SYDNEY RYE SERIES
by Emily
Kimelman
The
Sydney Rye series of mysteries features a strong female protagonist and her
rescue dog, Blue. This series is recommended for the 18+ who enjoy some
violence, don't mind dirty language, and are up for a dash of sex. Not to
mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!
This
box set includes all three of the Sydney Rye Books.
UNLEASHED (A Sydney
Rye Novel, #1)
When
the series begins Sydney Rye is named Joy Humbolt. She does not like people
telling her what to do, so it comes as no surprise that she was just fired from
her last job. When she buys Charlene Miller's dog-walking business on
Manhattan's exclusive upper east side, it seems like the perfect fit: Quiet
environment, minimal contact with people.
But
then one of her clients turns up dead, and Charlene disappears. Rumors say
Charlene was having an affair with the victim--and of course, everyone assumes
Joy must know where she is. Joy begins to look into the crime, first out of
curiosity then out of anger when there is another murder and threats start to
come her way.
When
police detective Mulberry is assigned to the case, Joy finds a kindred
spirit--cynical and none-too-fond of the human race. As they dig deep into the
secrets of Manhattan's elite, they not only get closer to the killer but also
to a point of no return. One last murder sends Joy Humbolt hurtling over the
edge. Her only chance of survival is to become Sydney Rye.
DEATH IN THE DARK (A
Sydney Rye Novella, #2)
At
the beginning of Death in the Dark we find Joy Humbolt hiding, not only from
the law, but also from her past and the mistakes she's made. Living this
isolated life doesn't last long though when a visit from Mulberry brings Joy to
accept her new identity as the Private Detective, Sydney Rye. To complete the
transformation, Joy must learn to control her emotions as well as her giant
aggressive dog, Blue. With the help of an expert trainer, Joy learns to fight
with her mind as well as her body. However, when the daughter of a close friend
is brutally murdered in the desert, Rye turns away from her mentor to seek
revenge. Sydney's quick temper and deadly intentions lead her into a trap that
she will need all of her new skills to survive.
INSATIABLE (A Sydney
Rye Novel, #3)
The
third book in the series begins with private detective Sydney Rye living a
simple, disciplined life in London, but when a dangerous man from her past
calls, Rye finds she cannot turn him away. Robert Maxim explains that the
daughter of a powerful friend has gone missing and he wants Rye to find her. In
exchange he offers her something she had given up hope of ever having; freedom
from her past.
With
her dog, Blue, at her side, Rye meets up with her new partner, a handsome man
she's not sure she can trust. Heading for Mexico City, they go undercover,
posing as husband and wife. After meeting with the bereaved parents, Rye starts
to sense that there is more going on than just a missing girl. But it isn't
until they arrive in the Yucatan Peninsula, hot on the girl's trail in
Paradise, that all hell breaks loose. Sydney has to reach out for help from old
friends and deal with the consequences of her past, if she's going to find the
girl and keep them all alive.
EXCERPT From UNLEASHED
A white fog
hung in the dark sky. The mist dulled the glare of the streetlights. Beads of
dew covered the parked cars and sparkled in the soft yellow light. Blue led the
way into Prospect Park.
As soon as I
let him off leash, he bounced down the paved path. The gently rolling lawn
glowed a silver green. The man-made forest was a wall of blackness. The fog
hung low above us. We wandered onto smaller trails and roamed through the
trees, up steps to the top of the biggest hill, then down and around the lake
that glimmered in the night’s light.
Three men sat
on a bench. They wore rags and suckled on bottles in brown paper bags. One
stood up, unsteady. He opened his mouth to speak, a naughty smile playing in
his rummy eyes. Blue stepped out of the shadows, where he had been
investigating an interesting smell, and moved to my side, falling in step with
me. Fear twisted the man’s smirk into a grimace. He stumbled back to his
friends, whispering, “Devil.” The three men cowered on the bench as Blue and I
passed. We walked home with our heads held high, afraid of nothing and nobody.
EXCERPT from DEATH IN THE DARK
It was
pouring rain, and my headlights barely cut the darkness when I rolled across
the border between Arizona and Mexico. No one ventured out of the warmly lit
hut serving as border control to check my I.D. They waved from the window at my
RV to just keep driving. So I did. My relief was so intense that once the
lights were no longer visible in my rearview mirror, I had to pull over. I
climbed out into the storm, held my arms out to the side, and cried out into
the void, “I made it!”
“What the
fuck are you doing?” Mulberry pulled alongside me, leaning out of his open
window, scowling. “Get back in the fucking RV. We’re not there, yet.” He rolled
up his window and waited, looking straight ahead into the darkness. I climbed
back into the sturdy old RV, and, soaked to the bone, started to drive again.
For three
hours, we continued on the same road. Florescent-lit low buildings slid by in
the darkness, advertising gas and tacos. My night vision made shadows into
monsters, and the empty desert filled with motion. Part of it was the rain, so
rare to that region that it seemed to delight in all the open space. Drops fell
thick and straight, and then they came from the left, and suddenly from the
right. My headlights, like a stagnant spotlight on a troupe of dancers, caught
the movements in brief glimpses.
EXCERPT from INSATIABLE
Out on the
street the rain had stopped. I walked a couple of blocks just letting my body
warm up to the idea of movement. It didn't take long before I wanted to run. I
started going a little faster, jogging gently past shop windows filled with pencil-thin,
faceless mannequins posing in extraordinary fabrics. A woman teetering on
stiletto heels while jabbering into her cell phone walked a small, white,
curly-haired dog. The little dog strained against its pink halter, yapping at
us. Blue's head stayed straight and even with my hip. The little dog's bark
faded as we turned onto a side street filled with shade, the sticky sweet scent
of flowers, and the soft whoosh of a breeze. My pace picked up as I tread on
fallen bright purple petals. I felt my heart quickening as Chapultepec Park
rose up ahead.
Crossing into
the park, I began a sprint. A line of families waiting to enter the zoo watched
us pass. Little arms shot out to point at Blue, whispers of "lobo"
followed us.
I felt like I
was flying. Not a thought entered my head only the joy of speed as I raced down
an empty path. When my chest felt like it was on the verge of explosion and my
legs were no longer communicating I slowed down. The path under my feet was a
light sand. The trees around me bent and swayed in the gentle wind. I relished
the shade and mild temperature, the occasional gust that helped cool me.
Buy
links for all books at Amazon:
Barnes
and Noble:
Emily Kimelman, Author |
Emily
Kimelman lives on a boat in the Hudson Valley with her husband, Sean and their
dog Kinsey (named after Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone). Kimelman has a passion
for traveling and spends as much time as possible in the pursuit of adventure.
Her
"Sydney Rye Series" are dark murder mystery novels which features a
strong female protagonist and her rescue dog, Blue. This series is recommended
for the 18+ who enjoy some violence, don't mind dirty language, and are up for
a dash of sex. Not to mention an awesome, rollicking good mystery!
The
first three books in Kimelman's series, UNLEASHED, DEATH IN THE DARK, and
INSATIABLE are available in the Kindle store individually and in a box set. The
fourth book in the Sydney Rye series STRINGS OF GLASS is due out Mid-Summer
2013.
If
you've read Emily's work, and enjoyed it, please let Emily know. You can reach
her via email ejkimelman@gmail.com
4 comments:
Thanks for hosting!
Thanks for the excerpt.
kareninnc at gmail dot com
Sounds very compelling.
Kit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Thanks for being my guest, Emily. Your post will be featured through Sunday midnight.
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