The Woods of Hitchcock
(The Henrietta Series)
by Ann W. Jarvie
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GENRE: Thriller, Psychological Suspense
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BLURB:
The Woods of Hitchcock by award-winning author Ann W. Jarvie is a thriller about a psychically gifted Chicago copywriter and victim of violence who returns to South Carolina's equestrian country to solve a riddle involving murder, the metaphysical and the secrets of her eccentric family.
Suzanne Clayborn is a psychically gifted southerner working in her dream job in Chicago, which also conveniently takes her away from the ghosts of her past. But when she's nearly killed, she realizes all she wants is to return home to her eccentric family, her horse and the one place she feels safe: Hitchcock Woods, an enchanting equestrian forest in South Carolina.
But instead of finding solace, Suzanne becomes entangled in a murder spree, while stumbling upon an old manuscript, written by her sage grandmother. As she explores it, Suzanne uncovers a tome of long-buried family haunts and ancient metaphysical secrets offering healing and inspiration. She also begins to understand her unwanted psychic abilities, especially after meeting a mysterious stranger in the Woods whose ominous riddle suggests others close to her will die within the week...
Brimming with raw emotion and a trail of psychological twists, a story of hope and transformation begins to unfold. Yet with the riddle's deadline looming, Suzanne's present must ultimately collide with a violent past. Will she be able to solve her life's riddle and fulfill her destiny? Or will she die along with those she loves?
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Excerpt One:
Suzanne Clayborn woke up in darkness, mouth taped shut.
Jerking only made the ties around her wrists and ankles tighter, but it wasn’t just the bindings holding her down. Her muscles weren’t working right, like her whole body had fallen asleep. All she could do was lie there on a floor, heart pounding in terror, listening to the eerie bangs of pipes hidden somewhere behind the shadowed walls.
Her body trembled, despite an overwhelming heat, heavy and putrid, falling on her face and neck like the terrible breath of a monster. She had no memory of what had happened to her or where she was now. She only knew she was immobilized, maybe paralyzed, and every inch of her head ached. She might’ve welcomed another blackout, but the fumes were acting like smelling salts, forcing her to remain awake.
Yet she preferred consciousness—she didn’t want to die. It wasn’t that she feared the afterlife. That was actually the only good thing about the tragic accident years ago, when she was thirteen, when she’d felt her soul float away in bliss. It was the coming back that was the scary part. What she’d seen and felt when she’d woken up, and almost every day since then, could not be unseen or unfelt. It was a secret horror, her life irreversibly altered with strange, new abilities she didn’t need or want. Still, she didn’t want to die—not now, not like this—because she was struck in this dark moment with an awful knowing, a bothersome niggling in the deepest part of her soul about something important she had to finish in this life.
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Review: The story begins, clouding the scene in murky mystery. A girl: lost and unsure of her surroundings. As an empath, she’s able to feel the emotions of others. The narrative is rich and descriptive, but long and slow. You really don’t know where she’s at and you’re trying really heard to figure it out. There are some exciting scenes, but it’s mostly confusing and ambiguity.
It’s a fairly nice read altogether. The plot isn’t always clear, but I guess that’s the mystery behind it all.
Rating: 3 stars
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Ann W. Jarvie has a B.A. in journalism and twenty-five years’ experience as a writer in advertising and public relations agencies, in Chicago and South Carolina. Although it stands completely on its own, The Woods of Hitchcock is an indirect sequel to Jarvie’s award-winning debut novel, The Soul Retrieval, which received four literary awards, the highest score by Writer’s Digest e-Book Awards’ judges (5 out of 5 on all points) as well as myriad positive reviews. Jarvie currently lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona with her husband, their boxer dog and boxer mix rescue.
Website and Social Media:
The Woods of Hitchcock, A Thriller by Ann W. Jarvie, is available online everywhere, including:
Barnes and Noble
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-woods-of-hitchcock-ann-w-jarvie/1139765258
Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/Woods-Hitchcock-Thriller-Henrietta/dp/0578932008/ref=sr_1_1
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GIVEAWAY:
Ann W. Jarvie will be awarding a $75 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI liked the excerpt, sounds like a good book.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting me and reading THE WOODS OF HITCHCOCK. Best, Ann
ReplyDeleteGreat excerpt, Ann, I enjoyed following the tour and learning about your book which sounds like a thrilling, edge of your seat read for me and I like the cover! Good luck with your book and I hope the tour was a success! Thanks for sharing it with me and have an awesome day!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your review and the book and author's details, this sounds like a story that I will enjoy reading and I am looking forward to doing so
ReplyDelete