Wounded Earth

by Mary Anna Evans

Larabeth McLeod has beauty, money, several patents, a Ph.D., a successful environmental firm, and some very old secrets. When a man with the uncomfortable name of Babykiller begins stalking her, terrorizing her with stories of her darkest days in Vietnam, stories no one else knows, she feels compelled to fight back...until he exposes her most tender secret of all by threatening the daughter she has never met.

She turns to private detective J.D. Hatten for help, breaking five years of separation and silence between quarreling friends. And then Babykiller shows his true capabilities. He is the head of an illicity business offering but one service--moving cargo worldwide for criminals who need their drugs or cash or smuggled goods shipped safely and anonymously--so he is capable of putting anything anywhere. He quietly explains to Larabeth, a well-known environmental executive, that he can even put defective gauges in nuclear power plants, and he will, just to get her attention. If she goes to the police for protection, people will die. Lots and lots of people will die. And one of them will be her daughter.

Larabeth and J.D. are just a normal man and woman, up against a babykiller. But then, Babykiller doesn't know who he's dealing with...WOUNDED EARTH is the first thriller by award-winning mystery writer Mary Anna Evans, author of ARTIFACTS, RELICS, EFFIGIES, FINDINGS, and FLOODGATES, all available on Amazon in print, large-print, and audio editions.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Environment, Adventure

289 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 1995

About the author

Mary Anna Evans is an award-winning author, a writing professor, and she holds degrees in physics and engineering, a background that, as it turns out, is ideal for writing her new book, The Physicists' Daughter. Set in WWII-era New Orleans, The Physicists' Daughter introduces Justine Byrne, whom Mary Anna describes as "a little bit Rosie-the-Riveter and a little bit Bletchley Park codebreaker."

When Justine, the daughter of two physicists who taught her things girls weren't expected to know in 1944, realizes that her boss isn't telling her the truth about the work she does in her factory job, she draws on the legacy of her unconventional upbringing to keep her division running and protect her coworkers, her country, and herself from a war that is suddenly very close to home.

Her crime fiction has earned recognition that includes the Oklahoma Book Award, the Will Rogers Medallion Awards Gold Medal, the Mississippi Author Award, a spot on Voice of Young America’s (VOYA) list of “Adult Mysteries with Young Adult Appeal,” a writer’s residency from The Studios of Key West, the Benjamin Franklin Award, the Florida Historical Society’s Patrick D. Smith Florida Literature Award, and three Florida Book Awards bronze medals.

In addition to writing crime fiction, she writes about crime fiction, as evidenced by the upcoming Bloomsbury Handbook to Agatha Christie, which she coedited with J.D Bernthal.

For the incurably curious, Mary Anna’s first published work, her master’s thesis, was entitled A Modeling Study of the NH3-NO-O2 Reaction Under the Operating Conditions of a Fluidized Bed Combustor. Like her mysteries, it was a factually based page-turner but, no, it’s not available online.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaryAnnaEvan...

Twitter: @maryannaevans

Instagram :https://www.instagram.com/maryannaevans/

BookBub: @maryannaevans

Reviews

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

finished it in less than a day

I can’t say that I enjoyed this as much as other books by Ms. Evans, but it is extremely well written. I began the book late at night and had trouble putting it down to sleep. This is a compelling if somewhat disturbing read.

[Valentina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book from the Goodreads Giveaway Program.

What surprised me most about this book was that it is not been swept up by a major publishing company. I see nothing in this book that would deter it from becoming a popular thriller. The writing is spotless, the grammar as it should be, the plot is fast-paced and highly entertaining.
Larabeth is a wonderful character, full of the type of contradictions that make for leaving a mark on the reader. As is, of course, the villain, Babykiller, a maniacal, egocentric and yet charming man who takes over whatever pages he touches.

The chaotic environmental scenarios the book creates are all the more frightening because they could easily come true. Nuclear plants on the verge of bursting in toxic fireworks, the pollution of our water, the decimation of our crops, all of it a terrifying reality.
Yes, there are a few weak points in the story, some resolutions that come a bit too quickly, and one character, Cynthia who is a just a cardboard cut-out of a real woman, but I have read so many “official” thrillers that have all of these faults, and more, that it makes me curious as to why it was not published by one of the “big” houses.

This is a book that any fan of suspense, thrillers, or mystery books will definitely want to add to his or her bookshelf.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book

I really enjoyed reading this book very much so.
You people should just read this book yourselves and write your own review on this novel. Shelley MA

[Linda Look · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is kind of scary--it's about nuclear sabotage and the resulting harm to the planet. The heroine is a smart phd that owns a remediation company. Bad guys all around. I rate this a 4.8.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great author/storyteller. Thank you Mary Anna Evans.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Originally published at Red Adept Reviews.)

