Before the Countdown: Vor dem Spiel (Die Lightkeeper-Serie)

The Lightkeepers #0.5

by Erica Spindler, Kerstin Fricke (Translator)

Damit das Warten auf den dritten Roman nicht zu lang wird: Spannendes Prequel zu der erfolgreichen Lightkeeper-Reihe!

New Orleans: Detective Michaela Dare wird zu einer Villa im Garden District gerufen. Die ehemalige Mardi-Gras-Königin ist tot - ermordet mit ihrem eigenen Zepter. Die Beweise führen schnell zu einem Täter. Doch Michaela wird das Gefühl nicht los, dass sie irgendetwas übersehen hat. Etwas passt nicht ins Bild. Nur was kann sie als Anfängerin schon groß tun, wenn selbst ihr Partner ihr nicht glaubt?

Michaela vertraut ihrem Instinkt und ermittelt auf eigene Faust. Dabei setzt sie nicht nur ihre Karriere beim New Orleans Police Department aufs Spiel, sondern begegnet dem unfassbar Bösen, das sie bis ins Herz erschüttert und alles zu vernichten droht, was ihr lieb und teuer ist.

In dieser spannenden Vorgeschichte zur erfolgreichen Lightkeeper-Reihe der New-York-Times-Bestsellerautorin Erica Spindler ermittelt zum ersten Mal die genauso taffe wie liebenswürdige Detective Micki "Mad Dog" Dare. Zugleich wirft die fesselnde Thriller-Handlung der Lightkeeper-Reihe ihre Schatten voraus.

Dieses eBook enthält eine Leseprobe aus "The Final Seven - Das Spiel beginnt" von Erica Spindler.

Bisher sind in der Lightkeeper-Reihe erschienen:

The Final Seven - Das Spiel beginnt
Triple Six - Tödliche Zeichen
Fallen Five - Dunkle Gewissheit (erscheint voraussichtlich im Sommer 2018)

eBooks von beTHRILLED - mörderisch gute Unterhaltung!

Genres: Novella

165 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 30, 2017

About the author

A New York Times and International bestselling author, Erica Spindler's skill for crafting engrossing plots and compelling characters has earned both critical praise and legions of fans. Her stories have been lauded as “thrill-packed page turners, white- knuckle rides and edge-of-your-seat whodunits.”

Erica loves meeting and interacting with her fans, both in person and online. She has a wicked sense of humor, an optimistic spirit and loves coffee, chocolate and red wine, not necessarily in that order.

In 2002 her novel Bone Cold won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for excellence. A Romance Writers of America Honor Roll member, she received a Kiss of Death Award for her novels Forbidden Fruit and Dead Run and was a four-time RITA® Award finalist. In 1999 Publishers Weekly awarded the audio version of her novel Shocking Pink a Listen Up Award, naming it one of the best audio mystery books of 1998.

Erica lives just outside New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband and two sons.

Reviews

[Linda Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who have not read the Lightkeepers series, this is the perfect place to start. If you have read the series, or part of, this makes a very good prequel. It's a fast, easy read, with only 111 pages.

This introduces the reader to Michaela Dare. She's a brand new detective for the New Orleans police department. She gets a call to investigate the murder of a former Queen of Carnival. Think Mardi Gras. The woman has been bludgeoned to death with her scepter, which is missing, as well as her crown.

Luckily there is security and the tapes show the person responsible. Case closed. That was easy. Then she's called to another murder .... another Queen of the male gender. And once again, the killer is caught on tape. Another case closed.

But Michaela's gut feeling is that something else is at play here. Her seasoned partner doesn't agree with her.. he wants to let the cases stand, do the paperwork, and go home. So Michaela does what she does best ... she goes it alone.

And then there's a third murder .. this time she feels the evil. This evil may cost her the one person who means everything to her.

I've read the 5-star series and this is a delightful addition. Michaela is a tough cookie, and struggles with issues from her childhood. But nothing is going to stand in her way of putting the bad guys away.

There is a slight cliff hanger, but this one doesn't blunt the story at all.

Many thanks to the author / Double Shot Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of RANDOM ACTS. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Magdalena aka A Bookaholic Swede · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, if I hadn't read an Erica Spindler book a while ago and loved it wouldn't I have looked twice at this book. I mean the cover isn't that appealing and if you aren't a fan of Spindler or this series can't I see how this cover would catch your interest.

