Sunday Share: Shrike, by Jeff
Welcome to Jeff Carlson today, who's sharing an excerpt from his book
SHRIKE
. Enjoy!
SHRIKE, by Jeff Carlson
Genre: Women's Crime Fiction
Heat Level: Sensual
Set in present-day Raleigh,North Carolina, Shrike is the story of one young woman's overcomingtremendous physical, emotional and logistical adversity to defeat evilincarnate. When Taryn Spire and her best friend learn that some bankingexecutives plan a cybercrime to embezzle funds from the North Carolina StateFair, the adventure begins. A botched attempt by the perpetrators to silencethem permanently leads to a dramatic transformation for Taryn - watching atelevision program featuring a video clip of a shrike with its prey destinesher to become a crime fighter. With the help and the love of an unlikely ally(a motorcycle salesman), Taryn, as her alter ego, dispenses a unique type ofjustice.
EXCERPT:
"Ms.Spire? This is Smith Worley from the North Carolina State Fair. Ihope I'm not bothering you on a Sunday."
Between having to drive a vehicle foreign to her and the horrifying vision shehad at her parents' house, Taryn had forgotten all about COMDEP812 and the factthat Smith Worley had yet to return her call about the offshore bank. Sheswitched to her professional mode. "No sir! No bother at all! Thank you for calling me back."
"A thousand apologies. I made a note to call you on Friday, but I hadseveral meetings that were called in a hurry, and the reminder to call you gotburied in my briefcase until I went through it today."
"That's quite all right, sir. I bet you have been busy lately."
"In any event, in answer to your question, I did some digging and we do notdeal with nor have we had any business relationship with The Premier Bank ofMicronesia."
Taryn's blood ran cold and the phone quivered in her hand and against her earas the worries she had left on her doorstep when she left for Graham crept backinto her psyche like nerve gas. She moved her lips but the import of theinformation she had just received did not allow her to form words.
"Ms. Spire?" Worley was wondering if the call was dropped when she didnot respond.
"I'm sorry, sir," stammered Taryn. "I was making some notes in my projectlog." It was not totally a lie - most of what she did on any project waskept in her head.
"I hope that answer was helpful."
"It was. Thank you." She was troubled by the lack of feeling in hervoice and tried again with all the excitement she could muster in her disturbedstate. "It was very helpful. Thank you. I'm grateful for yourhelp."
"I'm glad I could be of assistance. I hope to see you at the Fair!"
Taryn's mind was screaming and she hoped her voice wasn't doing the same. My GOD! Don't you know what's going to happen? Gripping thephone with both hands, she replied, "I hope to see you there too. Thankyou very much again." She ended the call and her hands, still clutchingthe phone, fell into her lap.
Miranda sat up. "What was all that?" She had forgotten more aboutCOMDEP812 than Taryn had.
Taryn's attention was fixed on a random piece of Miranda's thick carpet. "They're going to rip off the State Fair," she mumbled.
Miranda scooted to the edge of a cushion and leaned closer to Taryn. "What did you say?"
Slowly raising her gaze to meet Miranda's, Taryn repeated, "They're going torip off the State Fair."
"What? Who is?"
Trembling arms struggled to push her off the chair, but in time she wassuccessful in accomplishing that and in securing her phone back into itsholster. "Tatum, Mounce and probably Mike Peebles. They are goingto run COMDEP812 twice. The first time it will move the money like thestate wants. The second time the same amount will go offshore. They'll get it whenever they want."
Scarcely able to hear Taryn speak, Miranda got off the sofa to move closer toher. She knelt and gently took her irmã by the hands. "Taryn, honey, how do you know all this?"
"That was the fellow I spoke to last week at the State Fair headquarters. One of the numbers on the test output we looked at belongs to a bank in theSouth Pacific. COMDEP812 showed money leaving the State Fair account andgoing to that bank. The State Fair isn't dealing with an offshorebank." Taryn gripped Miranda's hands just a little more tightly. "That's why Tatum wanted us to give all the COMDEP812 work to Mike. That's why Tatum is retiring. That's why Mike is being so nice to us, tothrow us off. It's all part of the plan."
