Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win an ebook copy of the book and a link to purchase it.
Who or What is Disturbed? Definitely the Reader on This White-Knuckle Ride.
In Deadly When Disturbed, I’m pretty sure the psychological suspense designation refers not only to the genre of this novel but also the state author D.M. Barr puts her readers into.
The story starts with a prologue, a very short story-before-the-story. It’s a quick look at one woman’s pain, and then (literally) bam! We’re into the story Barr wants to tell. Wait. Who’s Dara Banks? She’s apparently our main character, as her name appears as a header for the first half of the novel. The first sentence shows an anger that’s definitely not out of place in a murder mystery or thriller.
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We quickly see why Dara is so intense. Juggling a high-powered realtor job by day, an even higher-powered charity after hours, with a damaged husband and traumatized stepkids at home, she’s definitely sparing no effort to fix everyone’s problems and impress people. And by “people,” the author means Dara’s overpowering mother, a wealthy do-gooder who did good for everyone but her own flesh and blood. Does “never good enough” ring a bell?
Enter the mysterious and compelling Meryl Rafter. Cheerful and hardworking, Merry saves Dara’s skin (and reputation) at a crucial fundraiser by conjuring up a magnificently sweet solution to a last-minute crisis at the gala. Pulling off this impossible feat, Merry’s success slips her past Dara’s guard, despite plenty of yellow (if not red) flags on the field. Every almost-clairvoyant favor this new assistant does for Dara ramps up the tension as this strong woman begins questioning her hard-earned self-confidence in light of Merry’s incandescent successes.
Nasty crises, tough breaks, escalating up to tragedies defy chance in Dara’s spiraling life. Meanwhile, as a reader, I keep tossing my plot theories out the window. Is Merry really too good to be true? How does the prologue’s sad divorcee fit in? And who the blazes is this ominous-sounding Celeste who keeps popping up in Dara’s thoughts? And who, exactly, am I supposed to root for?
I read this novel actually on the edge of my seat, tensely leaning over my e-reader, unable to relax and beginning to question my own sanity. D.M. Barr does a masterclass job of grabbing the reader by the throat and holding tight. Whew. A wild ride worth the price of the ticket.
To enter to win an ebook copy of Deadly When Disturbed, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "disturbed,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen February 22, 2025. US residents only and you must be 18 or older to enter. If entering via comment please include your email address so we can contact you. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast which features mystery short stories and first chapters read by local actors!
You can click here to purchase this book.
Linda Kay Hardie writes crime, humor, horror, and SF/fantasy stories, as well as poetry, essays (often about cats but sometimes about baseball), and fiction for children. She also writes recipes and won a trophy in 2002 for best rib rub in the amateur division of the Best in the West Rib Cook-off in Sparks, Nevada. She is also the reigning Spam champion for Nevada (yes, the tasty treat canned mystery meat) and represented Nevada in the National Chicken Cooking Contest years ago. Linda’s writing has won awards dating back to a fifth grade essay on fire safety, and in 2024 her post-apocalyptic short story “Grenade Blows Up” won a certificate of excellence from the Cat Writers Association. In 2022, she was honored with the Sierra Arts Foundation’s Literary Arts Award for fiction in Reno, Nevada, where she works as staff for Abyssinian cats. See Linda’s work at sierraarts.org/user/linda.kay.hardie.
Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.
Sounds interesting! Count me in!
ReplyDeleteWe have a winner!
ReplyDeleteLorie
We have a winner!
ReplyDeleteLorie