Book Tour for Fatal Exposure by Gail Barrett (Review & GIVEAWAY)

Today is a day of suspense as Gail Barrett is here with her latest release, Fatal Exposure, an exciting read with non-stop action.  Keep reading to get my impressions of the book along with commenting for your chance to win an Amazon/BN GC.  So please welcome Gail Barrett.......

Cold-case detective Parker McCall has spent fifteen years trying to solve his brother’s murder.  Now a chance photo of the killer in the newspaper sets him hard on the woman’s trail.  A former teenaged runaway, reclusive, award-winning photojournalist B.K. Elliot chronicles the harsh reality of life on the streets -- until a photo in the paper reveals her identity, blowing the lid off her secret past.  With a powerful murderer now dogging her heels, and her police officer step-father determined to silence her permanently, the last person she can afford to trust is a cop.  So why does sexy police detective Parker McCall tempt her to break her silence and resurrect ideals she’d lost years ago?  As danger closes in, and with more than her own life at stake, Brynn must decide if the duty-bound cop will betray her...or heal her battered heart.

EXCERPT:

Cold case detective Parker McCall tightened his grip on the newspaper, his gaze riveted on the photo of the woman splashed across the Baltimore Sun’s front page. She could have been any affluent shopper strolling out of the pricey art gallery—her long, glossy hair tumbling over her shoulders, the collar of her woolen coat turned up against the brisk November wind.
Except for her wary eyes.
The eyes of his brother’s murderer.

The eyes that had eluded him for fifteen years.

He lowered the newspaper to his cluttered desk, the laughter and banter of the detectives beyond his cubicle receding to a distant buzz. Then, hardly breathing, he tugged his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans. Working as carefully as a scientist handling nuclear material, he extracted a worn, faded photo and placed it alongside the page.

For several excruciating seconds his gaze lingered on the image of his younger brother, his heart making its usual lurch of guilt and remorse. Sixteen years old, his cheeks badly hollowed, his body wasted by his addictions, Tommy leaned against a graffiti-sprayed wall near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, one emaciated arm slung over the waiflike girl at his side.

The girl Parker had failed to find.

Until now.

He shifted his scrutiny to the girl, taking in her sparrow-thin legs, the baggy sweatshirt dwarfing her scrawny frame, her unruly mop of auburn curls. Then he homed in on her eyes—bleak, world-weary eyes aged far beyond her years.

He sliced his gaze back to the woman in the newspaper. She was still petite, still thin and older than the adolescent slouching against the wall beside his brother, but he’d stake his life they were the same.

BUY LINKS:   AMAZON PRINT  |  AMAZON KINDLE  |  BN

MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:

As someone who doesn't read many suspense books I was left in awe of what Ms. Barrett has created.  Fatal Exposure is a short read that packs a big whollop in its characterizations and overall storyline and the groundwork laid here provides big ramifications for future stories.  By the end of this story it proves you can't run from your past forever and three young woman learn.

B.K. Elliot and her two friends were living on the streets at a young age, all of them on the run from something.  For Brynn it was being sexually abused by her stepfather, a prominent member of society.  As if the danger he represented wasn't bad enough, there's even more evil that got the girls caught in the crossfire which ended in bloodshed and each of them on the run.  The world and career Brynn's built unfortunately comes crashing down when the man who thinks she killed his brother discovers her hideout and refuses to let her get away again without giving him answers.  With blood and violence invading her life once more she must rely not only on herself but Detective Parker McCall who refuses to take no for an answer.  They must trust in one another if they have any hope of escaping dangers from the past that have returned to their present.  But with Brynn's mistrust in the justice system and Parker's distrust in his bosses, trust is a commodity in short supply.

Brynn is a strong-willed and immensely likable heroine who, through her experiences early in life, has made a career out of presenting the dark and dangerous world of runaways in a realistic way and helps them whenever she can.  With all the darkness she's seen it's hard to admit there's any happiness to be found.  Because of this she fights her attraction to Parker.  Past experiences of being ignored when reporting her abuse further incites feelings of doubt where Parker's concerned so he has to work doubly hard to win her trust and love.  Parker is a man on a mission who's desperate to learn the truth of what happened to his brother.  He's hardworking and honest and as the truth about his bosses is slowly revealed he comes to trust in and rely on Brynn more and more to see true justice served.  

Brynn and Parker make a formidable couple.  They're strong both mentally and physically and as their relationship progresses they get closer to who the real criminals are.  The suspenseful aspects of this story keep you on the edge of your seat and constantly guessing through some clever twists and turns.  The romance took a back seat to the mystery but was no less satisfying in the intensity of its sexual tension.  The HEA, once it's reached, is immensely satisfying but leaves a door open for another of Brynn's friends from the past to return and have her own story be told.

My rating for this is an A.

*I received this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

AUTHOR INFO:

A former RITA® and Daphne finalist, Gail Barrett has received the Book Buyer’s Best Award, the Holt Medallion, the Booksellers Best, The National Readers’ Choice Award, and numerous other awards.  She lives with her husband in Western Maryland.  Readers can contact her through her website and through Facebook.

**********GIVEAWAY**********

Gail will be awarding a $25 Amazon / BN (or other bookstore of the winner's choice) GC to one randomly drawn commenter during this tour and her other Book Blast on June 21st.

-To be entered, leave a comment telling me why you like reading suspense, ALONG WITH YOUR EMAIL ADDY.

-Winner will be chosen randomly from all comments made throughout the tour, so the more you comment the greater your chances of winning.  A list of all participating blogs can be found here.

-Giveaway ends at 11:59 PM CST on 6/21.