I can hardly believe I’ve received the first early praise for AVALANCHE, A Stone Mountain Mystery #3. AVALANCHE will be released by Imajin Books this spring.

It set my nerves on fire to send out the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) to well established authors asking for an endorsement if they like the book. The ARC has not been through the full editing process or proofreading, so it’s hard to let the work out into the world.

Imajin Books taught me with the DESCENT and BLAZE that this was part of the publishing process, so I should take a deep breath and hit the send button.

The first endorsement I’ve received is from thriller writer Jeff Buick.

Layer upon layer, like snow building for an avalanche, Stanley weaves a story that keeps you guessing. You can’t turn the pages fast enough.

AVALANCHE: On a cold winter morning, deep in the Purcell Mountains, the safe at Stone Mountain Resort is robbed hours before Kalin Thompson’s brother, Roy, disappears in an avalanche.

Under normal circumstances, as the director of security, Kalin would lead the investigation into the theft, but Roy is the prime suspect. The police and the president of the resort turn their sights on Kalin. She’s told to stay clear of the investigation and risks her job to covertly attempt to clear Roy’s name.

Threats against Kalin escalate as she gets closer to the truth. Is her faith in her brother justified? Was the avalanche an accident or did something more sinister happen? And is the truth worth destroying her life for?

Jeff Buick, a Canadian fiction writer, is a top selling author of thriller novels including:

Bloodline

The world thinks Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was killed in 1993. The world is wrong. Escobar went deep into hiding, taking with him the access code to a Swiss bank account containing hundreds of millions of dollars. His enemies want that code, and they ll do anything to get it…. Escobar s enemies know that even in hiding he is still a very dangerous man, and that simply looking for him would cost them their lives. Instead they turn to Escobar s cousin, an innocent pawn who has no idea where to begin the search. But his wife and daughter are being held as security, and the clock is ticking. He has two weeks to find Pablo Escobar and get that access code or they die.                       

Lethal Dos

When Gordon Buchanan’s brother, Billy, dies from an injury in a logging accident because his blood failed to coagulate properly, Gordon seeks an outside cause for Billy’s blood disorder, given no family history of hemophilia. Gordon learns that his brother was taking Triaxcion, a new drug manufactured by Veritas Pharmaceuticals, whose ruthless CEO will stop at nothing to maintain his company’s profits. As Gordon begins to dig into the inner workings of the drug company, he’s joined by Jennifer Pearce, a recent Veritas hire who has her own reasons for investigating her employer. Together they uncover a twisted path of corporate conspiracy, greed and murder that reaches into the very heart of American fears. Buick (Bloodline) offers two appealing protagonists plus plenty of fast-paced action and narrow escapes, with a minimum of tech-speak. While several convenient coincidences and overly helpful strangers speed along Gordon and Jennifer’s quest, the final product is a quick, enjoyable biotech thriller.                       

African Ice

A diamond formation worth untold millions, hidden deep in the jungles of Africa. Many have tried to find it. All have failed. Can Samantha Carlson do the impossible? The president of Gem-Star thinks so when he hires the geologist to lead a team into the Democratic Republic of Congo and return with the diamonds’ location. Gem-Star has sent other teams in to find the formation. None made it out alive.

Samantha was aware the odds were against her when she accepted the mission. She’s taken hazardous jobs before, and she knows what she’s doing. Plus, Gem-Star has provided an escort team to protect her. But Samantha’s expedition is about to turn into an all-out battle for survival. There’s another team on a mission in the jungle. Their goal: kill Samantha.

Shell Game 

When NewPro Stock collapses, Taylor and her husband Alan lose millions, forcing them to sell their home and business. But they re not going down without a fight. They re determined to track down the elusive Edward Brand, the mastermind behind the enormous fraud…

Taylor and Alan are about to learn two hard facts: A man who doesn t want to be found can be extremely dangerous – and in the world of high-level scams absolutely nothing is what it seems. If they re going to pin Brand down and recover their money, they re going to need an ingenious – and very risky – plan of their own.

Delicate Chaos

Leona Hewitt, a successful Washington banker, finds her life on the line when she takes on a new client. A poweful company is set to lose millions if she doesn’t approve a transaction . . . and they’ve hired a killer to make sure she doesn’t present a problem.