Virtual Book Tour and Giveaway: The Jade Hunters (Sinner's Grove Suspense #3) by A.B. Michaels

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for The Jade Hunters by A.B. Michaels. This book tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt for you as well as a guest post about crime! There's also a tour wide giveaway! Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for more excerpts, guest posts, interviews, reviews, and more. Enjoy!

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Title: The Jade Hunters
Series: Sinner’s Grove Suspense, #3
Author: A.B. Michaels
Publication Date: June 22nd 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Suspense, Romance

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A Fortune in Stolen Jewels, a Centuries-old Vendetta: Let the Shell Game Begin.

Award-winning jewelry designer Regina Firestone is proud to exhibit her famous grandmother’s multi-million dollar “bauble” collection at the grand re-opening of The Grove Center for American Art, known among the locals as “Sinner’s Grove.”

The fact that she’s considering modeling the jewels in the nude like her grandmother did infuriates photographer Walker Banks, a co-owner of The Grove who’s in charge of the exhibit. Neither is willing to admit the real reason for the sparks between them.

Their spat takes a back seat when Reggie discovers that one of the most compelling pieces in the collection is not at all what it seems. Tracking down the truth will take the couple into the dark heart of a quest that’s lasted more than a century, one in which destroying human lives—including Reggie’s and Walker’s—means nothing in the pursuit of a twisted sense of justice.

The Jade Hunters is Book Three of Michaels’ contemporary series, “Sinner’s Grove Suspense.” The series follows the descendants of characters introduced in Michaels’ historical fiction series, “The Golden City.”

The Golden City: The Art of Love, The Depth of Beauty, The Promise, The Price of Compassion, and Josephine’s Daughter.

Sinner’s Grove Suspense: Sinner’s Grove, The Lair, and The Jade Hunters.

Note: All of A.B. Michaels’ novels are stand-alone reads. For more information, please visit abmichaels.com.

Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * iBooks * Kobo * Google Play

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EXCERPT:

“With what you went through today, are you okay now with getting the authorities to step in on this? Nothing is worth getting hurt over.” Walker gently tipped her chin up. “Nothing.”

She took a breath, knowing he was only trying to emphasize a point, but feeling that pull all the same. Professional. Keep it professional. “I suppose you’re right—”

At that moment the satchel she’d dropped on the dining room table began to buzz.

“That’s probably my Aunt Beth. She’s been trying to reach me off and on today, but she’s a talker, and I just don’t have the energy, so I haven’t returned the call.”

Walker dropped his hand but didn’t move. “Best to check,” he said.

She leaned over him to pull the phone out. “Oh, it’s my cousin Ava,” she said. “Let me get it.”

It took less than a minute for Reggie to feel the earth drop underneath her.

“Oh my God,” she cried.

“What?” Walker touched her again. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t believe it. No, it can’t be. Are you sure?”

On the other end of the line, Ava didn’t sugar coat it. “They found him stabbed to death in the Tenderloin along with some call girl, Chandra somebody. Just thought you ought to know.”

“Th ... thanks. I’ll get back to you.” Stunned, Reggie ended the call.

“For God’s sake, tell me what happened,” Walker demanded.

“It’s Uncle Allen,” she said, tears beginning to fall. “He’s been murdered.”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

A native of California, A.B. Michaels holds masters’ degrees in history (UCLA) and broadcasting (San Francisco State University). After working for many years as a promotional writer and editor, she turned to writing fiction, which is the hardest thing she's ever done besides raise two boys. She lives with her husband and two spoiled dogs in in Boise, Idaho, where she is often distracted by kayaking, playing bocce, and trying to hit a golf ball more than fifty yards. Her historical fiction series, “The Golden City,” explores America’s Gilded Age and its effect on characters, both real and fictional, while her contemporary series, “Sinner’s Grove Suspense,” follows descendants of The Golden City as they navigate today’s equally treacherous waters.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest

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GUEST POST:

My Short-lived Brush with Crime

by A.B. Michaels

I’ve written eight books and none of them could be classified as “crime fiction.” Yet it occurred to me recently that every story contains an element of wrongdoing, ranging from fraud, theft, and vandalism to assault, kidnapping and even murder. And now I’m researching material for a new mystery series that will no doubt contain lots of illegal behavior.

Why this fascination with wrongdoing? Could it be that perhaps I possess a criminal mind?

I do have a short but intense history of lawlessness that has stayed in my memory to this day.

I was seven.

I grew up in a small town in northern California during an idyllic time when most parents weren’t afraid to let their children out of the yard. A few blocks away from our house (the first tract home in town, by the way), was a “smoke shop.” My crime spree began there, with the theft of a piece of candy off the shelf.

Emboldened, I followed up with other small thefts, leading to something I truly coveted: a new Barbie doll head. In those days if you had a brunette Barbie and you wanted a redhead, you could buy just her head. In retrospect it seems gruesome but I suspect the practice petered out only because there was less profit in selling just body parts. (btw, I checked online and you can still buy heads on eBay!)

Stealing the redheaded head might have been the gateway to more horrific crimes except that eventually I got caught—and in the most embarrassing way possible.

One day my mother took my brother and me to a nearby town for his dental appointment. While he suffered under the drill, I wandered over to the Ben Franklin five and dime store next door. There I spied a pen refill—a pen refill!!—and stuck it in my pocket. Keep in mind, I have no idea why I chose that item to steal. I didn’t even use pens at the time, much less refills—I was only seven, remember. Regardless, the manager caught me red-handed.

“Where is your mother?” he demanded as I quaked in my metaphorical boots.

“Next door,” I managed.

“I’ll tell you what,” he said, “You promise to go get your mother and bring her back, and I’ll let you go.”

“Okay,” I stammered.

Looking back on that scene, of course the wisest move would have been to run out that door and never look back. That’s what a true criminal would have done. But no. In fear for my life, I ran to the dentist’s office, got my mom, and brought her back to the store so the manager could tell her what I’d done.

I can picture, even now, sitting in the back seat of the car on the way home and my mother’s piercing glare from the rearview mirror as she said, “I am so disappointed in you.”

That was the extent of my punishment, but it was enough. The shame I felt for letting my mother down was palpable. From that point on, I worked to rehabilitate myself and never again used my light-fingered prowess to take something I hadn’t paid for.

It’s been a long time since those crime-ridden days, and even though I’m a do-gooder today, I still wonder what “might have been.” It’s a good thing I can put such reckless law-breaking on paper and call it a day!

GIVEAWAY:

A.B. Michaels will be awarding a $30 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter after the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway