Silk
by Chris
Karlsen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
What
would you do to stay young: Lie, Manipulate..kill?
London-Fall,
1888
The
city is in a panic as Jack the Ripper continues his murderous spree. While the
Whitechapel police struggle to find him, Detective Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone
and his partner are working feverishly to find their own serial killer. The
British Museum's beautiful gardens have become a killing ground for young women
strangled as they stroll through.
Their
investigation has them brushing up against Viscount Everhard, a powerful member
of the House of Lords, and a friend to Queen Victoria. When the circumstantial
evidence points to him as a suspect,
Rudyard must deal with the political blowback, and knows if they are going to
go after the viscount, they'd better be right and have proof.
As
the body count grows and the public clamor for the detectives to do more,
inter-department rivalries complicate the already difficult case.
Silk
on the skin—luxurious, luscious..lethal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT:
He wrapped an end in each hand and pulled. His fingers crept
up the silk and he tugged a bit harder still. The material pressed deeper into
the flesh of her neck. Bright pink dotted her cheeks and radiated down to her
jaw. The veins in her temples popped out and pulsed in time to her heartbeat.
She moaned, pushed her hips upward and writhed against him. Her soft pubic hair
tickled his testicles. Isabeau’s unsubtle way of letting him know she wanted
him inside her. He obliged.
Her hands encircled his wrists. She tugged hard outward,
harder than usual. A choked sigh escaped her. He paid no attention. This was
standard. Isabeau always insisted he maintain pressure until she signaled for
him to release his hold. In the past, when she reached the edge of
consciousness, she’d beat along his upper arms. This time she thrashed her head
back and forth, something he hadn’t seen before. Her eyes bulged in an
unattractive way and she clawed at him. Her nails gouged the skin on his hands,
drawing blood.
She hurt him and he wanted to slap her. He almost let go of
one end of the scarf to do that. Instead, he pulled tighter. Isabeau tried to
insert her fingers into the spot where the material crossed over. Her mouth
opened and shut, soundless and fishlike. She swatted at the mattress wildly.
Red-faced to the point of being near purple, she bucked beneath him.
She fired his blood with her lack of inhibition. Never had
she responded with such intensity. Raw power surged through him, primitive,
animalistic. He pumped hard. Ready to climax, William clenched his fists,
twisting the scarf one last turn. Odd, feathery touches tapped his biceps,
feminine and subtle grazes, and then she went limp. Spent, he released his hold
and collapsed on top of her, his heart pounding while he caught his breath.
Isabeau didn’t move and her head stayed turned to the side.
She hadn’t cried out the way she normally did when sated. Perhaps she was
disappointed with his effort. He gave the thought a mental shrug. At the end of
the day, it really didn’t matter. He’d arrange for her departure first thing in
the morning.
William rolled over and slung a sweaty arm over his eyes. He
tried to decide which was worse, telling her tonight the affair was over or
waiting until morning. The idea of doing it after such a rambunctious sexual
endeavor seemed bad form, but he wanted to get it over with. He turned onto his
side, prepared for histrionics, caterwauling, great tears and verbal abuse.
“Isabeau, look at me. I’ve come to a decision and it will
likely distress you.” Nothing. She didn’t stir. “Isabeau?”
He shook her by the arm. Still no response. William let go
and her arm dropped listless to the mattress. He raised her arm again and let
go. Again, it fell listless. He straddled her and patted her cheeks. Nothing.
Her head twisted without resistance first right then left depending on the
direction of his pat. He slapped her harder. Nothing. Vacant eyes stared fixed
on the ceiling. He bent an ear to her chest. Nothing. William leapt from the
bed, snatched a silver mirror from the dressing table, and held it under her
nose. Nothing.
“Bitch.” William hurled the mirror against the wall. “Bitch,
whore,” he raged and paced along the side of the bed. “I will not allow you to
make my life a nightmare. This was your doing. I told you to leave me alone.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
During the late 1800's, a wealthy man, William Everhard, accidentally strangles his mistress, Isabeau. He isn't really unhappy about this turn of events. It was part of an intimate moment between the two - at her request. He found in the act, however, a satisfying power over Isabeau that makes him dream of doing it again. Later, Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone is called in to handle a case of a murdered young woman. They have no idea who she is or why she is where she is. She isn't wealthy nor is she poor. What could have lead to this sad loss of life? There is no evidence of rape but clear evidence that the killer enjoyed the killing in a sexual way. Bloodstone searches for clues and answers that just don't seem to be there.
Silk leaves us wondering who the murdered girl is. Is she somehow connected to William? Has he, once again, taken his newly created fantasies too far? Would there be more deaths? Has one moment of unbridled passion created a monster? Because I really struggled with the answers to these and numerous other questions about the murder, I give this book a 3.5 stars. ~JoEllen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review:
During the late 1800's, a wealthy man, William Everhard, accidentally strangles his mistress, Isabeau. He isn't really unhappy about this turn of events. It was part of an intimate moment between the two - at her request. He found in the act, however, a satisfying power over Isabeau that makes him dream of doing it again. Later, Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone is called in to handle a case of a murdered young woman. They have no idea who she is or why she is where she is. She isn't wealthy nor is she poor. What could have lead to this sad loss of life? There is no evidence of rape but clear evidence that the killer enjoyed the killing in a sexual way. Bloodstone searches for clues and answers that just don't seem to be there.
Silk leaves us wondering who the murdered girl is. Is she somehow connected to William? Has he, once again, taken his newly created fantasies too far? Would there be more deaths? Has one moment of unbridled passion created a monster? Because I really struggled with the answers to these and numerous other questions about the murder, I give this book a 3.5 stars. ~JoEllen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I was born and
raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is,
a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.
My parents also
love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I
read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated
me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near
East, and North Africa.
I am a retired
police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two
different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired,
I decided to pursue that dream. I write two different series. My paranormal
romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is,
Dangerous Waters.
I currently
live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, four rescue dogs and a rescue
horse.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorckarlsen
Website:
http://chriskarlsen.com/
Amazon Author
Page: http://www.amazon.com/Chris-Karlsen/e/B005HYTQQI
BN Author Page:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/chris-karlsen
Giveaway:
Chris will be awarding a $20 Amazon or B/N GC
to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Follow the tour HERE
I enjoyed reading the review today.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt and I appreciate your honest review. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteinteresting premise
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