Stilettos and Gunpowder by Gail Koger – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

My name is Gemma Stone. I’m a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Deputy and not only must I deal with the sweat-soaked misery of the Arizona desert, I get to respond to a bunch of crazy 9-1-1 calls all day long. Like a parakeet up a tree, or a car accident where a tractor trailer full of fireworks is hit and the 4th of July comes a bit early.

But some days crime takes a deadly turn. Police cars are suddenly blowing up. Detective Sergeant Dante Delgado, the love of my life, was assigned to track down and stop the bomber. Am I worried? You betcha. There’s a madman on the loose and he is very, very good at making bombs.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, the Feds think I’m in cahoots with an Iraqi warlord who deals in stolen antiquities, Ichabod, my murderous ex-dance partner, escapes from prison and I’m suddenly in everyone’s crosshairs.

Enjoy an Excerpt

I leaned over and gave Dante a long voracious kiss. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

“What do you want?” Dante asked suspiciously.

I gave him my best lovesick expression. “Nothing. Can’t I be affectionate?” I stroked his rock-hard abs.

Julie snickered behind her book.

“I know the way your mind works, Gemma.” His hand covered mine.

I shrugged. “I just think it’s time you met Grandpa Reynolds.”

“The chicken wrangler?”

“That’s him. He owns Reynold’s Egg Ranch out by Buckeye. He has a hundred thousand cage-free hens, and I’ll get him to give you the grand tour.”

Dante stared at me like I had lost my mind. “What makes you think I want to see a bunch of smelly chickens?”

“To make me happy.”

“Uh huh.”

“Okay, I’m going stir crazy and it’s been a while since I’ve visited Grandpa.”

Julie leaped out of the recliner. “I’m with Gemma. We’ve been stuck in this house for over a week and the only excitement we’ve had is when the taskforce sends their goons to interrogate us. Plus, I always wanted to drive a 1968 Camaro.”

“Not a chance.” Dante stood up and pulled me to my feet. “Put your shoes on and we’ll go visit your grandpa.”

I planted a hot one on his mouth. “Thank you. Thank you. You won’t be sorry.”

“You’re planning something, aren’t you?”

“And if I was?”

Dante rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. “Is it legal?”

“Define legal.”

“Your dad is going to kick my ass. You can give me the details on the drive out to see the chickens,” Dante said.

About the Author: I was a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the Glendale Police Department and to keep from going totally bonkers – I mean people have no idea what a real emergency is. Take this for example: I answered, “9-1-1 emergency, what’s your emergency?” And this hysterical woman yelled, “My bird is in a tree.” Sometimes I really couldn’t help myself, so I said, “Birds have a tendency to do that, ma’am.” The woman screeched, “No! You don’t understand. My pet parakeet is in the tree. I’ve just got to get him down.” Like I said, not a clue. “I’m sorry ma’am but we don’t get birds out of trees.” The woman then cried, “But… What about my husband? He’s up there, too.” See what I had to deal with? To keep from hitting myself repeatedly in the head with my phone I took up writing.

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