Hi peeps, we have Kate Sherwood popping in today with her new release Darkness, we have a great excerpt, a brilliant giveaway and Shorty’s review, so check out the post and leave a comment to enter the giveaway! <3 ~Pixie~

Darkness

Kate Sherwood

A murdered prostitute. An obvious suspect. Clear evidence. For once, Jericho Crewe has a straightforward crime to investigate, and Wade Granger isn’t involved.

It all seems so simple, but Jericho’s instincts won’t let him rest. As he investigates, he finds troubling suggestions that the murder is a part of something larger and more sinister. But working within the boundaries of the law may keep him from finding the truth. If Jericho doesn’t break the rules, an innocent man may rot in jail while a killer remains free to strike again.

Inevitably, it all comes back to Wade. Because who else knows as much about breaking rules? And who else knows Jericho the way Wade does—not wisely, but far, far too well?

Excerpt

Jericho Crewe was at home, pretending to watch TV while brooding about the sorry state of his life, when the phone rang. Nikki’s tone. He was tempted to ignore it, but she was his father’s widow, the mother of his two half siblings—his responsibility. So he answered, expecting to hear her strident demands for whatever favor she’d managed to dream up.

Instead he heard, “I like snakes,” in a childish voice.

“Elijah? That you? You like snakes?” Jericho took a moment to clue in. “Oh, okay. Our deal. Snakes instead of guns.”

“Guns are still best, but you said I should tell you what I like second best. That’s snakes.”

It had taken the kid a couple months to come up with it, but Jericho supposed it was better late than never. “Okay. Good.” He tried to think it through. “I like snakes too. Maybe we should go for a hike and see if we can find some? Or maybe the zoo . . . there’s a little zoo down in Billings, I think, and I could check if they have snakes.”

“Mom says they do. She says it has to be an overnight trip if we go to Billings, because it’s far. She says Nicolette has to come too, and you have to find something Nicolette wants to do on the trip so she’s not left out.”

Yup, that sounded like Nikki. Why impose on him for one child’s care when she could push for two? Of course, free babysitting was the least sinister explanation for the woman’s sudden interest in having Jericho spend time with the kids. “Uh . . . did she have any idea what Nicolette would want to do?”

“She said this whole thing is your plan, so it’s your problem to figure that out.”

Of course it was. Jericho thought about having both kids in the car with him for about four hours each way, staying in a hotel with them, trying to keep them from setting the place on fire or freeing all the animals at the zoo—“How about we find something closer to home? Hey, does Nicolette like horses? We could go horseback riding somewhere there’s likely to be snakes.”

“I don’t want to ride a horse.”

Of course he didn’t.

“Uncle Wade says you should talk to Cory Barker about snakes. He says Cory has lots.”

Jericho tried not to react to Wade’s name. It had been a couple months since their last meeting, up in the forest. Which was good. Jericho’s life would be a hell of a lot easier if he could stay the hell away from Wade Granger. Not feel snubbed by the man’s absence. Not feel the aching need in his gut expanding from a tiny acorn into what sometimes felt like a full-grown oak tree. Wasn’t lying awake at night, imagining Wade’s hands on his body instead of his own. Not at all. “I’m not sure I know Cory Barker.”

“Uncle Wade says you should get to know him.”

Maybe Uncle Wade should take you to see Cory Barker and his damn snakes. Maybe Uncle Wade should mind his own damn business and stop telling me what to do. Maybe Uncle Wade should shove one of Cory Barker’s snakes right—

“Are you going to call him? You said you’d get me something for my second-favorite thing. That’s what you said.”

“Yeah, I’ll— I don’t know about Cory Barker, but I’ll figure it out, for sure. Maybe not Cory Barker, but . . . snakes. You got it. And what about your sister? Has she got a favorite thing yet?”

“It’s not fair that she gets her first favorite and I only get my second favorite.”

“If her first favorite is lethal, she’s not going to get it, either. Is she there? Can I talk to her?”

“She’s busy. Bye.”

And Jericho was left staring at his phone. What the hell was Wade up to? Was he just being helpful, suggesting a way to give Elijah a treat without too much trouble? Maybe, but Wade was rarely just anything.

Jericho hit one of the stored numbers in his phone, and a moment later heard, “Mosely Sheriff’s Department. Deputy Garron speaking.”

“It’s Jericho. Do you know anything about a guy named Cory Barker?”

“Cory Barker? Sure, we’ve had him in a few times. General lowlife, nothing too exciting. Why?”

“Don’t suppose you know if he keeps snakes?”

A disgusted snort. “Wouldn’t surprise me.”

“Is there—” Damn, how to word this? “Is there a reason we’d be interested in him for anything going on lately?”

Jericho could practically hear Garron’s scowl. “What’s this about?”

Jericho wasn’t going to share that detail. He wasn’t going to admit that his ex-lover had possibly given him a tip, but had equally possibly just been helping him find snakes for an annoying six-year-old. He wasn’t going to explain that even if it did turn out to be a tip, there was a damn good chance it was based on furthering Wade’s interests rather than those of the sheriff’s department. There was no way to explain any of it. No way to explain Wade. And also no way to ignore him, not for Jericho. “Have you got a phone number or an address for him? Cory Barker?”

“Hang on,” Garron grumbled. He was back a minute later. “No phone number. As I recall, there was lots of swearing about us not having his permission to call. I’ve got an address, though. Over by the elementary school, Seventeen Thompson Crescent.”

“Thanks.”

“You going over there? You need backup?”

“No.” At least, he hoped he didn’t. “It’s not a police issue. I’m just—I’m looking for snakes.”

“Right,” Garron drawled. “Good luck with that.”

So Jericho hauled himself off the couch and headed out to his old Mustang. It was a nice night, with no clouds and a warm summer breeze, and it would have made more sense to go find a park and look up at the stars. Instead, he was chasing down a snake lead, half hoping it was also something else.

He pulled up in front of a modest, ragged bungalow. The town had lost population since the mine closed, and it was cheaper to rent houses than apartments most of the time. But there wasn’t a lot of money spent on maintaining the near-worthless rental houses, that was for sure.

He noted the battered pickup in the driveway, and headed for the front door. All the windows of the house were closed, and he peered around the side, trying to spot an air conditioning unit. Didn’t see one. So the closed windows were suspicious. But maybe the house was just naturally cool. And it wasn’t like the night was that hot.

All the neighbors had their windows open, though. Jericho approached the front door with a little extra caution. He knocked. Gentle, polite, just a member of the community making a somewhat strange inquiry about snakes. His Glock was reassuringly solid in his waistband holster, and the fact that he’d worn it, the fact that he was thinking about it—his subconscious was telling him something, and he’d better listen to it.

Another knock, this one more forceful, and he heard movement inside the house. Someone stumbled over something, banged into the door. “Who is it?”

“My name’s Jay,” Jericho said. Ask about the snakes, get away from here, go home. But he couldn’t do it. “I heard maybe you could help me out.” Okay, that was still vague. You don’t have to go through with this.

Then the door opened a crack, and a whiff of stale air escaped. Stale, chemical-laden air. Jericho wished he didn’t recognize that smell, but he did. Jesus Christ, this asshole was cooking meth in a residential neighborhood, four doors down from the elementary school. What would the blast radius be if the place went up—just how much damage would be done? It would depend on the time of day. If they got lucky, the explosion would only take out this house and probably one on either side. But if the timing was wrong, and kids were walking by on their way to school—

“Who told you to come here?” the man inside demanded. It was hard to see him clearly, but he looked like he was in his midtwenties, too damn thin, and too damn jumpy. He kept wiping his nose with the back of his hand, and Jericho could see raw spots on both the hand and the nose.

“Guy down at the bar—shit, I forget his name.” Jericho had never worked narcotics, but even he knew this was not a great cover story. Somehow, though, he thought it might work on what was clearly an amateur setup and a clown who was obviously tweaking. “Midsize guy, kinda skinny, with brown hair? He said you could hook me up.” Jericho reached for his wallet. “What can you give me for eighty bucks?”

A moment of indecision, then greed took over. “A gram for ninety.”

“Ninety? That’s steep.”

“That’s the fucking price,” the guy snarled, rubbing at his nose harder.

Jericho pretended to be indecisive. “Fine,” he finally said, and opened his wallet. He held it carefully to be sure his police ID didn’t show.

And that was when his phone rang. He ignored it, and held the bills out toward the tweaker, then snatched them back before they could be taken. “Where’s the crank?”

“You don’t trust me?”

“Let me see it.”

Jericho’s phone had stopped ringing, but then it started again, and it was obviously setting off the tweaker’s nerves. “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

“No. It’s probably the bitch I’m buying this for. She’s getting kinda . . . impatient.”

That was when there was a loud thud behind him. He stepped to the side, trying to keep his eyes on the tweaker at the same time as he checked out the new disturbance. There were no streetlights, but Jericho could see a man by his car—had he just bashed his fist into the roof of Jericho’s Mustang? “Hey,” Jericho called. “You got a problem?”

“Yeah,” came the response. “You’re my fucking problem.”

Jericho recognized the voice. Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

“You want this or not?” the tweaker demanded, holding a baggie out in Jericho’s direction.

