The Snowman by Yolanda Renee – a Review and Showcase

 

It’s a pleasure to be participating in author Yolanda Renée’s THE SNOWMAN Blog Tour through MC Book Tours today.

This is a prequel to the author’s Detective Steven Quaid Mysteries. This story tells of Steven’s first case as a rookie detective. It takes place 10 years before the events in MURDER, MADNESS & LOVE, the first book in the series.

The author is offering a tour-wide giveaway featuring both print and eBook copies from her series. More information on the giveaway is listed below.

Feather Stone’s Review:

Okay, I freely admit to being a crime scene junkie. I’ve become hooked on TV forensic documentaries, police procedure programs, and psycho profiling. Plus, my career as a paramedic has given me the first-hand view of all the terrible ways a human being can be mutilated and murdered. Add a dash of a sexual sicko times two, and now you have ……

The Snowman

 

The dark and dirty side of The Snowman, aka Stone, would be difficult to read if not for the hero’s bold and down-to-earth good guy personality. There’s balance. Well, up until the climax which had me rereading previous pages terrified that Detective Quaid bit off more than he could chew.

The Snowman immediately starts off with a steep dive into the antagonist’s well of depravity and lust for blood. If you’re looking for suspense, The Snowman will give you that with a royal flush.

Yolanda Renee will give short reprieves from the murderer’s blood lust, introducing the reader to a complex and determined police officer, Steven Quaid. He’s torn between his ambitious and political father’s demands, and his mother’s native roots. Steven has his sites set on a promotion to detective but is thwarted by inside police politics. As the body count of women climbs, the bloody scenes become his to unravel.

The closer he gets to solving the mystery, the more Detective Quaid realizes that he’s put the people he loves in grave danger. Being a rookie on the force, it didn’t take him long to screw up. If one more woman dies, the blood will be on his hands. In desperation, he chooses to commit to the ultimate sacrifice to stop Stone.

Yolanda Renee’s writing skill is top notch. I enjoyed the fast pace of the plot along with the clarity of each layer of side plots. The characters leap off the page with passion, complete with personality defects and demons.  There is clarity in setting the scenes, editing is well done, and the dialogue did not go overboard with vulgarity (in my opinion).

I enthusiastically recommend The Snowman to ADULT readers who seek suspense/thriller novels (with a dash of romance), and who can push through some pretty graphic scenes. Not for the faint of heart daisy.

◊ THE SNOWMAN
◊ by Yolanda Renée
◊ Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense
◊ Publisher: TRACE Enterprises
◊ Series: Detective Quaid Mystery
◊ Novella
◊ Print & eBooks
◊ Contains explicit sex & violence

It takes a true artist to pursue his victims in the art of seduction, and Stowy Jenkins is no exception, especially with blood as his medium.

          Stowy Jenkins, aka, Stone, and as Alaskans refer to him, the Snowman, is a true artist. His muse, Gigi, is the ultimate inspiration for his painting. Her rejection inspires him to use a very unusual medium…blood.

          While art may be his passion, the taste for blood is his obsession, and multiple murders, the result.

          Rookie, Detective Steven Quaid, is no fan of the Snowman’s murderous exhibitions. A twisted and deadly relationship bond the two men and neither knows who will come out of it alive.

At one time Alaska called to me, and I answered. I learned to sleep under the midnight sun, survive in below zero temperatures, and hike the Mountain Ranges. I’ve traveled from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez, and the memories are some of my most valued. The wonders, mysteries and incredible beauty that is Alaska has never left me and thus now influence my writing.Despite my adventurous spirit, I achieved my educational goals, married, and I have two handsome sons. Writing is now my focus, my newest adventure!

You can connect with me here:

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The other books in the Detective Quaid Series include:

 

MURDER, MADNESS & LOVE (Book 1)

          A killer plays cat and mouse with a young widow against the snowy backdrop of an Alaskan winter. Branded a black widow after the suspicious death of her millionaire husband, Sarah Palmer flees Seattle for Anchorage. However, the peace and quiet she hoped to enjoy in her hometown is soon shattered. A killer is murdering Sarah look-alikes on the 14th of each month, taunting Sarah with a valentine of evidence. After her experiences in Seattle, Sarah is slow to go to the police. When she finally does, she finds Detective Steven Quaid—Anchorage P D’s hotshot investigator—has not only heard the rumors, he believes them. Worse, her aloofness and composure only confirm his suspicions. Is Sarah a victim or a very skilled manipulator?

MEMORIES OF MURDER (Book 2)

World damnation is a psychotic man’s goal, but two obstacles stand in his way, greed and a dedicated detective.

Catching Alaska’s most notorious serial killer as a rookie made Detective Steven Quaid a hero, but falling in love with the victim of his last case tarnishes that status. While attempting to repair both his personal and professional life, he stumbles upon an unusual case–and an even more extraordinary foe: a man who believes he is Lucifer. An insidious man who delivers Quaid the ultimate choice: save his fiancée from an assassin’s bullet or stop the sacrifice of a young girl.

MURDER & OBSESSION (Book 3)

Flames burn between a hardboiled cop and a gifted artist, but soon extinguish as another man’s obsession ignites into an inferno of desire, driving him to destroy the object of his madness.

Detective Steven Quaid is ready for new challenges as Anchorage’s top detective, but not until he marries the woman of his dreams on New Year’s Eve. Determined to give Sarah the wilderness honeymoon she desires, he turns his grandfather’s cabin into the perfect honeymoon retreat. After the final details are complete, Steven treks into the mountains to hunt. On his return to the cottage, instead of Sarah, he is greeted by several police officers and a bloody crime scene. Accusations fly, and Stephen flees into the wilderness, his heart racing and thoughts etching into his soul. The wilderness is unforgiving, but Steven faces it head on: Caught between a massive grizzly and a black bear in a deadly tug of war, he is barely saved from death’s door by the fortuitous appearance of his uncle. Despite surviving multiple injuries, Steven continues his investigation as he recovers, but answers don’t come quick or easy. Having enlisted the aid of his number one suspect, Steven faces a struggle that has become more than personal. This one just may cost him his heart.

You can find out more about the books and the author by following the tour HERE. You can also include your chances of winning in the giveaway.

This tour-wide giveaway features both print and eBook copies of the four books in the Detective Quaid Series. The giveaway will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Tuesday, June 6.

The prizes include:

* Grand prize – Winner receives a print copy of all four books in the Detective Quaid Series (U.S. and Canada only).

* First place – Winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift certificate.

* Second place – Winner will receive eBook copies of all four books in the Detective Quaid Series.

* There will be 3 runner-up winners and each will win an eBook copy of THE SNOWMAN or one of the other books in the series (winner’s choice).

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. If the widget doesn’t show up, just click HERE and you’ll be directed to the widget.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to follow Yolanda on her month-long tour. You never know what you might find out.

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