Ask Nicely and I Might

by Lorraine Elzia

A twisted game of bewildering intrigue proves positive that six degrees of separation bridge the gap between the sane and the insane. Alex Carlysle is a savvy homicide detective highly respected among her peers and on the fast track to make Captain. When her lover becomes the latest victim in a series of brutal murders, the investigation of the killings becomes personal for her. Not only has she lost the only man who ever understood her, but also catching the killer could be the break she has been waiting for concerning her career. Jade, on the other hand, resides on the opposite side of the law, abiding by a different set of rules - its Jade's way, or no way. Instead of enforcing the law, she is the thorn in its side. Motivated by an urge for revenge, she is a sexy enigma of a serial killer who taunts the police just for the pleasure of it while devouring her prey in the process. As the hunter becomes the hunted, two women, both at the top of their game, are destined for a massive head-on collision with each other. But the thrill of pursuit is not the only tie that binds them; they are also both driven by blood shed and a chain of circumstances that began in the subconscious mind. Ask Nicely and I Might is a racy thriller - fast, furious, and filled with sexy suspense. A wicked game of cat and mouse where time is rapidly running out and with the hunter and hunted lives on the line, they have everything to fight for . . . and everything to lose.

190 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Lorraine Elzia has always had an admiration for both the spoken and written word and has exercised that gregarious gift in various venues. She began her writing career when the first short story she had ever written was accepted for publication in the acclaimed Chicken Soup for the Soul series. Wanting to expand her gift of sharing stories with a relatable message, Lorraine became a contributing author in eight more anthologies before releasing her own debut novel. Having been bitten by the bug of weaving words, she then added editor and ghost writer to her resume. Driven by determination of imaginative expression, Lorraine brings a creative and unique sculpting skill to the written word. As an in-demand editor, ghostwriter, and CEO of Aveeda Productions which offers literary services to self-published authors, Lorraine is consistently proving herself to be a breath of fresh air in the literary field and an aide for others to achieve their writing goals and dreams. In her ghostwriting capacity, she has penned stories for a dozen authors in genres ranging from religious to romance, erotica to Sci-fi, and urban fiction to autobiographies.

Lorraine is from Austin, Texas by way of Motown (Detroit, Michigan); her eclectic personality and life experiences include being an Army vet, a trained opera singer, a district court manager for over 25 years, a dispute resolution mediator, and an over nurturer of her family and friends. Lorraine considers herself to be a flower child growing wild who loves to travel while connecting with as many people as she can along the way. It is her desire that through the written word, delivered in different genres, she will be able to inspire, educate, and motivate others to see the beauty that resides within all people.

Reviews

[H.M. Trey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very clever write. Lorraine filled this novel with twists and turns and a lot of suspense. Without giving out any spoilers…the more you creep closer to the end the more surprises that jumped off the pages at you. It was an exciting read from start to finish. I loved everything about this book all the way down to how each character was portrayed throughout the book. This book can easily be a movie. You have good versus evil, the classic protagonist versus antagonist. The story was dominated by two women, the hero (Alex) and the villain (Jade). There is romance, but not that sappy romance. Even the villain has moments of intimacy…you have to read it to see what I mean! For me, oddly enough, the villain is my favorite character in this book. How her character was formed and moved throughout the book was superb. You basically have 2 story lines going on up until the worlds of the two crosses. The crossing of their paths is not a simple one...the author throws in an unexpected twist to the plot at this point of the story. I highly recommend this read!

[WriteVibeMagazine · Rating 5 out of 5]

“It’s a Small World”

“Ask Nicely and I Might…” by Lorraine Elzia is a seductively written thriller. This novel is filled with dark characters, suspense, and creative twists.
Jade, your typical battered woman has finally reached her breaking point. After years of physical, mental, and emotional abuse, she has masterminded the perfect exit from her pitiful marriage by way of premeditated murder. Once she is in the clear, Jade has newfound freedom and makes her way to the city of dreams, New York City. Now she has a brand new attitude and a lot more confidence that she never knew. Driven by her deep hatred for inconsiderate men, she goes on a quest to obtain exactly what she wants and by any means necessary.
Alex Carlysle, one of the best homicide detectives in New York City is highly respected among her peers. She is also known for her ability to maintain control of her emotions even in the most extreme crime scene situations. That is until a series of brutal murders include her very own lover. Already obsessed with her line of work as she avoids facing the demons of her past, she has taken to solving his murder into her own hands. She will stop at nothing until she finds his killer.
For 186 pages, I was highly impressed with how the story was written. The character development was thorough and will give readers a complete understanding of the who’s and why’s. The plot was also executed ingeniously as the characters were uniquely tied together in diverse ways. The metaphors within the story will make readers feel as if they are watching a movie instead of reading a book. I would have liked to see a more complex ending. I feel as if the catch of the serial killer was much too simple for how skillfully she avoided being caught throughout each murder. Perhaps more forensic detail would give thriller fans even more enjoyment of this story. Overall, “Ask Nicely and I Might…” is a sexy, enthralling read and sure to be enjoyed by readers of many genres; especially thriller, suspense, and mystery.

5 Stars
Written By: Kenya Mack

[Shondalon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a page turner from the begining to end. Getting to know Alex and Jade and how they come together will keep you up reading this book. To tell you how much I love this book my signed copy was left at Wal Mart by mistake, I went back to the store and it had not been turned in so I came home and purchased it again for my kindle because I needed to know more about Jade and why she was out for Alex and I was not disappointed it was worth the second purchase. Great Book, I thought that Mistress Memiors was Great!!! Lorraine your second book was so much better keep them coming I know that Alex is to complex for this to be it for her


GREAT BOOK can not wait for the next one.

Shondalon

[Stacy-Deanne Stacy-Deanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

NOTE: THIS IS THE WRONG COVER FOR THIS BOOK!

Review:

This book is very unique and in some parts strange in a good way. I thought Lorraine had a fantastic writing style. Her words are so poetic in nature that you feel like you're sitting in a smoke-filled cafe, sipping a beer and listening to poetry. The book has a very sultry and sexy atmosphere and from page one, Lorraine's talent thrusts you into the story.

Even though I think Lorraine's writing style is above many I've read in years, Jade is what kept me reading. Jade is one of the most intriguing villains I've come across and being a crime fiction and mystery buff, I love a good villain. Lorraine painted her beautifully because she did something most writers do not accomplish when constructing villains. She made sure that Jade wasn't one-dimensional. She had a dynamic persona and a huge idea of how life should be and the character matched every part of her personality from head to toe. Jade was the villain hands down but I enjoyed her very much. I was able to be at awe of her and pity her at the same time. She has the ability to change colors like a chameleon and sometimes she does it so well that even the reader can't tell whether she's actually giving a glimpse inside herself or if she's just conning everyone all around. She was also very exciting and she kept me turning the pages. I think Lorraine broke ground with Jade and I'd love to see more of her in the future and I hope she plans to revisit this character in future books.

I was disappointed in the other characters in the book especially Alex. I feel that while Jade was constructed so masterfully, the other characters were overshadowed and just weren't fleshed out enough to get a feel of who they are. I didn't like Alex at all. I found Alex to be unrealistically cold and shallow. I know that some people are made of stone but everyone has a heart but you don't see that in Alex. Sometimes I had to remind myself that Alex wasn't a robot. She showed no true emotion, not even when those who meant the most to her were in trouble or when something horrible really happened. I get that she was a cop but just because she's a cop it doesn't mean she can't show us a glimpse of someone inside with real feelings. I also found Alex to be a very lacking foe for Jade. Jade was such an amazing villain that the hero needed to be someone just as amazing or even more. Alex has nothing special about her. She had no type of charisma or any type of magnitude that pulled you in. She was disappointing to the fact that you wanna root for Jade just because you can't understand or don't like Alex. As a main character, Alex should have had more appreciative qualities for readers to connect with her. I couldn't connect with her at all therefore I felt nothing for her. I didn't care what bad things happened to her because she didn't seem to care for anyone. She was very selfish and just too off-putting for me to like her. If I'd seen one ounce that she cared for someone, I would have been able to connect but I felt nothing for her therefore it was hard for me to relate to her part of the story. I actually skimmed a lot of Alex's parts to get to Jade's because Alex wasn't holding me just because of who she was. If only we'd seen a little bit of a heart from Alex and less of a shield I probably would have liked her. But still she didn't match Jade at all. Jade should have been put up against a very powerful hero and Alex didn't measure up to that at all.

