Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Homicide Detective Logan St. Martin buries herself in her work during the day, and finds herself trying to drink her haunted past away at night. But when a series of horrific murders rocks her small town deep in the bayous of Louisiana, she finds herself on a on a path of discovery into a sadistic killer’s mind.
Their beauty was in the ashes, and they all died alone.
Repentance was the killer’s way, and damnation became his weapon. Detective St. Martin and her partner, Detective Grasso, are in pursuit of a twisted soul who is leaving bodies in his wake. It’s a race against time when Logan realizes the killer has turned his sights on her.
Everything changes when you are the one being hunted.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Ashes of a Sinner
by S.L. Hebert
Series
The Case Files of Logan St. Martin #1
Genre
Adult
Murder Mystery
Suspense/Thriller
Publisher
Independent
Publication Date
November 16, 2017
Also Available On
Excerpt
Prologue
“Repent and believe in the Gospel. Remember that you are made of dust, and to dust you shall return.” he chants. The sound is almost a humming-whisper combined with the cold, caressing touch of his finger making the sign of the cross on my forehead.
The chilling sensation makes me want to fight, but I can’t. Through my mental fogginess, I’m aware of wetness falling upon me and hear the almost silent words looming in the air.
“Ashes to Ashes. Dust to Dust.”
My body is numbing, it’s as if I’m in a haze, and all goes dark again.
Strangely, I can almost feel the cool breeze blowing off the water into my hair, memories of my childhood coming alive. Rippling visions of me as a little girl sitting on the porch swing at my grandparents’ camp, located right off Lake Decade. Through the blur, I see all the boats lined up along the wharf. Feeling a sense of happiness flowing through me, I watch my family sitting around, visiting.
Abruptly, I am falling off the swing and onto the wooden planks. This dream started out so peaceful, and now something’s wrong—very wrong.
With the stink of dust and mildew in the air, an aching pain sears across my skin. As I try to open my eyes to see, I’m quickly aware that I’m blindfolded and can only see slightly past my cheeks from the bottom. Peering through my eyelashes, I manage to see color—it’s a shade of brown with the texture of yarn. Suddenly, it dawns on me that it’s a sack. The same sack some of the victims were found wearing.
My mind starts to scream, “No, Logan, wake up!” Terror rises in my mind. The realization that he has me sinks in. The son of a bitch has me!
Waking, my body trembles and I’m covered in a cold sweat. I sit in disbelief. It seemed so real, I would’ve sworn it was happening. The visions were so life-like, haunting even. And it hits me like a ton of bricks—he has another girl.
Logan
I knew the moment I read the prolouge of Ashes of a Sinner that I was in for a bumpy ride. The tone of the story is set in those first few pages and the edge of suspense only grows.
Logan St. Martin is one of the better detective on the homicide team, she sees things others don't and picks up on little details that end up helping to crack cases. Though she struggles with her haunting past, she's at her peak when doing police work. When she's called on scene at the start of the book, she immediately starts picking through the clues of what happened, trying to piece together the important details and find the monster who held captive and beat the young woman involved. What Logan can't know and doesn't expect is that the killer knows who she is, where to find her and has set sights on her as well.
Along with investigating the murder - Logan is paired up with Micheal Grasso, a fellow detective and a man with whom she shares an attraction. Just as they work together on the case, they work through their mutal feelings as well. I really enjoyed their interactions and how things came together for them, nothing felt rushed or fake.
I really enjoyed the twists this story took, giving me details and surprising me as I worked to puzzle together what exactly was going on and who could be involved. The layers were laid in just such a manner to make things enticing but also not too complicated to work through.
S.L. Hebert is a new to me author, but I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
ABOUT S.L. HEBERT
S.L. Hebert was raised in the heart of Cajun Country, in South Louisiana. She was brought up appreciating family, the outdoors, and a great cup of coffee. She is a dedicated wife and mother of two. Having been an All-American athlete in her youth, she often volunteers to coach her two children’s baseball, softball, and volleyball teams.
In the last year, she’s discovered a passion for writing. Drawing on her military and law enforcement background, she takes her readers on a thrilling journey of mystery, suspense, and even a little romance. She has the gift of leaving them always wanting more.
Author Links
No comments:
Post a Comment