When a badly charred body is discovered in the remains of her best friend’s home, Desley James is devastated. Except the body is male and her friend is missing.
SLEIGHT ~ use of dexterity or cunning, especially so as to deceive.
MALICE ~ the intention or desire to do evil; ill will.
One cold Melbourne winter's night a suburban bungalow goes up in flames. Despite their best efforts, firefighters are unable to save the home. When a badly charred body is discovered in the remains, web designer Desley James is devastated. Her best friend, Laura Noble, had been the only one in the house that night - her partner, Ryan Moore, is away in Sydney on business. Then Desley learns the unidentified body is male. But it's not Ryan. He and Laura have disappeared...
Not realising until it's almost too late what some people will do to cover their tracks, Desley teams up with private investigator Fergus Coleman to search for the missing couple.
Excerpt
CHAPTER 1
Rough hands grabbed her. Clamped across her waist, his powerful arm squeezed the breath from her lungs. He hauled her backwards, her thrashing arms and legs no more an inconvenience to him than if she had been a pinned fly.
She coughed, her eyes watering as the hot, acrid air seared the inside of her throat. With both hands, she tried in desperation to prize the immovable weight from her stomach. “Let me go! Get…”
Her chest convulsed against the heavy, grit-laden smoke. The man’s hold on her eased. She seized her chance and wrenched herself from his grip. She stumbled forward, shielding her face with her arms, but the fire’s intensity drove her back.
Back into the arms of the firefighter.
“What do you think you’re doing? You can’t go in there!” shouted the hulking black and yellow protective-clad figure. “You’ll get yourself killed.”
Desley James scarcely heard him over the din of the fire trucks, pumps and roar of the blaze. Her only concern was for Laura. Where was she? Had she been at home? Had she escaped the inferno? What about Ryan?
She opened her mouth to speak, inhaling a mouthful of burnt air instead. Spluttering, she bent her head forward and drew the thin cotton T-shirt she wore over her mouth and nose.
“Have you got everyone out?”
The firefighter leaned down, his ear almost touching her face. “Sorry, what was that?”
She repeated her question, watching his face as her words, muffled by the fine weave of her makeshift filter, sunk in. He averted his gaze, but not before she had her answer.
“Oh dear God, no. Please tell me it isn’t true. It’s not possible,” she added in a whisper only audible to herself.
This time when he lifted her off her feet she didn’t resist; all the fight had left her. A female police officer joined them, draping a blanket around Desley’s shoulders as the firefighter set her down beside the open back door of a police car.
She shivered, pulling the blanket in tighter as she sunk onto the backseat, the wool fibers bristly against her hot skin. The vehicle’s interior light cast a ghostly pall over the two faces staring down at her.
CHAPTER 2
Like limp party streamers the night after, blue and white police tape fluttered in the breeze. In the stark morning light, the suburban Melbourne bungalow’s blackened skeleton seemed to mock Desley: You’re too late…
The nearer she went, the more overpowering the reek of water-sodden ashes and burnt timber became. Her stomach churned against, not only the sickening smell, but also the sheer awfulness of it all. And no one could or would tell her what had happened. All she knew was that at ten o’clock the night before, when she’d stood on her doorstep and bade her friend goodnight, Laura Noble had been alive and well.
Tired and more than a little tipsy, Desley had gone back inside, bypassing the dirty glasses, plates and two empty wine bottles littering the oversized black-and-white dice that served as a coffee table, and climbed straight into bed. Seconds later she was deep in dreamless sleep.
She woke with a start, sitting bolt upright, her eyes wide. Disorientated by the red and blue lights strobing her bedroom, she wondered for one absurd moment if a UFO had landed outside her window. The high-pitched wail of sirens soon brought her back to her senses.
Her heart hammering, she jumped out of bed, crossed the room and opened the door that led out onto the bedroom’s narrow balcony. The night chill cut through her long-sleeved but lightweight T-shirt and cotton pajama bottoms. She smelled smoke, heard shouts and the rumble of engines. But all she could see from her upstairs vantage point was an orangey-red glow above the rooftops towards the end of the street. Near where Laura lived with her partner Ryan Moore.
Trying hard not to panic, she raced back inside and down the stairs to the front door. Halfway out the door, she realized she was still wearing her pajamas. She faltered, but only for a split-second, too concerned about her friend to worry about the cold or what she looked like.
She hadn’t had to go far to confirm her worst fears. The blaze from Laura and Ryan’s rented home lit up the street. Would she have plunged into the burning house if the firefighter hadn’t stopped her? Could she have saved her friend? Why hadn’t she insisted Laura stay with her while Ryan was in Sydney? She shook her head, the only answers to the mounting questions, more questions.
Oh, God, she suddenly thought, does Ryan know? Had the police tracked him down yet, broken the heartbreaking news to him? According to Laura, Ryan was due back from his business trip that morning; a homecoming he would never forget.
“I thought I might find you here,” said an instantly recognizable voice from behind her.
She started, sidestepping as she glanced over her shoulder. “What do you want, Trent?”
“That’s a nice way to greet your husband.”
“Ex,” she reminded him, although technically she was still married to him. In her mind, he had ceased being her husband the minute he walked out the door of their home three years ago to live with his young mistress.
“Don’t be like that.” He stepped in front of her, tilting her chin up with his fingers. “Hey, you’ve been crying—”
Her head snapped back, her hand slapping his away. “Jesus Christ, Trent, what did you expect? Do you really think I’m that much of a cold-blooded bitch I wouldn’t grieve for my best friend?”
