Danse Macabre
by Cristelle Comby
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Private investigators Alexandra Neve and Ashford Egan are hired to
succeed where the police have failed, to safely return home a missing
ballerina. With no lead to pursue and no idea who could be behind the young
woman’s kidnapping, they soon find themselves at a loss as to what to do.
To make matters worse, the heart of England seems to be caught in the middle of a little Ice Age. With snow endlessly falling and Tube lines either too cramped up to use or out of service, it is a pain to do any legwork in the huge metropolis.
Oh, and because trouble never comes alone, there may also be a serial killer on the loose in the streets of East London...
To make matters worse, the heart of England seems to be caught in the middle of a little Ice Age. With snow endlessly falling and Tube lines either too cramped up to use or out of service, it is a pain to do any legwork in the huge metropolis.
Oh, and because trouble never comes alone, there may also be a serial killer on the loose in the streets of East London...
I take a better look at the dancer facing us. He looks… fragile more
than shy. He has bags under his eyes, his nails show the traces of nervous
biting, and his clothes are ill-fitting. Lack of sleep, tension, weight loss.
What is going on in Marc Jules’ life? What is he trying to hide from us?
‘That’s not all, is it?’ I lean forward, look at him square on. ‘There’s
something you’re not telling us. It’s plain to see.’
The young man shrinks in on himself even more. ‘No… no, nothing. I told
you everything I know. I have no idea where Isabella is. I swear.’ A thought
strikes me, and I try another angle. ‘She obviously means something to you.’
The man’s eyes shift to the side as he focuses all of his attention on
the half-empty lemonade glass sitting on the table. Gotcha!
‘You like her, yet you refuse to help us; it doesn’t make sense,’ I
continue. ‘What would Isabella say if she could see you now?’
‘I don’t know anything,’ Marc protests with fervour.
‘Really?’
‘I’d tell you if I knew. I like her, she’s my friend. I want to find her
too.’
‘Then stop lying to us,’ Egan says. ‘What are you not telling us?’
‘If what you’re saying is the truth, you would do well to stop keeping
things from us. You’re slowing us down, Marc; you’re wasting our time,’
I continue, relentless. I can feel we’re close to breaking him, so very
close. ‘Do you know how valuable time is, in a situation like this? Time is
everything. Every second we’re wasting on you is taking us further away from
Isabella.’
‘You’re letting her down, right now.’ Egan adds. ‘Maybe you’re not her
friend after all.’
‘No — she’s my friend. I swear.’ Marc rushes the words out, tears
welling up in his eyes.
‘She’s helped me when no one else would. I owe her so much.’
My eyebrows rise up at the words and I cock my head to the side, my
expression expectant.
Marc bites down hard on his lip the second he finishes his sentence. He
didn’t mean to reveal this much to us, but it’s too late now. The cat’s out of
the bag. I soften my tone now that I’ve got what I wanted. ‘What do you mean,
Marc? How did she help you?’
‘I don’t… she just…’ He stops himself, crosses his arms over his chest.
‘It’s nothing to do with any of this.’
‘Let us be the judges of that,’ Egan says. ‘If Isabella was involved, it
could be relevant.’
‘It’ll stay between us,’ I promise. ‘We’re not the police, Marc.
Whatever it is, no one else needs to know.’
The young man lets out a long breath as he uncrosses his arms. Defeated,
he lets his hands hang limp in his lap.
Author Interview
What did you hope to accomplish with your books?
All I’ve ever wanted
to do is entertain the reader. I hope to give someone an entertaining break
from reality for a little while; take them along for a fun adventure. I hope
they will care about my characters and love them as I do.
What is the greatest test you ever faced as a writer?
Promotion is
difficult to me. I’m a little shy and a very privy person, so it’s not always
easy talking about myself and why I write.
What’s the best advice you ever got about the
publishing industry?
There’s a phrase I
read once, which has stuck with me since: “You’re the only one who can kill
your dreams.” I keep repeating it, when people ask me for advice (and dearly
wish I could remember where I got it form). It’s so very true. It’s a tough
business, rejection letters stink, and some reviews can make you cry. But you
have to keep believing in the dream, you have to keep it alive. Keep going on.
If you could meet two authors, which ones would you
pick and why?
Jim Butcher, most
definitely. He’s my favourite author. I love the dark humour in his books, the
vast array of strange creatures he’s created.
Also, I’d love to
meet Michael Crichton. He’s done some
really cool and iconic Science Fiction. I’m sure he’s a really interesting guy
to talk to.
AUTHOR
Bio and Links:
Cristelle Comby was born and raised in the French-speaking area of
Switzerland, in Greater Geneva, where she still resides.
Thanks to her insatiable thirst for American and British action films
and television dramas, her English is fluent.
She attributes to her origins her ever-peaceful nature and her undying
love for chocolate. She has a passion for art, which also includes an interest
in drawing and acting.
Danse Macabre is her third new-adult novel, and she’s hard at work on
the next titles in the Neve & Egan series.
Links :
The author is giving away a copy of Danse Macabre. Use the rafflecopter below to enter. You can find her schedule at http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2014/10/vbtdanse-macabre-by-cristelle-comby.html
No comments:
Post a Comment