by HS Burney
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GENRE: Mystery / Thriller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
A body washes up on the shores of Lake Templeton, a small town on the coast of Vancouver Island. Sharon Reese, the victim, was a dedicated government employee. Everyone liked her, but no one knew much about her. Was she hiding something? Maybe a questionable past riddled with scandal. And did it lead to her plunge to death, in a drunken stupor, off the dock outside her secluded lakefront lodge?
Was it an accident? A suicide? Or cold-blooded murder? Private Investigator, Fati Rizvi, is determined to find out.
Fati arrives in Lake Templeton to find secrets that run as deep as the City’s sewers. Everyone is hiding something and nothing is as it seems. A cult escapee. A corrupt politician. A struggling airline. A multi-million dollar public-private project to revitalize the Lake Templeton waterfront. How are they all connected?
As Fati valiantly unravels the knots, another body is found on the shore. Is it the same killer? And can Fati stop them before they strike again?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
It was these waves that carried Sharon once the water besieged her lungs and she stopped breathing. Maybe her killer was hoping that the body would descend to the depths of the ocean, swallowing its secrets. It must have been a rude shock to see the evidence of their crime splashed across the morning papers.
Sharon’s body was half-reposed face-down on the wet sand, deposited on the shore like plastic waste. Clumps of hair were caught in the jagged rocks that edge the receding land, one bloated arm flung over a large boulder, as if trying to find a grip. Her legs floated behind her like windsocks. Silk shirt ballooned over the surface of the water like a parachute.
The crime scene has been cleared up. Culver Beach sparkles in the vestiges of the sinking sunlight, sand glinting like diamond dust. The only remnants of the morning’s tragic discovery - dried boot prints in the grassy sand, left behind by the police.
The nearest house is walled off by a thicket of trees and is currently empty, owned by a businessman who only spends a few months here in the summers. The beach is quiet, with not even a dog walker in sight. I walk on the sand for a few minutes, shoes in hand, reveling in the quietude. I breathe in the fresh air, slightly briny, and crisp enough to open up my nasal pathways.
No answers will be found here. Not for me.
Sergio’s house hibernates, squeezed in the warm hug of the thicket of trees that surround it. They’re evergreens so they hold on to their leaves, even in winter, until the whistling wind snatches them away and showers them on the lawn. Despite Sergio’s gallant efforts with the rake, his driveway is again covered in shrubs and branches.
I pull up behind Sergio’s car, parked in its usual spot in the driveway, the mud cracked and crusting on its back tires, windows streaked with messy wet tracks made when rain intermingled with dust. The killer must have picked him up and driven him to Pebble Beach.
Detective Singh’s police cruiser is parked neatly angled to the side of the road. As I approach the house, I see a shattered window in the front.
I haven’t seen young children living in the neighbourhood. Most houses in Sergio’s vicinity belong to empty-nester retirees and snowbirds. Was this an accident or something more sinister? Did someone smash Sergio’s window?
At the foot of Sergio’s porch stands his city recycling box. It’s filled to the brim with plastic containers and folded up cardboard boxes, as if Sergio had just finished cleaning and decluttering. I move closer for a better look. An empty bottle of Tito’s vodka, several Amazon boxes, soup cans, and yogurt containers. A box for a Blackmagic Design pro camera that costs almost thirteen thousand dollars. A black rectangular tube that housed a Chanel snowboard.
How much was the City paying Sergio?
Zed and I arrive after ten p.m. We park in an underground lot a few blocks away. Granville Street at night is a cornucopia of debauchery. Drunk girls totter on heels and too-tight skirts, giggling and holding each other. The heavy smell of sweat mixed with marijuana mixed with alcohol hangs in the air like a toxic thundercloud. The sidewalk is sticky with spilled drinks and other substances you don’t want to think about. Bedraggled bums cluster in dark corners, their life’s possessions gathered at their feet in duffel bags. They panhandle, lighting their pipes, smoking their cigarettes, and shooting their heroin without apology.
The street is dotted with black-doored establishments that advertise their presence with glowing signs and glowering bouncers. At the most popular clubs, lines of partygoers stretch, smoking cigarettes while waiting for entry. Zed and I blend into the shadows, two travelers that don’t quite belong but don’t stick out either.
This is Caleb’s world. In contrast, the clean-cut Sergio snowboarded on weekends and went running every morning. They had nothing in common besides their desire to sing. And it was this commonality that led their worlds to collide so painfully.
At Legends, the thrum of the music wafting from behind heavy curtain and chain gives away the mayhem brewing inside. The roasting interior is awash in flashing lights. The smell of stale beer and rank sweat overpowers me. I choke back my gag reflex.
Caleb is not hard to find. He is huddled with other youth, all misty eyes and lost faces, in a chemical-induced otherworld.
A Word With the Author
1.Did you always want to be an author?
Ever since I was a little girl! As far back as I can remember, I devoured books – dog-eared paperbacks my mom and I picked up at the second-hand stall. I would often stay up late at night, reading. As I grew into my teenage years, I started to read books by Stephen King and Sidney Sheldon. This sparked in me a deep-seated desire to write.
