Hello!
It's a
Welcome Wednesday author interview over on my
main blog today and the writer being interviewed is the lovely
D.E. Royce, author of the murder mystery-
Whom Evil Touches. I was fortunate enough to get to know D.E. a few months ago and was able to sample the novel prior to it's launch in June 2014. I thoroughly enjoyed the plotline and the varied and very interesting set of characters.
Here's my
5* review of the novel but carry on reading because you'll also be able to read
short snippets from the book.
I found this a very intriguing and enjoyable novel-one which
I wanted to read on without interruptions. There’s excellently written
narrative, great dialogue between the many different characters involved, it
has a complicated plot that kept me guessing till the end, with plenty of
tension to grip the reader in its clutches. I found myself asking questions at
different times during the reading as in “Who is the murderer?” and “Can there
be more than one murderer?” I made a
guess quite early on about which character had done such dire deeds - a guess
which turned out to be accurate. However, by the time I was around half way
through the story, I doubted my choice, and favoured another, this situation
having been engendered through D.E. Royce’s skilful weaving in of other
possible candidates as the murderer. There are a number of plot twists which
are beautifully crafted, the entangled interactions between characters driving
along the pace of the story. It’s easy to empathise with Will Kennedy and to
want a good resolution for him by the end of the novel. His wife, Judy, on the
other hand, is not really a character who appeals. Freddy Nunn is a very
complex character with a lot of hang-ups – not too likeable either. Other
characters are also well portrayed with all their little foibles on show, the
writing of all this very well crafted. There are many misdeeds to resolve over the course of this entertaining novel.
I recommend it for lovers of the murder mystery genre, and to those who enjoy a great story.
D.E.
Royce was born and raised around the bay area of Quincy, Massachusetts.
After graduating from nursing school she married, raised two children, and
devoted her time to family and learning the art of landscape and still life
painting. After earning a BA in Communications she began writing short stories
and spent the remainder of her nursing career as a clinical liaison and
composing health care related documents.
 |
| D.E.Royce |
“I
was one of those children who loved to draw and write. For most of my life,
I’ve held some type of tool in my hands related to creativity, including
cooking utensils, gardening tools, pencils, paper, books and paint brushes.
Living around Quincy
Bay and the marshlands is
inspiring and I’ve spent many happy hours sketching and landscape painting
there. In fact, it was the marshlands that provided the inspiration for Whom Evil
Touches.”
Ms.
Royce continues to live in Massachusetts,
exhibits her paintings in several galleries and is working on her second novel.
Blurb:
Murder. Deceit. Lies.
Judy Lydon Kennedy led two lives. One her husband Will knew about, the other
protected by her constant gamesmanship and smoldering anger. But when the
police discover bits and pieces of her body, it's her husband the detectives
finger as the prime suspect until they begin to dig deeper into her hidden
life.
It turns out that Judy had a very special relationship with a fellow employee
at the bank - a female who just happened to dump her shortly before Judy's
disappearance and grisly return. Now the investigators must sort through those
connected with Judy: a misguided, pathological liar who was in love with her,
the bi-sexual lover at the bank, and the blackmailed bank president who had
every reason to shut Judy up for good.
As the secrets of Judy's twisted life begin to emerge, a series of revelations
bring with them a K-9 handler and his detection dog to shed light on who
murdered Judy - and why. And for Will, it will bring a long lost flame to his
side - and just maybe free his spirit once and for all.
A sensitive and thought provoking, first rate murder mystery filled with
surprising twists and inventive turns. Whom Evil Touches is a top-notch page
turner of whodunit that will keep you guessing until the final, shocking,
revelation.
Excerpts
from Whom Evil Touches…
Will
Kennedy had not always been at peace with himself, the law, or cops who
enforced its boundaries on his long-past adolescent behavior. Once he grew up
and finally ceased-fire on himself and a society he once so bitterly loathed,
he realized that he had learned from it in more ways than one. Will knew that
the headache he had now was just a sample of the one he would have after filing
the missing persons report for his wife. His past would raise a red flag and
the cops would be swarming around him like hornets.
Ginger
checked in the mirror the look of her naked body, admired what she saw, but
resisted the urge to fondle herself. There was no time; the detectives were due
any minute. So she adjusted her bra and celebrated her appeal with a sip of
scotch. Ginger was in the mood for sex, not discussion, and the more the
merrier. She hoped that luck was on her side and that the detectives were
nothing more than a couple of sex starved civil servants.
Detective
Swenson gazed at Ginger and spoke up. “You know that Judy is missing, and we
have reason to believe she’s dead.”
Ginger
finished her wine and let out a laugh. “Boo-hoo. Any more questions?”
Freddy
Nunn lifted his binoculars, fine-tuned the focus and scanned the neighborhood.
Maureen Feeney was on vacation, so he ignored her bedroom.”
Ted
slammed the notebook on the table. Freddy jumped. “I asked you a question,
Freddy now what about it? Were you rolling around in the sack with Judy
Kennedy?” He leaned towards Freddy and whispered. “It’s so easy to find things
out. Forensic investigations are today’s way to go. A little DNA leaked on a
sheet, a search warrant. Do you watch CSI
or Law and Order?”
Freddy
pulled off his ranger hat, blotted the sweat from his forehead and wiped the
tears from his eyes. “It was supposed to be so wonderful. Judy was going to
divorce Will and marry me.”
Attorney
Charles Sudanski glanced away from his notes. “I know your marriage was on the
rocks for a long time, Will, but was it that bad? I’m not sensing much grief.”
Kennedy
ran his fingers through his hair, suspecting what Sudanski was thinking: would
a jury understand? “Charlie,” he said firmly. “I’m not going to act like some
grieving husband that I’m not. I’m sorry for the way she lived and sorry for
the way she died. But I’m not sorry she’s out of my life. You’re going to have
to find a way around it!”
Alfred
Locke’s lips tightened. “Yes, I’m afraid Judy was having an affair.”
Detective
Swenson’s eyes widened with interest. “Is he here? We need to talk with him.”
Locke
leaned his head to one side, methodically massaging his right temple. “You’ll
be speaking with a she not a he. Her name is Ginger Stoolman and she took the
day off.”
Freddy
Nunn anxiously approached the letter. It quivered in his trembling hands as he
fumbled for the light switch. He sank into a chair and began to read. A prickly
chill spread throughout his body. Freddy gawked at the words, read them aloud,
to himself, and aloud again. While his teeth chattered, his body shook and
quaked until, suddenly, it stopped. Nunn felt nothing. No words crossed his
mind and he moved no muscles. Quite and alone he sat in the gathering dusk –
his thoughts as bitter as a winter’s wind – his soul as cold as ice.
Best wishes to D.E. and thank you for featuring here today.
Slainthe!
