A predator moves stealthily through the night-Hunting down his victims, and leaving their bodies exposed in thundering rainstorms.
Detective Mark Wilder was a cop first, last, and always. That is until he meets beautiful Sarah Mason who discovers evidence connected to the crimes. Is she involved?
Wilder knows better than to cross the line and become emotionally involved with a witness. But Sarah wasn’t just any witness.
Her affiliation with the wrong church leaves her exposed and venerable, not to mention that someone else is watching her every move.
This is a gripping tale of murder, lust and love that will leave you on the edge of your seat.
Excerpt
The high pitched ringtone of Mark’s phone cut the stillness of early morning. He reached across the bed and grabbed the phone from the nightstand.
“Detective Wilder." Mark listened,"as an officer told him the body of a nude man was found beside a running trail at Bachmann Lake. Fully awake, Mark scribbled the exact location on a piece of paper and asked the officer a couple of questions. After hanging up the phone, he heard a clap of thunder, reached over and pulled the shade open. He tightened his jaw. “Shit!”
* **
Daybreak revealed the enormity of the storm. With the windshield wipers working furiously, Mark threaded his way along the wet, slippery streets. The red lights swirling on top of two police cars a block away led him directly to the crime scene.
A small crowd of dedicated early morning runners separated when Mark approached. Clad in his rain boots, raincoat, and all-weather hat, he stared grimly at each face. Anyone of them could have done this, but Mark’s gut told him the murderer was long gone. He bent over the exposed corpse, noting every detail he could find on the body. If there had been any blood beside the body, it had been washed away by the torrential rain.
“Get me a tarp.” Mark barked out to one of the young officers. Minutes later, two officers threw a black tarp over the body. Rookies. When are they ever going to learn?
He walked over to an officer who was interviewing a young man wearing a clear poncho. “Do you always run in a storm?” Mark asked.
“It wasn’t raining when I got here. My three friends and I meet around six-thirty every other morning, and we were fifteen minutes into our run when the rain started. I saw the body first and ran across the street to that cafe and called the police.” He pointed toward the diner.
Mark thanked the young man and returned to the corps.
The crime scene personnel arrived and erected a portable tent that stretched over an area of twelve square feet, giving some relief from those exposed to the pounding storm. Mark shook his head as he watched.
“Another murder in the rain?” his partner, Jack, asked as he approached Mark.
“It looks that way.”
“Think it’s a coincidence?”
“That could be a possibility, but unless the killer has a direct line to God, there’s no way he could plan something like this.”
“Why do you think he removes the clothes?”
“I have a feeling its personal and the perpetrator wants to exhibit them.”
Both men walked the perimeter of the tent going in opposite directions, expanding their efforts, and the area of their search. Mark stopped and bent down, taking a closer look at something on the ground. He motioned for the photographer to join him to take some pictures. Afterward, he pulled a plastic bag from his raincoat pocket, used some tweezers, and put an object in the bag. Jack joined him.
“What is it?”
Professional Reviews
Rain Motivates a killer..to kill again
N. E. Brown captures the reader's attention and imagination almost as soon as the book is opened. Dallas is in the midst of a rainy season and someone is murdered along the Trinity River. Unfortunately, every possible clue is washed away by the drenching waters along the river's edge. Detective Mark Wilder leads the investigation although he is totally frustrated at the lack of clues. Sarah Mason, a volunteer worker at her church, comes into Mark's life, and thus begins a sub-story of a budding romance. While Mark is trying to find ways to solve this murder, during another downpour, a second murder is committed. Very little, if anything, is left to indicate who is responsible for this killing. Not too much time passes, before a third murder is committed, again during a rainstorm. Where will it all end? Mark, as lead detective, finds no satisfaction in trying to piece together what little information he has that might point to the person responsible. What will happen to his friendship with Sarah? Can they build enough common ground for a future together? How long, if ever, will Mark have to spend the bulk of his time trying to keep a serial killer from striking again? And how does Sarah's presence figure into the killer's plans? An exciting, forward-moving drama unfolds in each chapter of The Rain Man Murders, ending in a surprise twist that will leave the reader speechless.
Outstanding
I received this book from the publishers and this is my freely given opinion. From the beginning I was hooked. The chemistry between Sarah and Mark was so good and believable in all its ups and downs! The murders and their connection with the church were so difficult to figure out! Really good reading!!
Intriguing Romantic Suspense
Set in Dallas, Texas in the early ‘70s, The Rain Man Murders revolves around a series of mysterious murders, all three victims found during torrential downpours.
Mark Wilder is the detective in charge of the three crimes. Following the kidnap and murder of his college sweetheart, and the love of his life, Mark changed the course of his life and entered the police academy hoping to help solve the case that had robbed him of the life he had dreamed of sharing with his Emily.
Sarah Mason’s parents were tragically killed in a car accident. She has been taken under the wing of the pastor who replaced her father, after his death, at Calvary Baptist Church. She is a legal secretary and volunteers every Saturday in the church’s thrift shop, trying to pay forward the kindness shown to her by the pastor and his wife.
Mark and Sarah meet one evening at a coffee shop where Sarah is supposed to be meeting a blind date, their unusual introduction begins a friendship that will travel a twisted path, often rocky, but it will ultimately link them together and help them to solve the seemingly random murders.
All of the characters in this story are well-written and brought to life by Ms. Brown’s writing. The sub-plots are intriguing and will keep you turning the pages to see what will happen next.
I highly recommend this book, it is a wonderful romantic suspense story that you’ll find difficult to put down.
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