I have not read any books in the Lightkeepers Series, so the characters are totally new to me and it's a novella so it's not a particularly complicated story. It was easy to see where it would lead and it never surprised me. However, it was for the moment an enjoyable book and I bet that fans of the series will love this novella. Personally, it didn't do much for me, but I wouldn't mind trying out the first book in the series to see how it is.

To be honest, if I hadn't read an Erica Spindler book a while ago and loved it wouldn't I have looked twice at this book. I mean the cover isn't that appealing and if you aren't a fan of Spindler or this series can't I see how this cover would catch your interest.

I have not read any books in the Lightkeepers Series, so the characters are totally new to me and it's a novella so it's not a particularly complicated story. It was easy to see where it would lead and it never surprised me. However, it was for the moment an enjoyable book and I bet that fans of the series will love this novella. Personally, it didn't do much for me, but I wouldn't mind trying out the first book in the series to see how it is.

Random Acts felt like a novella for fans of this series, new readers perhaps should go for the first book instead since the novella doesn't really do more than introducing Micki. I would have loved to know more about her, it felt more like one was given an appetizer, but I wanted the full course.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through Netgalley for an honest review!

[Kirsty ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the issues with reviewing books is you often find a really interesting title only to find when you start it that it's in the middle of a series or worse the last in a set. Sometimes you then struggle with knowing who's who and where you are within their life story arc.

So this little novella then is fab. I have yet to read any of the Lightkeeper series but now that I've read this and got a feel for Micki Dare, the lead character I'm more than happy to add the books to my every growing TBR pile.

It's very short, I read it in a couple of hours and because of that there's probably a lot of extra plot that could be added to pad to a full book but I don't think it distracted really. Even as a short introduction I was given good insight into her character and her mentor and how his death affected her with enough teasers about her troubled background to hope I can find that story out through the main series.

Really good little read. Thumbs up

Free ARC from netgalley

[Bam cooks the books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novella, the prequel to Spindler's Lightkeepers series, is a quick read, two to three hours at most, and is pretty entertaining. I have not read any of the books in this series so it was a great place to start.

New Orleans Police Detective Michaela 'Micki' Dare is called to the scene of the homicide of a society maven in a wealthy neighborhood. The murderer has been caught on surveillance video so it is fairly easy for Micki and her partner, Carmine Angelo, to solve the case.

They are then called to the scene of another homicide--this time the victim is a transvestite entertainer at a club, and again it's easily solved. Two for two!

But Micki's intuition is telling her there is something more going on here than meets the eye and begins to look for a connection that might tie these two cases together. She doesn't realize the trail she is following could lead to heartbreak.

In such a short piece of fiction there is little time to develop plot but this was an enjoyable, satisfying read that introduces the character of Micki Dare. I'd definitely like to read more in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an arc for an honest review.

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short prequel to the amazing Lightkeepers series. This has been on my kindle since it came out unread. 2018 is the year to catch up on neglected books.

It is a good backstory to the main characters from the series, a quick and easy read

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Trident Media Group for a review copy of Random Acts, a short novella set in New Orleans which serves as a prequel to the Lightkeepers series.

Michaela "Micki" Dare, recently promoted to detective, is transferred to eighth division, the posh end of New Orleans and is immediately sent out to a homicide where a former Mardi Gras krew queen has been battered with her sceptre. The case is open and shut when CCTV shows the perpetrator. When a similar murder happens days later Micki suspects there is more to it.

I have not read the Lightkeepers series so I have no preconceptions. Random Acts is, however, an excellent example of a novella. As befits a prequel there is plenty of information on Micki's background but it also crams in a tight plot and some light humour. It doesn't take long to read but there is no padding and it held my interest throughout.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Random acts by Erica Spindler.
Michaela Dee Dare, newly minted detective for the New Orleans PD, is called to a Garden District mansion--someone's decided to bludgeon a former Queen of Carnival to death with her own scepter. Even as the investigative pieces begin to fall into place and they close in on a perpetrator, something's not adding up for Micki. It's too easy, the crime too random. But what's a rookie detective to do when her seasoned partner doesn't agree with her? Betting on her instinct and gambling with her future in the NOPD, Micki strikes out on her own, pulling at strings that reveal an evil that chills her to her core--and may cost her everything she holds dear. Set in New Orleans' most iconic neighborhoods, this exciting prequel to The Lightkeepers --a series lauded as 'enthralling' and 'not to be missed'--introduces tough, likable heroine Micki 'Mad Dog' Dare, and foreshadows the thrill-packed journey to come.
This was a really good read with good characters. A great start to a series. I can't wait to read more from this series. 5*. Netgalley and trident media group.

