WIP (Work In Progress): My forthcoming novel

I admit to being evasive about my next novel. The gestation process is so lengthy I didn’t want to create any immediate expectations. Today, however, some of my author colleagues have goaded me to reveal my WIP (work in progress). Here’s the working title, and a brief unedited excerpt:

Working title: “The Hyena Affaire”

Three bullets struck her; the hip, the arm and her gut. With the tug of gravity she fell to earth, for the second time. This time the impact was considerably less than the plane crash she’d just survived, but this time the consequences were deadly.

As she bled out she saw the tramp of clay-caked combat boots march her way. Soundlessly, a single boot callously pinned down her forearm. Then the hideously scarred face of her killer entered her teared vision. She would never know his name, yet she knew the coldblooded work of a scavenger.

With bewildered curiosity she watched the Hyena with unexpected tenderness remove the still gleaming three carat ring from her finger. Her last thought was surprisingly that of gratitude; that in his lust for treasure her executioner had refrained from hacking her left hand from her wrist.

Her name was Vanessa, she had just celebrated her 25th birthday, and she was no more.

Copyright © 2015 Mark Fine