On the heels of her last mystery, Elisabeth's new patient is more than meets the eye, and unraveling his secrets will throw her team into a desert storm of double agents and religious extremists.
Book Details:
Book Title: Seeing Double: An Elisabeth Reinhardt Thriller by Nancy J Alexander
Category: Adult Fiction, 318 pages
Genre: Espionage Thriller
Publisher: NJA Productions
Release date: Nov 2015
Tour dates: May 8 to 26, 2017
Content Rating: PG-13 + M for themes of terrorism, kidnapping, some bad language, but no explicit sex or violence.
Book Description:
"A chill ran up her spine, triggering an alarm that spread through her system. Her eyes studied him as his eyes studied her. In the recesses of her mind, a fragment of a memory tingled...a tiny blip from long ago. An image spiraled, then vanished. There was something about this young man, this Ari Ben Aviv. There was something about him she couldn't pinpoint."
On the heels of her last mystery, Elisabeth's new patient is more than meets the eye, and unraveling his secrets will throw her team into a desert storm of double agents and religious extremists. All that stands between love and war are two families, two brothers, and two conflicting versions of the truth.
To follow the tour and read reviews, please visit Nancy J. Alexander's page on iRead Book Tours.
REVIEW:
This is part two of the Elisabeth Reinhardt series. Perhaps you could read this as a stand a lone but, I don't recommend it. The story is very much a gripping, emotional, grab-you-by-the collar kind of story. I enjoyed this book very much but, just be forewarned, it does take a little focus while reading it as there is a lot going on. Not that it is confusing but, if you don't pay attention to the storyline and the details within, you could find yourself getting lost or confused. There is some adult language - so be forewarned about that as well..
This story was captivating and kept my attention and because the ending left me hanging, I am safely assuming there will be a third book; otherwise the ending (in my humble opinion) was weak and unfinished.
Interview with Nancy J Alexander:
How did you do research for your book?
While Seeing Double is a work of fiction, my research was fairly extensive involving hundreds of Google searches into history, geography and incidental cultural facts about such things as customs, food and clothing. In addition to news articles, I read a number of books about world events, the Middle East and the CIA written by authors such as Fareed Zakaria, Avi Melamed and Michael Hayden accumulating a fact-based platform about conflicts and players tangled in the Middle East imbroglio.
Where do you write?
I have a ‘writing room’ equipped with needed electronics, reference books, globe, maps and character pictures posted on a bulletin board. My equipment and its effectiveness is critical. Most of the time I use both my desktop and laptop, each device open to different applications, for example one holds the document I’m working on while the other is open to maps, research information or follow-up notes. Because I use Dropbox, all documents are easily available to both devices.
There, surrounded by bookshelves, pictures and art objects, I can gaze out the window at birds flitting through the trees and calmly focus on my story. With one major exception … Tahji. A huge Himalayan mix, white with red points, Tahji is not a fan of boundaries; he spends his day jumping on the desk and torturing me by sprawling in front of the monitor, bumping it back and forth on its swivel base, walking on the keyboard, batting my mouse across the floor and scattering stacks of paper on the floor. All the while purring loudly and pawing my hands as they move. Tahji is not to be ignored; he seems to see my novels as his main competitors and is determined to eradicate them. It is through sheer will power that I manage to write tap out an email!
In this tech savvy world, do you use computers or write by hand?
I have my laptop and desktop open at the same time; writing on one and doing research on the other one. I would never write by hand because it would take forever and I would never be able to read what I wrote!
I love my computers and love writing on them. It’s my habit to open lots of documents, reference materials and novels at the same time. I find that I think very quickly and want to capture my thoughts as quickly as possible. I do not want to be interrupted or take breaks because I don’t want to slow down or lose track of my thought process. Because I don’t outline and am an intuitive writer, I want to be able to write quickly and as fully as possible. My ‘first drafts’ are fairly comprehensive and though I edit and rewrite parts of the book, the actual story is essentially complete by the time the first draft is finished. None of that would be possible without my trusty computers!
Are there things you include in most of your books?
Yes. I always have animals in my books, dogs and cats are usually included and wildlife is always present in various forms throughout each book depending on where in the world my characters are living. I use wildlife metaphors and include them in environmental descriptions throughout every book. As you read, see how many animal and/or wildlife references you can find!
Another thing I do is describe the scenes in great detail. I want to draw a picture for my readers and create a vivid world setting for my characters. I would not say ‘character entered a room.’ I would always describe how they entered the room, how they looked and felt as well as details about the room and whatever they encountered there, including grounding environmental clues and descriptions.
What’s your next project?
I am currently writing the 2nd book in The Olive Branch series called Sun Runner. As the follow-up to Seeing Double, many of the same characters will be returning with new assignments and interpersonal issues. The title Sun Runner was derived from a rare spider by that name, also called the Camel Spider. They live in the Middle East and have a terrifying appearance and reputation that is both fearful and highly inaccurate. Because its mischaracterization parallels so much of what happens in the Middle East, I named the book after these misunderstood arachnids to underscore global mischaracterizations and misunderstandings about the Middle East itself and the conflicts it subsumes.
Buy the Book:
Meet the Author:
Love of the mystery/thriller genre combines with psychotherapy training and experience to produce an emotionally supercharged dramatic novel. Nancy Alexander has devoted much of her professional life to helping survivors of childhood trauma; their distress has been ingrained and works to create characters who give voice to their plight. To analyze the evil minds that prey on others and the intricacies of law enforcers who pursue them seemed a natural interlacing of professional, literary and creative interests.
BOOK TOUR SCHEDULE:
May 8 - Library of Clean Reads - book spotlight / giveaway
May 8 - Working Mommy Journal - review / giveaway
May 8 - Over the hills and far away - book spotlight / giveaway
May 9 - Leels Loves Books - review
May 10 - Rockin' Book Reviews - review / guest post / giveaway
May 11 - A Mama's Corner of the World - review / giveaway
May 12 - NorthernMSW - review
May 15 - Book review nature photos and everything in between - review
May 16 - Olio by Marilyn - review / author interview
May 17 - Celticlady's Reviews - book spotlight / giveaway
May 17 - The World As I See It - review / giveaway
May 18 - Rainy Day Reviews - review / author interview
May 19 - Svetlana's Reads and Views - review
May 22 - My Journey Back - review / author interview - giveaway
May 23 - Bound 4 Escape - review / giveaway
May 24 - Bookaholic Banter - review / author interview / giveaway
May 24 - JBronder Book Reviews - review / guest post / giveaway
May 25 - Books for Books - review
May 26 - Jessica Cassidy - review / author interview / giveaway
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