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A Blacklick Valley Mystery #5
Nightmare
Tension is running high in Blacklick Valley as Sheriff Jed Tyler races against time to untangle the remaining elusive secrets that threaten its inhabitants before another life is lost. Will he succeed in his efforts or—this time—will he be too late? More than a year has passed since Claire Whitman’s diabolical abduction of three women, the murder of one, where she piteously cast them into a place of our worst nightmares, leaving them to die in the most horrific way. But did she act alone? Or, did she have an unknown accomplice—one still viciously intent on carrying out his murderous scheme? And what of Annie Ross, the young, naïve mistress of Laura Kinkaid’s late husband Frank, who was forced into an unwanted abortion that left her relentlessly guilt-ridden, broken, and betrayed? Has she simply disappeared into the mists of her delusional mind? Or, is she back with a fiery vengeance and her own psychotic plan for justice? Last fall, CIA operative Tripp Castleberry, in conjunction with federal DEA agents, believed his team had cracked the local link in a far-reaching Mexican drug cartel network, cutting off the massive flow of illegal drugs flowing into the region with a secretive sting operation. Unfortunately, the mastermind, the king-pin behind it all, remained unidentified and has recently reestablished operations. Will he continue to elude authorities at every turn or will he finally be unmasked? Now, just weeks after Jed and Jenny’s divorce has finalized, are Laura and Jed and baby Jonathan, the product of their illicit love affair, living the idealized life they had imagined at Laura’s grand estate at Green Hills? Is Jenny content in her new relationship with Tripp Castleberry, the mysterious and dangerous lover from her past who came back to reclaim her? Has Timmy, Jenny’s young son, adapted to the sweeping changes in his world or does his life seem to be collapsing around him? Is hard-core, take-no-prisoners business entrepreneur Samantha Jessup destined to living her life alone, or is there a man out there strong enough to tame her? Return now to Blacklick Valley as these webs of mystery unfold in explosive detail and for the volatile and shocking conclusion of The Blacklick Valley Mystery Series.
314 pages, Paperback
Published August 18, 2018
6 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
Donna Cummins
8 books39 followersNew Release NIGHTMARE
I'm pleased to announce that my new release NIGHTMARE, Book 5 in The Blacklick Valley Mystery Series, is now available in print and eBook on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Nightmare-Blac...
I hope you will check out NIGHTMARE as the final webs of mystery are untangled and for the exciting and shocking conclusion of The Blacklick Valley Mysteries. Love to have you give it a read and leave your comments in a review on Goodreads and Amazon. It's your interest and opinions that keep us writers inspired to keep on writing!
Here's a little taste of the Prologue (slightly revised to avoid spoilers):
"The rain moved in from the west, over the hazy, steel-blue mountains and across the verdant valleys below like a sheer gossamer veil as fine as any Laotian silk. It moved slowly, steadily, forward—at first, silent as a Pharaoh’s tomb, then with the faintest whisper of sound. On it came as if by some invisible force, and with it came the change of light that cast the landscape in luminous green, almost as if the terrain itself projected some ethereal light from within. Then the whisper turned to a stirring and the stirring to a thrum, and jagged bolts of lightning zigzagged across the darkening sky, cutting with razor-sharpness through the swelling thunderheads on the charcoal horizon.
An evening thunderstorm in late April was not uncommon to the inhabitants of Blacklick Valley, and the man who hunched over the litter-strewn desk in the study of the neat, two-story colonial on Fennimore Street barely took notice of the oncoming storm. The patter of fat raindrops against window glass was little more than white noise, a mere distraction.
He rested his head in his hands, his splayed fingers slicing through a swathe of unkempt hair now receding from a high forehead. He sat alone, unmoving, his vacuous eyes staring at nothing but the desk’s wood-grained surface. In front of him rested a half-empty glass of Jack Daniels, the amber contents long ago grown warm and diluted, its filmy surface mirroring the overhead light in distorted reflection.
He was deep in thought. But he was not at peace. His mind tumbled with unformed thoughts like flickering scenes from a fast-forwarded film. An image of (XXXXX’s) face once again flitted across the canvas of his mind.
“Damn it!” he mumbled aloud, his words indistinguishable, slurred as they were by agitation and alcohol. “Why the hell couldn’t you have done it right? Why didn’t you stick to the plan? Stupid…! Should have taken care of it myself from the beginning.” He continued his angered and disparaging litany for some minutes, senselessly berating (someone) who was long dead and gone.
It wasn’t the first time.
Again, he ran trembling fingers back through his thinning hair, then rubbed at his burning, blood-shot eyes as his mind skipped back in time to that September day now over a year and a half ago when he’d run into (his former friend) on a busy street in downtown Pittsburgh.
He had (suggested they have coffee and his friend had) accepted—more from curiosity than interest. And thus, began the clandestine conversations over the next weeks and months that led them down a path of evil intent, each motivated by greed, avarice, and malicious vindictiveness….
