Dark Summer

By Iris Johansen

Deal Ends: Sun 14th June

Tending to an injured dog throws a vet into danger with an ex-Navy SEAL in this romantic suspense thriller by a #1 New York Times–bestselling author.It begins with a single shot.Devon Brady is a devoted veterinarian working in a makeshift hospital on a remote search and rescue mission. When a man arrives with his wounded black Lab, Ned, she has no idea that she is about to be plunged into a whirlwind of terror and destruction.Jude Marrock is out for revenge and has no choice but to involve Devon in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game with an escalating body count. She doesn't trust him one bit, but when the shots start flying and friends start falling, she finds herself with nowhere else to run. And there are innocent lives, both human and animal, at stake, including Ned and his mysterious pack. Is Jude her salvation or her damnation? Are the secrets he's protecting worth killing for . . . or dying for? From Booklist Dogs with miraculous healing abilities are at the heart of a volatile and complicated battle for power in which Dr. Devon Brady, a deeply principled veterinarian, becomes emotionally and physically attracted to a man who gives her every reason to distrust him. While working a disaster relief mission on an earthquake-ravaged Caribbean island, Devon is enlisted to save the life of Ned, a superbly sensitive search-and-rescue dog wounded in action. The bullet that nearly killed Ned did not come from the gun of a rampaging looter, as Devon first suspects, but rather from a sniper hired to destroy Ned and his handler, the inscrutable and disturbingly charismatic Jude Marrok. When Jude leaves Ned in Devon’s care, he knowingly places her life in jeopardy by making her both a target for the man who has spent his life hunting Jude and his uniquely gifted dogs, and a pawn to be used to draw Jude into a lethal trap. Though readers must wade in confusion through nearly half the book before they can fully understand the basic premise behind this unusual conflict, once the motivation is made clear, Johansen’s knack for delivering robust action and commanding characters kicks into high gear. --Carol Haggas Review “Johansen keeps readers on the edge of their seats.”—Booklist "A uniquely gripping tale ... In a Johansen novel, the action is always intense and the stakes high, but the emotional temperature of this story makes it a blockbuster. It's one of her best."—RT Book Reviews (Top Pick! and 2008 Suspense / Thriller Award Winner) From the Back Cover With an explosive pace, unforgettable characters, and gut-wrenching action, Dark Summer is compelling new terrain for #1 blockbuster bestselling author Iris JohansenIt begins with a single shot.Devon Brady is a devoted veterinarian working in a makeshift hospital on a remote search and rescue mission. When a man arrives with his wounded black Lab named Ned, Devon has no idea that she's about to be plunged into a whirlwind of terror and destruction…DARK SUMMERJude Marrock is out for revenge―and he has no choice but to involve Devon in a high-stakes cat-and-mouse game with an escalating body count. She doesn't trust Jude one bit… but when the shots start flying and friends start falling, Devon finds herself with nowhere else to run. And there are innocent lives, both human and animal, at stake, including Ned and his mysterious pack. Is Jude her salvation or her damnation? Are the secrets he's protecting worth killing for―or dying for?"Johansen keeps readers on the edge of their seats."―Booklist About the Author Iris Johansen is the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Night, Blood Game, Eve, and Eight Days to Live, among others. She began writing after her children left home for college, and first achieved success in the early 1980s writing category romances. In 1991, she began writing suspense historical romance novels, and in 1996 she turned to crime fiction, with which she has had great success. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Chapter OneSanta Marina Island 1:30 A.M. " YOU’RE NOT GOING TO FIND anyone, you crazy dog." Jude Marrok climbed over another pile of rubble, trying to keep up with the black Lab. "And I’m not going to keep on chasing after you. I’ll give you fifteen more minutes. After that, I’m calling the helicopter." Ned didn’t even look back as he sniffed desperately at the remains of houses toppled by the earthquake. He was making soft, whimpering noises as he searched the ruins for life. Marrok muttered a curse beneath his breath. Dammit, he should have taken the dog down to the main rescue area after they’d been dropped by the helicopter in the foothills. This side of the mountain had already been searched by the canine rescue teams. When the volcano on this small Caribbean island had caused a 7.5 earthquake six days ago, it had devastated the two villages on both slopes of the mountain. The rescue teams had worked tirelessly on both villages, but after no one was found, they had abandoned this smaller village to concentrate on the one on the far side of the mountain. His dog, Ned, had refused to go to the other side of the mountain and insisted on going to the now- deserted village, and Marrok had gone along with him. Most of the time the Lab’s instincts were pretty good, and it wasn’t that unusual for him to find survivors after other rescue teams had abandoned hope. But they’d been searching for two hours, and Ned had not found any signs of life. And the blasted dog wouldn’t give up. The longer he searched, the more frantic he was becoming. He was whimpering now, and if he started barking, it could bring the soldiers who were guarding the ruins from vandals and looters. That couldn’t happen. Jude hadn’t had time to get papers when he decided to bring Ned to the disaster site. He’d put the usual Red Cross halter jacket on Ned, but the military would demand more proof. Oh, what the hell. He’d worry about being thrown in the local hoosegow if it happened. After all, he’d brought Ned here to put a stop to the depression he’d noticed in him for the last few weeks, and he’d stay the course. The dog’s depression used to be present only after he’d gone to a site and found nothing but the dead, but lately he always seemed to be waiting for any opportunity to make the attempt at rescue. Ned had stopped at a heap of timber and turned his head to stare at him with pleading dark eyes."Okay, I’ll take a look." He began to pull aside the debris. "But don’t get your hopes up, buddy." He worked for fifteen minutes, and all the while Ned just sat gazing anxiously at him. "I told you. You know how many times it