Eye For Eye by J.K. Franko
Book 1: The Talion Series
Publisher: Talion Publishing
Publication Date: eBook - March 16, 2019 / PB - April 1, 2019
Format: Kindle - 4079 KB
Paperback - 432 pages
Audiobook - 12 Hours 42 Minutes
ISBN: 978-1999318802
ASIN (eBook): B07PM8PM26
ASIN (Audiobook): B07QSB771N
Genre: Crime Thriller
Buy The Book:
Amazon (Free On Kindle Unlimited)
Buy The Series: The Talion Series
Prequel: The Trial Of Joe Harlan Junior (Publication Date: October 2019)
Book 1: Eye For Eye
Book 2: Tooth For Tooth (Publication Date: April 2020)
Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author / publisher in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tours.
Book Description:
“NEW TWIST ON STRANGERS ON A TRAIN”
~ THE SUNDAY TIMES
Roy and Susie are on a skiing holiday, trying to take a break from the constant reminders of their daughter, tragically killed by a careless driver. Out of the blue they meet Deb and Tom, another couple with a tragic past and a shocking proposal to put things right.
As the bodies accumulate, secrets are revealed and alliances crumble. Ultimate survival depends on following the rules for a perfect murder. And the first rule is… leave no singing bones.
Book Excerpt:
When I try to piece together how this whole mess began, a part of me thinks it may have started over thirty years ago. At least the seeds were planted that far back, in the early 1980s. What happened then, at that summer camp in Texas, set the stage for everything that was to come.
Odd, how something so remote in time and geography continues to impact me here, today.
Sometimes I try to imagine her, how she felt—that eleven year-old girl—as she ran, stumbling and tripping through the woods that night. I try to put myself in her shoes. When I do, I wonder if
she was frightened.
Did she understand the consequences of what she’d gotten herself into? I imagine it felt otherworldly to her, like a dream. But not a good dream. No, one of the bad ones—the ones that make your heart machine-gun as you try to outrun some dark thing that’s chasing you. But the faster you try to run, the slower you go, your legs feeling leaden, clumsy, useless.
Panic sets in. Tears of frustration form. Fear takes hold and won’t let go. You open your mouth to scream but realize, to your horror, that you’re paralyzed. It’s not that you can’t scream; you can’t even breathe. Not a dream—a nightmare.
Then again, all that may simply be my imagination. It could just be me projecting what I might have felt onto Joan. Maybe she wasn’t scared at all.
True, it was dark out. The night smelled of rain, but there was no lightning, only the far-off rumble of thunder hinting at a distant storm. There were no trail lights, no visibility but for the
moon peeking out intermittently from behind a patchwork of clouds. But, Joan had been down this trail before. She was running toward the main cabin.
She had been at Camp Willow for almost two full weeks. She had been up and down that trail at least ten times a day, every day. Of course, that was during the day, and always with her buddy,
or a camp counselor (the children called them troop leaders). Joan had never been on the trail at night. And never alone.
Maybe I imagine Joan was scared because, as an adult, I believe that she should have been. I would have been terrified.
Odd, how something so remote in time and geography continues to impact me here, today.
Sometimes I try to imagine her, how she felt—that eleven year-old girl—as she ran, stumbling and tripping through the woods that night. I try to put myself in her shoes. When I do, I wonder if
she was frightened.
Did she understand the consequences of what she’d gotten herself into? I imagine it felt otherworldly to her, like a dream. But not a good dream. No, one of the bad ones—the ones that make your heart machine-gun as you try to outrun some dark thing that’s chasing you. But the faster you try to run, the slower you go, your legs feeling leaden, clumsy, useless.
Panic sets in. Tears of frustration form. Fear takes hold and won’t let go. You open your mouth to scream but realize, to your horror, that you’re paralyzed. It’s not that you can’t scream; you can’t even breathe. Not a dream—a nightmare.
Then again, all that may simply be my imagination. It could just be me projecting what I might have felt onto Joan. Maybe she wasn’t scared at all.
True, it was dark out. The night smelled of rain, but there was no lightning, only the far-off rumble of thunder hinting at a distant storm. There were no trail lights, no visibility but for the
moon peeking out intermittently from behind a patchwork of clouds. But, Joan had been down this trail before. She was running toward the main cabin.
She had been at Camp Willow for almost two full weeks. She had been up and down that trail at least ten times a day, every day. Of course, that was during the day, and always with her buddy,
or a camp counselor (the children called them troop leaders). Joan had never been on the trail at night. And never alone.
