Book Spotlight: Find My Daughter by Jennifer Chase

Cold Case Detective Katie Scott promises a mother's dying wish to find her missing daughter…

 

She hears footsteps approaching, then the clunk of a heavy lock. Her body is numb in the cold but she stands, determined to fight. A blinding light overpowers her, and the world goes black… When Detective Katie Scott finds a woman dying in the car garage, blood pooling around her, she reaches her just in time to hear her utter the words: find my daughter. Katie doesn’t waste a second gathering her team and pulling the case file for the missing child, Anna Braxton, a teen with sparkling blue-eyes and an even brighter future. Staring at the blank investigation board, Katie won’t rest until she fulfills Anna’s mother’s dying wish.

Searching the Braxton’s impeccable family home, Katie finds Anna’s journal, filled with teenage secrets. Buried among the pages, she thinks she finds a lead—a strange man reached out to Anna, just days before she went missing… But the case takes a terrifying turn when Anna’s best friend also vanishes. Hours later, a girl’s body is found in the embers of a house fire, her yellow satin dress devastatingly beautiful amongst the ashes. Is it Anna, her best friend, or another girl? One thing is certain: a monster has the close-knit community of Pine Valley in a chokehold, and Katie must get one step ahead of the killer before any more precious young lives are taken. But at what cost? Find My Daughter is available at Amazon.

Book Excerpt

PROLOGUE

Darkness shrouded the old cellar, causing a continuous chill to trickle down her spine. The dirt floor felt cold against her bare feet and her hands were dry as she rubbed them together. She could smell the musty remnants of what had been stored there in the past and the earthiness of being underground. The four walls seemed to be old stone or brick and they crumbled beneath her fingernails as she tried to claw her way out—but to no avail. Her exhaustion ultimately took over and she sat still, alone with her overwhelming fears. She had been left isolated and abandoned—in the pitch-black.

She hadn’t heard the man in hours, or maybe it was days—she wasn’t sure. In her bones, she knew this time he wasn’t coming back. The plastic-bottled water and peanut butter sandwiches were almost gone; her mouth was constantly dry. Her memory seemed to play tricks on her. How long had it been since she’d gone to the casting call for young aspiring models? She hadn’t told anyone where she was going, not her mom or even her best friend. She’d wanted to wait until she got the job to tell them the great news. It had been exciting; she dreamed of being a model and actress.

Her hands touched the dress she had been given to model—a yellow silk sheath wrap that made her feel beautiful, grown-up, as if she was finally someone who mattered.

She didn’t know how many times she had crawled up the wooden stairs to the small opening into the cellar, checking to see if he had left it open. But it was always the same—bolted shut. She had memorized each stair, which ones were sturdy, which were creaky and unstable. There were nine steps in total.

As hard as she tried, she couldn’t remember how she got there or what the house looked like. Even if she had a cell phone, she wouldn’t have been able to describe where she was—or even what town she was in. She felt a million miles away from home.

But she wasn’t giving up. Though weakened from lack of proper food, she dropped to her knees once again and crawled slowly toward the stairs. Her knees were bruised and scraped from the dozens of times she had attempted to escape—hoping that each time would be successful and she would be free.

As she paused at the first stair, feeling the familiar outlines in the darkness, she used her hands to steady her ascent; each time a stair ahead. Her knee pressed against the first stair, then the second, and the third. The creaks and groans were a disturbing symphony that reminded her of her situation: she was a prisoner in an empty basement and no one was coming back for her.

She stopped halfway to the top; her breathing quickening; feeling lightheaded. Her stomach grumbled. Her hope dwindled. Each time she’d gathered the strength to go up the stairs, it had turned out to be disheartening. She was never going to be free again. How stupid and selfish she had been, thinking she would become a model. She wondered if any of the other girls ended up like this. Or was she the only one whose fate was sealed?

Looking up toward the opening, she thought she heard footsteps. Yes, she had heard something. They were faint, but steady. He was coming. She froze. Her knees and hands were almost numb—her fingers hurt. Should she go back down or keep going?

What did she have to lose?

The footsteps were getting closer. They sounded like a pair of work boots hitting old hardwood floors. There was a strange echo to the movement, which was now above her. She could hear the creaks of the uneven planks; a mismatched harmony.

The distinct jingle of keys, then the rattle of a heavy lock.

She was going to stand her ground and push past the man to make her escape. It was all she had.

She could barely breathe.

The heavy creak of hinges.

Her body numb. She tried to stand up, ready to fight.

The doorway opened a crack at first, then wider, and finally pushed all the way open.