[Kelli Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great way to lead into the Lightkeepers series. Detective Michaela "Micki" gets her first call as a Detective to the Garden District in New Orleans. It looks pretty cut and dry, a member of New Orleans royalty, a former Queen of the Carnival, bludgeoned with her own scepter, even have the murderer admitting what she did, behind bars, case closed. But then she's called to a bar famous for their shows with Drag Queens. Again, the murderer confesses and is behind bars, case closed. But this is all too coincidental to not be tied together - somehow - for Micki. She won't let it go, so when she finds a small connection between the two Queens, she jumps on it, dragging her new partner along. They visit the Psychiatrist that both have seen. She gets the run around there, but can tell the good doctor is lying. Bouncing ideas off her mentor and rescuer, a retired detective, helps clear her head. Micki realizes that there's going to be one more - a beauty salon owner who always says "it's good to be Queen!". But they're too late. They go after the psychiatrist, but she has split town cleanly; leaving more heartbreak in her path. Micki's hard work doesn't go unnoticed - she gets called up for a special project...

[The Breakneck Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant summer read and a great introduction to Micki 'mad dog' dare. This is Micki at the start of her career, and her first major case under her belt. Having read the sequels prior, this gave me an new look on Micki's character and on how her history shaped her. You learn the history of her nickname and how the Nova came to be. Micki is called to investigate a case with her new partner Angelo involving the death of a Queen just before Mardi gras. Seemingly​ open and shut the killer is found within the day. However something doesn't add up when more queen bees start dying. This leads Micki to a psychologist that has a connection to the crimes. Micki's gut is proved right but in the end she loses both her criminal mastermind and her confidant in the same breath. Your heart goes out to Micki at the end and it makes you want to read more about her. it's a short book and a perfect​ summer read. I loved it and hope we do find a conclusion to the lose ends the story leaves us with in her forthcoming books.

[Helen Callahan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Random Acts is a non-stop, edge-of-your-seat, thriller. With some heartbreaking, tearful moments.
Prequel to Erica Spindler's Lightkeepers series. Book 1, The Final Seven and book 2, Triple Six are already out. Huge fan of Erica Spindler's dark suspenseful tales. Random Acts is my first read of this series. Before even finishing this story I put books 1 and 2 at the top of my Must Read Next list!!! New Orleans Mardi Gras. New Detective Mchaela Dare is both intellegent and intense. She is on temporary assignment with 15 yr Detective Carmine Angelo. He is smart, low-key but misses nothing. Micki and Angelo's first case, a murdered Queen. Then 2 more brutal attacks. Three types of Queens. Three violent crimes. Each it's own suspect. Three random acts ?!? What's better than a great book? Or a great author? Or a great series? A great author with multiple great books and great series. Soooo...Erica Spindler !!! I received this book as an ARC from Double Shot Press, through NetGalley. I am voluntarily posting this review.

[Peggy Jaeger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Micki Dare just may be my new favorite Cop! The only bad thing I can say about this book, RANDOM ACTS, was that it was waaaaaaaaaay too short. I wanted more. A lot more.

The death of a New Orleans' Krew Queen and the death of a drag Queen seem to have nothing in common except that they were both "queens" of some sort and their murders were committed by people whom everyone labeled "calm, cool, and collected." Enter Micki Dare and her new Partner Det. Angelo. Neither likes coincidence, and these deaths just seem too much of one.
When the one single thread linking the two becomes apparent, Dare and Angelo go in for the procedural cop kill. What happens? you'll have to read the book to find out.
This book is a Prequel to the LightKeepers Series so you damn well know I'm going to go and order that series right now.
5 well deserved stars from me.

