The Devil is in The Details
Ariana Overton

Jake Daniels is a man haunted by nightmares and events that won't seem to leave him in peace. His job with the FBI is hanging by a thread and now he has another serial killer on his hands, something he thought he had escaped from when he left the 'big city'. In a small northern California town, someone is killing women in a bizarre fashion. Holidays are suppose to be a special time of year, but the holidays in this town are turning into nightmares. Jake gathers his team: a high-brow psychiatrist from San Francisco, an Aussie cop on loan, an ex-cop who did time for murder and an ex-pro football player who has something to prove. This team is determined to find the killer, in spite of the local sheriff and the coroner, who view the FBI's intrusion as a challenge.


pgs. 325
Word Count - 87,455

Read an Excerpt Here

Reviews:
Reviewer: Shirley Truax, Member RIO
For Ivy Quill Reviews

“It was Christmas Eve and death stalked the living on this holiday night.”This near-opening line starts the prologue to the most convoluted mystery this reviewer has had the pleasure of reading. Mr. Death is lurking in an alley watching, through a dingy window, a party that is in full swing.

Ah, yes. There she is, moving among the partiers in a strapless, shimmering, golden, form-fitting dress. Soon, Mr. Death panted, she would be all his. The thought made his blood surge and his manhood respond to the ultimate gratification ­ death.

Chapter One introduces the reader to FBI Agent Jake Daniels and to Profiler Martine Joyner who, on Christmas morning, are investigating the gruesome murder and mutilation of what was once an attractive young woman. Like the others, she is hardly recognizable because her face has been terribly mutilated. How many more will there be before this trail of torture ends?

Jake is greatly upset that the brass won’t support him with these
investigations, nor will they admit there is a serial killer on the loose. Enough women have been murdered that the media has dubbed these as being done by the Holiday Killer. One field agent’s career was almost ruined when he failed to catch this maniac the year before. Was someone now after Jake’s
job? The first agent’s problem added to Jake’s zealousness to catch the mad man, and to reassure that no other woman died the way all of these tortured women had.

While the body is being removed from the scene, Jake receives a call that there is another body in the park. The MO is the same with one exception; this is the body of a man. Could this, then, be a copycat killing? If not, what made the maniac change the gender of his victim?

The murders hadn’t started until Valentine’s Day the year before. Why then and not New Years day? Just the first question that starts lots of puzzles that Jake must solve. What made this monster cut out a woman’s heart on Valentine’s Day? April first he removed his next victim’s brain and put it into a port-a-potty next to her. Not a funny April Fools joke; no one laughed. On Labor Day he took out a woman’s uterus. On Halloween night the
soles of a woman’s feet were cut off. Thanksgiving he trussed up another woman and chopped off her head. Why the weird theatrical layout of this sicko’s victims?

The more Jake investigates, the more he knows he has come up against the Devil personified. And he and Marty work hard to find the details.

Ms. Overton has given the reader a most fascinating mystery to work on. The details are here, but where the devil are they? If you think you are stumped, then you’ll know what Jake is up against. You won’t figure this one out. An A-number-one book.

*************

Reviewed by Lorie Ham, author of MURDER IN FOUR PART HARMONY & THE TROUBLE WITH TENORS www.LorieHam.com
Suite 101.com http://www.suite101.com

"It was Christmas Eve and death stalked the living on this holiday night." This line is near the beginning of the prologue of THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS, and gives just a hint of the quality of the writing in this intense, suspenseful, novel about a serial killer, (or perhaps two) and the lives that are touched by this devilish creature. While this book has more graphic sex, violence and adult language than I like to read, the quality of the writing is excellent!

On Christmas morning FBI agent Jake Daniels and Profiler Martine Joyner are at the scene of the gruesome murder of a young woman, which they believe is the work of a serial killer who began raping and killing young women on Valentine's Day the year before; a killer they have dubbed the Holiday killer. While at this crime scene Jake receives a call about another body found in the park, but this time it is a man. Is the killer changing his pattern for some reason, or are they dealing with two killers?

As the book progresses almost every character faces suspicion, including Daniels who is also dealing with his own demons concerning the murder of his wife a year ago. The characters in this book are complex and realistic; the story intense and very graphic-dealing with sexual perversion and mutilation-it is not for the faint of heart. The writing is well done and moves you forward to the end of this thriller; keeping you on the edge of your seat waiting to learn the true identity of a killer who makes shivers run down your spine. Don't read this one before bedtime or you might not get to sleep.

About the Author:

Ariana Overton is an author who loves to travel and write about many different places, people and things. She crosses genres the way she used to cross state lines in her travels; always in search of the next great story.

She writes murder mysteries (TRAPDOOR, THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS - EPPIE finalist 2001, DRUID, DEERPATA, SCARAB), Time Travel Thriller (TAPESTRY-EPPIE finalist in 2000), Action/Adventure (GLASS HOUSE, A GLASS DARKLY- both EPPIE 2001 finalists & LOOKING GLASS) .

She also writes Children's picture books (A GIFT FOR ROO, GREEN EGGS FOR ROO, ROO & STUMPY, ROO & THE EASTER BILBY and A GECKO IN MY ORANGE JUICE- A series in progress)

Born in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, Ariana became the family gypsy, traveling the United States, meeting new people and finding new places. After adventuring to Australia, she met Max Overton. He taught at James Cook University in Biology, Zoology, Chemistry, Physics and Geology, but his passion is butterflies, which his personal site at http://www.angelfire.com/in2/butterflynet will show.

Max supplies the original wildlife photos for the Roo books. He also writes Historical novels. His first novel, LION OF SCYTHIA, was published in 2000.

Ariana is a member of the Australian Society of Authors, Australian Writers Association, EPIC, a former Senior Editor and Director of Services for Romance Writers of America/Australian Chapter and a Contributing Editor to Suite 101 with articles she writes about other authors. Her articles have been published in Inscriptions Magazine, Suite 101, Disceptatio, an e-magazine, Bamboo Grove and the Romance Writers of American/Australia Newsletter. She has been a Managing Editor for Sharpwriter and Senior Editor for Clocktower Books.

Ariana is now working on new novels and is a reporter for the Suburban Journals in Illinois, as well as continuing to design covers for herself, her husband and other authors. She also does website design and creation.

Visit her personal author's site at www.angelfire.com/ms/ariana and read excerpts and read reviews of her books.

To see her original cover art, go to http://communities.msn.com/ArianaOverton

You may purchase any of our ebooks by credit card via our secure server.  If you would prefer to purchase by check or money order you may do so by snail mail to:

Atlantic Bridge
6280 N. Crittenden Ave.
Indianapolis, IN  46226

* IMPORTANT: Please be sure if ordering by snail mail to include the title and format desired. Also include your email address so we can send you the url to download your purchase.

ISBN 0-9706913-7-8

Trade Paperback
$14.00
(orders processed by Booksurge.com)

Price: $5.00
Available in PDF, HTML, LIT or PalmOS by download

PDF, HTML, LIT or PalmOS Download
Add to Cart

The Devil is in the Details is an Atlantic Bridge exclusive backed by our
100% satisfaction guarantee.

Download the iSilo Reader for
your PalmOS here

PDF formats require the Adobe
Reader.  Get it here - it's free.

LIT formats require
Microsoft Reader. Get it here - it's free.

  View Shopping Cart  /  Checkout

Or pay via PayPal by clicking
the banner. New accounts
(free) receive $5.00.


Have them send payment to
PayPal@atlanticbridge.net
(Our account)