I chatted with author Debbie Burke on Episode 66 of the GSMC Book Review Podcast and we talked about Montana, fictional murder, Chubby Checker, and (of course) her book, Instrument of the Devil. The book is suspense and thriller featuring Tawny Lindholm, a recent widow living in a small Western Montana town.
A dashing terrorist targets the electrical grid, framing a small-town widow.Tawny Lindholm only wants to live a quiet life in Montana, recovering from the death of her husband, and hoping to find solace with a handsome widower she just met. But nothing is as it appears when she receives a new smartphone that does everything except make a call. Mysterious cash appears in her bank account and surveillance video shows her making deposits she knows she didn’t make. While the feds suspect her of illegal activity, her son, a soldier serving in Afghanistan, is kidnapped and held for ransom. Can Tawny save him? Or will unseen tentacles of a terrorist plot destroy her? (Source)
Having grown up in Western Montana, not far from where this book is set, it was awesome to read a book set in a familiar area. It was also extremely strange to read about a terrorist plot being hatched in that area. But Debbie does a great job in creating a plot that is plausible and terrifying in that plausibility.
Tawny gets caught up in this plot partly because of her lack of understanding of smartphone technology, but mostly because she is honest, believes the best of people, and is a little naïve. She's also reeling from the death of her husband and is extremely vulnerable because of it. She's the perfect target.
Genres:
- Thriller
- Suspense
- Women's Adventure
What I enjoyed:
- The setting, obviously. Debbie and I took opposite paths: I grew up in Montana and now live in California, Debbie grew up in California and now lives in Montana.
- The evolution of Tawny throughout the story. She's hesitant about a lot at first, but by the end of the story she does what she needs to and kicks butt in the process.
- Can I say setting twice? :-)
- The fact that the main character of a suspense/thriller novel is a 50 year old woman. That's a rare occurrence in books, television, movies, etc., but it shouldn't be.
Who should read the Instrument of the Devil?
- Fans of thrillers.
- Fans of books with unexpected heroines.
- Anyone who has ever visited an historic location and thought about doing fictional murder in that location.
Quotes:
- "As they drove through Columbia Falls, a billboard advertising United Bankcorp shifted her mind back to real problems. Who kept depositing big wads of cash into her account? An imposter was hell-bent on making her appear to be a criminal. She just wanted to live her ordinary, law-abiding, low-profile life, but the bank mess prevented it."
- "This was real identity theft. Someone had stolen Tawny's actual appearance."
- "Should she call the cops to report the break-in? If they'd stolen something , she wouldn't hesitate. But this...no forced entry, nothing missing, only a faint scent of cologne.
Nine-one-one, what's your emergency?
I want to report someone moved my mouse and rumpled my underwear. The operator would fall on the floor laughing."
Where you can find Debbie online:
- Website: http://www.debbieburkewriter.com/
- Blog: http://www.debbieburkewriter.com/blog/
- Facebook: @debbieburkewriter
- Amazon Author Page: Debbie Burke
- GoodReads: Debbie Burke
- BookBub: @DebbieBurke
- The Kill Zone: https://killzoneblog.com/
Author Bio:
Debbie Burke writes suspense and mystery novels. Her latest book Instrument of the Devil won the 2016 Zebulon contest sponsored by Pikes Peak Writers Conference. Her nonfiction articles appear in national and international publications and she is a regular guest blogger at The Kill Zone. She is a founding member of Authors of the Flathead and helps to plan the annual Flathead River Writers Conference in Kalispell, Montana. Her greatest joy is mentoring young writers. (Source)
Does Instrument of the Devil sound like a book you'd like to read? Excellent news: I have 3 SIGNED copies to give away! All you have to do is go to either our Facebook or Twitter pages and share the episode with Debbie's interview, or go to Instagram and comment on that post. Simple as that: just comment on, share, or retweet episode 66 and you'll automatically be entered to win this wonderful book!
To hear the interview with Debbie please click here.
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