Series: A Small Town Mystery Romance
Publication date: May 4th, 2021
Synopsis:
★ From bestselling and award-winning author Amanda McKinney comes her most evocative and twisted small-town Mystery Romance... ★
Everyone hits rock bottom, only the brave escape.
Welcome to 1314 Rattlesnake Road.
A quaint two-bedroom log cabin nestled deep in the woods of the small, southern town of Berry Springs--the perfect hideaway to escape your past.
Tucked inside thick, mahogany walls lay mysterious letters, forgotten and untouched for decades. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame breathtaking views of jagged cliffs, deep valleys, and endless lies. Mature oak trees, tall enough to touch the clouds, carry the whispers of the haunted, of stories untold.
Inside sits Grey Dalton, emotionally battered and bruised, her only wish to pick up the broken pieces of her life. But outside, await two men, one a tattooed cowboy, the other a dashing businessman.
One will steal her heart, the other her soul.
Rattlesnake Road is a standalone mystery romance about love, loss, hitting rock bottom, and clawing your way to the other side.
Your escape awaits...
(Due to serious subject matter and mature content, please be aware that this book might be an emotional trigger for some readers.)
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Excerpt
Wearing a baseball cap that read you had me at mimosa, a pair of Fendi sunglasses, and a bandanna secured around my nose and mouth, I returned to the closet to resume my demolition.
After popping my neck from side to side like a boxer ready for a fight, I pounded the hammer into the wall. Again and again, each blow releasing the pent-up anger I'd been carrying like a shield of armor. Dust and chunks of drywall blasted into the air. I imagined the wall as my ex-husband's face, as his whore's face, my mother's face, my father's (what I imagined his face to look like), and lastly, my stupid uterus that couldn't hold a baby. Tears streamed down my cheeks as the hole grew bigger and bigger.
Chest heaving, I stumbled backward until my back hit the opposite wall of the closet. I slid down it, sniffling, my heart pounding.
"Dammit." I ripped the bandanna from my mouth and swiped away the tears. "Just dammit." I hated crying, and I'd done more of it the last few days than in my entire life.
I studied the mess I'd made.
The mess of the closet, the mess of my life.
Past the jagged hole stood three two-by-fours that stretched from floor to ceiling. Behind those was a layer of fuzzy, ripped insulation that I guessed had once been home to a colony of mice. Perhaps still was. Considering the condition of the rest of the house, I also guessed it was at least ninety percent asbestos.
Sweat beaded my forehead, my head beginning to feel like a balloon in high altitude. Too much dust, too tired, too sober.
It was time to give it a rest for the evening.
I was stacking the broken pieces of drywall when my gaze was drawn to a patch of dingy white between the closets, peeking through the debris. Whatever it was, it was out of my reach, so I maneuvered myself into the small space and pulled an envelope from the rubble.
Frowning, I blew the dirt from the top and turned it over in my hands. The edges were worn and stained, one corner chewed to shreds by a mouse or a rat. The flap was sealed. There was no address, no stamp, no indication of what was inside it.
My stomach tickled with nerves as I dug my nail into the corner and ripped away the seal on the flap. Inside was a folded piece of notebook paper. Once white and crisp, it was now discolored and limp.
A shattering noise came from the other room, startling me.
I dropped the letter and padded across the bedroom, peering into the living room. The glow of the full moon pooled onto the hardwood floor. The corners of the room were darkened with shadows.
I paused, listening, then peeked into the kitchen.
My favorite coffee cup lay in shards on the floor.
I spun toward the faint sound of a young girl's giggle coming from the den. Goose bumps rose on my arms. I blinked, staring at the arched doorway.
"Hello?"
My heart hammered as I tiptoed into the den.
No one was there.
I was going crazy.
My knees a little shaky, I returned to the closet, convincing myself I was simply hearing things.
I grabbed the mystery envelope and sat cross-legged in the center of the bedroom. My hands trembled as I unfolded the letter, as if my body knew what was coming before I did.
The writing was faded, scribbled in ink with mad slashes and slants across the letters, as if written in haste or anger. The words were barely legible. The letter was old, written maybe twenty or so years ago, although that was just a guess.
I took a deep breath and began reading, not realizing that single piece of paper was about to change the course of my life.
Amanda McKinney is the #1 bestselling and multi-award-winning author of more than fifteen small-town romantic suspense and mystery novels. She wrote her debut novel, LETHAL LEGACY in 2017, after walking away from her career to become a writer and stay-at-home mom. Her books include the bestselling series, STEELE SHADOWS SECURITY, the multi-award-winning BERRY SPRINGS series, BLACK ROSE MYSTERIES, and many more to come.
Set in small, Southern towns, Amanda's books are page-turning murder mysteries peppered with steamy romance. She lives in Arkansas with her handsome husband, two beautiful boys, and three obnoxious dogs.
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