Raining Tears
Published Jan. 30, 2023 by The Wild Rose Press and available at Amazon https://goo.gl/B7lKMs
Detective Sydney Harrison thought the police shooting of an armed robber was cut and dry, but when the facts don’t add up, she finds herself in a cat-and-mouse game with a drug-addicted woman willing to sacrifice the lives of others to feel normal.
Claire’s life spiraled out of control when a grab and dash for a purse turned into a chance meeting with a stranger in a dark alley. His death wasn’t her fault, but the police are searching for her. Before running she needs to tie up loose ends even if it means another person has to die.
Excerpt:
Claire was wasting time robbing a stranger. She needed to get out of the alley now. She waved the gun sideways to send the man on his way. “Forget it.”
He held out his wallet, waiting for her to claim it. A loud crack made her look above at the overhang of the building. The rusty gutter, filled with rainwater, broke away from its neighboring section and crashed onto Claire’s outstretched arm and hand holding the gun.
The weight of the water inside the aluminum frame was like a brick being slammed down on her forearm. She screamed and dropped the gun. A spasm shook her arm, and a sharp stabbing pain shot through the muscles up into her shoulder and down to her fingertips.
The gun lay on the wet pavement between them. The man gazed into her eyes for the briefest moment before he leapt. Claire dove onto her knees to reach her revolver, but the man snatched it in his left hand and stood over her. He pointed the barrel down at her head as she knelt on the wet pavement.
“I think I’ll keep my money.” He still had his wallet in his right hand and gripped the gun awkwardly in his left.
She looked up at him towering over her and debated whether to challenge his possession of her weapon. “Do you even know how to use that?”
Review:
Laura Freeman has created a riveting, fast paced story about a drug-addicted thief who leaves a trail of victims and havoc in her wake from theft to baiting the police into shooting the wrong person to a widow out for revenge to a devastated rookie cop and a flawed but persistent new Detective out to find the truth. There is also a cast of supporting characters with vibrant stories in their own right. It is surprisingly laced with hope, shows the awesome power of forgiveness, and encourages never giving up before you arrive at the truth. The writing pulls you behind the eyes of Freeman’s characters so you see what they see and understand their deepest fears and fervent hopes. This is a fantastic page-turning read that will keep you engaged to the last paragraph. I highly recommend it. Kim Janine Ligon review of Raining Tears through Netgalley
