Go Forth And Hibernate

April in New Zealand means the first breath of winter. The air is still warm, the leaves only starting to turn from green to gold, but my body is telling me it's time to fatten up and go to sleep. For real!

The urge to lie on the sun-drenched sofa is overwhelming. With a strong cup of tea and a biscuit. And perhaps a book I've read before, so I don't mind if my eyelids get droopy and I... drift off... to Nap Land....

Yawn. See you next week. Maybe.

I do want to tell you about this thought-provoking novel, Save Me. But today, I'm a bear.

Operation: Genocide - the blurb

An inhuman agenda…

In 1982, Annette Pretorius lives a life of privilege afforded to those of European descent in South Africa, but when her husband is murdered, she discovers a shattering secret: he’d been commissioned by the whites-only South African government to develop a lethal virus aimed at controlling the growth of the black population--already oppressed under the cruel system of apartheid.

A clandestine organization…

The murder came with a warning to Annette from a secretive organization: keep our secrets or you too will die. Captain Trevor Watson, Annette’s former boyfriend, is appointed to lead the investigation. Watson’s loyalty is tested as the evidence stacks against his high school sweetheart.

And the killing isn’t over yet…

When the investigation points in a terrifying direction, Annette and Watson face a wrenching choice: protect those they love or sacrifice all to save innocents from racial extermination.   Operation: Genocide by Yvonne Walus. Coming out soon from Stairway Press.  

Excerpt from Red Herrings:

By
Jean McLennan:


A new development in forensic science will provide real and contemporary fi citious detectives with another tool in the fight against crime. Until now the challenge has been to obtain clear footprints from a scene of the crime where they have been left on fabric, such as carpet or clothing. (...) By adapting existing visualisation techniques, Doctor Kevin Farrugia of Abertay University, Dundee has developed a method of obtaining detailed images of latent footwear left on fabrics. These images will give investigators information about the brand, style and size of the footwear, but more than that, because an individual’s gait varies, the wear on a pair of shoes is subject to random and individual characteristics. The print can identify the wearer. The technique will work equally well on old prints as new and will be used in the re-examination of unsolved crimes.

Operation Genocide

Operation Genocide, a thriller published by Stairway Press, will hit the shelves in 2013. Here is the cover.

Edge by Jeffery Deaver

Blurb:
Behind the well-known U.S. security organizations-- the FBI and CIA among them--lies a heavily guarded, anonymous government agency dedicated to intelligence surveillance and to a highly specialized brand of citizen protection. Shock waves of alarm ripple through the clandestine agency when Washington, D.C., police detective Ryan Kessler inexplicably becomes the target of Henry Loving, a seasoned, ruthless "lifter" hired to obtain information using whatever means necessary. While Loving is deft at torture, his expertise lies in getting an "edge" on his victim--leverage--usually by kidnapping or threatening family until the "primary" caves under pressure.

What I loved about this book:

• The protagonist is passionate about board games.
• He's intelligent and can think strategically.
• He's tough yet emotionally vulnerable.
• Great dialogue.
• Ever-twisting plot.
• Fast pace.

Announcing: Operation Genocide

It is my tremendous pleasure to announce that my thriller "Operation: Genocide" will be published by Stairway Press later this year.

Premise:

Whether you’re a monster or a hero depends on who will write the history books. Back in 1982, Annette Pretorius discovers that her secret agent husband developed the HIV virus as a commission from the whites-only South African government. When her husband is found dead with a carving of a white unicorn in his clenched fist, it's a warning. To protect her family, she should bury her husband's national secrets with him. But can she stand back and let the innocent millions suffer?


Heading the investigation is Captain Trevor Watson, Annette's ex-boyfriend. Six years before, he was driving an armed vehicle whose crew was supposed to shoot bullets into a crowd of protesting black schoolchildren. Watson went against orders and turned the vehicle around. His decision cost him his religion, many friends and as many promotions. In the Pretorius murder case, Watson’s loyalty is being tested again when all the evidence stacks up against his high school sweetheart.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

Bernadette Fox is notorious. To her Microsoft-guru husband, she's a fearlessly opinionated partner; to fellow private-school mothers in Seattle, she's a disgrace; to design mavens, she's a revolutionary architect, and to 15-year-old Bee, she is a best friend and, simply, Mom. Then Bernadette disappears. It began when Bee aced her report card and claimed her promised reward: a family trip to Antarctica. But Bernadette's intensifying allergy to Seattle--and people in general--has made her so agoraphobic that a virtual assistant in India now runs her most basic errands. A trip to the end of the earth is problematic. To find her mother, Bee compiles email messages, official documents, secret correspondence--creating a compulsively readable and touching novel about misplaced genius and a mother and daughter's role in an absurd world.

This blurb is spot-on. From me I'd like to add: it's a fun, crazy book, with unpredictable twists and turns. Enjoy the journey!