London Noir: A gripping crime suspense thriller (Kal Medi Book 2)
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A note from Ann Girdharry
I hope you enjoyed London Noir and I’d like to say a huge thank you for choosing it.
London Noir is the second instalment of Kal’s journey and Kal and Marty have other adventures in store and other difficulties and challenges to face. I hope you enjoy reading about them as much as I like writing their stories.
Please leave a written review for London Noir, for instance, on Amazon. Written reviews can be as short as you like. They really help me and they help others to discover my stories. Or maybe you can recommend London Noir to your friends and family…
If you’d like to keep up to date on my new releases join my Reader’s Group. I shall send everyone on my list a note when my next book is published.
(Don’t worry, no spam, I promise.)
I usually offer a welcoming gift to new members of my Reader’s Group. You can find details on my webpage – www.girdharry.com
Kind regards,
Ann Girdharry
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Good Girl Bad Girl (Kal Medi #1)
Kal’s no fool, though sometimes she might pretend to be, because hiding her strengths is a great way to extract information.
An expert in psychology, she first learnt her craft from her father. He was a man with disturbing secrets.
When her journalist mother goes missing, Kal investigates. What she uncovers involves murder, trafficking and her own worst nightmare…
Crime suspense thriller. A new kick-ass heroine.
Good Girl Bad Girl is an ERIC HOFFER BOOK AWARD Finalist 2017
Prologue
Alesha could no longer feel her legs. They hung, freezing and lifeless beneath the surface of the water. Tied above her head, Alesha’s wrists rubbed raw against the restraints. No point in struggling. She tried that already, for hours or was it days? All the panic and the terror had long since run out of her and coursed down her legs.
And the pool deepened. When the water lapped her bellybutton, the flesh on Alesha’s stomach contracted. Her two tormentors had climbed a ladder to escape, and a faint light drifted down from their exit route. Alesha watched the gleam of the rungs as they disappeared one by one beneath the inky blue.
How many times had she endured it? Twice, she thought, or was it three times? Each submersion, they stripped away her strength. Each time she was left with less of her self. They were paring her down layer by layer. Perhaps this time she’d be down to bare bones and the last shreds of will. Or perhaps this time she wouldn’t make it.
Alesha shuddered as the water climbed her rib cage. Once it reached the level of her heart, she’d only have a few moments before she drowned. The dread rose up. She tried not to think about the moments ahead, pushing away the thought of them resuscitating her, then closing in for the interrogation, their violence and their voices filling every cell in her body.
Lapping at the sides of the chamber, the water sounded like gentle waves at the seaside. Alesha pressed her eyes closed. She wouldn’t crack. She’d never tell them. They’d have to kill her first. The thought almost made her laugh. Yes, she’d wondered about that too, wondered if she were losing her mind. Thing is, if she were dead she wouldn’t be able to give anything away. So perhaps she shouldn’t fight it. Maybe it’d be better to take that one last breath as deep as she could and hope her heart gave out. Then the water would take away her secrets.
As the water rose, Alesha pushed deep inside her own mind and she saw her husband, his eyes full of life and he was young, like he’d been when they first met. He smiled at her. And the water reached her throat.
Now she could see her daughter, Kal, running with her black hair streaming out in the wind. At first, Kal was a little girl laughing, and then she was a fiery teenager, and then she became a young woman. Alesha took a deep breath and sealed her lips closed. Kal wasn’t smiling, she was shouting and determined and running towards Alesha. Alesha knew Kal’d never reach her in time. The water covered Alesha’s nose and she felt the air expanding in her chest. Fight against it, she commanded herself. Don’t take a breath. Her body thrashed and jerked. They’d turn the water off soon. Then they’d bring her back from the brink. Then they’d start again. Alesha felt a deep regret for handing her daughter a death sentence. Then she blacked out.
Praise for Good Girl Bad Girl
'A cracking read'
Amazon reviewer
'A taut, exciting thriller which had me hooked'
Reviewer, The Book Club TBC
"On the edge of my seat..."
Amazon reviewer
"A great suspenseful thriller written beautifully."
thecoffeeandkindle blogspot
"A real kick-ass heroine and a great lead character..."
Grab This Book
"...A thriller that will keep you up at night."
The Serial Reader
'Dangerous territory for exploration in a first novel...This is a terrific start for an author who demonstrates strong promise. 5 stars."
Hall of Fame, Top 100 reviewer, Vine Voice
"An action packed thriller with a strong, independent female character … A very well written book which will keep you hooked until the end. I look forward to reading the next in the series."
Reviewer, The Book Club TBC
“An intelligently written, multi-layered psychological thriller, I really enjoyed Good Girl Bad Girl and look forward to reading the next Kal Medi book.”
BloominBrilliant Books
Acknowledgements
A good beta reader is like gold dust to an author. Abbie Rutherford, Mark B., Mary Beth Marquis and Kath Middleton – your honest comments and insightful feedback have been invaluable. Thank you for helping me bring Kal, Marty, and this story, to life.
Titles by Ann Girdharry
Kal Medi series
Good Girl Bad Girl
London Noir
Kal Medi #3 – coming soon
Chilling Tales of the Unexpected – Short Reads
Trading with Death #1
Tell Me a Secret #2
Sweet Justice #3
Written on the Apple Tree #4