Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Little Girl Gone {+ Giveaway}


LITTLE GIRL GONE by Gerry Schmitt
◊ Series: Afton Tangler Thriller (Book 1)
◊ Hardcover: 336 Pages
◊ Genre: Thriller, Suspense, Mystery
◊ Publisher: Berkley (July 5, 2016)
◊ Language: English
◊ ISBN-10: 0425281760
◊ ISBN-13: 978-0425281765

SYNOPSIS:
In the first Afton Tangler thriller, the unforgiving cold of a Minnesota winter hides the truth behind an even more chilling crime...
 
         On a frozen night in an affluent neighborhood of Minneapolis, a baby is abducted from her home after her teenage babysitter is violently assaulted. The parents are frantic, the police are baffled, and, with the perpetrator already in the wind, the trail is getting colder by the second.
          As family liaison officer with the Minneapolis P.D., it’s Afton Tangler’s job to deal with the emotional aftermath of terrible crimes—but she’s never faced a case quite as brutal as this. Each development is more heartbreaking than the last and the only lead is a collection of seemingly unrelated clues.
         But, most disturbing of all, Afton begins to suspect that this case is not isolated. Whoever did this has taken babies before—and if Afton doesn’t solve this crime soon, more children are sure to go missing.  


What happens when a cozy mystery author tries her hand at writing in the thriller genre? If you’re author Gerry Schmitt (probably better known as author Laura Childs), you produce a spine-tingling story and the start of an intriguing new series.

LITTLE GIRL GONE is a fast-pace story with a feisty protagonist that’s determined and a bit head-strong, but has a tender heart. Newly divorced and the mother of two girls, Afton Tangler shares traits and flaws readers can relate to. The core cast of characters is realistic and likable. They add depth to the story and have the potential for developing backgrounds as the series continues.

This is a story where readers know who the criminals are from the beginning. It’s the journey of putting the pieces together to catch the bad guys that makes this an intriguing thriller. With a few twists along the way, readers get the story from multiple viewpoints enhancing the suspense and drawing them deeper into the tale.

This storyline of a kidnapped baby will tug at your heartstrings as the mystery deepens before coming to a pulse-pounding conclusion. With a good blend of police procedures and suspense, Schmitt as created a fascinating new series that will hold your attention from beginning to end. This is a captivating story with tantalizing characters.  

Little Girl Gone by Gerry Schmitt, An Afton Tangler Thriller (Book #1), Berkley, @2016, ISBN: 978-0425281765, Hardcover, 336 Pages

FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the author in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

Thanks to the author, I have a print copy of LITTLE GIRL GONE by Gerry Schmitt to giveaway. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Thursday, July7.

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. A winner will be selected by the Rafflecopter widget and I’ll send an email with the subject line “Thoughts in Progress Giveaway.” The winner will have 72 hours to reply to the email or another winner will be selected. PLEASE be sure to check your spam folder from time to time after the giveaway ends to make sure the notification email doesn’t end up there. If you win and you’ve already won the book somewhere else or you just decided for whatever reason you don’t want to win (which is fine), once again PLEASE let me know.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope I’ve enticed you to check out this new thriller series when it releases next week. Afton Tangler is a fascinating new protagonist to follow. What is it about thrillers that draws you in? Are you uncomfortable reading about children being kidnapped?

12 comments:

  1. Just the title yanks on my heart strings. A dreadful reality for too many people world wide. And even one would be too many.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Afton Tangler is a great name and this story sounds terrifying.

    ReplyDelete
  3. From cozy to thriller - I can see why she went with a pen name. That story line would surprise her regular readers with its intensity.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I always give authors a lot of credit for trying different sorts of novels. And this one sounds intriguing! Thanks for sharing, Mason.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love all of Laura Childs' book and am looking forward to trying this one.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love thrillers, and this sounds like a good one!

    skkorman AT bellsouth DOT net

    ReplyDelete
  7. It's hard for me to read a story like this one. I have eight grandchildren. However, I've always enjoyed Laura Childs' books and I know I will like this one, too! Thank you for the giveaway!

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a captivating novel. Thanks for this feature and giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I can't wait to see how Laura Childs handles this story. The story has me hooked already. Thanks for the chance to win it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Child abduction has got to be one of everyone's top fears. I know this book will have us hooked from page one. Thanks for the chance to win a copy.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I've seen a lot of new books with the word, "girl" in the title. Must be a trend. This sounds like a good one.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I like thrillers because of the mystery and adventure. I don't have a problem with children simply being kidnapped (say, in a ransom situation) in stories, but I don't like reading about worse things that can happen to them.

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear your thoughts on today's post. Thanks for dropping by.