The rest of the characters weren't that noticeable and seemed to be part of the story just to center around Jade and Alex yet you didn't feel they had a purpose beyond that. It was hard for me to feel pity when bad things happened to the secondary characters because you didn't get a feel of them well enough to know them before the bad things happened. So once again, I found it hard to connect with the other characters.

Overall I enjoyed this book very much but if not for Jade I would have probably been disappointed a bit because the other characters weren't fleshed out. They appeared and it was as if they were there not to be apart of the story but to just have some people there for things to happen. They weren't memorable characters at all, except for Jade.

I though the crime and mystery aspect was good and I enjoyed the subplots but once again, needed to be fleshed out a bit. Lorraine presents some interesting subplots but I felt they needed to be delved into deeper. Maybe if Alex's life were shown to me more I could have understood where she was coming from and appreciate her. I also think the book was way too short. It seemed to end too abruptly and I feel like more should have been accomplished.

Kudos for Lorraine who provides us with an excellent villain. Jade goes through a gigantic transformation and it's fun watching her on her journey. I connected with her immediately and I really would like to see more of her in the future.

[Kenya · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Ask Nicely and I Might…” by Lorraine Elzia is a seductively written thriller. This novel is filled with dark characters, suspense, and creative twists.

Jade, your typical battered woman has finally reached her breaking point. After years of physical, mental, and emotional abuse, she has masterminded the perfect exit from her pitiful marriage by way of premeditated murder. Once she is in the clear, Jade has newfound freedom and makes her way to the city of dreams, New York City. Now she has a brand new attitude and a lot more confidence that she never knew. Driven by her deep hatred for inconsiderate men, she goes on a quest to obtain exactly what she wants and by any means necessary.

Alex Carlysle, one of the best homicide detectives in New York City is highly respected among her peers. She is also known for her ability to maintain control of her emotions even in the most extreme crime scene situations. That is until a series of brutal murders include her very own lover. Already obsessed with her line of work as she avoids facing the demons of her past, she has taken to solving his murder into her own hands. She will stop at nothing until she finds his killer.

For 186 pages, I was highly impressed with how the story was written. The character development was thorough and will give readers a complete understanding of the who’s and why’s. The plot was also executed ingeniously as the characters were uniquely tied together in diverse ways. The metaphors within the story will make readers feel as if they are watching a movie instead of reading a book. I would have liked to see a more complex ending. I feel as if the catch of the serial killer was much too simple for how skillfully she avoided being caught throughout each murder. Perhaps more forensic detail would give thriller fans even more enjoyment of this story. Overall, “Ask Nicely and I Might…” is a sexy, enthralling read and sure to be enjoyed by readers of many genres; especially thriller, suspense, and mystery.

[OOSA · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good vs. Bad

While making headline news as a lead detective in New York, Alex Carlysle has unknowingly attracted an admirer in Jade Green, a newcomer to the Big Apple. While in pursuit of a serial killer, Alex finds that she’s mere steps behind the killer and confident that she’ll soon be able to put a stop to the madness. As Alex realizes that she has become personally entangled in the case, her life becomes completely chaotic and she’s forced to deal with issues from her past. Will this be primary in finding the killer?

‘Ask Nicely and I Might’ by Lorraine Elzia is somewhat of an awkward read. As the story builds, instead of feeling as if you’re involved in the mist of a must-read mystery, you feel confused as things don’t seem to be adding up. On page 94 something major happens, but it’s not until page 129 that we even get back to this detail. It is this monumental flaw that throws the entire flow of the story off.

As a criminology enthusiast, I was disappointed. The so-called no nonsense detective seems to drop the ball on protocol and procedure at every turn. Instead of finding yourself in awe of the mentality and strategy of the killer, you cannot help but wonder how, with as much technology and science as we have nowadays, this person even made it to serial killer status. In the event that these characters are revisited, I hope that time is allowed for the story to materialize and balance out the plot as well as the characters.


Reviewed by: Crystal

[Laverne]

As much as I wanted to throw this book away I'm glad I finished it. My review is forthcoming.