Monday, February 2, 2015

Release Day for An Insomniacs Dream, by Allison Cosgrove

Release Day Post for An Insomniacs Dream

Blurb:

As a kidnapper with a lifelong grudge holds an innocent woman captive, Detective Stan Brookshire has little evidence to go on. When he accepts help from an unlikely source, he comes to rely on her psychic vision. Will she lead him to Missy before it’s too late? Or will he humiliate himself and the entire Lake City Police Department chasing bogus leads while Missy Sheen’s time runs out?  

Excerpt:

Where was she? The street she was walking along did not seem all that familiar to her; there were colonial style houses with their little white picket fences on either side in neat little rows. Like something you would see in a movie. There was nothing to really distinguish where it was that she had found herself.

She continued down the street. She somehow knew where she was headed, but still nothing seemed to fit to her. This certainly wasn’t her street. She lived in the city in a threestory walkup apartment building on a busy street. There were no walkups in sight and this certainly did not classify as a busy street. She had not even seen one car pass her. Mind you, judging by how dark it was and how many lights were on in the houses she was passing she would put the time well past midnight.

What the hell was she doing out here?

There, in front of her was a house that seemed to strike a chord of familiarity with her somehow, even though she was more than certain that she had never seen it in her life. It looked pretty much like all the others on the street: the garage in front of the house providing a nice sheltered front porch. The more she studied the house, the more certain she was that she had not been here before. However she soon found her feet pulling her up the walkway that ran parallel to the driveway and up onto the front porch.

She heard a sound and looked back. Her eyes scanning the street for any sign of what could have been responsible for the rustling noise she heard.

Nothing was moving on the street; the streetlights showed nobody.

She turned back to the door and found herself once again not in control of her body and watched as she pulled a set of keys out of a coat pocket and started reaching for the door.

Once again, she heard the rustling sound just off to the left and turned just in time to see a man climbing his way over the railing that closed in the porch.

Almost frozen with fear she felt the keys slip through her fingers and heard them hit the ground at her feet. The man heard the keys and looked up at her.

She couldn’t see his face for the light from the street did not reach that far onto the porch, however there was a glint in his eyes and she saw the knife in his hand reaching for her.

The shock was gone and as she was suddenly able to regain control over her body, she turned and ran off the porch and back into the street with the man running after her. She had never been athletic in her life but she certainly wasn’t out of shape either. In that very moment she felt as though she had never spent a day working out. There was a heavy feeling in her chest making it feel like it was on fire. Her breath was coming out in harsh gasps as she tried to put some distance between herself and her assailant.

As she ran she tried to call out for help but for some reason the most sound that she could make was that of a mouse's squeak.

She took a chance and looked back over her shoulder; he had almost caught up with her and this was the chance the man needed to bridge the gap between them.

He lunged at her and took her down in a football style tackle, both of them landing in a pile on the ground. She managed to turn herself as she struggled to escape his grasp but found herself losing strength.

She saw the hand with the knife coming at her…

Beth suddenly woke up and was back in her room in her walkup apartment; it had all been a dream. A nightmare.

Or had it? Had it really been a nightmare this time? Or was it something more?

About the Author:

Allison Cosgrove was born and raised in a suburb of Toronto, Ontario. A married mother of three daughters, she runs her own business by day and creates her own worlds by night. She enjoys spending time with her husband and daughters hiking in the woods or sitting by the fire reading a good book. She has had the love of reading and writing detective mysteries from the age of twelve but it has only been since the birth of her youngest that she has gotten serious about crafting some of her own works for others to enjoy. She credits her family and friends with being the driving force that has given her the strength to breathe life into her books.  

Praise for Sacrifice of Innocence:

"Allison has created a memorable detective with Stan Brookshire. The premise of the story is, a cult has been killing children and Stan has to stop them before it's too late. The police believe they have the right man in custody but another kidnapping casts that into doubt. The trial is not going well, and despite the hope that the child was abducted by a copycat, Stan begins to believe that something more is happening. The mother of the child gets involved, and slowly the protagonists realize that this is not a standard kidnapping.

  It was a wellcrafted mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat. But the real reason I kept reading was I felt like I really got to know Detective Stan Brookshire through the story. I loved his interactions with the different characters and how he becomes emotionally involved.  

I can't wait for the followup and to read more about Stan Brookshire. I would strongly recommend it to anybody who has grown tired of the other detective series out there."

~Joel Mark Harris, author of 1000 Bayonets  

Praise for Dragon Twins:

"In Book 2 of the Stan Brookshire series, Cosgrove doesn’t miss a beat. Continuity is perfect as the recurring characters and places are just as they were in Book 1. Stan & Jane once again take a case to heart as it becomes personal and throughout the action and psychological thrills we are also treated to the strength of family – both that with blood ties and that without. Stan still hasn’t really learned how to follow the rules; will this be the case he loses his job over? I highly recommend this read, as well as its predecessor ‘Sacrifice of Innocence’."

  Lacie Redding, Kissimmee, FL  

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