ONLY ONE LIE
by
AUDREY J. COLE
Historical Mystery
Publisher: Ranier Publishing
Publication Date: December 26, 2022
Hardcover
Page count: 324 pages
ISBN-10: 1737360756 / ISBN-13: 978-1737360759
Paperback
Page count: 301 pages
ISBN-10: 1737360764 / ISBN-13: 978-1737360766
Kindle / Kindle Unlimited
Publication Date: December 27, 2022
Page count: 326 pages
ASIN: B0B94TNVBQ
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SYNOPSIS:
From the author of The Pilot's Daughter and The Final Hunt comes a thrilling, suspense-driven mystery set in World War II-era Seattle.
Seattle, 1942. News of the war is interrupted by the kidnapping of young Max Ellis, heir to the wealthiest banking family on the west coast. When the boy's parents comply with the ransom demands, the kidnapper is found dead and their son remains missing. For newlywed Vera Chandler, the story hits close to home-her husband Hugh is just six months into his job as the Ellis's private pilot.
Within days, Hugh is deployed to the Pacific as a navy pilot, while Vera's flying instructor and best friend joins the Women's Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron. Left alone, her parents' words haunt her: If you really wanted to serve your country, you wouldn't have dropped out of nursing school.
In an exchange for a favor Vera can't refuse, she is pulled into the Ellis family affairs by the desperate mother of the missing child. The Ellis family, Vera learns firsthand, is as dangerous as they are rich. Soon, she is in a race to save the child's life, and it could be the only way she can save her own.
READ AN EXCERPT:
Priscilla put her hand on the wool trousers covering the limp legs of the man she had tripped over. She shook the pants leg, but there was no movement. She heard Vincent’s footsteps flying up the path.
“Max!” she yelled out again.
Her cry was met with nothing but silence. The light from Vincent’s flashlight illuminated the body next to her when he reached her side. Priscilla shrieked and jumped to her feet. She impulsively took her husband’s arm and stared down at the man.
“Oh, no! Oh, dear God! This can’t be happening!”
A bullet hole marked the middle of the blond man’s forehead. Blood and brain matter speckled with gunpowder seeped into his hairline. Another bullet had pierced his chest just below his neck. A deep red stain flowed beneath the collar of his shirt. His blank eyes stared at her.
“Max!”
Vincent aimed his flashlight around the surrounding park as Priscilla continued to call out for their son. But there was no movement and no response.
“Max!”
“I know this man!” Vincent pointed to the bloodied corpse. “It’s Howard Mills—the man Rex fired for stealing! The guy we called the police on!”
Only three weeks ago, this same man had appeared at their home like a raging maniac, banging on their front door and complaining that Rex had unfairly fired him.
“I remember—but Vincent!” She gripped the sleeves of his overcoat and spun him toward her.
“Where’s our son?”
REVIEW:
5 stars!
This book had me turning pages and staying up late!
Only One Lie is a riveting new historical mystery by author
Audrey J. Cole set during the early days of the United States's involvement in
WWII. Soon after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the three-year-old son of
a wealthy banking family is kidnapped, but while the parents comply with the
ransom demands, the kidnapper is found dead, and their child is nowhere to be seen.
The story is intense, and the Seattle location came alive for me with the
well-researched incorporation of the look and feel of the time.
The main characters, especially the two wives, Vera Chandler
and Priscilla Ellis, are well-drawn and, although of a very different time and
place, easy to relate to. Both go through extraordinary situations, the
kidnapping, the search for Max, and wartime, and I was constantly surprised as
I realized how young they must be. I enjoyed how bold Vera was, and for that
matter, Priscilla. I seriously wanted to smack her husband, Vincent, so many
times.
The story is compelling, beginning with the kidnapping of
Priscilla’s 3-year-old son, Max. However, the flying aspects and the women
flyers involvement in the war effort were quite interesting. Wartime had
galvanized women into taking on roles previously unheard of or denied. There
are great twists and turns in the plot, so just as I thought I knew where the
story was headed, it took a sudden jog, and I was driven to read on!
I look forward to more from this author and recommend ONLY
ONE LIE to readers who enjoy thrilling historical mystery stories, especially
those set during World War II or in the Pacific Northwest.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Audrey J. Cole is a registered nurse and a USA Today bestselling author of thrillers set in Seattle. Audrey J. Cole is a USA TODAY bestselling thriller author. Before writing full time, she worked as a neonatal intensive care nurse for eleven years. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two children.
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