Book Review: Killing Kate by Julie Kramer

Killing Kate   
Julie Kramer
Atria, July 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4391-7801-0
Hardcover

One of the crucial elements of this series is its platform. It’s a platform the author knows well and uses to full effect. It’s the reality and atmosphere of the television news operation. Riley Spartz, newshen of a local television station in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, sometimes is a bit of a loose cannon. It drives her bosses up the wall. In today’s broadcast television business, tension and often frantic pursuit of ratings rules. Ratings are tied directly to advertisers and what they can be charged for air time.

Spartz is a veteran reporter, well aware that her skills and experience are being constantly measured against younger, cheaper, upcoming talent. It pushes her to extend herself and sometimes into mortal danger.  Author Julie Kramer has a strong background in television new production and she uses that experience to excellent effect. The novel rings with authenticity.

Almost accidentally Riley discovers an odd chalk outline around the body of a dead woman in south Minneapolis. She’s chasing a solution to the murder of a young woman when Riley, against her boss’s wishes, learns of her own personal connection to the dead woman. That connection gives her more incentive to follow the story. Almost as an aside, on a hot day in Minneapolis she comes across a dog locked in a truck in a parking lot. Riley’s instincts kick in and a live feed from a liquor store parking lot sends ripples through the community and incenses the dog’s owner. Between the two stories, Riley has a lot to juggle. And then violence flares all around her.

The novel is cleanly and smoothly written, with a powerful forward thrust that grabs the reader and contributes to its page-turning intensity. The characters are multi-dimensional and interesting. One of the author’s strengths is her ability to surprise us while retaining the essential dimensions of the characters. Killing Kate is a terrific novel and I’m looking forward to the next in this series.

Reviewed by Carl Brookins, August 2013.
Author of Red Sky, Devils Island, Hard Cheese, Reunion.

Book Blitz: Resurrection by Laury Falter

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Title: Resurrection
Apocalypse Chronicles #2
Author: Laury Falter
Publication date: January 18th 2014
Genres: Horror, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult, Zombies

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Synopsis:

The second and final installment in the two-book series, Apocalypse Chronicles…
a dystopian romance about five high school seniors who set out to cure
an apocalyptic world of a contagious infection.

Bestselling author Laury Falter finishes off this two-part series–a dystopian
romance filled with an electrifying plot, a powerful romance, and unexpected twists.

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Purchase Links:

       

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An Excerpt from Resurrection

He laughed to himself. “You’re always my strongest supporter, Kennedy, and therein lies the problem. That blind loyalty could get you…” He closed his eyes and seemed to swallow back the words, or one in particular. “Could get you killed.”

“What are you saying?”

“Kennedy,” he exhaled patiently but with a great deal of effort, “I’m not sure how much venom my body can take, what the effects of it have been on me, or even how it is merging with the antibodies. Every time I’m bitten I put you in danger, everyone who is near me is in danger.” He exhaled in frustration. “Why do you think I wait for sixty seconds after I’m bitten to come near you?”

That had never occurred to me, but he was right. I remembered seeing him move away from me after an attack; he’d gone so far as to put a muzzle to his head. I’d even caught him positioning himself within range of Doc, Mei, and Beverly.

“Wait…,” I mumbled, an understanding of something forming in the recesses of my mind. “Wait a second…”

Then it hit me. He had been training them to defend against the Infected’s strengths…the same traits that he possessed. He had trained them to detect weaknesses, the same weaknesses he possessed.

“Wait…” I said again, bile rising in my throat.

He had done this in front of me, with my help, and I hadn’t even realized what he had been doing.

“You…,” I whispered. Clearing my throat, I tried again. “You…”

He was watching me now, waiting for me to wedge free the statement that was so rigidly stuck in my throat. “I…?” he said coaxingly. “I what, Kennedy?”

What began the fire of infuriation in the pit of my belly was that he knew. He knew what he’d done and he knew I’d figure it out sooner or later. This was that moment.

The memories flooded back to me then. The shift in his positions around the group after he’d been bitten, the line of sight he’d  maintained with someone, anyone but me on our team to take him out if it was needed.

“You trained them to kill you,” I uttered.

About the Author

Laury Falter is a bestselling author of young adult romantic suspense and urban fantasy. She has three series out: the Guardian Trilogy, the Residue Series, and the Apocalypse Chronicles.

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Find out more news and information about Laury and her novels on her:

             

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