Book Blitz: Sacrifice by Carolyn Arnold

This is my stop during the book blitz for Sacrifice by Carolyn Arnold. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 31 July till 6 August, you can view the blitz schedule here.

31 July is the fourth anniversary of Sacrifice!

Sacrifice (Detective Madison Knight #3)
By Carolyn Arnold
Genre: Mystery
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 31 July 2012
Publisher: Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc.

Blurb:

Finding justice comes at a high price…

When the son of business tycoon Marcus Randall, washes up on the shore of the Bradshaw River, Detective Madison Knight must sacrifice everything including her career to find justice for the "perfect murder."

With Marcus Randall already on the radar of the Secret Service for fraud and counterfeiting, the investigation sheds new light and they require the full co-operation of the Stiles PD. But with power and money to back him, Marcus has a reach that extends right inside the police department.

If Madison's going to find out the truth, she'll have to sort through the lies and balance diplomacy with politics.

You can find Sacrifice on Goodreads

You can buy Sacrifice here:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * iBooks

Author Guest Post:

Not Your Everyday Female Detective

“Madison needs to work harder than the rest as she is a female in a male-dominated world. But she is very good at what she does… She is dedicated and really cares… It is a breath of fresh air when you have a kick a** female as a lead.”

Krystal

KCB Reviews

Detective Madison Knight was born when I decided to write a mystery series with a strong female lead. At the time, independent and courageous women were hard to find in literature and on television. A female detective was usually found tagging along behind her male partner and having very little to say. I wanted someone who spoke her mind and had the drive to find justice for murder victims. Madison Knight fit that image perfectly.

There’s nothing that’s going to stop Madison from solving a murder and getting the guilty behind bars. And there are no shortcuts. She stands strong in her own defense whenever she makes up her mind, and no one is going to intimidate her into looking the other way. Not even now, when the victim is the son of Marcus Randall, a wealthy business tycoon, who is in bed with the chief of police.

Chief McAlexandar is micromanaging every aspect of the investigation to keep suspicion away from Marcus, but Madison isn’t going to be intimidated. And it’s not just the chief who Madison’s up against—it’s her own sergeant. Will Madison have the gall to stand up to her superiors to solve the murder of a young man? Will she have the strength to expose the chief for his illegal affiliations, no matter what it could mean for her career?

--Carolyn Arnold

Author of Sacrifice (Detective Madison Knight Series)

Excerpt from Sacrifice, Chapter 14:

Madison followed the chief’s rushed steps to the elevator. They rode it in silence to the fifth floor where his office was located.

Sandy Taylor, his executive assistant, avoided eye contact. Madison’s stomach tightened.

The chief closed the door behind them. Sergeant Winston rose from a sofa set up in the corner of the room. His face drooped and appeared heavy with stress. It didn’t give her much confidence in her fate.

“I didn’t do anything—”

“You didn’t do anything? You have the gall to come into my office and start with that?” The chief slid behind his desk and settled into his leather chair.

She remained standing. “I’m doing my job—” Her voice was losing power. “What have I done, exactly?”

“What have you done?” The chief pointed a wagging finger at her.

“Sit, Knight,” Sergeant Winston directed her.

She didn’t want to sit. That would imply it would be a longer visit than she wanted. She was ready to leave now.

Their attention made her legs weak and her head faint. But her stubborn nature kept the adrenaline pumping and forced her to keep standing. “You have no grounds to terminate me—none.”

The chief leaned over his desk. “I asked you specifically to keep your attention off Randall. You go to his business—”

“It wasn’t for him.”

“Sit.” The sergeant insisted.

Why were they so adamant about her sitting?

She dropped herself heavily into the chair, crossed her leg away from her boss, and leaned forward. She wasn’t going to go down without defending herself.

“Why were you there?” The chief asked.

“To see Ryan Turner.”

“Who is he?”

“An employee of his—”

“Relevance to the case, Knight,” the chief said.

“He was on the victim’s—” She was going to mention the call log on Chris’s cell phone before the interruption.

“Was Chris Randall even a victim?” The chief raised his eyebrows. “From what I understand, there’s not even a confirmed cause of death at this point.” He turned to the sergeant. “At this point, I would like to suspend investigation of this case—”

“That’s insane.” Madison appealed to the sergeant.

“You have no say in this matter. It’s a waste of government money—taxpayer’s money—to have you and your monkey toting around the city investigating a murder. A murder that may not even be a murder.”

Two things were becoming clearly evident. Randall had definite power over the chief, and no doubt their relationship was mutually beneficial.

Madison pleaded the case. “There’s evidence of a struggle. And the bruising on the Chris’s shoulders can’t be dismissed.”

“Further insubordination to a superior officer. I move that you be terminated, effectively immediately—”

“But—” Her words stalled when the sergeant placed a hand on her forearm.

The chief shared a look between the two of them. “Winston has vouched for you and the need for the investigation to continue. For some reason, he has faith in your abilities.” He added the latter sentence seemingly as an afterthought.

She didn’t need someone backing her up. She stood on her own merit, her own job record.

“With that said, you are aware of the counterfeiting investigation?”

She nodded.

“Guess the girl can keep her mouth shut at times.” The chief directed the comment to the sergeant as if Madison wasn’t even in the room.

He was such an ignorant ass, expletives coursed through her mind, but she dare not let any of them come to fruition.

“With that said, you will be required to document all of your investigation moving forward, and everything that you have done to date is to be provided to the Secret Service. Winston will forward you the man’s information.”

“Up until this point?”

“Until the results come in with a confirmed cause of death—”

“We could be losing precious time—” Her cell rang.

“I want other cases to take front row. Maybe you’ll have time to look into that one cold case of yours.”

She swallowed the emotion that welled in her throat. There was nothing else he could have said that would have hurt her more. One case that seemed as if it would haunt her forever. One case that despite many others being solved, she had a hard time forgiving herself this transgression. One life would go unaccounted for. She knew the killer, she knew who ordered the hit, but she couldn’t get anything to stick.

“Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes.”

ABOUT THE DETECTIVE MADISON KNIGHT SERIES

Murder. Investigation. The pursuit of justice. Do you love trying to figure out whodunit? How about investigating alongside police detectives from the crime scene to the forensics lab and everywhere in between? Do you love a strong female lead? Then I invite you to meet Detective Madison Knight as she solves murders with her male partner, utilizing good old-fashioned investigative work aided by modern technology.

This is the perfect book series for fans of Law & Order, CSI, Blue Bloods, Rizzoli & Isles, Women’s Murder Club, and Hawaii Five-O.

Read in any order or follow the series from the beginning:Ties That Bind, Justified, Sacrifice, Found Innocent, Just Cause, Deadly Impulse, In the Line of Duty, Life Sentence (Bonus Prequel).

About the Author:

CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international best-selling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.

Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.

She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada.

And don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter for up-to-date information on release and special offers at http://carolynarnold.net/newsletters.

You can find and contact Carolyn here:

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * Newsletter