Maybe I imagine Joan was scared because, as an adult, I believe that she should have been. I would have been terrified.
Book Trailer:
My Book Review:
In Eye For Eye, book one in the Talion Series, author J.K. Franko takes the reader behind the scenes of a riveting crime thriller as two couples navigate the slippery slope of pursuing the Law of Talion, seeking revenge for tragedies that have occurred to their families.
Author J.K. Franko asks the reader the following questions: what would you do if someone hurt the one you love? How far would you go to get revenge? For two married couples, the tragedies that befall their respective daughters leads the couples to consider choices of avenging the hurt and injury with a recriprocating punishment when an imperfect justice system fails them. Is seeking an eye for eye justified, or is there something more sinister lurking in the shadows?
Eye For Eye is a riveting story that easily draws the reader in from the start. The readers will be captivated as the author weaves a thoroughly intriguing and complicated story that follows married couples Susie Font and Roy Cruise and Deb and Tom Wise, as they take the law into their own hands with complicated choices and devestating consequences.
The author provides the reader with a fascinating and richly detailed crime thriller set in Miami and Austin. You can't help but get drawn into this complicated, fascinating, and multi-layered story told in an alternating first and third person narrative by an anonymous narrator. It has enough drama, secrets, deception, and tension that keeps the reader guessing as they turn the pages, wondering where the madness would end, but alas ... the author teases the reader with a surprising cliffhanger ending that will leave them wanting more as they await the continuation of the story in Tooth For Tooth, book two in the series.
Eye For Eye is a gripping and chilling crime thriller that is a must read for all crime thriller fans.
RATING: 5 STARS
About The Author
J.K. FRANKO was born and raised in Texas. His Cuban-American parents agreed there were only three acceptable options for a male child: doctor, lawyer, and architect. After a disastrous first year of college pre-Med, he ended up getting a BA in philosophy (not acceptable), then he went to law school (salvaging the family name) and spent many years climbing the big law firm ladder. After ten years, he decided that law and family life weren’t compatible. He went back to school where he got an MBA and pursued a Ph.D. He left law for corporate America, with long stints in Europe and Asia.
His passion was always to be a writer. After publishing a number of non-fiction works, thousands of hours writing, and seven or eight abandoned fictional works over the course of eighteen years, EYE FOR EYE became his first published novel.
J.K. Franko now lives with his wife and children in Florida.
Author Website
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads
Contest Giveaway
Win A $15 Amazon Gift Card
or
Autographed Copy of Eye For Eye
This is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for JK Franko. There will be 6 winners. Two (2) winners will each win (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. Two (2) winners will each win a signed copy of EYE FOR EYE by JK Franko (Open to U.S. addresses only) and Two (2) winners will each win a Knife set (Open to U.S. addresses only). The giveaway begins on July 22, 2019 and runs through September 22, 2019. Void where prohibited.
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Virtual Book Tour
Tour Participants:
07/22 Interview @ BooksChatter
07/23 Showcase @ Stacking My Book Shelves!
07/24 Showcase @ Just Books
07/25 Showcase @ Rocksprings crafts
07/26 Showcase @ The Pulp and Mystery Shelf
07/27 Showcase @ Eclectic Moods
07/29 Interview @ A Blue Million Books
07/31 Review @ Read and Review
07/31 Showcasse @ The Bookworm Lodge
08/01 Review @ The World As I See It
08/02 Review @ Books Direct
08/05 Review @ Shalinis Books & Reviews
08/08 Interview @ Reading A Page Turner
08/15 Guest post @ The Book Divas Reads
08/18 Review @ Cy Wyss -- Author and Artist
08/29 Interview @ CMash Reads
09/02 Review @ Thats What Shes Reading
09/05 Review @ Love My Dane Dolly
09/10 Review @ Quiet Fury Books
09/12 Blog Talk Radio w/Fran Lewis
09/12 Review @ Just Reviews
09/12 Review @ Nesies Place
09/16 Review @ Jersey Girl Book Reviews
09/18 Showcase @ Celticladys Reviews
09/20 Review @ Forever the Wanderer
09/20 Review @ fundinmental
Fantastic review! I have seen nothing but 5 stars for this book, which is why it is now on my Kindle waiting for me.
ReplyDeleteHi Cheryl! This really was an intense and intriguing story. Can't wait to read book 2! :)
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