Taryn was starting to make some sense and that began to bother Miranda. Still, she believed she could make it all better by being positive andupbeat. "C'mon, irmã, you've been working too hard and you'retired from the trip to see your folks. There's no way they could stealthat kind of money, even electronically. Internal Control would catch thedouble post and fix it. That's what they do." Miranda made sureTaryn saw her smile.
Taryn sighed and shook her head. "Nancy Mounce gets the report fromCOMDEP812. They have to have her help. She can do all kinds ofthings to cover any error up. And she can talk circles around anyauditors or anyone in that bank. She's been there forever. They'llbelieve whatever crap she slings. No one will be the wiser. Andthey'll all get away with it. And you and I know about it."
It was Miranda's turn to be chilled to the bone. She slowly let go ofTaryn's hands, got to her feet and turned away, crossing her arms over herchest to get even just a little reassurance. Taryn's last sentencefrightened her the most. If Taryn was right, they indeed had uncoveredsomething huge. She took a few small steps and then spun to ask aquestion. "How much money are we talking here?"
"Millions, Miranda! Millions! The fair lasts ninedays! People from all over the state and probably the whole Southeast andGod knows where else come and spend millions!"
Taryn's answer was replete with misplaced anger and the words stungMiranda. As her eyes filled with tears, Miranda whimpered, "My God,Taryn! I'm scared! What are we going to do? What are wegoing to do?"
~*~
SHRIKE can be found at:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shrike-ebook/dp/B005OSYHXO/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shrike-jeff-carlson/1105870275?ean=9781618421937&itm=1&usri=shrikeSony Ebook store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/dennis-carlson/shrike/_/R-400000000000000530560
Jeff can be found at: www.facebook.com/jarthurcarlson"I haveaspired to be a writer since my grade school days. Shrike is my first novel. Ilive in North Carolina's Triad. When I'm not thinking about writing, I like icehockey and traveling. I've tried stand-up comedy too. A cat owns me; in fact,she has helped me pen three picture books featuring her and her friends (maybeshe will let me publish them someday). I have a few more novels in variousstates of inception; I hope Shrike's success will give me the impetus to finishone of them."
Thanks for the great excerpt, Jeff! Wishing you much success with SHRIKE and your future works as well.
Good luck with the cat. *grin*
Stacey Joy Netzel
SHRIKE, by Jeff CarlsonGenre: Women's Crime Fiction
Heat Level: Sensual
Set in present-day Raleigh,North Carolina, Shrike is the story of one young woman's overcomingtremendous physical, emotional and logistical adversity to defeat evilincarnate. When Taryn Spire and her best friend learn that some bankingexecutives plan a cybercrime to embezzle funds from the North Carolina StateFair, the adventure begins. A botched attempt by the perpetrators to silencethem permanently leads to a dramatic transformation for Taryn - watching atelevision program featuring a video clip of a shrike with its prey destinesher to become a crime fighter. With the help and the love of an unlikely ally(a motorcycle salesman), Taryn, as her alter ego, dispenses a unique type ofjustice.
EXCERPT:
"Ms.Spire? This is Smith Worley from the North Carolina State Fair. Ihope I'm not bothering you on a Sunday."
Between having to drive a vehicle foreign to her and the horrifying vision shehad at her parents' house, Taryn had forgotten all about COMDEP812 and the factthat Smith Worley had yet to return her call about the offshore bank. Sheswitched to her professional mode. "No sir! No bother at all! Thank you for calling me back."
"A thousand apologies. I made a note to call you on Friday, but I hadseveral meetings that were called in a hurry, and the reminder to call you gotburied in my briefcase until I went through it today."
"That's quite all right, sir. I bet you have been busy lately."
"In any event, in answer to your question, I did some digging and we do notdeal with nor have we had any business relationship with The Premier Bank ofMicronesia."
Taryn's blood ran cold and the phone quivered in her hand and against her earas the worries she had left on her doorstep when she left for Graham crept backinto her psyche like nerve gas. She moved her lips but the import of theinformation she had just received did not allow her to form words.
"Ms. Spire?" Worley was wondering if the call was dropped when she didnot respond.
"I'm sorry, sir," stammered Taryn. "I was making some notes in my projectlog." It was not totally a lie - most of what she did on any project waskept in her head.
"I hope that answer was helpful."
