When all the lies that have been hidden come to light, nothing will be the
same.
From the time she came to live with her uncle Ron after the tragic deaths
of her parents when she was a young girl, Carrie Greer never had reason to
doubt she was wanted. Now a dispatcher with the county, she’s a grown
woman building a life of her own.
But after a trip to Florida, her uncle’s
attitude changes… and not for the better. While struggling to come to
terms with this shift in their relationship and all the collateral damage
it causes, another tragedy strikes. Ron Smith is murdered. And the only
person with an obvious reason to want him dead… is Carrie.
Robbie Bailey is finally free to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a
teacher. But instead of attending classes, he ends up having to return to
Leroy and to Carrie, the girl he’s been in love with since he was a
teenager. He finds himself in the position of having to convince her of
the depth of his feelings while protecting her from a vengeful killer bent
on keeping long-buried secrets hidden. And he isn’t sure he can succeed at
either task.
Deception in the Shadows is the sixth installment in the Shadows/Leroy’s
Sins Collection, a series of Romantic Suspense novels by author T. L.
Haddix. Other titles include Secrets in the Shadows, Under the Moon’s
Shadow, Shadows from the Grave, Hidden in the Shadows, and In the Heart’s
Shadow.
Buy Link - Amazon
Excerpt
The tastefully appointed den was quiet, save the sounds of the antique clock ticking on the mantel and the occasional popping of the logs that burned sedately in the fireplace. The room’s two occupants were holding an entire conversation with their eyes, as the woman seated behind the ornate mahogany desk turned an envelope corner to corner to corner. The socially polite smile she usually wore was absent, a cold harshness in its place that would have surprised most who knew her.
That harshness was no surprise to the man seated in the comfortable leather chair in front of the desk. Trey London shifted, moving so that he could set the cut-glass tumbler he held on a strategically placed coaster on the table beside him.
“How do you want to handle this?” he finally asked. His voice was quiet, even though they were alone in the big house and being overheard wasn’t a concern. Most things he did, he did quietly. People found his calm demeanor reassuring for the most part, with only a handful seeing that predatory watchfulness for what it truly was.
She sat forward, stunningly elegant even though she was attired in a simple blouse and skirt. Her fingers ran across the top of the envelope where she’d slit it with the pearl-handled letter opener earlier that day. “The same way we handled all Hatcher’s other little… indiscretions. Quickly and without blinking. Making those go away was fairly simple, and I see no reason this has to be different. You’ll take care of it?”
He nodded. “Of course. You know this will have to be dealt with in a more severe fashion than the rest. We can’t pay him off or scare him off.”
An arched eyebrow lifted as she gave a little shake of her head. “I’m aware. And I don’t care. He’s not worth my concern. Do you have a problem doing it?”
“You know I don’t. I’ve not spent the last fifteen years protecting your interests only to balk now. When?”
“Soon. The sooner, the better.” She lifted her own glass and took a sip of the amber liquid it contained. In the firelight and the warm glow of the Tiffany lamp perched on the edge of her desk, he saw her lips lift into a tiny smirk. “I worked too hard to get where I am to let someone traipse in and take it all from me with this kind of drivel. Hatcher and I never saw eye-to-eye about how these matters should be handled. Apparently, he’s been paying through the nose to keep this quiet. Well, this bitch doesn’t pay.”
That was the God’s honest truth, he knew. Oh, she compensated him well, very well, to act as clean-up man for whatever needed to be swept under the rug, but that was part of their understanding. He made problems go away; that was his job. And he was good at it. In the grand scheme of things, removing this newest problem wasn’t even the vilest act he’d ever performed to keep her safe. But it would be the first time he’d ever killed for her.
“I’ll see that it’s done.” He stood and straightened his sweater before leaving.
She stopped him as he reached the door.
“If you could make it look like an accident, that would probably be best. And we’ll need to find out what he has written down or stashed away, and make sure it disappears as well. Because you know he’ll have something. They always do.”
“Of course they do. I’ll take care of it. You know I will.”
“Why else would I keep you around?” Her eyes dropped to his crotch, and he shut the door of the den back with a quiet snick.
Watching her smile was like looking into the eyes of a shark, and despite the emptiness, he felt an odd sexual thrill run up his spine as she traced the edge of her glass with a blood-red fingernail.
