Stephanie Julian | Peek into SEX, LIES & SURVEILLANCE
January 19, 2012
NSA field agent Mal Laughlin is a man with a mission: Bring down DeMarco
Investigations for playing a role in the death of his partner. He doesn't care
that Grace and Frank DeMarco are two of the most decorated and venerated U.S.
spies. He doesn't care that Nic, their oldest son, is a man he'd want at his
back in a fight or that second son Jimmy is a brilliant geek with a wicked sense
of humor. And he most certainly does not care that youngest child, Janey, is as
good if not better with computers than he is and beautiful and sweet and...
Well, maybe he cares a little. Or maybe he cares a little too much...
The woman's voice wrapped around Malcolm Laughlin like humidity on a
ninety-degree day, making him unseasonably warm for a cool April
morning.
From the adjoining office, Janey DeMarco's husky tone soothed. "No,
don't panic. I can talk you through this. You have to slide off the cover on the
tower to remove the hard drive."
He had no idea who she was talking to. Didn't matter. Her voice
mesmerized—calm, logical, competent. Mal stifled a groan. Sexy as
hell.
With a rising sense of dread , he stared blindly into the monitor in
front of him. He tried to shut her out, to imagine himself anywhere but the
Philadelphia offices of DeMarco Investigations.
A nice arctic oil field or Mount Everest, maybe.
"No. Not the modem. Don't mess with the cards. I need you to pull
the hard drive." She paused. "What do you mean, should you unplug the machine
first?" Now her voice showed the slightest hint of agitation. "Oh for—Damn
it, Nic, haven't I taught you anything?"
Her brother. She was talking to her brother.
"You can't just—no, don't—Stop! Just stop."
She laughed then, a rich, melodic sound that completely erased the
irritation.
God damn, she had a great laugh. Gave him a hard-on every damn time.
Luckily for him, in the month he'd been here, she hadn't had much to laugh
about.
Mal used his forearm to sweep a clear spot on his desk. Ignoring the
pile of discs that fell to the floor, he doubled over, resting his forehead on
the cool, polished wood.
"Yes, I know you don't normally do this, but—No! You
can't just pull the plug! You have to shut it down first." She paused again, as
if to take a deep breath. "Nic, work with me here. I need that hard
drive."
Ah, hell. Another groan twisted his insides into knots.
Gallagher had said three weeks, in and out. No problem.
Well, he'd been here four, and he hadn't found a damn thing. This
case was not as cut and dried as he'd been led to believe.
"Damn it, Nic. I can't believe you let it go this far. You should've
called me earlier—"
And the DeMarcos were not what he'd expected. He'd imagined "The
Sopranos." Instead, he got "Ozzie and Harriet" with a little "La Femme Nikita"
thrown in for flavor.
It was confusing as hell, and confusion generally pissed him off. He
liked to have all his facts in a row. Who the players were. What their roles
were.
These damn DeMarcos wouldn't stay in their boxes. Whenever he
thought he had them figured out, they threw something new at him.
"No, you can't do that. No... You could wipe the disc."
Mal knew his limits. Knew his strengths and weaknesses. He was
controlled, meticulous. He could be a cold-blooded son-of-a-bitch who didn't
take shit from anybody. And he never, ever, let his libido dictate his
actions.
"Alright, put her on," Janey said. "Toni, honey, it's going to be
okay. You'll have your term paper by the end of the week, even if we have to
make Nic rewrite it. I swear, everything will be fine."
A goddamn term paper. Jesus. He was screwed.
Still, if she told him the sky was green and the ocean pink right
now, he'd believe her. If she told him to hide under his desk because the sky
was falling, he'd do it in a heartbeat.
And if she ordered him to strip naked and lie on his desk for her
pleasure...well, shit, he'd think he'd died and gone to heaven.
Christ Almighty, didn't he have enough problems without lusting
after the suspects' daughter?
Fighting the urge to kick his desk into submission, he lifted his
head and tossed the glasses he hadn't worn in years onto the mess on his desk.
He rubbed at his eyes then applied pressure to his temples, trying to ease the
throbbing.
Yeah, he knew it was a lost cause. He dropped his head again, this
time banging it on the desktop. Hard enough to make him come to his senses,
although it would probably take a sledgehammer to sort this case into any kind
of order.
Want to win a copy of SEX,
LIES & SURVEILLANCE? Leave me a comment and tell me your favorite spy, real
or imaginary.
Stephanie Julian is
the author of the Forgotten Goddesses, Magical Seduction, Lucani Lovers,
Darkly Enchanted, The Fringe and DeMarco Investigations series. A former
reporter for a daily newspaper, she enjoys making up stories much more than
writing about real life. She's happily married to a Springsteen fanatic and is
the mother of two sons who love her even when they don't have any clean clothes
and dinner is a bowl of cereal.
This sounds like it has many layers weaved into a story that would interest me. (Cindy Olp 12:25pm January 19, 2012)
I can't go past Maxwell Smart. Such a bumbling lovable spy.
SEX, LIES & SURVEILLANCE looks amazing. Thank you for the excerpt. (Mary Preston 12:45pm January 19, 2012)
My favorite fictional spy is Jason Bourne. He's an alpha and very resourceful. (Kai Wong 12:55pm January 19, 2012)
Loves the excerpt. Intriquing beginning. Congratulations on an interesting storyline. (Gladys Paradowski 3:51am January 19, 2012)
Of ouurse I meant "Loved the excerpt." (Gladys Paradowski 3:52am January 19, 2012)
Boy,I bet Mel will be banging his head on the desk many more times before this story is over. Good luck to him! Blessings, Marjorie (Marjorie Carmony 6:35am January 19, 2012)
MY FAVORITE SPY..BARBARA BAIN IN "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE"..I AM IN IT TO WIN IT! (Silvana Moscato 7:32am January 19, 2012)
Wow, Stephanie- this book sounds so fun! I'm adding it to my TBR list right now. It seems to have all the elements of a great read. :) My favorite spy character... Hmm. Well, someone's already mentioned Maxwell Smart. I just love the movie Get Smart with Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway. He is completely hysterical, yet he is also a good spy and I love the romance that happens too. Can't judge a book by it's cover! I guess he'd be my favorite. Good luck with your new book, and thanks for the chance to win! (Debbie Burdeen 7:49am January 19, 2012)
I am a James Bond fan...the old version with Sean Connery. (Robin McKay 8:44am January 19, 2012)
Bond ... James Bond. (Pam Howell 9:51am January 19, 2012)
Sounds like a fun read! (Jan Terry 9:52am January 19, 2012)
Gotta go with Mata Hari..but lets not forget Julia Child also...But the best looking Dean Martin as "Matt Helm" (Dawn Staniszeski 9:57am January 19, 2012)
Thanks for the great excerpt! This book looks haawt!!!! Adding to my wishlist :) (Erin Fender 10:34am January 19, 2012)
My favorite spys were Kelly Robinson and Alexander Scott from I Spy from 1965. This sounds like a fun and interesting book. (Joanne Balinski 11:00am January 19, 2012)
Bond...James Bond. (G. Bisbjerg 11:07am January 19, 2012)
sounds like a fun read - and I would love to win a copy. Best of luck with it! (Nancy Reynolds 11:36am January 19, 2012)
Bond...James Bond. Thank you for a chance to win your book. (Linda Hall 11:55am January 19, 2012)
Can it just be Daniel Craig, as Bond, as Bloomkist...I do enjoy the Sigma Force novels by Rollins. (Carla Carlson 12:04pm January 19, 2012)
not original..but james bond (Mal Kaplan 12:19pm January 19, 2012)
I don't know, I think I may have a new favorite! Mal! (Kelli Jo Calvert 12:29pm January 19, 2012)
Can't pick just one - Love James Bond, Jason Bourne is excellent, so many others, would love to add these characters to my favorites list. (Diane Sallans 12:42pm January 19, 2012)
James Bond rolls on the tongue of everyone when that question is asked, but there are everyday heroes that have written books, or there are books that are written about them. I have heard that the Ludlum series i.e. The Bourne Identity is very good. I'm a little behind on my reading. There is also a book out that I am interested in reading. It is called - A Time to Betray by Rezy Kahilli, and it's about a man from Iran who was in the Iranian Guard who was a double-agent, and spied for them and reported to the CIA as well. I've heard it's a very good book, and will bring tears to your eyes as well. He now lives in California. I'm sure there are many others, but as I said, I am behind in my reading, as in other things at the moment. I promise not to do that with your book!! (Peggy Roberson 12:44pm January 19, 2012)
My vote goes to Flint (or maybe it's just that I love James Coburn when he plays Flint? :D) (Ilona Fenton 12:48pm January 19, 2012)
