The TV movie:
a thriller
The characters:
Hank and Jonathan
The
actual dialogue:
HANK: Ooh.
Someone’s gonna drown.
JONATHAN:
How do you know that?
HANK:
They have a swimming pool, for gosh sake.
JONATHAN:
Is that the sister?
HANK: Yeah. She’s bad.
JONATHAN: How do you know?
HANK:
Her fingernails are too long, and her skirt is too short.
JONATHAN: Who’s that guy?
HANK: Nobody.
Red herring.
JONATHAN:
How do you know?
HANK:
He looks too guilty.
JONATHAN:
Can’t you just watch the movie? And not keep guessing?
HANK: What’s
the fun of that?
Oh,
Reds, you get the picture. We are a
species unto ourselves—as the wonderful Elizabeth Heiter explains.
(And
here’s my prediction for the brand new Elizabeth Heiter novel STALKED: yet
ANOTHER wonderful bestselling and buzzable novel of suspense!)
By
Elizabeth Heiter
I’ve always loved puzzles.
Figuring out exactly how each piece fits to form the full picture. Being the first one to announce, “It was Mrs.
Peacock in the Study with the Candlestick!”
When I was younger, my mom (a math teacher) would give her high school students extra credit in the form of mind teasers – you’d have to use the clues to put Xs in a grid until you figured out the answers. To her students, they were a series of challenges throughout the year to help push them from an A- to an A. For me, they were just fun. I read Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys by the hundreds (if only I still had those huge rows of books, because now my niece is reading the chapter-book versions…).
When I was younger, my mom (a math teacher) would give her high school students extra credit in the form of mind teasers – you’d have to use the clues to put Xs in a grid until you figured out the answers. To her students, they were a series of challenges throughout the year to help push them from an A- to an A. For me, they were just fun. I read Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys by the hundreds (if only I still had those huge rows of books, because now my niece is reading the chapter-book versions…).
So,
it probably came as no surprise to anyone in my family when I began writing
mysteries. Because I love to create the
puzzle as much as I love to solve it.
Linda
Varner: Haley’s mom appears to be the devastated parent of a missing
child. She’s quit her job and spends
every waking hour searching for ways to get attention on Haley’s case. But her ex-husband claims Haley ran away, and
Evelyn has seen cases before where a supposedly grieving family member wanted to
extend their fifteen minutes of fame…
Bill
Cooke: Haley’s father seems completely unconcerned that his
daughter is missing. Does he have proof
of claims that she ran away from an abusive home that he won’t share because he
really thinks she’s safer on her own? Or
is he calm because he knows exactly where Haley is for a much darker reason?
Pete
Varner: Haley’s friends claim she didn’t like her new
step-father. Could the feeling be
mutual?
Jordan
Biltmore: Haley’s older, college-age boyfriend was the last one to see
her. Other students at Haley’s school
watched him drop Haley off and drive away, but could he have snuck back around
and grabbed her?
Marissa
Anderson: Haley’s best friend seems frantic for the police to find
Haley. But a closer look shows she’s
jealous of Haley’s life – and her boyfriend.
Could she have been involved in Haley’s disappearance?
The deeper Evelyn digs into Haley’s life, the more
possibilities arise, including a connection to fellow agent – and her new
boyfriend – Kyle McKenzie’s case. The
only thing certain is that if Evelyn doesn’t find out what happened to Haley
fast, she may follow Haley’s fate.
So,
readers, how do you feel about puzzles?
Do you like them complicated and twisty; do you like to guess “whodunit”
before the end? Or do you prefer to sit
back and enjoy the journey and the surprise?
HANK: Cannot
wait to hear! You know I'm firmly in the figure-it-out camp!
About STALKED:
If you’re reading this, I’m already dead…
That’s the note seventeen-year-old Haley Cooke leaves behind when she disappears from inside her high school. FBI profiler Evelyn Baine is called in to figure out who had reason to hurt her. On the surface, the popular cheerleader has no enemies, but as Evelyn digs deeper, she discovers that everyone close to Haley has something to hide. Everyone from estranged parents to an older boyfriend with questionable connections to a best friend who envies Haley’s life.
Secrets can be deadly…
One of those secrets may have gotten Haley killed. If she’s still alive, Evelyn knows that the more the investigation ramps up, the more pressure they could be putting on her kidnapper to make her disappear for good. It’s also possible that Haley isn’t in danger at all, but has skillfully manipulated everyone and staged her own disappearance. Only one thing is certain: uncovering Haley’s fate could be dangerous—even deadly—to Evelyn herself.
About Elizabeth Heiter:
Critically acclaimed and award-winning author ELIZABETH HEITER likes her suspense to feature strong heroines, chilling villains, psychological twists, and a little bit (or a lot!) of romance. Her research has taken her into the minds of serial killers, through murder investigations, and onto the FBI Academy’s shooting range. Her novels have been published in more than a dozen countries and translated into eight languages; they've also been shortlisted for the Daphne Du Maurier award, the National Readers' Choice award and the Booksellers' Best award and won the RT Reviewers' Choice award.