The blinding light overpowered her. Trying to escape it, she fell backward, flailing her arms in an attempt to catch her balance. She couldn’t focus on anything. She felt every step hit her back and ribs as she tumbled down to the dirt basement. Her head struck the floor. She lost her breath and closed her eyes.

– Excerpted from Find My Daughter by Jennifer Chase, Bookouture, 2025. Reprinted with permission. 

About the Author

 

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and USA Today Best Selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜ https://authorjenniferchase.com/ 

X ➜ https://x.com/jchasenovelist 

Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferChase 

Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/jenchaseauthor/ 

Goodreads ➜ www.goodreads.com/author/show/2780337.Jennifer_Chase

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Book Spotlight: Friends Are Forever by Mike Martin

Readers new to the Windflower mysteries and those returning will experience the joys of a close-knit community that thrives on the simpler things in life…

 

As Winston Windflower, his police colleagues and their families gather in Marystown, Newfoundland, to celebrate those being promoted up the RCMP ranks, a sophisticated heist by international mobsters and local biker gangs unfolds in multiple cities and towns throughout the province, robbing banks and businesses of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Mounties soon realize more than money is being lost.

In this, the sixteenth novel in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery series, author Mike Martin continues to craft intrigue in the cultural and geographical setting unique to Newfoundland and Labrador. Readers new to the Windflower mysteries and those returning will experience the joys of a close-knit community that thrives on the simpler things in life: por’ cakes, a lighthouse in serious need of a facelift, TV movie nights and the warmth of get-togethers with family and friends. Friends are Forever is available at Amazon.

Book Excerpt

Sergeant Winston Windflower couldn’t be happier for his friend and colleague Eddie Tizzard. On Windflower’s recommendation and with the approval of the big boss, Superintendent Ron Quigley, Tizzard was being promoted to sergeant in the Mounties, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. But in terms of being proud, Windflower might have to stand in line because in the crowd that was gathered at RCMP Headquarters in Marystown, Newfoundland, were Tizzard’s partner, Carrie Evanchuk, and his dad, Richard Tizzard. Both were beaming from ear to ear as they juggled Eddie and Carrie’s two children in their arms.

Carrie had the easier task as little Sophie had been fed and was now snoozing in milk heaven. Hughie, on the other hand, would try and make a break for it every now and then, so Richard had to hang on tightly. He finally gave in and handed the little boy over to his Aunt Brenda, who was sitting farther back in the audience with the rest of Tizzard’s extended family.

Eddie looked down over the assembled RCMP officers and his family and smiled when he saw Hughie trying to get up closer towards him. He could also hear Hughie yelling “Daddy, Daddy” whenever the little boy got pulled back into the crowd. He smiled again as his superintendent called him to the podium and asked him to take off his corporal’s uniform jacket. Ron Quigley then handed him his new jacket with three chevrons pointing down and a crown on top on the right sleeve of his dress uniform, the RCMP’s famous red serge.

There were no speeches. That wasn’t the RCMP’s style. So, the two men shook hands, and Tizzard walked back to his place to thunderous applause from his fellow officers and family. Next on the agenda was the promotion of Windflower’s assistant in Grand Bank, Constable Samira Gupta, to corporal. This time Windflower did the honours, and Gupta exchanged her old uniform for one with two chevrons pointing down that indicated her new rank. She didn’t have any family in the crowd but was very popular with the troops, given the nice round of applause that she also received.

Some of those were special cheers from Windflower’s wife, Sheila Hillier, and his daughters, Stella and Amelia Louise, who had come over from Grand Bank for the occasion. All three loved Sam Gupta. They loved Eddie Tizzard, too. But they all had also made a strong connection with Windflower’s new sidekick and now brand new corporal.

There was a small reception afterwards with coffee and a large cake with the RCMP insignia on it. Both girls had a large piece of cake while Windflower and Sheila visited with Richard Tizzard and Carrie. It was a great celebration day for the Force, as the members called it, and there was plenty of good cheer all around.

But while the Mounties and their families were celebrating, something far more sinister was happening a short distance from the hotel where they were eating their cake.

A group of men had ambushed an armoured truck, and two of them had managed to somehow get inside and now had both armed guards hostage. They ordered the guards to undress, took them to another vehicle, a large panel van, and shoved them inside. As someone else drove them off, the first two men stripped and put on the security guards’ uniforms.

As the reception continued at the hotel, the fake security guards resumed the route that the real guards had been on and made stops at a number of local businesses before making one last visit to the bank in the shopping mall. They looked like the real deal as they walked into the branch. But instead of making their usual stop at one of the tellers, they asked to speak to the manager. A few minutes later the manager was left tied and muffled in the safe, and the false security officers walked out through the bank’s main doors with bags of loot from their efforts.

