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Tainted Waters by MaggieThom – Review/Giveaway/Excerpt

 

PLEASE MENTION THE PRIZE THAT THE AUTHOR WILL BE GIVING AWAY:

 

Maggie will be awarding a $25 GC, winner’s choice to Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Kobo, to a randomly drawn commenter, and an autographed ecopy of Captured Lies to another randomly drawn commenter during the tour. A signed autographed copy of Captured Lies will be awarded to a randomly drawn host (US ONLY).

 

Tainted Waters

by Maggie Thom

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BLURB:

 

He didn’t commit suicide but who’s going to believe her…

 

Frustrated at being fired from her latest job and overwhelmed by her consolatory family, Sam decides to move to the family’s cabin at the lake. A place she hasn’t been since her dad committed suicide there twenty years before. Or did he? Snooping is something she’s good at but someone seems to be taking offense to her looking too closely at what has been happening at the lake. What she discovers is shocking. Now she must uncover what’s real and what’s not. All that she learned growing up, may be false.

 

Keegan, who has recently moved to the area to finish his latest book, is also trying to find out if his grandfather, who’d passed away ten years before, died of natural causes or was murdered.

 

The descendants of the four families who own the land around the lagoon are dying off. Since Sam and Keegan are the only ones questioning the deaths, they find themselves working together to seek the truth. Are people being murdered? Who would benefit from their deaths? Why would there be barricades and armed guards at the north end of the lake?

 

To stay alive, Sam and Keegan must find the answers and convince others, before more people are killed… including them.

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Excerpt Six:

Keegan cautiously pulled into his laneway at his cabin and that was only after sitting down the road for the last hour making sure there was no company. Grey dark clouds churned as they floated by, adding an ominous feeling to the already waning light. He climbed out of the car, carefully looking around and listening for anything out of the ordinary. Birds quacking, chirping and tweeting were very distinct, along with the wind that had picked up and was starting to sway trees and jiggle anything that was loose.

 

“I just have to grab a few things.” He let himself into the house, hoping that Sam would stay in the car or at least by it. He unlocked his bedroom. His computer was still sitting in the corner, looking like it had never been disturbed. Rubbing his finger over the mouse pad, he brought it out of sleep mode. It automatically opened to the program he’d installed. There were two new messages. Glancing out the window he could see Sam pacing back and forth across his lawn, although he was sure she’d just call it strolling. He doubted he had time to listen to the new information, so he pulled all the wires apart and stuffed it into his carry bag. He set that by the door and having no idea what their plans were, he quickly packed a bag of clothes before heading out.

 

She whirled to face him as he closed the door. “Okay. Bring your car. We’ll go to my place. You know where that is.” She gave him a pointed look as she rattled off the address. One he knew well. “There’s something I need to get. I don’t think we can stay there tonight. Don’t follow me. I mean not right behind me. I don’t want people to see us together. Park down the street. I’ll leave my wheels there. I’d rather people not find my vehicle at the lake. I’d rather they think I’m in town. We’ll take yours.” Turning, she hopped into her Grand Am and backed out of the driveway, spitting gravel as she took off down the road before he could say anything.

 

He locked up and found himself praying that this wasn’t the last time he’d be able to do that. Climbing into his car he pumped the gas twice. It protested a bit but fired up on the first try. He drove out of the valley, slowly, watching for wildlife and unwelcome visitors. Once he’d crested the top of the windy hill, he drove for a while before pulling over. Thoughts of what he might have missed in those conversations Harry had been having compelled him to listen. Now.

 

Parked at an entrance to a field, he pulled out his laptop. Once he had the headphones in place, he listened to the recordings. His eyes widened in disbelief at all that he was hearing. Harry Donner was talking to someone who had mentioned he’d had to sing soprano for a while. There was something about a lawyer buying something and the rest he couldn’t make out.

 

What he did know was that Harry had sent that goon after Sam. But who was the other guy? And why?

 

Someone wanted to kill Sam. Or at least abduct her. But why? Who would gain from it? From her? Her family didn’t seem rich. So why?

 

Sweat beaded and slid down the side of his face as he wondered again how he’d gotten caught up in something this big. He’d only been looking for some information that may have had to do with a murder. He hadn’t expected to be thrown into the middle of a potential new one.

 

Then it hit him what he’d heard. Really hit him what had been going through his thoughts. Someone wanted to kill her. And he’d let her go off by herself.