I obtained Wounded Earth, by Mary Anna Evans, from a copy sent to Red Adept Reviews.

Overall: 3 3/4 stars

Plot/Storyline: 4 Stars

I liked the idea here. It tapped into a lot of my personal fears as Babykiller's technique involved eco-terrorism and harming endangered animals. Perhaps the saddest scene for me was when a pilot had to contemplate the fact that without his knowledge he'd been made to do harm while crop dusting. That the deer drinking from the river, the herons eating fish, might be ingesting toxins. Even though the book takes place in 1995, it called up memories of the Gulf Coast Spill, and how many innocent animals would die simply because humans keep screwing up. For the people less tree huggy than myself, there was also the threat of things not working out to well for people either.

Characters: 4 stars

Larabeth was a terrific character. Smart. Strong. From the second she even suspected there might be a threat, she sought out help. Now, by Literary Law, local police are useless, but J.D. - a private detective she knew - was her first call. I love that we're told she's smart and logical and then she goes ahead and does smart and logical things. Early on, after Babykiller calls her for perhaps the second time she said to him, "If you're threatening me, it won't work," ... "I may have been careless in the past, but no more. If you know so much about me, you know I can afford a security system, a gun, even a personal body guard, if that's what it takes."

I love that. She does make mistakes, but she makes reasonable mistakes. Even some of her actions that backfired were logical given what she knew. When she was careless, she was careless in a way that most people could understand - in defense of people she cared about.

Babykiller didn't work for me at quite the same level. He was so powerful and the cards were so stacked in his favor, even with Larabeth's advantages, that it seemed too much. He wasn't clever as much as well-connected. It was simply too much like he was waving a magic wand and never breaking a sweat rather than a Hannibal Lecter level villain. I felt he needed to be charismatic or really creepy in his conversations with Larabeth, but while his words were vile they were never clever. Some of his actions and threats interested me, but he did not.

Another character, Cynthia, was quite interesting and could carry her own book easily. J.D, the private detective, never gelled as a complete character for me, but I can't say why. I guess it's enough that Larabeth liked him.

Writing Style: 3 1/2 Stars

I'm a fan of the author. I'd read a mini anthology by her called Offerings that pretty much knocked me on my derriere. I have to say that Wounded Earth did not quite meet my expectations based on that previous effort, but much of what I'd enjoyed before was present. I think of Mary Anna as a very smart writer and this book didn't disappoint in that respect, but I kept thinking Wounded Earth should have been tighter. The story has a lot of things happening, and at least one major subplot, and yet it still felt like the pace of the first 50% or so was slow and that there was a little too much repetition. The nature of the story made me want a roller coaster ride, but things unfolding too leisurely for those thrills and chills to kick in until the book was over half over. This slower pace, however, worked beautifully for her in Offerings.

However, individual scenes were excellent, particularly the scenes in which Babykiller arranges for something truly vile to happen.

There was also a moment when the author really stepped into the narrative. The book took place in 1995 and the narrative voice sounded like the story was concurrent with that time. At about the 67% mark and at a crucial point, the tone changed for a couple paragraphs for, there's no other way to say it, the author to step in and remind us specifically that it's 1995 and explain why the thing that was about to happen (a tech snafu) would not occur today. I suppose it felt important to do this, but it was momentarily jarring and not necessary if the reader had been paying any attention.

Editing: 3 1/2 Stars

There was a sporadic formatting glitch that involved a couple paragraphs in a row to have a right justification. Beyond that, Glinda from The Wizard of Oz got called Glenda. There was sprinkling of typos and combined words. A minor character's last name changed. A store's name changed from The Spy Stop to The Spy Place within a couple paragraphs. The errors, while not completely over the top, were enough to alter the reading experience.

[Alice Yeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

When one thinks of environmentalism and conservationism (and many other -isms), the image that comes to mind is often that of radicals changing themselves to trees or driving cars that run on vegetable oil. Larabeth McLeod is a far cry from these radical interpretations, a business-savvy woman with subtly effective interpersonal skills, positive support from the media, and a stalwart dedication to cleaning up a Wounded Earth. Unfortunately, her success has drawn the long-standing attention of a psychotic terminal cancer patient with a penchant for chaos and ample means to inflict his whims upon the world. A large-scale game of cat-and-mouse ensues, fueled by two great motivators: green Earth and green money.