Sadly, at the time, particularly growing up in a South Asian family, choosing writing as a career path was not feasible or recommended. And so, I chose banking as a career. However, while pursuing my undergraduate degree at Lafayette College, I chose to do a double major in Business and in Creative Writing.
After graduation, I got started on an exciting banking career and life took on a breakneck pace of wheeling and dealing and getting promoted every few years. I rediscovered my passion for writing when I started blogging on Medium. Being creative is like riding a bicycle. It may lie dormant inside you but it’s never fully snuffed out.
When COVID hit, I hunkered down and made a commitment to myself that I will finally write a book. Life as a shut-in had its advantages. No one expected me to schmooze or entertain clients in the evenings.
Now, having published The Lake Templeton Murders, the bug has bit me again and I cannot stop writing. I am currently 90% done with my second book, another mystery involving Private Investigator, Fati Rizvi. And this time, I have no intention to stop writing.
2.Tell us about the publication of your first book.
I did a lot of research before I decided to become an independent author, instead of going the traditional publishing route. Ultimately, I chose self-publishing because I couldn’t wait to get my book out and in the hands of readers. Having been a corporate banker for over 15 years, I have become accustomed to things moving quickly, and so I couldn’t bear the thought of trudging through the slow pace of the traditional publishing process.
Even though I didn’t have a publisher, I was determined to put my book through the same wringer that a formal review process would. I self-edited extensively, got beta readers, and then hired a professional editor. I hired a professional cover designer and an interior layout designer.
My initial rush of orders was from people within my own network. And then, others started rolling in as the book picked up steam. I cannot describe how fulfilling it is to receive positive feedback from readers. When they tell you to hurry up and write the second book because they can hardly wait to read it. When they enthusiastically talk about their favorite characters and tell you they couldn’t sleep until they finished the book. My goal with The Lake Templeton Murders was to write the type of book that I love to read – a narrative so tight and full of suspense, you cannot help but keep turning the page.
3.Besides yourself, who is your favorite author in the genre you write in?
I really enjoy Harlan Coben. I first discovered his books at the airport during my business travels. I would pick up a book in Vancouver before my flight and finish it before my plane landed in Toronto four and a half hours later. I eagerly await new releases and new TV show adaptations of his work.
Outside of my core mystery genre, I also enjoy psychological thrillers by authors such as Rachel Abbott, Jackie Kabler, and Kate White.
4.What's the best part of being an author? The worst?
The best part – you can give free reign to your imagination to run wild. The sky is the limit. Being an author gives you license to escape the limiting constraints of the real world. If I think of an interesting situation, funny antics, or weird personality traits, I can simply write about them. In fact, creating characters is one of my favorite parts of writing a book. Particularly when you’re writing a first-person narrative, you can, in some way, live out your fantasies and your wildest dreams through your character. In real life, I will never break into houses or chase murderers. But in my fictional life – bring it on!
The worst part is the pace. I have more ideas than I can execute in a lifetime. It’s frustrating. Sometimes I see other authors producing a book every couple of months and I lament the fact that I cannot. It takes me time to write. It’s a thoughtful, measured process that requires multiple revisions. I couldn’t physically churn out a book in 60 days and even if I could, it would be absolute junk. I want to give my readers more. But I have a very demanding day job. And even when I take days off to write (a couple of times a month), the best I can manage is about 7,500 words before I burn out like an overheated car and shut down for the day.
5.What are you working on now?
The next mystery involving Private Investigator, Fati Rizvi, which I have titled ‘The Missing Twins’. It’s set in the wealthy neighborhood of West Vancouver, one of Canada’s priciest postal codes. The Azad-Shah family are pillars of the community, both successful entrepreneurs with a brood of four. They are lauded on magazine covers and their bespoke, custom-built house has been showcased in Canadian Real Estate Magazine.
Fati gets called in because their nineteen-year-old twins are missing. They disappeared on their 19th birthday, the day they ushered in official adulthood. As Fati starts to unravel the knots, she uncovers that the Azad-Shah family isn’t as picture-perfect as they would have you believe. There are secrets, dysfunction, the messy nest of hidden ties and grievances. The happy family dance is just a veneer, like garnish on a peeling painting.
The book explores themes of family dysfunction, similar to my first book, The Lake Templeton Murders. I am looking forward to releasing it by Spring 2022.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
HS Burney writes fast-moving, action-packed mysteries set against the backdrop of majestic mountains and crystalline ocean in West Coast Canada. She loves creating characters that keep you on your toes. A corporate executive by day and a novelist by night, HS Burney received her Bachelors’ in Creative Writing from Lafayette College. A proud Canadian immigrant, she takes her readers into worlds populated by diverse characters with unique cultural backgrounds. When not writing, she is out hiking, waiting for the next story idea to strike, and pull her into a new world.
Website:
Email List Sign-up:
https://mailchi.mp/d6b48197e368/hsburneyemaillist
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HS-Burney-Author-113028981189771
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hsburneyauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hsburneyauthor/
Book Buy Links:
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-lake-templeton-murders
The book is on sale for $0.99 during the tour.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE:
HS Burney will be awarding a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for hosting the tour! Rita Wray - so glad you enjoyed the excerpt. If you do end up reading the book, I would love to know what you think.
ReplyDeleteI love the cover and the excerpt.
ReplyDelete