turns out that—" He stopped. "Shit." Ned was whimpering, pressing close to his knees. "Dead." The villager he’d uncovered was lying crumpled, his skull crushed. Poor bastard. "I told you. Now let’s go to the other side of the mountain where we have a chance of finding—" Ned lifted his head and howled. "No." Marrok fell to his knees and put his arms around the Lab. "Shhh, I know it hurts. Me, too. But you have to be quiet, Ned. We’re not supposed to be here." Ned was whimpering again, but at least he wasn’t howling any longer. He buried his nose against Marrok’s chest. "We’ll keep looking. You’ll find someone alive. I promise." He hoped he was telling the truth. It was breaking his heart to see Ned grieving. He stroked the dog’s head. "Come on. We’ll go and join the rescue teams on the other side of the mountain. You can show those other dogs how smart you are." And Marrok would be walking a tightrope and have to lie himself blue in the face if he was challenged by anyone. Well, it wasn’t as if that would be unfamiliar territory. He had become an expert at both over the years. Ned was worth any amount of trouble he had to face. He got to his feet. "Let’s go," he said gently. "No reason for staying here. We can’t help him." He put a marker on the spot for body retrieval. "It will be better if we—" Ned was no longer beside him. He was running across the rubble, his lean midnight-black body taut with eagerness. He had caught another scent, Marrok realized, and he was following it with reckless speed. It seemed the dog wasn’t ready to obey him, he thought ruefully. It wasn’t surprising since their relationship was that of close friends rather than master and canine. They had long ago passed that point. "Okay, we’ll go your way for a while." He took off after Ned. "But you’d better be right this time. I can’t spend all night comforting you." But he knew he’d do precisely that. You didn’t question when a friend was in need. He’d almost caught up with Ned, and the Lab was staring at him hopefully. "Let’s make a deal." He started to bend to shift the debris. "If we don’t find anyone this time, you give it up and do it my—" A whistle of sound streaked by his cheek. Ned cried out and fell to the ground, blood pouring from his side. A bullet, dammit. Marrok fell sideways, grabbed Ned’s collar, and rolled with him behind the ruin of the house. Another bullet splintered the timber next to Marrok as he pulled out his gun. It had come from the direction of the trees to the south of the site. Not the military. They would have questioned him before shooting at him. That Red Cross on Ned’s halter would have required it. His gaze searched the trees as he moved to the side. Another bullet. One shooter and determined to make the kill. Danner? Maybe. God, he’d hoped he’d sidetracked them in Morocco, but they must have uncovered his trail. The solution was the same as always. Kill the shooter. Disappear. It would take time for them to send someone else on his trail. But he couldn’t leave Ned. The Lab was hurt and bleeding. He couldn’t take time to go after the shooter. Not now. He had to stop Ned’s bleeding and get him help.He dodged two bullets while he dragged Ned farther behind the timbers. He sprayed a barrage of bullets at the trees before starting work to stop the bleeding. There wasn’t much, thank God. Ned lay still, only whimpering occasionally. Marrok didn’t think the wound was terminal, but he couldn’t tell in the darkness. Anger exploded through him. Come after me, you son of a bitch. Let me have my chance at you. Shoot my dog? I’ll tear your heart out. But he could hear voices coming from the direction of the rescue site on the other side of the mountain. Someone had heard the shots, dammit. He wasn’t going to get his opportunity to make the kill. The shooter wouldn’t risk going after him and exposing himself to awkward questions. Danner didn’t like questions. He stroked Ned’s head. "It’s going to be okay. We’ll get you fixed up. There’s almost always a vet on these mercy missions." He glanced at the trees from where the bullet had come. It was only a postponement. The shooter wouldn’t give up. He’d stick around and wait for another opportunity to take them out. Danner disliked failure almost as much as he did questions. "And then I promise I’ll make sure that bastard never has another go at you." SHIT Kingston lowered his Remington, slid down the trunk of the palm tree, and sprinted back into the woods. He’d go back and cover his tracks later. He wasn’t worried about the locals hunting him down. Marrok was the threat. Kingston had read every word of the report Danner had given him on the man who called himself Jude Marrok, and some of it was very impressive. His phone vibrated in his jacket pocket. He pulled it out and checked the ID. Danner. Dammit, he was tempted to ignore it. He didn’t want to have to give explanations right now. But he couldn’t ignore a man who wielded as much power as Raymond Danner. He punched the button. "I’m a little busy. I’ll call you back." "Did you get him?" Raymond Danner asked. "I shot the dog." "Dead?" "I’m not sure. Marrok got in my way at the last minute." Silence. "You shot Marrok?" "No," he said quickly. "I was trying to lure him into a trap, but then the soldiers—" Danner began to curse. "My God, can’t you do anything right? I even told you where Marrok and the dog would be to night. All you had to do was go in and get them." "I was waiting on the other side of the mountain where all the other rescue teams were working. He didn’t go where you said he was going. I had to reposition." He quickly added, "But I’ll stake out the area and watch for the helicopter. There are military units all over this mountain, so he may not be able to get the copter back into the area. If the dog’s not dead, he’ll have to get help for it. Don’t worry, Marrok won’t get away from me." "I’m not worried. I’m pissed. That damn sava... From AudioFile Joyce Bean's performance of DARK SUMMER is near perfect. This latest by writer Iris Johansen brings together protagonist Jude; his wounded black lab, Ned; a dedicated female veterinarian; and her dog, Gracie. Jude has a mercurial personality and a tattered past. He's being pursued by a villain who's after a secret that relates to Ned and three other canines. As the bodies pile up, you realize the most interesting characters in the story are the dogs. There's only one negative element to Bean's performance. Sometimes, her characterizations of men are not believable. Nonetheless, she whisks the listener through the story, so, ultimately, there's no complaint. A.L.H. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine