Good Girl Gone by Sam Berretti

With the twists and turns presented in the first few pages, you know you’re in for a tantalizing read when you pick up GOOD GIRL GONE by Sam Berretti.

An engineer by profession, Doris Watson has a secret existence as an on-call agent for a firm called Seekers Worldwide. They are a loose group of high-tech mercenaries managed by Della Jamay Charboneau and run by NSA agent Sam Namath.

When Doris gets a call from Sam to babysit Della Jamay, she knows she’s got her hands full. But whoever kidnapped Della Jamay’s niece is the one in serious trouble, the kind of trouble that could get you killed.

The women travel to New Orleans where they battle callous criminals and a mysterious voodoo priestess. Forging an unlikely alliance, the women are determined to rescue Della Jamay’s niece no matter the cost.

This is a fast pace adrenaline-fueled thriller that will have you on edge. The suspense and action add depth to this fascinating tale of pure evil and family love. Touches of humor and romance make this a well-balanced adventure.

The New Orleans setting comes to life through the vivid descriptions of the author. The mixture of buried secrets, heartwarming moments, and a dash of paranormal are well combined to create a story hard to put down.

The characters are memorable and realistic. Their interaction enhances this explosive story filled with danger and intrigue.

GOOD GIRL GONE is the second installment in the Seekers Mystery series, but can be read as a standalone.

Doris Watson is a protagonist readers will want to keep an eye out for.

Good Girl Gone by Sam Berretti, A Seekers Mystery (Book #2), CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, @2015, ISBN: 978-1517754402, Paperback, 480 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 for stopping by today. I appreciate your visit and your thoughts. Do you enjoy stories that featured smart and tough female protagonists? Do you enjoy bits of humor woven into mysteries?

Author Sam Berretti: The Ensemble

It’s always a pleasure when I get to welcome an author back to Thoughts in Progress. Today I’m delighted to see author Sam Berretti returning to talk about his latest release, THE BLACK ROSE, the first installment in his new O’Brien’s Law Mystery series.

Here’s a synopsis of THE BLACK ROSE, an intriguing story:

       “What do you want to be when you grow up, Meredith?” A dead attorney had not been her answer, she was pretty darn sure.
        After years of experience in the courtroom, Assistant State Attorney Meredith O’Brien finds herself the target of street thugs and deep into uncovering the truth about a serial rapist and killer intent on taunting the police and her. What was the meaning of the black rose? After years of being alone she also finds herself being pursued by her ex-boyfriend detective and a mysterious Atlanta billionaire, not to mention a dog with the intelligence of a four year old. Both of the men are infuriating, persistent and intent on getting into her life, business and more personal places.
        Surrounded by a cast of unpredictable characters including co-workers, relatives, psychics and bounty hunters, she finds her entire life has gone crazily out of control. Strong willed, sharp-tongued and explosive, she discovers the media is quick to paint a target on her back. Dodging bullets and physically fighting bad guys was not what Meredith envisioned when she went to law school or took her job in the small, picturesque Florida city of Gainesville. Dying prematurely was also not what she had envisioned.
        This cozy romantic action thriller is packed with suspense, adventure, comedy and women sleuths fighting crime. This is a detective story with heart and a touch of the paranormal, as Meredith O’Brien applies her brand of the law, up close and very personally. A fine blend of romance and mystery, it follows the drama as police are confronted with crimes against the community and those that enforce the law.
        If Meredith survives the attacks on her, she still has to deal with her meddling friends and family pushing romance and impossible relationships on her. What’s a girl to do?

Please join me in giving Sam a warm welcome as he talks about ‘The Ensemble.’

After finishing my first book, DOUBLE MAYHEM, A Seekers Mystery, I decided to start a second mystery series that would be a little cozier. Heavy violence and graphic sex were left offstage so to speak with a little more humor thrown in. I’d learned a lot while writing my first published novel, so I realized it was important to have a strong central character, but just as important to surround her with a unique supporting cast. 

I’d decided to write about an assistant state attorney. In part because my wife is a lawyer, so I had my expert advisor on board, and my writer’s group includes a policeman. What you read in the book is procedurally accurate even if it is fiction. I put a lot of thought into building the list of characters, because they are the players that were to pull her in the direction she went; the girlfriend, the old boyfriend, the mysterious Atlanta billionaire, the crazy relatives, and the office workers, cops, lawyers and judges. Those were to be the regulars, the family of characters that I could introduce and perhaps develop in later books. 