Jericho needed to change tack. “Who’s that guy?” Jericho asked. “The guy by my car. What the hell’s going on?”

“What? Fuck, I don’t know him! He sounds like he knows you!”

“Fuck off!” Jericho called toward the street.

“Make me!”

“What, is he your buddy?” Jericho demanded of the tweaker. “I give you the cash, and I go down there, and he steals the crank? Fuck you, man!”

“I don’t fucking know him!”

“Bullshit!” Jericho lunged forward, but did it slowly enough that the tweaker could get the door shut and locked. “Asshole!” Jericho yelled, and kicked the door for good measure.

He made sure his shirt was covering his holstered gun, then turned and stomped down the stairs and out to the street.

“He’s cooking meth right next to a school,” he growled as soon as he was close enough for Special Agent Hockley to hear him. “The DEA’s just sitting on that?”

“We’re on it,” Hockley responded, his voice also low and intense. “We’ve got a special team coming in to make sure it’s taken apart cleanly. We’re quietly evacuating the neighbors. We’re doing this right, Crewe, and we do not need you wandering in and making a mess of everything. Get the hell out of here. And answer your phone next time!”

“Goddamn it,” Jericho said, mostly to himself. “I only wanted to find some fucking snakes.”

Read more at: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/darkness (Just click the excerpt tab)

About Kate!

Kate Sherwood started writing about the same time she got back on a horse after almost twenty years away from riding. She’d like to think she was too young for it to be a midlife crisis, but apparently she was ready for some changes!

Kate grew up near Toronto, Ontario (Canada) and went to school in Montreal, then Vancouver. But for the last decade or so she’s been a country girl. Sure, she misses some of the conveniences of the city, but living close to nature makes up for those lacks. She’s living in Ontario’s “cottage country”–other people save up their time and come to spend their vacations in her neighborhood, but she gets to live there all year round!

Since her first book was published in 2010, she’s kept herself busy with novels, novellas, and short stories in almost all the sub-genres of m/m romance. Contemporary, suspense, scifi or fantasy–the settings are just the backdrop for her characters to answer the important questions. How much can they share, and what do they need to keep? Can they bring themselves to trust someone, after being disappointed so many times? Are they brave enough to take a chance on love?

Kate’s books balance drama with humor, angst with optimism. They feature strong, damaged men who fight themselves harder than they fight anyone else. And, wherever possible, there are animals: horses, dogs, cats ferrets, squirrels… sometimes it’s easier to bond with a non-human, and most of Kate’s men need all the help they can get.

After five years of writing, Kate is still learning, still stretching herself, and still enjoying what she does. She’s looking forward to sharing a lot more stories in the future.

Twitter: @kate_sherwood

Giveaway!

To celebrate the release of all four books in the Common Law series, we’re giving away one four-tour-wide GRAND PRIZE of $100 in Riptide credit! 

Thanks for following the Darkness tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!

Review

Title: Darkness 

Series: Common Law 03

Author: Kate Sherwood

Genre: Suspense, Thriller, Action, Adventure

Length: Novel (184 pages)

Publisher: Riptide Publishing (March 6, 2017)

Heat Level: Moderate – Explicit

Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥ 4 ½ Hearts

Blurb: A murdered prostitute. An obvious suspect. Clear evidence. For once, Jericho Crewe has a straightforward crime to investigate, and Wade Granger isn’t involved.

It all seems so simple, but Jericho’s instincts won’t let him rest. As he investigates, he finds troubling suggestions that the murder is a part of something larger and more sinister. But working within the boundaries of the law may keep him from finding the truth. If Jericho doesn’t break the rules, an innocent man may rot in jail while a killer remains free to strike again.

Inevitably, it all comes back to Wade. Because who else knows as much about breaking rules? And who else knows Jericho the way Wade does—not wisely, but far, far too well?

ISBN: 978-1-62649-531-9

Product Link: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/darkness

Reviewer: Shorty 

Review: Jericho’s morals and cop rules are questioned in this case and it sends Jericho on a soul searching find as to whether or not he wants to remain a cop, as a prostitute ends up dead and all evidence points to a person who is not capable of the murder. A killer who gets sick satisfaction at the individuals suffering knowing this man is unable to speak. It seriously pissed me off that someone would do that. 

The Killer is deranged and has a thing against disabled people and enjoys hurting them. Jericho knows Will is innocent but evidence suggests otherwise. Intense, great police work and the help of others will determine if Jericho goes against his cop morals to set an innocent man free before the actual killer kills again.

I liked the story as the struggle between Wade and Jericho continues. It’s interesting to see how they interact between each other while at the same time trying to help.

Great read.

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