Trent blinked, confusion clouding his tanned face. “I don’t think we’re on the same page here, Des.”
Page? What did pages have to do with anything? Numb with grief she couldn’t think straight. “For goodness sake, Trent, just for once can’t you speak English?” She wasn’t in the mood to play his word games; she’d had enough of it during their seven-year marriage to last a lifetime.
His pale grey eyes peered at her from under long, blond, almost transparent eyelashes. She felt a small tug somewhere deep inside her and immediately felt angry with herself. He meant nothing to her.
Attack her best defense, she stood hands on hips, scowling at him, her chest thrust out like a puffed-up bantam rooster. “Well? Out with it.”
Cocking his head, he gave her a disarming grin. “You’re beautiful when you’re mad.”
Again, that familiar tug. She shook her head, dismissing it as stupid. He could save his corny lines and impish smiles for someone who cared. “And you’re bloody unbelievable!”
Trent sighed, his expression solemn as he looked past her at the burnt out shell of what had once been a house. “Perhaps we should start again.”
She gave a quick nod, her eyes following his gaze. She didn’t trust herself to speak.
“So,” he said, “do you know if they’ve unearthed Laura yet? It’ll take her a while to recover from this.”
Desley’s mouth dropped, her eyes brimming with tears as she turned on him. “You sick bastard!”
“What?” His hands came up, palms out in defense. “What have I done now?”
“Have some compassion. I know you and Laura never got on, but joking about her resurrecting is just too much, even for you.”
His face paled under his tan. “I didn’t know.”
“Didn’t know what? That they pulled what was left of my best friend’s body out of the fire last night? Or that she’s not going to miraculously rise from the ashes?”
She watched his lips moving soundlessly, and imagined his thoughts racing for the words to undo what he had said.
“No, you’ve got it all wrong, Des. Believe me.” He rubbed his hand back and forth across his chin. “God, I could do with a drink about now.”
She suspected it wouldn’t be the first for the day, but made no comment, waiting for him to go on. His drinking problems were none of her business.
“Unearthed; it was a poor word choice…”
What’s new, thought Desley irritably.
“I should have said located…”
She frowned at Trent as he snatched up her hands and squeezed them. His fingers felt hot and intimate against her cold skin.
“Look,” he said, meeting her gaze head-on, “I don’t know if Laura is dead or alive, but one thing’s for sure, it wasn’t her corpse they pulled out of the fire.”
Professional Reviews
Lit Fest Magazine
In her heart-pounding second novel, author Vicki Tyley confirms what readers of her debut novel Thin Blood already knew; Ms. Tyley is a talented, masterful writer who develops thrilling, chill inducing tales like no other. Sleight Malice may be Tyley’s second novel, but it reads as if a seasoned professional, who knows exactly how to captivate readers, has perfectly crafted it.
Sleight Malice begins with a fire. Desley James is fighting terribly to get inside the burning home of her best friend Laura, as firefighters hold her back. When a body is pulled from the ash, Desley is heartbroken and completely stunned. The story, however, takes a dramatic turn when the body pulled from the home is male and Laura is nowhere to be found. In no time, Desley finds herself stuck in a terrible web of deceit, as she tries to unearth the secrets of her once best friend.
In perfect Vicki Tyley fashion, Sleight Malice entertains and stuns its readers. The characters are marvelous, complex people meticulously constructed for our enjoyment. With this novel Ms. Tyley has proven to be a contender, an author to keep your eye on because one day you’ll find yourself in a bookstore saying, “I’ve read her novels from the beginning”.
Reviewed by Amanda Goossen for Lit Fest Magazine
MotherLode
A fire destroys a neighbor's house and Desley is anxious to find out what happened to the residents of the house- her best friend and her friend's husband. When it turns out that the only casualty of the fire is an unidentified man, the search for the missing couple is on. Desley's determination to unravel the mystery of what happened to her best friend takes her on a suspenseful journey to the truth; a truth that just may change her forever.
Vicki Tyley gives us another great read. Suspenseful and intriguing, this book is hard to put down, and each small twist and turn keeps you engaged right through to the end. Each new secret that is uncovered leads you to make new guesses as you try to discover the truth right along with Desley. With well-developed characters and interesting connections tying them together, there is never a dull moment. You are pulled further into the story with every new discovery, and it's hard to put the book down before you find out what truly happened.
Having read the author's first book, "Thin Blood," I was very pleased to find the writing style in her second book more fluid and engaging than her first. The actual writing shows growth and maturity, and proves the author is one to watch. There were several places, however, where I was confused by a seeming jump between chapters. One chapter would end in a bit of a cliffhanger, and the next would start the next day, or hours later in a different location, without any of the intensity of the previous chapter's ending. Those jumps were a bit confusing, and somewhat of a letdown after the ending of the chapter before. It added a bit of an awkward break in an otherwise exciting, flowing storyline.
Overall, a great story that is well worth the read. I will continue to look to Vicki Tyley for stories that hold my attention and make me want to read more!
4.5/5 stars
Chapter Chicks
I read about this book on line and I was really intrigued. I contacted Vicki Tyley and asked if I could have a copy to review. She was nice enough to send me a beta copy of the book. I was looking for a story that was not young adult fiction but still had the ability to fascinate the way that Ya does. I found exactly that in this story. Like Desley in the story I was wanting to know what happened to Laura. I was suspicious of every character in the book. I even had the mystery work out in my head. With each new clue that would present itself, my theory would change. It is a fun book to try to solve with the main character. However, I was completely off in solving it.
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