While I outlined all of this I realized there was something missing. Then my dog came in to beg for his daily walk. Bingo. There had to be a dog. A special dog. In DOUBLE MAYHEM I had a cat. Personally, I’ve almost always had cats and dogs around. To me they are a natural part of the society, a part that helps to bring out the human side of us, just like kids and babies. Since I’ve watched them a lot, I find writing about them a pleasure.

With the family of characters sketched out and a general plot arc in mind I began to write. The way I write is almost an explorative process. I put characters together and have them begin to talk and react. What would a girlfriend with a certain kind of personality do or say? Then how would Meredith, the main character, respond? What would they logically have to do to solve a presented problem? 

Sometimes I was surprised at where the dialogue took me and what avenues it forced me into. I might have vaguely outlined what I wanted them to do as I started a chapter, but then I would realize real people wouldn’t do that. Real people would do this other, unexpected thing because they are flawed, or manipulative, or angry. 

The characters I write are not simple, one-dimensional or always likable. They are driven and unique and that is the key to having a plot that races and twists and surprises. They are driven and unique and that is the reason they become real to people. I’ve had readers tell me my books make them laugh and cry and stay up at night trying to finish. As a writer, I can’t think of a more wonderful compliment. 

Sam, thanks for joining us and sharing this look at how the elements come together. I like the aspect of a dog (or cat) being included because animals are very much a part of our lives. Having the characters deal with pets makes them more realistic.

Now for those who aren’t familiar with Sam, here’s a bit of background on him.
Sam Berretti was born and raised in the High Plains city of Lubbock, Texas. Cotton was king and oil wells and cattle were always close by. The land was as flat as his mother’s tattered ironing board and Spring was always ushered in with dust storms, tumble weeds and tornadoes. 

Sam moved to Florida to attend the University of Florida, met a woman who he says was gracious enough to allow him to marry her and raised two amazing children. Sam is an avid naturalist and photographer, as well as an author. Although writing started at an early age and took many forms, mystery fiction has always been a favorite.

For more on Sam and his writing, visit his website and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.

Thanks for stopping by today during Sam’s visit. Do you like it when characters have pets that interfere in their daily life, much like our own pets do? Do you like have a family of characters surrounding the protagonist so that you can learn more about them as a series continues?

*This post contains affiliate links.

DOUBLE MAYHEM by Sam Berretti

As several paths come together in an explosive beginning, you can’t help but be drawn into unable to look away. You have to know more - who are these people, what just happened and why.

Author Sam Berretti has crafted a suspenseful mystery in DOUBLE MAYHEM. The story is well-balanced with colorful characters, witty dialogue and action sprinkled with a touch of humor and a hint of romance.

It all begin when Doris Watson reluctantly goes on a blind date and ends up killing a syndicate hit man. From there Doris’ world is turned upside down and she no longer knows who to trust.

A military brat, Doris enjoys her simple life as a professional engineer creating amazing devices. She’s no trained assassin or spy, just an ordinary woman. She is suddenly embroiled in life-threatening circumstances when she’s asked to take a secret handoff from a Chinese agent who believes she’s someone else. To complicate matters more, she’s been entrusted to care for a mysterious psychic child.

Doris knew the blind date was a bad idea, she just didn’t know how bad.

This is a mesmerizing mystery filled with fast action and realistic characters. The emotions run the gamut from terror to heartwarming, from funny to heartbreaking. There are intriguing twists and turns to keep you guessing. Doris is a heroine you can’t help but like and pull for. She’s smart, strong and independent with just enough flaws to be endearing. 
      
DOUBLE MAYHEM is the first installment in a new Seekers Mystery series that is sure to have a great following. Berretti has created a new female heroine that mystery lovers will be keeping an eye out for.

Double Mayhem by Sam Berretti, Seekers Mystery Series Book One, CreateSpace Independent Publishing, @2012, ISBN: 978-1480291485, Paperback, 384 Pages (Also available in digital format)

FTC Full Disclosure - A digital 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.
 
Thanks for stopping by today. Hope you’re having a wonderful weekend filled with lots of time to read.