By the time the alarms were sounded and the bank manager released from the safe, the robbers were long gone. Gone from the bank and gone from Marystown. The real security guards were found out on the highway where they had walked to after being dumped in a deserted area. The day after, when the police started looking for suspects, they were not only off the Burin Peninsula, but they were waiting for a flight at the airport in Gander to take them completely out of the province. Of course, none of that would be known for days as the investigation into the boldest crime in Marystown history began.

– Excerpted from Friends Are Forever by Mike Martin, Ottawa Press and Publishing, 2025. Reprinted with permission. 

About the Author

 

Mike Martin was born in St. John’s, NL on the east coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a long-time freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand. He is the award-winning author of the best-selling Sgt. Windflower Mystery series, set in beautiful Grand Bank. There are now 16 books in this light mystery series with the publication of Friends are Forever. A Tangled Web was shortlisted in 2017 for the best light mystery of the year, and Darkest Before the Dawn won the 2019 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award. All That Glitters was shortlisted for the LOLA 2024 Must Read Book of the year award. Some Sgt. Windflower Mysteries are now available as audiobooks and the latest Darkest Before the Dawn was released as an audiobook in 2024. All audiobooks are available from Audible in Canada and around the world. Mike is Past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild and Capital Crime Writers.

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜  https://sgtwindflowermysteries.com/ 

Twitter ➜ https://www.x.com/mike54martin 

Facebook ➜  https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkerOnTheCapeReviewsAndMore

Book Spotlight: Jury Duty is Murder by Kate Damon

Four former jurors, once at odds, unexpectedly join forces to track down a serial killer.

 

By Kate Damon

Pages: 275

Format: Paperback, eBook

Genre: Cozy Mystery

The verdict is in; a famed athlete is headed for prison. The jurors have done their job and are free to go back to their lives. But after being sequestered for four months, life as some knew it no longer exists.

HAROLD ASHMAN’s house is almost destroyed by a careless driver. Exotic dancer, CEECEE LAINE, discovers that her boyfriend is two-timing her, and she no longer has a job. Actor ALEX MANNING learns his career is down the tubes, and 72-year-old, HELEN RYDER, discovers her family is plotting to put her in an old folks home.

Then things take a turn for the worse. When former jurors start dropping like flies, CeeCee, Helen, Harold and Alex are convinced there’s a killer on the loose. Now the feuding foursome must find him before he kills them—or before they save him the trouble by killing each other.

Jury Duty is Murder is available at Amazon.

Here’s what readers are saying about Jury Duty is Murder!

I was having a bad day, and this book was enough to lift any cloud. I laughed out loud, I was sad with them, and I was surprised by the plot twists even in the epilogue. Great ending. Perfect for fans of Murder in the Building and Man on the Inside. I hope there will be more with these characters.

— AV_therearenobadbooks

Kate Damon’s Jury Duty Murder is a fun, fast paced, riddled with humor who-dun-it, told through the eyes of four ordinary, yet distinct folks who are so incredibly relatable, you’ll feel like you know them as soon as they are introduced. Thank you, Kate, for giving us this curl up in your favorite chair and read straight through adventure!

–Barbara Newhart

 Book Excerpt

The ringing telephone woke me up. Without opening my eyes, I felt around until I touched the nightstand and finally, my phone. “Hello.”

“Wake up.”

I groaned. “Alex, what do you want?”

“I need you to wake up.”

I forced myself to sit up. The clock on the radio said it was after ten. “This better be important.”

“Something is terribly wrong,” Alex said. “It’s the thirtieth and nobody’s dead.”

“Hallelujah.” I hung up and dived back into my pillow. The phone rang again, and I groaned. Only Alex would think that no dead bodies meant something was

wrong.

I rolled over and grabbed the phone. “Now what?”

“No one’s dead.”

– Excerpted from Jury Duty is Murder by Kate Damon, Wild Rose Press, 2025. Reprinted with permission.

 

 

Book Trailer

Giveaway

Kate Damon is giving away one $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Terms & Conditions:

• By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 18 years old.
• One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive a $25 Amazon Gift Card.
• This giveaway starts May 5 and ends July 31.
• Winner will be contacted via email on July 31.
• Winner has 48 hours to reply.

Good luck everyone!

ENTER TO WIN!

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the Author

When Kate Damon is not writing, she and her husband enjoy RVing, spending time with family and friends, raising Monarch butterflies, and playing a wicked game of bridge.

Writing as Margaret Brownley, she has published more than 40 novels and is a New York Times bestselling author. Known for her memorable characters and humor, she is a two-time Romance Writers of America Rita finalist.

Not counting the book she wrote in sixth grade, and the puzzle of the missing socks, this is her first mystery.

