The Savage brothers -- Max, a highly respected facial
reconstructive plastic surgeon; Roche, a psychiatrist; and
Kelly, the business manager -- are opening a
state-of-the-art clinic in Toussaint, Louisiana. More medical
specialists and therapists will eventually be hired. Max
has chosen this small, out-of-the way bayou town to more or
less hide out from a past that is haunting him. He has
been associated with the deaths of two women, fifteen years
apart, with the second murder happening three years ago.
There is no evidence against Max in either case, just
innuendo and suspicion. Consequently, Max is afraid of
becoming involved with a woman out of fear for her life.
However, his attraction to Annie Duhon, the general manager
of Pappy's Dance Hall and Eats in Toussaint, is
undeniable. He wants more than the easy friendship they
have established, but that gnawing fear is still around.
Now another woman has disappeared after being interviewed
by Max for a position in the clinic, and once again he is
the last one to see her . . . alive?
Annie is also hiding out in Toussaint because of her second-
sight and the disturbing visions she has. She has seen a
body being buried, but cannot see the killer. She has
heard the gossip about Max, but she senses no evil in
him. She knows she must help exonerate this man she has
come to care about, even at the risk of her own life.
A MARKED MAN is an excellent white-knuckled, complex,
psychological suspense tale that keeps the reader
mesmerized and guessing the outcome from beginning to
end. Stella Cameron skillfully recruits interesting,
familiar characters from previous books to keep this story
moving rapidly. There is an appealing chemistry between
the protagonists in this tautly written tale that is as
haunting and dark as a Louisiana swamp. Ms. Cameron just
keeps getting better, and her compelling mystery thrillers
continue to leave readers anxiously awaiting the next
story.
When Max Savage opens his practice in a remote, seductively
beautiful bayou town, he hopes it's the start of a new life.
He's got his reputation as a skilled surgeon, his two
brothers by his side and a fresh chance here in the sultry
heat of Toussaint. But soon Max discovers he can't escape a
past riddled with accusations of murder... or the faces of
two dead women. Especially since another woman is missing,
and he was the last person to see her alive.
ALWAYS SUSPECTED
Annie Duhon knows all about nightmares that shatter life's
dreams and the need to escape the past. But her fascination
with Max grows, even when disturbing rumors start to surface
and her darkest visions seem to play out in living color.
Can she trust Max with her secrets and her deepest desires?
Or is he the specter she sees when she sleeps -- a killer
stalking women with his cleansing fire? Is she about to
become his next victim?
MARKED FOR DEATH
The object of obsessive hatred, Max is a marked man who has
unwittingly attracted danger to anyone he's cared about. Now
he loves Annie, and knows with chilling certainty that he
faces one last chance to unmask a killer before there's
nothing left to fight for.
Dear Reader:
If I delve much deeper into the world of voodoo, hoodoo,
Marie Laveau and the power of the gris-gris, someone will
have to organize an intervention!
In A MARKED MAN, two woman have loved Max Savage–and
died--snatched from life and found in bizarre, ritualistic
states. Max was the last man to see either victim alive.
There was insufficient evidence to convict him of any crime.
What would you do if you were Annie Duhon, manager of
Pappy’s Dancehall in Toussaint, Louisiana and you met a
renowned plastic surgeon (Max Savage) who showed interest in
you? Imagine your past is studded with hard knocks, your
ego is shriveled, and this charismatic man shows up most
days just to eat lunch with you. Then add the mystery of
why Max would choose to open a clinic in the area–an
isolated and unlikely place for him to relocate.
And if that isn’t bad enough, you learn (as Annie does)
about Max’s past when another woman disappears. Again, Max
is the last person to see the potential victim alive. Would
you be tempted to run from a man who is likely a killer?
Max Savage is angry. He cannot stop the rumors about him,
and the disappearance of a therapist he interviewed for his
new clinic may stop his plans for practice just outside
Toussaint. He chose the area because it is remote.
This surgeon hovers between staying to fight, and getting
away from people who are becoming important to him. Public
interference from some who have judged him guilty turns
violent. And fear in the eyes of new acquaintances pushes
Max closer to walking away from his plans.
Besieged by dreadful nightmares, Annie sees death.
Something big is afoot in the Bayou. Bigger than, but
related to the crimes Max Savage is accused of. Attention
from a voodoo practitioner who claims she sees Annie’s
future, as well-meaning as it seems, doesn’t pump up her
confidence. And evidence that her fate may be in the hands
of another leads to impulsive action–and its consequences.
You, my readers, are invited on the journey to . . . to
whatever awaits you!