No Cry For Help (27 page)

EPILOGUE

The woman and child laughed together as they walked out of the ocean and made their way across a large pile of cedar logs that cushioned the fragile shoreline from the persistent and ever present surf.

Most of the beach was rocky, but here, in the heart of the tiny hamlet of Robert’s Creek, a wide patch of silky sand hid beneath the waves. The sandbar only revealed itself at low tide and the knowledgeable locals knew to check their tables before heading down for a day of fun and relaxation.

Beyond the logs, a path led them to a small parking lot decorated with a colorful mandala. Every year, the locals painted a new geometric scene in celebration of the universe. Everyone was invited to participate, regardless of age or skill. It was just one of the many wonderful delights that the newly-blonde woman and her daughter had discovered in this little slice of paradise no more than a forty-minute ferry ride from where they almost lost their lives.

Hand in hand, they walked across the parking lot, over the bridge that allowed the fresh-water creek to meet its salty mother, and up the hill towards the General Store. The little, family-run store sold everything one could want for a perfect day: ice-cream, magazines, water toys, sandwiches, even cold beer and wine.

At the moment, it was ice-cream. A mother’s promise to a loving child who had, at long last, rediscovered her laugh and her beautiful smile.

They reached the top of the short but steep hill, wiping sweat from their brows, child laughing at mother who wanted a second to catch her breath.

A man stood in front of the store.

A man the woman recognized.

Her breath caught and her heart fluttered nervously.

The man looked up, but before his gaze could pass over them, two boys rushed out of the store with frozen drinks in their hand and two new water pistols still attached to their cardboard backings.

The boys ran around the man, giggling and using him as a shield as they pointed the packaged toys at each other and made
Pow Ping Pow
noises.

A woman joined them. Laughing. She was beautiful with long, curly red hair and a sunburned nose. She shooed the boys away and kissed the man on his stubbled cheek. The man hugged her and returned the kiss with passion.

They looked relaxed and happy.

The blonde woman turned away, not wanting to disturb, not wanting to interfere.

If anyone deserved a little peace and happiness, it was them.

Her guardian angels.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Scotland, living in Canada and writing American fiction, Grant wears a toque and kilt with his six-guns. His debut novel,
Switch
, earned fantastic reviews internationally when it was published by Bantam UK, in Germany by Heyne, and in Canada by Penguin. It has also been translated into Complex Chinese for Spring International Publishers of Taiwan, and into Russian for AST. Famous Books has now finally made available in the U.S.

Grant’s second novel,
No Cry For Help
, also garnered stellar reviews when it was published in the UK by Bantam TransWorld and translated in Germany by Heyne. It is now available in the U.S. and Canada.

His third dark thriller,
K.A.R.M.A.
, is out now from Famous Books.

Writing under the pen name M.C. Grant, a new mystery series set in San Francisco is being launched by Midnight Ink.
Angel With A Bullet
, the first in the Dixie Flynn series, will be out in Sept. 2012.

Grant’s short stories have been featured in the
First Thrills
anthology edited by Lee Child from Tor/Forge, plus
Out of the Gutter
and
Spinetingler
magazines, and his first screenplay won a fellowship at the Praxis Center for Screenwriting in Vancouver, B.C.

As a journalist, Grant has worked in virtually every area of the newspaper business from the late-night dead body beat at a feisty daily tabloid to editor at two of Canada’s largest broadsheets. He has also contributed numerous technology/humor columns to magazines around the world. He resides in Victoria, B.C., where he is Editor-in-Chief of Monday Magazine.

Grant can be contacted via his website at grantmckenzie.net

And on Facebook at:
facebook.com/grant.mckenzie

SWITCH

How far will one man go to save the ones he loves most?

Two strangers trapped in the same kidnapping nightmare face their worst fears when they are challenged to destroy everything they hold dear in order to save the ones they love.

Set in Portland, Oregon, featuring the spooky and labyrinthine tunnels underneath the city, this is a fantastically commercial, brilliantly paced read from a debut author.

“Think Harlan Coben on speed with a heart breaking compassion that will literally have you biting your nails.”

—
Ken Bruen, best-selling author of the Jack Taylor series

‘Switch crackles with suspense and is as tense as a switchblade opening in a dark alley.’

—
Rick Mofina, international best-selling author

“A terrific little-guy-in-big-trouble thriller moving at warp speed - with the emphasis on warp.”

—
Lee Child, #1 NY Times best-selling author

‘Switch is not merely good, it’s damned good.’

—
David Hagberg, best-selling author of Joshua’s Hammer

‘Grant McKenzie really knows how to make a story move.’

—
Linwood Barclay, best-selling author of No Time For Goodbye

K.A.R.M.A.

The children want revenge.

Led by a brilliant but troubled teenager, tech-savvy victims of abuse unite to turn their collective pain into bloody retribution. The group calls itself K
.A.R.M.A.: Kids Against Rape, Murder and Abuse.

To ensure the group’s message of revenge is heard, K
.A.R.M.A.’s leader enlists the aid of Tom Hackett, a rebellious freelance photojournalist who flaunts his willingness to break the rules for that perfect money-making shot. By tipping Hackett to the location of fresh kill, the group ensures sensational front-page media play.

But when the identity of
one victim hits too close to home, Tom begins to have doubts and questions his own motives. By pushing him to the frontlines, K.A.R.M.A. awakens a haunted past that could destroy everything Tom holds dear.

In struggling with his conscience, Tom becomes an obstacle that K
.A.R.M.A. can’t allow to live.

And if K
.A.R.M.A. has its way, he won’t be the only one.

“
Lots of violence, snappy prose and dialogue that jumps off the page. What more could you want from a thriller? I was gripped from page one.”

—
Stephen Leather, NY Times bestselling author

Reader reviews:

“Heart-pounding, mind-blowing story from page one right through to the end.”
—
Ellen J. Grogan

“Fresh, riveting and unique. Grant McKenzie should be up there with Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay . . . the story instantly grips you . . . the storyline is gritty, it has a mystery quality and something rare in murder/mystery, a sense of compassion.”
—
Jan Erlam