"It was. Thank you." She was troubled by the lack of feeling in hervoice and tried again with all the excitement she could muster in her disturbedstate. "It was very helpful. Thank you. I'm grateful for yourhelp."
"I'm glad I could be of assistance. I hope to see you at the Fair!"
Taryn's mind was screaming and she hoped her voice wasn't doing the same. My GOD! Don't you know what's going to happen? Gripping thephone with both hands, she replied, "I hope to see you there too. Thankyou very much again." She ended the call and her hands, still clutchingthe phone, fell into her lap.
Miranda sat up. "What was all that?" She had forgotten more aboutCOMDEP812 than Taryn had.
Taryn's attention was fixed on a random piece of Miranda's thick carpet. "They're going to rip off the State Fair," she mumbled.
Miranda scooted to the edge of a cushion and leaned closer to Taryn. "What did you say?"
Slowly raising her gaze to meet Miranda's, Taryn repeated, "They're going torip off the State Fair."
"What? Who is?"
Trembling arms struggled to push her off the chair, but in time she wassuccessful in accomplishing that and in securing her phone back into itsholster. "Tatum, Mounce and probably Mike Peebles. They are goingto run COMDEP812 twice. The first time it will move the money like thestate wants. The second time the same amount will go offshore. They'll get it whenever they want."
Scarcely able to hear Taryn speak, Miranda got off the sofa to move closer toher. She knelt and gently took her irmã by the hands. "Taryn, honey, how do you know all this?"
"That was the fellow I spoke to last week at the State Fair headquarters. One of the numbers on the test output we looked at belongs to a bank in theSouth Pacific. COMDEP812 showed money leaving the State Fair account andgoing to that bank. The State Fair isn't dealing with an offshorebank." Taryn gripped Miranda's hands just a little more tightly. "That's why Tatum wanted us to give all the COMDEP812 work to Mike. That's why Tatum is retiring. That's why Mike is being so nice to us, tothrow us off. It's all part of the plan."
Taryn was starting to make some sense and that began to bother Miranda. Still, she believed she could make it all better by being positive andupbeat. "C'mon, irmã, you've been working too hard and you'retired from the trip to see your folks. There's no way they could stealthat kind of money, even electronically. Internal Control would catch thedouble post and fix it. That's what they do." Miranda made sureTaryn saw her smile.
Taryn sighed and shook her head. "Nancy Mounce gets the report fromCOMDEP812. They have to have her help. She can do all kinds ofthings to cover any error up. And she can talk circles around anyauditors or anyone in that bank. She's been there forever. They'llbelieve whatever crap she slings. No one will be the wiser. Andthey'll all get away with it. And you and I know about it."
It was Miranda's turn to be chilled to the bone. She slowly let go ofTaryn's hands, got to her feet and turned away, crossing her arms over herchest to get even just a little reassurance. Taryn's last sentencefrightened her the most. If Taryn was right, they indeed had uncoveredsomething huge. She took a few small steps and then spun to ask aquestion. "How much money are we talking here?"
"Millions, Miranda! Millions! The fair lasts ninedays! People from all over the state and probably the whole Southeast andGod knows where else come and spend millions!"
Taryn's answer was replete with misplaced anger and the words stungMiranda. As her eyes filled with tears, Miranda whimpered, "My God,Taryn! I'm scared! What are we going to do? What are wegoing to do?"
~*~
SHRIKE can be found at:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Shrike-ebook/dp/B005OSYHXO/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shrike-jeff-carlson/1105870275?ean=9781618421937&itm=1&usri=shrikeSony Ebook store: http://ebookstore.sony.com/ebook/dennis-carlson/shrike/_/R-400000000000000530560
Jeff can be found at: www.facebook.com/jarthurcarlson"I haveaspired to be a writer since my grade school days. Shrike is my first novel. Ilive in North Carolina's Triad. When I'm not thinking about writing, I like icehockey and traveling. I've tried stand-up comedy too. A cat owns me; in fact,she has helped me pen three picture books featuring her and her friends (maybeshe will let me publish them someday). I have a few more novels in variousstates of inception; I hope Shrike's success will give me the impetus to finishone of them."
Thanks for the great excerpt, Jeff! Wishing you much success with SHRIKE and your future works as well.
Good luck with the cat. *grin*
Stacey Joy Netzel
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