Featured July Release - Fire and Ash by Anne Patrick

ABOUT THE STORY:
Fire Investigator Sadie McGregor has been called to her hometown of Emerald Point, Missouri to investigate a suspicious fire which claimed the life of a local college student. By appearance the fire looks like the girl was just careless. What Sadie and Sheriff Quinn Harrington discover will not only affect those close to them, but will rock the entire community of Emerald Point and put Sadie’s life on the line.

Sadie’s life isn’t the only thing at stake. Struggling with the guilt of having been responsible for the fire that killed her family, when she was only seven, Sadie doesn’t feel she’s worthy of God’s love and forgiveness. Will Quinn be able to prove otherwise before it’s too late?

EXCERPT:
It was late afternoon before they arrived at the address the Ingram's had given them. Quinn parked his truck across the street and glanced up at the three-story brick building. "Third floor, right?"

Instead of an answer, Quinn heard Sadie's door close and looked over just in time to see her crossing in front of the truck, as usual, taking the lead. He smiled, grabbed the keys from the ignition, and reached for the door handle.

The sound of squealing tires caught Quinn's attention. He looked out his windshield as a black sports car pulled away from the curb. Shifting his gaze to the street, he saw Sadie was directly in its path. He jumped from the truck and yelled, "Look out!" then saw Sadie dive onto the hood of a parked car.

Quinn's heart pounded in his chest as he raced across the street. When he came around the front of the car she'd dove onto, he found her sitting with a dazed look on her face. He knelt beside her, "Are you okay?"

She blinked her eyes. "I definitely need to visit the gym more often."

He chuckled, relieved she was all right and that her humor was still intact. "I don't know I haven't seen a move like that since Starsky and Hutch."

"Will I need to call my insurance agent?"

He rose on his toes to peer across the hood of the late model Buick and saw a fairly good size dent in the hood. "I'm afraid so."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
As a child Anne always had a very vivid imagination. When most kids on her block were playing with their dolls and army men, Anne and her detective friends was busy solving make believe crimes in the neighborhood. Each day was a new and exciting adventure with danger lurking around every corner. Then in high school, after discovering the wonderful world of romantic suspense, Anne decided to put that imagination to better use. She has been spinning stories ever since. When she isn't writing, she enjoys spending time with family and friends and traveling to foreign countries to experience new cultures. She makes her home in Kansas with her playful German Shepherd, Zoe, and an ornery cat named Sailor.

Desert Breeze congratules Anne on her latest release.