Spy stories are a lot of fun and James Bond is definitely up there. There have been other spy stories but I can't recall their names, all I know is a sense of humor and some smarts can make the characters more appealing. (Na S 1:13pm January 19, 2012)
I never really thought about having a fav spy... at this point I am not sure who to say is my fav... (Colleen Conklin 1:15pm January 19, 2012)
Hmm, I don't really read a lot of spy stories, but that excerpt intrigued me right from the start! Actually the only spy I know is James Bond... I have read other spy stories but they didn't really make a big impression on me! (Victoria Teoh 1:49pm January 19, 2012)
Hmmm who is my favorite spy? Jason Bourne or James Bond? Bourne for skills and Bond for style. (Stacie Deramo 1:58pm January 19, 2012)
That excerpt was just priceless, Stephanie. As for favorite spies, mine are Jason Bourne and Sydney Bristow. (Cathy MacDonald 2:24pm January 19, 2012)
My favorite spy is one who is pretty sneaky while looking good and unassuming. (Alyson Widen 3:06pm January 19, 2012)
Barbara Felton in the first Get Smart (Agent 99?). (Sandra Spilecki 3:13pm January 19, 2012)
James Bond, no matter how dated, will be the ultimate spy to me. (The Sean Connery version) (Anne Muller 3:31pm January 19, 2012)
This book sounds great! My favourite spy is James Bond. (Cheryl McEwen 4:43pm January 19, 2012)
My favorite spy, I would have to say, was Don Adams on the "Get Smart" TV series (this dates me), but he was so funny, to the point of hysterical, and loved Barbara Feldon, too. Your book intrigues me and love a spy story with a bit of humor thrown in! Would love to own this book! (Linda Luinstra 5:38pm January 19, 2012)
Hi Stephanie! SEX, LIES AND SURVEILLANCE sounds like a must read. As far as a favorite spy goes, I have 3 that have already been named: Maxwell Smart, James Bond, and Jason Bourne. Maxwell because he was funny, James because he is sexy and smooth, and Jason because he is so intense and doesn't know what is going on in his life. (Cathy Phillips 6:09pm January 19, 2012)
Enjoy watching spy movies and reading spy novels. My favorites were The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (United Network Command for Law & Enforcement) with Robert Vaughn as Napoleon Solo. Also, really enjoyed Maxwell Smart with Don Adams and James Bond, especially those with Sean Connery. (Rich Cook 6:22pm January 19, 2012)
Bond, James Bond! The older verisions cause the new ones are kind of bad. (Jennifer Beyer 8:16pm January 19, 2012)
Harriet The Spy is my favorite childhood spy and George Smiley in John le Carre's "Tinker,Tailor,Soldier,Spy" is my favorite adult spy. Loved the excerpt soooo much! (Joanne Hicks 8:44pm January 19, 2012)
My favorite spy is Annie Walker from Covert Affairs. I really like the cover. (Lisa Kendall 9:27pm January 19, 2012)
Sounds like a great book, will definitely have to put it on my reading list. (Lynn Paterson 10:10pm January 19, 2012)
My favorite spy would have to be Jason Bourne, yumm-o! Good luck and happy writing! (Tracie Travis 11:45pm January 19, 2012)
Hi! Thanks for having the contest. I would have to agree with several others...Bourne and Bond (at least those are the ones that come to mind at the moment). Your book sounds fantastic! I haven't read many books of this type, as the first few pages did not catch my attention. Not so with yours....just reading that short excerpt, and I am "hooked"! I do think, perhaps, Mal Laughlin will be MY favorite one soon. LOL Would LOVE to win your book!! Good Luck to everyone... Toodles, Uekiya (Cheri Minott 4:11am January 20, 2012)
My favorite spy---man, James Bond, the classic Sean Connery one---woman, Annie Walker, she's just so new and fresh. (Sue Farrell 10:58am January 20, 2012)
I liked the Avengers and Ilya from the Man from Uncle (Lisa Elwood 1:37pm January 20, 2012)
It was hard to find a great spy that wasn't already mentioned. I really love the James Bond movies with Sean Connery. How about Cameron Diaz in Charlie's Angels. Does that count? (Kathleen Yohanna 5:03pm January 21, 2012)
Another James Bond fan here, especially Sean Connery! (Jeanne Sheats 9:15pm January 21, 2012)
Wow, all good suggestions but no one mentioned Michael from La Femme Nikita! Not the new version on The CW but the one by USA Network. Roy Dupuis still makes me swoon. (Stephanie Julian 9:32am January 22, 2012)
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