate survival depends on following the rules for a perfect murder. And the first rule is … leave no singing bones.
Eye for Eye is the controversial, heart-pounding-edge-of-your-seat thriller expertly woven by new crime master, J. K. Franko.
Book Video
Excerpt
When I try to piece together how this whole mess began, a part of me thinks it may have started over thirty years ago. At least the seeds were planted that far back, in the early 1980s. What happened then, at that summer camp in Texas, set the stage for everything that was to come.
Odd, how something so remote in time and geography continues to impact me here, today.
Sometimes I try to imagine her, how she felt—that eleven year-old girl—as she ran, stumbling and tripping through the woods that night. I try to put myself in her shoes. When I do, I wonder if she was frightened.
Did she understand the consequences of what she’d gotten herself into? I imagine it felt otherworldly to her, like a dream. But not a good dream. No, one of the bad ones—the ones that make your heart machine-gun as you try to outrun some dark thing that’s chasing you. But the faster you try to run, the slower you go, your legs feeling leaden, clumsy, useless.
Panic sets in. Tears of frustration form. Fear takes hold and won’t let go. You open your mouth to scream but realize, to your horror, that you’re paralyzed. It’s not that you can’t scream; you can’t even breathe. Not a dream—a nightmare.
Then again, all that may simply be my imagination. It could just be me projecting what I might have felt onto Joan. Maybe she wasn’t scared at all.
True, it was dark out. The night smelled of rain, but there was no lightning, only the far-off rumble of thunder hinting at a distant storm. There were no trail lights, no visibility but for the moon peeking out intermittently from behind a patchwork of clouds. But, Joan had been down this trail before. She was running toward the main cabin.
She had been at Camp Willow for almost two full weeks. She had been up and down that trail at least ten times a day, every day. Of course, that was during the day, and always with her buddy, or a camp counselor (the children called them troop leaders). Joan had never been on the trail at night. And never alone.
Maybe I imagine Joan was scared because, as an adult, I believe that she should have been. I would have been terrified.
[Want more? Click below to read a longer excerpt.]
Praise for the Book
“New twist on the Strangers on a Train set-up - this time it’s rich, powerful Americans looking for vengeance for a wronged child. Absorbing tale of how respectable, moneyed lives can be drawn into a vortex of pain, shame and fear.” ~ The Sunday Times
“Realistic and chilling, Eye for Eye kept me on the edge of my seat!” ~ Mystery Thriller Week
“… scarily well thought out … ingenious … tantalizing …” ~ Starry Mag
“… gripped me from the start, and like a crocodile in a death roll, twisted and turned and never let me go.” ~ Book Social
“A thriller with twists and turns leaving you trapped in a psychological maze. Franko is a force to be reckoned with.” ~ Books Beyond the Story
My Review
By Lynda Dickson
Thirty years ago, eleven-year-old Joan fell to her death at a summer camp. It was ruled an accident, but was it? And what relevance does this event have to the present-day story of Susie and Roy, who wish to avenge the death of their daughter Camilla?
The author has a great writing style, and his use of the unknown narrator immediately immerses us into the action. He creates suspense by hinting at things to come. This device makes you want to keep reading to find out what happens next. Unlike most crime novels, this story gives us the inside view of the “criminals”. The first half of the book details the planning of the crime. This is followed by a day-to-day description of the execution of the plan when, despite all the careful planning, whatever can go wrong does go wrong. Finally, we get a look at the police investigation, with the inclusion of reports and interviews.
The story is full of twists and turns, and everything ties in so well. Just like Roy, the author must be a meticulous plotter. While this story is essentially complete, the ending sets us up spectacularly for the next book, which is out in 2020. I can’t wait to read it. Luckily, there is a preview at the end of this book.
Warnings: coarse language, graphic violence, sexual references, sex scene.
About the Author
J. K. Franko was born and raised in Texas. His Cuban-American parents agreed there were only three acceptable options for a male child: doctor, lawyer, and architect. After a disastrous first year of college pre-Med, he ended up getting a BA in philosophy (not acceptable), then he went to law school (salvaging the family name) and spent many years climbing the big law firm ladder. After ten years, he decided that law and family life weren’t compatible. He went back to school where he got an MBA and pursued a Ph.D. He left law for corporate America, with long stints in Europe and Asia.
His passion was always to be a writer. After publishing a number of non-fiction works, thousands of hours writing, and seven or eight abandoned fictional works over the course of eighteen years, Eye for Eye became his first published novel.
J. K. Franko now lives with his wife and children in Florida.
Giveaway
Enter the tour-wide giveaway for a chance to win one of two $15 Amazon gift cards, one of two signed copies of Eye for Eye by J. K. Franko (US only), or one of two knife sets (US only).
Links
Amazon (Kindle Unlimited)
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