[Helen Lushman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is yet another amazing book by one of my favourite authors. This book gives the reader the introductory look into one of Erica's major characters Micki "Mad Dog" Dare. From how Micki got her first major start into detective work, how she got her nickname "Mad Dog" to how she got her infamous car the Nova, the book tells you all in great detail that is informative and leaves the reader wanting more. This book starts out with one cut and dry case, which turns into a few more similar cut and dry cases leading "Mad Dog" into overthinking that there's more than meets the eye. Once you pick this book up, be prepared because there is no stopping until the end. Another great book written by the wonderful Erica Spindler.

[Trish Goodgame · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of the Sweet Dreams Boxed Set - I have been enjoying all the short stories, although the thing that struck me about the complete set was the poor editing! So many typos and mistakes - I wonder if they published it in a hurry in order to get it out for raising money for Diabetes Research?

However, poor editing aside, this introductory novella to the Lightkeepers series is enough to whet my appetite to see what is in store for Micki. I'm looking forward to seeing where the series will lead and if it will follow on from the unfinished business at the end of the novella... (I don't want to include a spoiler!)

[Melanie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope she writes the conclusion. (Spoiler)

This book was a little light but a great summer read. The book did a nice job of truly introducing Dare and building for history (the nickname and the nova.) The case was light but interesting. At first things seemed too easy but you knew something else was coming based on the book jacket. The book ended but did not conclude. In the midst of all the tv shows ending with cliffhangers, this followed suit. I hope we revisit this case in later books and justice is served.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the copy Random Acts by Erica Spindler that I read and reviewed.
I really enjoyed this book that introduced Micki Dare who is one of the main characters in the Lightkeepers Series. This was a short story that was meant to give some backstory on Micki while telling the first crime she solved while working in the Eighth.
This was a very good story and it was nice to get some insight on Micki. I am giving Random Acts five out of five stars.

[Cathy Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a prequel to the Lightkeepers series set in New Orleans , a short novella by Erica Spindler!!
Micki Dare was recently promoted to detective in the posh end of New Orleans. Very short story about three murders that are all linked together. Great plot and held my interest... can't wait to read the series .. . I especially loved Micki Dare's character..
Thanks to Netgalley and Trident Media Group for digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!!

[Iyanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the suspense of this book it's a fast paced book and a short story,so you won't be bored.I love the storyline.I loved how it's circled around one aspect, and how they all are intertwined .Det.Michaela Dare the new Detective to the precinct knows something just isn't right about the crime, then there's another murder and then another,she won't quit until she finds what is it.I figured it out so will you.Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read Random Acts

[Lori Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book

Random acts is the prequel to the lightkeepers series. I have read the series and loved them. This one was introducing Mikki. People who are reported to be happy, no problems, are killing. Hypnosis is involved. Waiting for the third book of the Series.

[Gemma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this one by Erica Spindler. I finished in a day. My reviews are short and sweet because who wants to sit and read the story??? Read it yourself you won't regret it! Love the character Dare.

[Barbara Lack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fast read. The cases are solved quickly. It does not end on a happy ending, but sets the stage for the subsequent books. Overall an enjoyable read?
****I voluntarily reviewed and gave my honest opinion of this Advanced Reviewer's Copy of this
book from Net Galley****

[Cheryl L Rybolt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting characters

I read the first book in the Lightkeepers Series so I wanted to see how Detective Dare had began her Police career. It was a good insight into her way of handling the stress of police work. Erica Spindler is my new favorite author.

[Amanda Jarabek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing prequel

Learn all about Dare. The main character
Fabulous read. Great story line.
Miki Dare is too smart for her own good. She is a do it all. Stand her ground. I love her

[Tonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this one just as I have the other light keeper series books! It definitely left me wanting more. This would be a great place for a reader to start the series!

[Trudi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet mystery

I enjoy Erica Spindler, and thought this might be a good start on her series. It was sweet but pretty predictable. I like the characters, though!

[Patricia Goodman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, fast read.

[Marty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Erica Spindler thriller.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Need to read more of this series.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't wait to read more

This is the 2nd book I have read from this author and I absolutely loved it! Short, but very hard to put done! I can't wait to read the rest of this series

[Rhonda Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a quick read, because you can’t put it down.

[Peter Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I teally enjoyed this. Dare is a good character and this was an entertaining mystery.