Collateral Risk by Gwenan Haines

Collateral Risk

by Gwenan Haines

GENRE: Romantic suspense

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BLURB:   After losing her sister to a serial killer years earlier, scientist Mia Lindgren survives by focusing on the most dangerous viruses known to man. She’s become adept at shutting herself off from human contact—until her lab partner drowns under suspicious circumstances.

Forced to accept the assistance of Nick Doyle, an FBI counter-terrorism expert on leave, she soon realizes someone at the Institute for Research of Infectious Diseases is involved in a deadly deception. As she and Nick race to find a killer who will stop at nothing to accomplish his version of Armageddon, they can’t ignore their own chemistry. But can Mia truly put the past to rest?

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Excerpt:  Mia Lindgren winced as the bagel knife sliced her fingertip. She wrapped the cut in a

napkin and hurried over to the sink, turning on the tap and thrusting her pointer finger into the stream of cool water. Morning sunlight poured through the kitchen windows, warming her face and reminding her how late she already was.

After a minute or so, she pulled her finger out of the water and inspected it. The cut was about a quarter of an inch long, not very deep. Nothing to get worked up about.

She crossed from the kitchen to the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet, wondering if she would ever be able to cut herself and not freak out. For the past year she’d slipped into panic mode whenever she got so much as a paper cut. She could only imagine what would happen if she ended up with a scraped knee. All that exposed skin would leave her sleepless for a week.

You were the one who signed up for this.

She loved her work, but she still questioned her choice even though three years had passed since she first crossed the threshold of the Institute for Research of Infectious Diseases in Somersville, Maryland. Her friends, her mother, her stepsister, and just about everybody else she knew told her she was crazy to work there. She could still hear Ashley’s horrified tone on the other end of the line when she’d called Burnleigh Hall to tell her half-sister the news.

“So you want to work with Ebola?” Ashley had asked, forgetting to season her tone with the usual dose of teenage cynicism. “Like, on purpose?”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Gwenan Haines lives in New England with her daughter and a Siberian husky born on Halloween.

She’s been hooked on suspense ever since her mom read her an old Nancy Drew mystery when she was five years old. She also loves romance and fantasy. Her paranormal novella, WRAITH, and novel, SHIFT, the first two installments in the SHADOW WORLD series, are under contract with Wild Rose Press's fantasy line. When she’s not plotting her newest mystery, she teaches community college and writes lots of poetry.

Blog

https://gwenanhaines.blogspot.com/

Amazon Author Page

https://www.amazon.com/Gwenan-Haines/e/B005WEXWRW/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/gwenan.haines

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

Gwenan Haines will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

REVIEW: 

I loved this book! I couldn't put it down. We meet the heroine, Mia, in a lab and learn that her partner, another scientist, has been killed in an accident. But is it really an accident? Mia has her doubts. Then, a mysterious disease hits a small town in Alaska, and nearly everyone dies. Mia is studying Ebola, and the disease resembles it somewhat - but is it really Ebola or something more sinister? When she gets a sample of the virus, she's stunned to see it doesn't resemble anything she's seen before. The hero, Nick, is an FBI counter-terrorism expert, now in a rehab center drying out after turning to alcohol to dull the pain of his wife's death. At first, Mia doesn't want his help and doesn't believe he can help her. Nick, however, needs something to occupy his mind, so he does some sleuthing on the side and realizes that Mia is in grave danger. The characters are flawed but deeply engaging. I liked the fact Mia is a science geek. Her biggest problem is that she feels responsible for her sister's death. It makes relationships hard for her. Actually, both Mia and Nick are dealing with serious problems from their pasts, but that doesn't stop them from trying to discover who killed Mia's lab partner - and why. The science part of the book is very cool - infectious diseases are used in biological warfare, and the idea of terrorists getting hold of a deadly pathogen is terrifying. It makes a great framework for this fast-paced story. The secondary characters are well drawn as well.  If you like romantic suspense with smart characters, a tight plot, and lots of action - then don't hesitate! I highly recommend this book.