Category Archives: Excerpt

Excerpt, The Final Target

The Final Target excerpt

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St. Martin’s Press cover

We’re just under 100 days from the release of The Final Target on May 26, so I thought it time to share the excerpt.

LBUK cover

First, here’s the official description:

He showed up at Arden Bowie’s debut author appearance with a copy of her novel and an eager smile. He showered her with compliments and got her autograph. Then he came to her next event. And the one after that.

Dustin was just an aspiring writer who wanted advice, Arden reassured herself. But after giving in to one of his incessant invitations and chatting with him over coffee, she discovered that ignoring her inner alarm bell had been a terrible mistake…

An introvert at heart, Arden had long craved solitude—but now, after a harrowing assault, she finds herself hiding behind locked doors and startling at every sound. And her relief at his imprisonment is tempered by anxiety when Dustin’s wealthy mother helps to get him a paltry five-year sentence at a psychiatric facility.

Arden decides to write a new story for herself, moving to a tiny Oregon town and befriending Gideon, an ex-LAPD detective. But while she learns to thrive, Dustin remains his delusional, twisted self, as fixated as ever and now seething with anger. He still believes Arden’s purpose on earth is to serve and please him. And his job is to protect her. But who will protect her from him?

I had a chance to read The Final Target a while back and I think it’s going to be the perfect entry to summer reading (or a cozy winter read if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere.

Without further ado, here’s Chapter One. Enjoy!

Laura

Here are the US pre-order links:
Turn the Page: https://bit.ly/41EqVao
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mPrMgM
BN: https://bit.ly/3UZQVt9
BAM: https://bit.ly/3VxU9UL
Bookshop: https://bit.ly/4m2k2a7
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3V9sw4j
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3I2YEDM
Google Play: https://bit.ly/45QcsdX

And here are the international links: https://geni.us/FinalTarget

Excerpt, In Death, Stolen in Death

Stolen in Death excerpt

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St. Martin’s Press cover

As of this writing we have fewer than 70 sleeps until Stolen in Death is in your hands. So, I thought it was time to share an excerpt. *

First, the official description:

A blow to the head with a block of amethyst has left multibillionaire Nathan Barrister dead—while nearby, a vault, its door ajar, sits filled with priceless paintings, jewelry, and other treasures. Lieutenant Eve Dallas’s husband, Roarke—who misspent his youth in Ireland as a scrappy thief—recognizes at least two stolen pieces among the hoard. The crime scene suggests a burglar caught in the act. But only one item seems to be missing.

Then it’s revealed that the vault had actually belonged to the victim’s late father—and no one in the household knew it was there until a recent remodeling project exposed it. To protect the family name and business, they explain to Eve, they’d been looking for a way to return the ill-gotten gains anonymously and avoid the police. But now the police are all over their elegant house, and have a bigger, bloodier mystery to solve.

By all accounts, Nathan Barrister was a good man, a generous employer, a devoted husband and father. As for his father—he clearly had secrets. Now it’s up to Eve and her team to find out if those secrets got Nathan killed—and if it was a crime of passion or revenge.

And now, it’s time for the excerpt: Chapter One

If you prefer to listen, here’s the audio excerpt: Audio Chapter One.

To pre-order in the US:

Turn the Page: https://bit.ly/4lZOAdP
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3EBnV6t
BN: https://bit.ly/3Ysnj9X
BAM: https://bit.ly/4iQdDNH
Bookshop: https://bit.ly/42SRx7i
Apple Books: https://books.apple.com/us/book/stolen-in-death/id6745479775
Kobo: https://bit.ly/42VaaYe
Google Play: https://bit.ly/43f5JZu

LBUK cover

To pre-order in the UK: https://geni.us/StoleninDeath

*As always, if you subscribe to Nora’s News you received the excerpt last week. To get in on the early info, go to either http://www.noraroberts.com or http://www.jdrobb.com, scroll to the bottom and sign up.