(They) met as frequently as possible between the months of September and December, devising a plan, developing a scheme where they could kill two birds with one stone, as they often laughed about. By December they were ready to put their plan into action. No one would ever suspect their connection to one another nor the connection between (their victims’) demise—just another psychotic serial killer, choosing his victims at random.
Now, (he) picked up his lukewarm drink and took a sip, thinking that it all could have worked out so splendidly. Could have—if (his friend) hadn’t been so stupid. Had stuck to the plan. But, no. No! Did nothing but get … killed.
Thank God, he’d gotten away with his own part i
I'm pleased to announce that my new release NIGHTMARE, Book 5 in The Blacklick Valley Mystery Series, is now available in print and eBook on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.com/Nightmare-Blac...
I hope you will check out NIGHTMARE as the final webs of mystery are untangled and for the exciting and shocking conclusion of The Blacklick Valley Mysteries. Love to have you give it a read and leave your comments in a review on Goodreads and Amazon. It's your interest and opinions that keep us writers inspired to keep on writing!
Here's a little taste of the Prologue (slightly revised to avoid spoilers):
"The rain moved in from the west, over the hazy, steel-blue mountains and across the verdant valleys below like a sheer gossamer veil as fine as any Laotian silk. It moved slowly, steadily, forward—at first, silent as a Pharaoh’s tomb, then with the faintest whisper of sound. On it came as if by some invisible force, and with it came the change of light that cast the landscape in luminous green, almost as if the terrain itself projected some ethereal light from within. Then the whisper turned to a stirring and the stirring to a thrum, and jagged bolts of lightning zigzagged across the darkening sky, cutting with razor-sharpness through the swelling thunderheads on the charcoal horizon.
An evening thunderstorm in late April was not uncommon to the inhabitants of Blacklick Valley, and the man who hunched over the litter-strewn desk in the study of the neat, two-story colonial on Fennimore Street barely took notice of the oncoming storm. The patter of fat raindrops against window glass was little more than white noise, a mere distraction.
He rested his head in his hands, his splayed fingers slicing through a swathe of unkempt hair now receding from a high forehead. He sat alone, unmoving, his vacuous eyes staring at nothing but the desk’s wood-grained surface. In front of him rested a half-empty glass of Jack Daniels, the amber contents long ago grown warm and diluted, its filmy surface mirroring the overhead light in distorted reflection.
He was deep in thought. But he was not at peace. His mind tumbled with unformed thoughts like flickering scenes from a fast-forwarded film. An image of (XXXXX’s) face once again flitted across the canvas of his mind.
“Damn it!” he mumbled aloud, his words indistinguishable, slurred as they were by agitation and alcohol. “Why the hell couldn’t you have done it right? Why didn’t you stick to the plan? Stupid…! Should have taken care of it myself from the beginning.” He continued his angered and disparaging litany for some minutes, senselessly berating (someone) who was long dead and gone.
It wasn’t the first time.
Again, he ran trembling fingers back through his thinning hair, then rubbed at his burning, blood-shot eyes as his mind skipped back in time to that September day now over a year and a half ago when he’d run into (his former friend) on a busy street in downtown Pittsburgh.
He had (suggested they have coffee and his friend had) accepted—more from curiosity than interest. And thus, began the clandestine conversations over the next weeks and months that led them down a path of evil intent, each motivated by greed, avarice, and malicious vindictiveness….
(They) met as frequently as possible between the months of September and December, devising a plan, developing a scheme where they could kill two birds with one stone, as they often laughed about. By December they were ready to put their plan into action. No one would ever suspect their connection to one another nor the connection between (their victims’) demise—just another psychotic serial killer, choosing his victims at random.
Now, (he) picked up his lukewarm drink and took a sip, thinking that it all could have worked out so splendidly. Could have—if (his friend) hadn’t been so stupid. Had stuck to the plan. But, no. No! Did nothing but get … killed.
Thank God, he’d gotten away with his own part i
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 23, 2018
This is the shocking conclusion of the Blacklick Valley Mystery Series. This is 5th in the series and although there is a brief explanation of what last happened, I highly recommend you start at the beginning to get the full benefit of this explosive series.
NIGHTMARE takes place 2 years after several women were abducted and left to ie in the most horrific way possible. One of those women did not survive. The abductor was Claire Whitman, and she also did not survive.
The question still remains ... did she act alone? Or is there an accomplice still on the loose intent on carrying out Whitman's murderous scheme?
There are many story lines with different characters coming together to put paid to all the murders and crimes that have taken place over the first four books.
Action-packed chapters and fast-moving drama highlight all the personal lives that have been impacted by all the crime committed. There are twists and turns and secrets and lies that kept this reader on her toes.
I'm rather sad to see the ending of this riveting series.
Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of NIGHTMARE. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
NIGHTMARE takes place 2 years after several women were abducted and left to ie in the most horrific way possible. One of those women did not survive. The abductor was Claire Whitman, and she also did not survive.