Author Sam Berretti: How Doris Came To Be

I’m delighted today to welcome a ‘new-to-me’ author that originally hails from my second favorite state, Texas. Author Sam Berretti joins us to talk about the protagonist in his debut fiction release, DOUBLE MAYHEM, the first of a planned Seekers Mystery Series.

Before we learn how the protagonist came to be, let’s find out who she is in this brief synopsis of DOUBLE MAYHEM:

    They say for every person in the world there is a twin. For Doris Watson, that simple wisdom becomes a nightmare reality that threatens her and the ones she’s come to love. An ex-military engineer who leads a quiet life as an appliance designer, she is recruited to perform one uncomplicated task: take a handoff of secret plans from a Chinese agent who believes she is someone else.
    She accepts the assignment and the only person she can blame is herself. When the federal agent came calling she opened the door and invited him in. She said yes. Her lonely existence is shattered as headstrong men cross her path. Dangerous men with dangerous needs.  
  Suddenly embroiled in mob killings, espionage, and police investigations, she has become a billion-dollar target of sadistic crooks, the FBI, the NSA, and her psychotic look-alike. It is up to her to protect herself and the mysterious psychic child who has been thrust into her life.
    No one is who they appear to be. No one is telling the truth, because the truth can make you dead. Forced to use all her training and wits, she must find a way to survive. Forced to uncover the secrets of her childhood, she must face a new reality. Some days you just shouldn’t answer the door. 
  
Sam joins us now to talk about how Doris came to be:

I wanted a lead character that would be unique to the mystery thriller genre. A great majority of them are alpha males, so I decided to cast this one as a woman. 

That also allowed me to delve more into the romantic side of the story and add another dimension as well as making it appealing to people who love reading romance novels.
Mystery thriller romance definitely appealed to me. Having decided that, I knew the kind of person I wanted her to be. 

Doris Watson is a real person. Even her name suggests someone who is wrapped in the shroud of normality. And that is how we are introduced to her. She is a single woman with a cat and a nine-to-five job. But for her to fulfill her destiny inside this explosive story, I had to provide her with a believable resume. 

She is ex-military, but not the kind usually cast in spy dramas. Her military training like thousands of other women was standard. She was not part of any elite group, but she can shoot a gun, throw a punch and hold herself together in an emergency. Doris’s stint in the marines helped pay for her college degree, and she now designs high end microwave ovens. 

Doris is a modern woman, intelligent, creative and ingenious by nature. Loving and compassionate, she is also a skeptical suburbanite with a wry sense of humor. As it turns out, these traits become survival skills. 

I enjoy creating layers to my plots and characters that make the reading more enjoyable. Doris comes packaged with hidden histories and back stories that are revealed throughout the book. Life for Doris, like any real person, is full of closets, dusty memories, skeletons and trauma. 

And like any normal person I wanted her to have flaws and demons, things that would affect her and send her life sideways at times. For example, Doris is a woman with a bit of an anger management problem. But then again, that can be a plus during times of danger and confrontation. Doris is not a trained assassin or a super spy. She is someone more dangerous and unpredictable, a smart woman pushed into a corner. 

Sam, thanks for joining us and sharing how Doris came to be. I, like most readers, do enjoy protagonist that are realistic and have traits similar to people you know.

Now a bit of background on Sam. As I mentioned earlier, he originally hails from Texas. He was born and raised in the High Plains city of Lubbock, Texas. After finishing college at Texas Tech University, he moved to Florida to attend graduate school at the University of Florida and holds two Masters Degrees. 

Sam is an avid naturalist, photographer and artist, as well as a writer. Although writing started at an early age and took many forms, his first published book is DOUBLE MAYHEM. Married with two grown children, Sam presently lives in Florida.

Sam is busy working on new stories. Additional books are being planned and written not only in the Seekers Mystery Series, but a new Kavanaugh’s Law Mystery Series about an assistant state’s attorney in Florida. 

For more on Sam and his writing, check out his website and find him on Facebook and Twitter. 

DOUBLE MAYHEM is available in print and as an e-book from: Amazon, Barns&Noble, and Smashwords 

Available in e-book from:
iTunes and Diesel

Thanks for dropping by today. Do you believe everyone has a twin? Have you ever meet your look-alike?