Excerpt, Framed in Death

Framed in Death excerpt

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If you subscribe to Nora’s News*, then you may have already read the Framed in Death excerpt. But if you don’t subscribe (and you should), here’s your first look at the 61st entry in the series – out September 2.

https://static.macmillan.com/static/smp/framed-in-death-9781250370822/
St. Martin’s Press cover
LBUK cover

The official cover copy reads:

Manhattan is filled with galleries and deep-pocketed collectors who can make an artist’s career with a wave of a hand. But one man toils in obscurity, his brilliance unrecognized while lesser talents bask in the glory he believes should be his. Come tomorrow, he vows, the city will be buzzing about his work.

Indeed, before dawn, Lt. Eve Dallas is speeding toward the home of the two gallery owners whose doorway has been turned into a horrifying crime scene overnight. A lifeless young woman has been elaborately costumed and precisely posed to resemble the model of a long-ago Dutch master, and Dallas plunges into her investigation.

But the artist is passionate about his work—and prolific. Dallas has barely made a dent in the case before a second twisted masterpiece is unveiled. There are countless struggling artists in New York, but this one refuses to wait for the attention he craves. Like the geniuses who’ve come before him, he is willing to sacrifice for his art—as long as it’s someone else being sacrificed . . .

Click this link to read Chapter 1.

Enjoy!

Laura

To preorder in the US/Canada:
Turn the Page: https://bit.ly/4i4A55C
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3X8r9El
BN: https://bit.ly/3X93q78
BAM: https://bit.ly/3QkWIXR
Bookshop: https://bit.ly/430xRA1
Apple Books: https://apple.co/42V2Nlf
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3ESqlgq
Google Play: https://bit.ly/4307gTy

To pre-order in the UK/IRE/AU/NZ/SA: Click here

*To subscribe, visit the Nora Roberts website or the JD Robb website. Scroll to the bottom of any page on the site and you’ll find a newsletter subscribe box.

Excerpt, The Lost Bride Trilogy, The Mirror, trilogies

The Mirror excerpt

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We’re 67 days away from November 19 when The Mirror — book 2 in The Lost Brides Trilogy — hits shelves and e-readers.

I know there were questions at the end of Inheritance. I can assure you that many of them are answered in The Mirror. For everyone who wants a peek at some of those answers, I’m happy to share the excerpt today.

St. Martin’s Press cover (US/Canada)

First, here’s the official description:

When Sonya MacTavish inherits the huge Victorian mansion on the coast of Maine, she has no idea that the house is haunted. The footsteps she hears at night, the doors slamming, the music playing, are not figments of her imagination. In her dreams she sees glimpses of the past. In the present she finds portraits of brides. And when she has visions of an antique mirror, she is drawn to it, sensing it holds dark family secrets.

Then one night the mirror appears and Sonya glides through this looking glass, into the past—and sees a bride murdered on her wedding day, the circle of gold torn from her finger. It is a scene that will play out again and again—a centuries-old curse that must be broken—and a puzzle she must solve if there is any hope of breaking the curse.

To read the excerpt, click this link: Prologue & Chapter 1.

Piatkus cover: UK/IR/AU/NZ/SA

Going to throw my Cranky Publicist hat on for a sec: we have to remember to trust Nora to tell the story her way. Because it always ends up being a really fun ride.

Enjoy!

Laura

A quick PS: if you subscribe to Nora’s News, you received this excerpt in your inbox two weeks ago. So if you want to be ahead of the curve, make sure you visit the Nora Roberts or JD Robb websites, scroll to the bottom and subscribe to Nora’s News.

Excerpt, In Death, Passions in Death

Passions in Death excerpt

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We’re getting closer to the Passions in Death release date – September 3 — so I thought it might be time to share the excerpt.

First, here’s the official excerpt:

On a hot August night, Eve and Roarke speed through the streets of Manhattan to the Down and Dirty club, where a joyful, boisterous pre-wedding girls’ night out has turned into a murder scene. One of the brides lies in a pool of blood, garroted in a private room where she was preparing a surprise for her fiancée—two scrimped and saved-for tickets to Hawaii.

Despite the dozens of people present, useful witnesses are hard to come by. It all brings back some bad memories for Eve who once suffered an assault in the very same room—but she’d been able to fight back and survive. She’d gotten justice. And now she needs to provide some for poor young Erin.

Eve knows that the level of violence and the apparent premeditation involved suggest a volatile mix of hidden, heated passion and ice-cold calculation. This is a crime that can be countered only by hard detective work and relentless dedication—and Eve will not stop until she finds the killer who destroyed this couple’s dreams before the honeymoon even began…

You can read Chapter One here.

Laura

Books, Excerpt, Mind Games

Mind Games excerpt

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I know the anticipation for The Mirror (out November 19) is so high that some people have forgotten that Mind Games, Nora’s summer romantic suspense, is out on May 21.

Here’s the official description:

As they do each June, the Foxes have driven the winding roads of Appalachia to drop off their children for a two-week stay at their grandmother’s. Here, twelve-year-old Thea can run free and breathe in the smells of pine and fresh bread and Grammie’s handmade candles. But as her parents head back to suburban Virginia, they have no idea they’re about to cross paths with a ticking time bomb.

Back in Kentucky, Thea and her grandmother Lucy both awaken from the same nightmare. And though the two have never discussed the special kind of sight they share, they know as soon as their tearful eyes meet that something terrible has happened.

The kids will be staying with Grammie now in Redbud Hollow, and thanks to Thea’s vision, their parents’ killer will spend his life in supermax. Over time, Thea will make friends, build a career, find love. But that ability to see into minds and souls still lurks within her, and though Grammie calls it a gift, it feels more like a curse—because the inmate who shattered her childhood has the same ability. Thea can hear his twisted thoughts and witness his evil acts from miles away. He knows it, and hungers for vengeance. A long, silent battle will be waged between them—and eventually bring them face to face, and head to head…

Head to this link to read the excerpt: Chapter 1.

Here are the order links for the US/Canada.

TTP: https://bit.ly/MindGamesTTP
Amazon: https://bitly.ws/UEr5
B&N: https://bitly.ws/UEs6
BAM: https://bitly.ws/UErF
Apple Books: https://bitly.ws/UErV
Kobo: https://bitly.ws/UErM
Google Play: https://bitly.ws/UErJ

And for readers in the UK/Commonwealth, here’s the cover and the landing page for orders:

Order information is here.

We’ll meet back here to discuss in May!

Laura

Excerpt, In Death, Random in Death

Random in Death excerpt

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It’s not too long until the first of Nora’s 2024 releases hit the shelves, so I thought it time to share the excerpt of Random in Death.*

Here’s the official cover copy:

Jenna’s parents had finally given in, and there she was, at a New York club with her best friends, watching the legendary band Avenue A, carrying her demo in hopes of slipping it to the guitarist, Jake Kincade. Then, from the stage, Jake catches her eye, and smiles. It’s the best night of her life. It’s the last night of her life.

Minutes later, Jake’s in the alley getting some fresh air, and the girl from the dance floor comes stumbling out, sick and confused and deathly pale. He tries to help, but it’s no use. He doesn’t know that someone in the crowd has jabbed her with a needle. When Nadine arrives, she knows the only thing left to do for the girl is call her friend, Lieutenant Eve Dallas.

Lab results show a toxic mix of substances in the victim’s body—and for an extra touch of viciousness, the needle was teeming with infectious agents. Dallas searches for a pattern but there are no obvious clues why this levelheaded sixteen-year-old, passionate about her music, would be targeted.

And that worries Eve. Because if Jenna wasn’t targeted, if she was just the random, unlucky victim of a madman consumed by hatred, there are likely more deaths to come.

Now here’s the excerpt: Prologue & Chapter One.

Random in Death is in stores January 23.

Laura

*If you subscribe to Nora’s News, you read this nearly 3 weeks ago. A good reason to get on the list. Just go to the JD Robb website, scroll to the bottom, add your email to the box and hit enter.

Books, Excerpt, Inheritance, Inheritance, The Lost Bride Trilogy

Inheritance excerpt

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We’re officially 10 weeks away from the debut of Inheritance, book 1 in the Lost Bride Trilogy, and I thought it was time to share the excerpt.

Nora wrote about the Why of writing Inheritance a few weeks back in case you want to refresh your memory.

The official description of Inheritance reads:

1806: Astrid Poole sits in her bridal clothes, overwhelmed with happiness. But before her marriage can be consummated, she is murdered, and the circle of gold torn from her finger. Her last words are a promise to Collin never to leave him…

Graphic designer Sonya MacTavish is stunned to learn that her late father had a twin he never knew about―and that her newly discovered uncle, Collin Poole, has left her almost everything he owned, including a majestic Victorian house on the Maine coast. And the will stipulates she must live in it for at least three years. Her engagement recently broken, she sets off to find out why the boys were separated at birth―and why it was all kept secret until a genealogy website brought it to light.

Trey, the young lawyer who greets her at the sprawling clifftop manor, notes Sonya’s unease―and acknowledges that yes, the place is haunted…but just a little. Sure enough, Sonya finds objects moved and music playing out of nowhere. She sees a painting by her father inexplicably hanging in her deceased uncle’s office, and a portrait of a woman named Astrid, whom the lawyer refers to as “the first lost bride.” It’s becoming clear that Sonya has inherited far more than a house. She has inherited a centuries-old curse, and a puzzle to be solved if there is any hope of breaking it…

I read this book back in March and LOVED it. Can’t wait until you get the chance to read it and we all discuss.

Enough of me, here’s the excerpt: The Inheritance.

Enjoy~

Laura

Excerpt, In Death, Payback in Death

Payback in Death excerpt

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Time for a peek at Payback in Death, out September 5. To my mind it’s another little travelogue.

Here’s a short/sweet description:

Eve is just home from a long overdue vacation when she responds to a call of an unattended death. The victim is Martin Greenleaf, retired Internal Affairs Captain. At first glance, the scene appears to be suicide, but the closer Eve examines the body, the more suspicious she becomes.

An unlocked open window, a loving wife and family, a too-perfect suicide note—Eve’s gut says it’s a homicide. After all, Greenleaf put a lot of dirty cops away during his forty-seven years in Internal Affairs. It could very well be payback—and she will not rest until the case is closed.

You can read the first chapter here: Payback in Death excerpt.

Enjoy!

Laura

Books, Excerpt, Identity

Identity excerpt

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We’re just over 90 days from the release of Identity — Nora’s 2023 stand alone novel. I had a chance to read it a while back and the story is as stunning as the cover above.

What’s it about you ask? Here’s the official cover copy:

Former Army brat Morgan Albright has finally planted roots in a friendly neighborhood near Baltimore. Her friend and roommate Nina helps her make the mortgage payments, as does Morgan’s job as a bartender. But after she and Nina host their first dinner party—attended by Luke, the flirtatious IT guy who’d been chatting her up at the bar—her carefully built world is shattered. The back door glass is broken, cash and jewelry are missing, her car is gone, and Nina lies dead on the floor.

Soon, a horrific truth emerges: It was Morgan who let the monster in. “Luke” is actually a cold-hearted con artist named Gavin who targets a particular type of woman, steals her assets and identity, and then commits his ultimate goal: murder.

What the FBI tells Morgan is beyond chilling. Nina wasn’t his type. Morgan is. Nina was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. And Morgan’s nightmare is just beginning. Soon she has no choice but to flee to her mother’s home in Vermont. While she struggles to build something new, she meets another man, Miles Jameson. He isn’t flashy or flirtatious, and his family business has deep roots in town. But Gavin is still out there hunting new victims, and he hasn’t forgotten the one who got away.

Here’s your chance to read Chapter One. (If you subscribe to Nora’s News then you’ve already had a chance to read this excerpt.)

Enjoy — can’t wait to discuss this book.

Laura