 

 

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Maggie Thom took the challenge and leapt off, leaving a fulltime twenty year career in management, to write full time. After her initial panic that she might need a straight jacket, she published her first book Captured Lies, October 2012. And now is excited to release her second novel, Tainted Waters, April, 2013. Her third book, Deceitful Truths (sequel to Captured Lies), available fall of 2013. An avid reader and writer her whole life, she decided to break the monotony of wishing to be an author by making it happen. Married to her best friend, she is learning that humor, love and patience help her navigate her way through her twins’ teen years. Her motto: Escape to read and Read to escape.

 

She can be found at:

 

www.maggiethom.com

 

www.facebook.com/authormaggiethom

 

www.twitter.com/maggiethom2

 

www.goodreads.com.maggiethom

 

google +:  https://plus.google.com/102887579832939598896/posts

 

 

Review:

Wow another suspense book this week but it was a complete 180 from the other one.  🙂  This one wasn’t the thriller/mystery but a good old fashioned suspense novel that had me flipping my finger on the Kindle to see where the story was going.  While there is a romance in the book…its not the main focus.  The plot itself was and I really enjoyed that aspect of the book.  Another thing that I liked is the different POV’s from the characters.  I’m one of those readers that enjoys reading what the other characters have to say.  I feel more connected to the book as a whole.  🙂  Again, its just me. 

Sam was a great heroine.  She always spoke her mind, intelligent and has the nose of a reporter.  Oh wait…she was one until she got fired.  Needing a break, she decides to go to the cabin that no one has occupied since her dad’s death.  Speaking of her dad’s death, she doesn’t believe that it was a suicide.  Bodies piled up before the book even started and I so totally liked that, too. 

The beginning of the book with her dad was tense.  I totally had the Vulcan Death Grip on the Kindle and held my breath until it was over.  With all the lies, drugs, corruption and murder, this book has so many twists and turns.  I never had a clue to what was going to happen until right up to it happening.  I don’t think my heart slowed down for at least an hour after I finished the book.

Keegan is a great hero.  He, too, doesn’t believe that his grandfather had a heart attack at the age of 68.  Digging around for answers, he finds Sam.  After Sam is almost kidnapped, Keegan and Sam go into hiding to try to figure out the who, where, why, what and the OMG!  Again, there is a romance between Keegan and Sam but the main focus of the book is the suspense surrounding them and why are these people dying around the lake?  What secrets does the lake have?

If you are looking for a great suspense book with romantic elements then Tainted Waters is for you.  You will find a good old fashioned who dunnit and the events that led up to the final conclusion…which I will never tell.  I look forward to read the first book in the series and I found out that there is a sequel to the first book that will release in the fall of 2013.  More for me to try to figure out.

29 thoughts on “Tainted Waters by MaggieThom – Review/Giveaway/Excerpt

  1. Thank you to everyone who participated in my Review Tour for Tainted Waters. Thank you Harlie’s Books for reading, reviewing (love the 4.5 harlies) and hosting me. I really appreciate it. Thank you to everyone who stopped by for a quick peek and to those of you brave enough to leave a comment. 🙂
    And now to the winners:
    Rita Wray won the $25 gift certificate
    Amanda Roach won the signed ecopy of Captured Lies.

    1. I love the review as well Rita. 🙂 Glad you liked the excerpt. It occurs at an interesting part of the story – they are starting to realize that people aren’t dying from natural causes and that there are a lot more sinister things happening then had even imagined. Thank you for stopping by.

  2. Great review! This book is a must read. I couldn’t put it down until I turned the last page 🙂

  3. I am reading Tainted Waters now, and it is definitely a page-turner. I can feel the suspense ratcheting up. I love the characters. You’ve done a fabulous job, Maggie!

    1. Thank you. I’m so glad you’re enjoying it and that you love the characters. My intent is always to write believable, real characters. 🙂 Thank you for stopping by.

  4. great review….put this book on my wish list! This is a new to me author and can’t wait to read her!

  5. Thank you Harlie so much for hosting me today and thank you for the wonderful review. I’m so glad you loved Tainted Waters. Happy Dance time. 🙂

    1. Thank you Amanda. I hope you get the opportunity to find out. 🙂 It was a lot of fun to write Tainted Waters. Thank you for stopping by.

  6. I like getting different points of view in a story. It can make the picture much more complete.

    The excerpt gave me a great feel for the story.

    Thank you for your review. I can tell how much you liked this book.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    1. Hi Mary. If you like different points of view, this story definitely has that. I too think it gives more of a complete picture and it adds to the suspense because you’re never quite sure who’s guilty until near the end. I loved Harlie’s Review too. Thank you for stopping by.

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