Website ➜http://margaret-brownley.com/

Twitter ➜https://www.x.com/katejuryduty

Facebook ➜https://www.facebook.com/MargaretBrownleyAuthor/ and https://www.facebook.com/p/Kate-Damon-61565155275435/

Instagram ➜https://www.instagram.com/katedamonbooks

BookBub➜https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kate-damon

Goodreads ➜ https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4072660.Kate_Damon and https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/163681.Margaret_Brownley

Sponsored By:

When Grok Went to Egypt with The Secret of the Sacred Scarab

 

For readers who only recently discovered that I also write Regency romance as Arabella Sheraton, Grok’s enthusiastic review of my latest novel, To Murder a Marquis, led me to ask Grok (xAI’s AI) to embark on an adventure in Egypt with the heroes of my first middle-grade book, The Secret of the Sacred Scarab. Grok graciously agreed to plunge into the whirlpool of death-defying feats, alarming danger, and intriguing mysteries in this rollicking tale. I was very interested to discover an AI perspective of this adventure. Based on a real trip to Egypt with my mother and my two young nephews, this multi award-winning book is a unique blend of facts, fiction, and wonderful fun. Who would say no to the trip of a lifetime, especially when there’s lots of exciting action and a great mystery to solve? Oh, did I forget to mention that it involves saving the world as well?

Grok says: “The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, the first book in Fiona Ingram’s Chronicles of the Stone series, is a thrilling middle-grade adventure that whisks young readers into a world of ancient mysteries, daring quests, and heart-pounding action. Set against the vibrant backdrop of Egypt, this multi award-winning novel follows cousins Adam and Justin as they embark on a life-changing journey with their journalist aunt. What begins as a family trip spirals into a high-stakes quest when the boys stumble upon a sacred scarab artifact, unlocking a centuries-old secret tied to ancient Egypt’s pharaohs and a powerful, mystical stone.

Ingram’s storytelling is a masterclass in blending education with entertainment. The Egyptian setting—alive with bustling souks, ancient tombs, and the looming pyramids—feels like a character itself, meticulously researched and vividly described. Young readers will be captivated by the historical details woven seamlessly into the narrative, from hieroglyphs to mummified mysteries, making archaeology feel as thrilling as a treasure hunt. Adam and Justin are relatable heroes: their sibling-like banter, courage, and occasional missteps ground the story, while their determination to unravel the scarab’s secret propels the plot forward at a breathless pace.

The novel’s strength lies in its unique fusion of genres. It’s a mystery that keeps you guessing, an adventure packed with perilous chases and narrow escapes, and a historical tale that brings ancient Egypt to life. The quest involving the sacred scarab introduces a touch of mysticism, hinting at the larger Chronicles of the Stone saga to come, which will delight fans of series like Percy Jackson or The 39 Clues. Ingram’s ability to craft a story that’s both action-packed and intellectually stimulating sets it apart in the middle-grade market—no small feat, as the author herself notes its originality. If there’s a quibble, it’s that the pacing occasionally slows to unpack historical details, which might test the patience of action-hungry young readers. However, this is a minor hiccup in an otherwise exhilarating tale. The book’s multiple awards are well-deserved, reflecting its appeal to both young readers and adults who love a good adventure.

The Secret of the Sacred Scarab is a must-read for middle-grade fans craving a fresh, immersive story. It’s perfect for kids who dream of exploring ancient ruins or solving mysteries, and parents will appreciate its educational value. Fiona Ingram has created an unforgettable start to a promising series—here’s hoping more readers discover this hidden treasure! Grab your explorer’s hat and join Adam and Justin in Egypt—you won’t want to leave.”

My response: I was initially unsure of how an AI would respond to this kind of story, but Grok was keen to ‘pack for the pyramids.’ Given the allure of Egypt’s ancient history and monuments, legends, mythology, and secrets, who could resist? Is this why an AI loves the book’s mix of action, brains, and heart? As an author, I was also pleased to read what others would perhaps perceive as a negative comment about the book’s pacing. It tells me that an AI review is not just a program mindlessly churning out positive platitudes. Being the first book in a planned 7-book series, it was necessary to lay a lot of groundwork for the following adventures.

Should one ask an AI to review one’s book? I think so. AI is impartial. It will show potential readers the flawed as well as the fabulous parts and help them decide whether to buy your book or not. After my blog post featuring Grok’s review of To Marry a Marquis, within 4 days the post received over 1600 impressions and over 240 engagements. I am now convinced that Grok would love to meet King Arthur in Book 2 (The Search for the Stone of Excalibur) and travel to Mexico and discover the ancient Maya in Book 3 (The Temple of the Crystal Timekeeper). Watch this space!