Evans’ characters are convincingly flawed, and their actions are at times brilliant and other times unbelievably stupid. Admittedly, there were large portions of the story where I wanted to beat Larabeth and her daughter silly with a giant foam bat, primarily because of their shared Achilles’ heel: pride. Ah, the downfall of many a brilliant mind. Larabeth’s friend, J.D., only shows a modicum more humility. Add in a healthy dose of obstinacy, and one has believable protagonists who are both understandable and irritating with their confidence and need to be in charge. Too bad for them that Babykiller has already planned out controlled increases in entropy, as one might a routine science experiment with some very, very explosive effects.

Like those of any good maniac, Babykiller’s plans were difficult to predict but made a twisted sort of sense retrospectively. The convoluted steps of his last hurrah were chilling and unexpected, thus instilling a savory sort of dread throughout. There are redeemable villains, and then there are the ones that are purely evil but delightfully mad. Babykiller falls into the latter category, and I enjoyed every bit of his sick and sordid behavior.

I was somewhat less pleased by the second interaction between Larabeth and her daughter. Cynthia’s reaction, while fundamental to the plot, was less conflicted than I had hoped for and less confused than I could have believed. There is also the small matter of some proofreading errors, including the changing of a pilot’s name back and forth between MacGowan and Malone. I still don’t know which one the author intended. The use of apostrophes before Sixties and Fifties, etc., was also highly irritating, as they were unnecessary and faced in the wrong direction anyway. There is the matter of the occasional repetitive text and some confusingly worded sentences, but thankfully they were relatively infrequent.

Wounded Earth is a wonderfully entertaining read from beginning to end, recommendable to those who relish suspense and feast on antagonists with delusions of grandeur.

Stimulated Outlet Book Reviews
(Review copy provided by the author)

[Candy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book in for review last year and it kind of sat in the back of my head to read. I liked the description and it looked to be something right up my alley. I ran across it again and decided to finally give it a shot. WHY did it take me so long? This book is absolutely wonderful!

The main genre is thriller/mystery but it also has a bit of environmentalism and activism in it. I will admit that I was a bit worried about that. I've read books similar to this in the past and it was entirely too preachy for me. I like my fiction to lack holier-than-thou. I shouldn't have worried. This was so supremely well done! This was interwoven very well into the plot and didn't feel forced down our throats, just part of the story.

Where the author excels with this book is character development. I felt like I knew Larabeth, like she was my good friend living next door. The author has the ability of empathy. I was extremely empathetic to both Larabeth and Cynthia and their plight. Even the pilot, who played a small part, was so strongly developed that I felt connected with him.

Her writing is amazing. It's beautiful, almost lyrical at times. She sets up a scene without giving away too much of where she's going. The only bad I saw in the whole book is that there were a few times that the book seemed to drag a little. Almost as though she was overexplaining a situation. We could have done with a little bit more of a strong editing arm.

Having said that, it doesn't detract from the story and the story moves along very well.

Highly recommended to those that enjoy a good thriller and just plain excellent writing.

[Paolo Amoroso · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wounded Earth is a thriller about Larabeth McLeod, a woman successful in both work as an entrepreneur in the environmental business and personal achievements, stalked by an unknown man who calls himself Babykiller. He turns out to be much more dangerous and threatening to her, her loved ones, the country and the world. Available time is short before the mysterious stalker puts his threats into action. Fighting back is difficult because he knows her past, her deepest secrets and everything she does. Larabeth can only trust J.D. Hatten, a private detective friend.

I got hooked reading for a number of reasons. There is a rapid progression of suspense and engagement as the story turns for Larabeth from the annoyances caused by a stalker, to a life threat. At any time it seems that she has no choice but to do what Babykiller wants, and no other options are available. The story is made engaging also by the progressive disclosure of Larabeth's past and Babykiller's identity and threats, which adds to the mystery.

At first Babykiller may remind the stereotyped cool-headed head of a Spectre-like criminal organization, but the character soon gets more depth and richness as the story unfolds. Also, the story doesn't completely clarify the reason for the earlier break of the relationship between Larabeth and Hatten, and the nature of that relationship at the time. This left me curious, but is a minor plot element.

Disclosure: I know the author. This review is unsolicited and the author didn't compensate me in any way, nor gave anything in exchange

[Al · Rating 4 out of 5]

The common wisdom about thrillers is they are plot driven. To me, this implies that the characters don’t require as much development as other genres, so long as the plot is intense. "Wounded Earth" delivers on plot. Its nail-biting intensity will keep you up late in your eagerness to find out how it ends.

However, when evaluating what I liked most about "Wounded Earth," it wasn’t the plot that came to mind. Historically, thrillers and suspense are my favorite genres; I’ve read hundreds, if not thousands. As long as they are executed competently, which this was, it is other things I notice.