The question still remains ... did she act alone? Or is there an accomplice still on the loose intent on carrying out Whitman's murderous scheme?
There are many story lines with different characters coming together to put paid to all the murders and crimes that have taken place over the first four books.
Action-packed chapters and fast-moving drama highlight all the personal lives that have been impacted by all the crime committed. There are twists and turns and secrets and lies that kept this reader on her toes.
I'm rather sad to see the ending of this riveting series.
Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of NIGHTMARE. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
September 18, 2018
One thing you can be sure of when you start a Donna Cummins novel is that you’ll be transported to a world that will fascinate you, people whose lives will touch you, events that will thrill you, and writing that will enthral you. Cummins tells great stories and peoples them with characters you will come to know intimately.
But most of all you will be left amazed by her wonderful affinity with nature. Nature is invariably laced into her stories as a compelling entity in its own right, woven into the very fabric of the narrative, always menacing or benign depending on her mood, as she lurks in the background, observing, judging, involved.
Cummins has an extraordinary observation of nature in all its forms. Nothing escapes her poetic eye ... the skies, sometimes warm and friendly, sometimes dark and turbulent, the farthest mountain tops, the forests, the lakes, the rivers, even the smallest plants. She knows all of them by name. Her feel for them recalls the sentiment that overcame Wordsworth when he exclaimed: “...the meanest flower that blows gives thoughts the do often lie too deep for tears.”
And yet, when we can draw ourselves away from Cummins’ intense lyricism, there is a great story to be savoured. Early in the novel we are brought back to the early days of the Blacklick series - to the Jenny/Jed saga with its sad ending, to the back stories of Samantha, Laura, Marjorie and little Timmy – and before we know it we are deeply embroiled once more in their lives. We feel contempt for the callous plotting of the despicable Sutton, amusement at the hapless efforts of Scott to rein in the combative Samantha, an inexplicable sympathy for Laura as the author plants the tiniest of implications for her uncertain future. All the separate strands create tensions of their own and keep the pages turning almost by themselves.
And as the tale unfolds we sense something elusive, something insubstantial hanging in the air, when we continue read about Timmy and Jenny. Where is Cummins going with this? The mind wants to race ahead, creating possible scenarios of its own. We suspect that something tragic is inevitable, and yet we have a sense, too, of future happiness.
Cummins’ stories are as much about people as they are about plot, and that is what really seduces us. We don’t care or know if it is a murder mystery, a romance, a chronicle of a tragic death, a saga of a wasted life ... Nightmare is an intricate tale that encompasses many lives, many emotions, many heartaches. It is a story about the ordinary and the extraordinary, a story that will keeps our eyes glued to the pages long after midnight.
But don’t take my word for it. Give yourselves a treat and buy the book.
But most of all you will be left amazed by her wonderful affinity with nature. Nature is invariably laced into her stories as a compelling entity in its own right, woven into the very fabric of the narrative, always menacing or benign depending on her mood, as she lurks in the background, observing, judging, involved.
Cummins has an extraordinary observation of nature in all its forms. Nothing escapes her poetic eye ... the skies, sometimes warm and friendly, sometimes dark and turbulent, the farthest mountain tops, the forests, the lakes, the rivers, even the smallest plants. She knows all of them by name. Her feel for them recalls the sentiment that overcame Wordsworth when he exclaimed: “...the meanest flower that blows gives thoughts the do often lie too deep for tears.”
And yet, when we can draw ourselves away from Cummins’ intense lyricism, there is a great story to be savoured. Early in the novel we are brought back to the early days of the Blacklick series - to the Jenny/Jed saga with its sad ending, to the back stories of Samantha, Laura, Marjorie and little Timmy – and before we know it we are deeply embroiled once more in their lives. We feel contempt for the callous plotting of the despicable Sutton, amusement at the hapless efforts of Scott to rein in the combative Samantha, an inexplicable sympathy for Laura as the author plants the tiniest of implications for her uncertain future. All the separate strands create tensions of their own and keep the pages turning almost by themselves.
And as the tale unfolds we sense something elusive, something insubstantial hanging in the air, when we continue read about Timmy and Jenny. Where is Cummins going with this? The mind wants to race ahead, creating possible scenarios of its own. We suspect that something tragic is inevitable, and yet we have a sense, too, of future happiness.
Cummins’ stories are as much about people as they are about plot, and that is what really seduces us. We don’t care or know if it is a murder mystery, a romance, a chronicle of a tragic death, a saga of a wasted life ... Nightmare is an intricate tale that encompasses many lives, many emotions, many heartaches. It is a story about the ordinary and the extraordinary, a story that will keeps our eyes glued to the pages long after midnight.
But don’t take my word for it. Give yourselves a treat and buy the book.
September 11, 2018
Not as "mysterious" or suspenseful as the others in the series as it is basically told to you what is going to happen. Not too sure I was thrilled with the ending, the epilogue, either. Still, it was a quick and easy read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews