Anthony Hollownton
Book 1
Gretchen S. B.
Genre: Urban Fantasy / Mystery
Number of pages: 258
Cover Artist: Talina Perkins
Book Description:
Homicide detective Anthony Hollownton thought he had seen it all until he and his partner, Rick Nelson, are called to a murder scene unlike any Tony has come across. There are no witnesses and none of the neighbors heard a thing.
Once Tony starts to investigate the facts of the case become stranger and stranger.
As the body count rises Tony is drawn into a world he did not know existed.
Starting with a visit from a dead woman from his past.
He must decide whether the paranormal truly exists or if these killing are some kind of delusional gang war.
Excerpt:
Anthony swung up
in bed. What had woken him? Had his alarm gone off? There was a ringing noise.
He turned to his left and made a grab for the phone next to his bed.
“Anthony
Hollownton.”
That was as
polite as they were getting for the middle of the night. If they had a problem
with that they could deal with it. He looked at his alarm clock, five am. That
meant barely more than two hours of sleep. Why would someone call him at five
am?
There was a
pause on the other end.
“Hello.” He
repeated. He felt himself freeze.
He could hear
talking on the other end. He silently pleaded that it wasn’t the same woman
from earlier. He was just frustrated enough to trace the call and chew her out.
He heard a male voice come on to the other end and Anthony exhaled, forcing his
muscles to relax one by one. He had to get sleep; he was jumping to ridiculous
conclusions.
“Hey Tony, sorry
to call so early man, but I gotta ask you a question.” It was his partner. The
tone in the man’s voice sounded serious but genuinely upset about saying
whatever it was he was about to say.
Tony felt
himself tense again, what if something was wrong with Amanda or the baby? “What
is it Rick?” Tony tried to sound neutral.
When he heard
his partner sigh he relaxed again feeling more tired than before.
“Look man, I
don’t believe it but Amanda asked me to so I’m doing it.”
Tony screamed in
his head. He wanted to get back to sleep. “Get to the point Nelson. I want to
go back to bed.”
The use of the
last name was usually reserved for when they were working. It showed Rick he
meant business and told him to get to the point.
“As you know the
land line is on Amanda’s side of the bed and she has picked up three phone
calls since we went to bed she says it was a woman who laughs and hangs up.
After the third time Amanda called *69 and the number is yours, your land line
anyway. I wasn't sure at first since you don't really use it. But when I double
checked in my cell, the numbers matched. I told her it was crazy, since you never
have women over. I told her that outside of her and other cops you don’t even
know any women, no offence, but she’s making me call anyway to make sure.”
Tony’s jaw
dropped. Now he was wide-awake. He must have been silent too long because his
partner’s voice came on with a worried tone.
“Hey Tony, you
still there?”
Tony flicked on
his bedroom light and scanned the room, empty. “Yeah man, I’m here, just
shocked. I don’t have anyone here and I’ve been asleep. You know it could be
some prank caller who knows how to reroute numbers or something.”
Tony debated
telling his partner about the call at work but quickly dismissed it. With a
wife and a four-month-old daughter Rick had enough on his plate.
“Yeah, I figured
as much. I was just calling to make sure. Sorry for waking you up man. I hope
you can get back to sleep.”
Tony nodded. So
did he. “Yeah, good night Rick.”
He heard his
partner say something to his wife. “Good night Tony, See you tomorrow, I mean
today.”
As he hung up
the phone Tony looked about his room. There was nothing out of the ordinary.
Against the wall at the foot of his bed was his 42' TV. To the left of the bed
was the closet, which was still open from when he put away his work clothes, no
one was in there. To the right of the TV was the door out into the rest of the
apartment, still closed. Everything on the nightstand was still where he left
it. Turning, he looked at the window above the bed, still locked. He turned
back reaching into the top drawer of his nightstand and pulled out his gun and
got out of bed. If there was anyone in his apartment he was going to find them.
About the Author:
Gretchen happily lives in Seattle, Washington where she spends her time creating new characters and situations to put them in. She also enjoys cheering on her local sports teams, even though it sometimes seems they are allergic to winning (Except the Super Bowl!).
She graduated from Central Washington University with a BA in History and a BA in Philosophy. She loves that Washington provides a large range of activities, from Shakespeare in the park to rodeos. At the end of her adventures she unwinds by curling up on the couch, knitting while catching up TV shows via Netflix.
Author Links:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
Giveaway:
2 ebook copies Hollownton Homicide by Gretchen S. B.via Smashwords coupon
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