For "Wounded Earth," what stood out is the development of the main characters, especially the protagonist Larabeth. I’ve found I especially enjoy books with a strong female character. Larabeth is driven, not just towards success, but also to do good and what is right. It would be easy for a character like this who “has it all” to seem unreal. It is her difficult history, both with ex-boyfriend J.D. and skeletons in her closet, that makes Larabeth human and intriguing. It is also why, as a reader, I was pulling for her that much more.

**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **

[Lora · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a review. I'm glad I chose this book to read and review. This is the first book I've read of this author so I know nothing about her previous books or their genres. I like how this book immediately drew me in and started building the story right away. I liked the continuity and how the past was clearly woven into the story without confusing the writing. The female main character was strong and believable . The only thing I didn't like was the name "Babykiller" used for the male antagonist. I know it was a reference to Vietnam but it was just difficult for me to keep reading that name over and over in the book. I also didn't like the very graphic description of the mutilation of the endangered species animals as part of the story. I don't think such vivid descriptions was necessary to contribute to the book. Other than that, I liked the book and it held my interest throughout as it built to the climax.

[Laurie Hanan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was hooked from the opening chapter, both by the engaging protagonist and the riveting plot. The author's crisp, clean writing style propels the story along at a good pace. The point of view shifts from environmental scientist Larabeth McLeod to her deranged stalker. We feel Larbeth’s fear, and her determination to stop a madman bent on destroying the environment and talking a lot of innocent lives. We begin to understand the killer’s obsessions and the circumstances that drove him to insanity. Alongside the gripping action is an intriguing romance, as well as the story of a daughter separated from her mother at birth. A very satisfying read that I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys a good thriller, and anyone interested in environmental issues.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book on Goodreads and was thrilled to receive a copy signed by the author.

This book is fast paced and revolves around environmental sabotage and terrorism based on a personal agenda. You can't help but be a little unnerved by the subject matther because the possiblity of something like this happening is so relevant to current society. I am not a heavy mystery reader (although I am starting to read them more and more) and was a little worried that Wounded Earth would have more graphic violence than I normally like to read. My fears were unfounded; the book was suspenseful and engaging and I would definitely read another book by this author.

[Libby · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are so many good things to say about Maryanna Evans' WOUNDED EARTH, it's hard to know where to start. Is it the velvety smooth prose that is rich and textured, but never interferes with the story? Is it the depth of characterization of Larabeth and Cynthia, who would make a formidable duo going forward (hint)? Or is it the author's obvious intelligence and knowledge of nuclear and other environmental disasters, which (because it was written several years ago) proved to be prescient, given what's happened in Japan? Whatever the reasons, WOUNDED EARTH captured me from the start and held my interest till the end. I heartily recommend this thriller.

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its more scary of a book when you think about what is happening in Japan right now. The story is good and suspenseful. Larabeth who is ceo of her own company who gave up her daughter when she was teenager. J.D. PI who owns his business used to track down and reports on Cynthia even prom pictures. Babykiller is the bad guy behind everything. killings, kidnapping, nuclear plant problems harassing and stalking. FBI agent the new recruit and a tratior. you dont want to put the book down till you are done with it. I enjoyed it. i was given the book in exchange of honest review.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Larabeth McLeod is the head of a company doing remedial cleanup of ecological disasters, toxic spills and waste dumps starts getting weird calls from someone calling himself “Babykiller”. The calls escalate and range from slightly amorous to threatening and promise pending disasters. When disasters start occurring effecting large areas and numbers of people she hires and old friend and PI to help her find out who this caller is and how to stop his crazy plans to destroy civilization. A few small typos, but over all a decent read.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laurabeth, the main character, is terrorized by a man called Babykiller - a man who doesn't care what it takes to get his point across. He is a rich man who is dying, so there really is nothing that can scare or stop him. How can one fight such a person?

An excellent and well written thriller that will have you guessing all the way until the end. Mary Anna Evens is one author that I'm looking forward to seeing more from in the future!

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up because, hey, free book! Dragged in the beginning and middle due a lot of repetition. A pretty solid ending and likable, interesting protagonist who thinks on her feet and handles this nutty situation with aplomb (mostly). Could not get over reading "Babykiller" every page though - that and his seemingly limitless wealth and power - made him more cartoonishly evil than I think the author intended.

[Landy]

Thank you Goodreads First Reads for this free book. Looking forward to reading it when I get it.

[Cas ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting, couldn't put it down. :)

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would go see this as a movie on the big screen with some good actors... Wonder if anyone suggested a screenplay?

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

A killer named as bad as possible threw me at first but ended up better than I anticipated.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK story. A little dated.