“Why else, indeed?” He went to her, knowing better than to wait for her to come to him while she was in this sort of mood, and stood at the corner of her desk as he waited for instructions. His arousal grew as she slowly unbuttoned her shirt and stood, only to kneel before him. Of all the perks of his job, he thought, closing his eyes as her mouth found its way to him and started working skillfully, this was his favorite. The thrill of the danger of knowing she could have him killed, or that he’d be imprisoned for the rest of his life if the crimes he had committed on her behalf came to light, just added to his pleasure.
It is time for the Interview with T.L Haddix!! Thank you for
joining me today….
Me: How did you come up with
the title?
Haddix: As Deception is part of the Shadows series, we
knew there had to be a play
on the word Shadows somewhere in the title (though I did entertain the
idea of changing it just to avoid having to come up with three relatively
unique Shadows titles. There are three new releases in this cluster, you
see.) So after some back and forth with friends, we settled on the very
simple yet intriguing “Deception in the Shadows.” From the Prologue to the
Epilogue, the book is full of lies and half truths, and Deception fit very
well.
Me: Who
is your favorite character?
Haddix: From
this book and very high on the top of the list from the Shadows
series, Jason Hudson. Jason’s a great character--funny, smart, sensitive
but still masculine. And I’m excited that he’s finally going to be getting
his own book, even though it won’t be here until early 2015.
Me: If
you had to pick, which one of your books is your favorite?
Haddix: Oh,
boy. This is like asking a parent which of their children is their
favorite. From the Shadows series, I think “Deception in the Shadows”
might just be it. “In the Heart’s Shadow” is a close second, though.
From the Firefly Hollow series, either the flagship “Firefly Hollow” or
“Cricket Cove.”
Me: How
did you come up with the idea for this series?
Haddix: The
Shadows series started eons ago, back when I was in high school. It
was a zombie book at that point in time, back in the early 1990s, and it
grew in my head until finally, things started coming together in 2009. And
I didn’t intend for it to be a series--I would have been thrilled at that
point to just have written one book and been able to point to it and say
“I did that.” But as it turned out, the characters had other plans.
Me: Are you working
on anything now?
Haddix: I am in the
active writing stage on “Seduction in the Shadows,” which is
Joely Hudson’s book (we meet her in “Deception in the Shadows.”) And I
have several other titles on the back burner, simmering until I get a
chance to get them on paper.
Me: What
is your favorite type of book to read?
Haddix: I
love romance, romantic suspense, and mysteries, but my favorite go-to
genre for relaxing and having a good time is historical romance. I love
the Regency period in particular. It’s the ball gowns.
Me: What
is your favorite book?
Haddix: “The
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.” And “Garden Spells”
by Sarah Addison Allen is a close second.
Me: Do
you have a favorite author?
Haddix: Tami
Hoag, J. A. Jance, Lisa Kleypas, and Julia Quinn are at the top of
the list. I really can’t narrow it down from there.
Me: Did
you listen to a certain playlist when writing this book?
Haddix: I
didn’t, actually. Some books I need music to write to, and some I don’t.
Me: When
is your favorite time to write?
Haddix: I
have two main writing times--afternoons and after 11 o’clock at
night.
Me: Any
advice for people who want to become writers?
Haddix: Read. And write. Sounds simple
enough, but it’s true. If you don’t read,
you can’t write. And if you don’t write, you’ll never publish. Do your
research, both on your preferred topics of interest and on techniques and
the art of the craft. Finally, grow a thick skin. That is just as
important as everything else, because in this business, you’ll need it. ;)
Thank you!
T.L. Haddix
T.L. Haddix was born in Hazard, Kentucky, a small town in the center of the Appalachian coal fields. Taught to read by her grandmother, T.L. has had a life-long love affair with books, devouring whatever she could get her hands on. From childhood favorites such as the Trixie Belden series and Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House” books, to her current favorites from authors like Tami Hoag, Alex Kava, J.A. Jance and Lisa Kleypas (among many others), T.L. still finds refuge in the written word.
“Growing up, I wanted to be everything – astronaut, police officer, doctor, teacher, reporter, psychologist – there was no clear choice for me. I wanted to do it all. Becoming a writer has allowed me to do just that, because I can live vicariously through my characters.”
A resident of eastern Kentucky, T.L. is hard at work on her next book, when she isn’t chasing after her three cat-children with her husband.
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