Beyond Limits by Laura Griffin (Release announcement, interview, excerpt and GIVEAWAY)

I am SO excited to be able to share a few Q&As with Beyond Limits author, Laura Griffin


ELF:  Laura, Thank you for stopping by The Reading Addict to chat today about your new release in the Tracers Series, Beyond Limits.  For new readers, what is the Tracers Series about?

LG:  The Tracers are an elite group of forensic experts who help investigators solve their very toughest cases. The Tracers include all sorts of talented people: Mia the DNA expert, Ben the cyber detective, Kelsey the forensic anthropologist. The list goes on! I love writing about these people- not just their work but their tumultuous personal lives, too.


ELF:  Beyond Limits is the eighth in the Tracers Series, when you first started writing, let’s go as far back as Thread of Fear, did you have ANY idea that the Tracers would become what it is today?


LG:  I had no idea. Originally I had envisioned three books, but the series just kind of took on a life of its own. I would introduce a new character, then readers would ask for that character’s story. With each new book I love bringing in new characters and also catching up with people from past books.


ELF:  If you could have one of the field careers that pertain to the Tracer’s team, which would you want for a career?

LG:  Well, I’m fascinated by so much of what the Tracers do. You could say I’m a forensics junkie! I really love Mia’s job—she’s the DNA expert. I’m also amazed with all the tricks Ben has up his sleeve. He’s the computer expert who uncovers some key clues in Beyond Limits.


ELF:  I know you do a TON of research on the careers associated with the Tracers Team, do you have a favorite “research trip” that you can share, or the coolest thing you have gotten to experience for book research?

LG:  The fictional Delphi Center Crime Lab sits in the middle of a body farm. I’ve had a chance to visit one, and what they do there is so interesting (if you can get past being squeamish). It’s amazing to see all the ways that human bones can tell a story for investigators.  (note from ELF...true...but, ewwww)


ELF:  To date, which is your favorite Tracers novel and why? 

LG:  The books are all so different, so I don’t really have a favorite. I love Beyond Limits because the story really pushes these characters to their max—both in their jobs and their personal lives. Derek’s SEAL skills come into play, and Elizabeth’s sharp investigative instincts. But what I love most is their relationship struggle. Derek and Elizabeth have to work hard to find their happy ending.


ELF:  Is it difficult to come up with fresh ideas? 

LG:  I started out as a newspaper reporter, so I like to keep up with current events. I’m always getting inspired by headlines and news tidbits. And every time I interview a new law enforcement person or forensic expert the ideas start rolling in.


ELF:  What is the best part about writing Romance Suspense?

LG:  I like to read tense, exciting stories. With romantic suspense you have the sexual tension plus the action-adventure plot to drive the story forward. My favorite books are thrillers where you also feel an emotional connection to the characters. (note from ELF...and wow, do these books fill the bill!)



                                   

ELF:  I know you are working on the Hart & Moreno series with the fabulous Allison Brennen, and just released your first Hard Cover Suspense, Far Gone, and then of course we have Beyond Limits now released, so what are you working on currently?


LG:  I’m writing the next Tracers book, SHADOW FALL. This one features some of my favorite Tracers characters- Mark Wolfe, Kelsey Quinn, Mia Voss. The book’s hero is Mark’s brother, Liam Wolfe, an ex-Marine who runs a private security firm and finds himself being investigated for a brutal murder.


ELF:  Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

LG:  People often ask me if you need to read the Tracers books in order, and you don’t . Each story has a stand-alone mystery and a different romantic couple. So you can dive right in to the series!



ELF:  Thank you so much for stopping by to chat!!  Readers, don’t forget to enter the Rafflecopter below to win a Tracers Book Bundle featuring Scorched and Twisted , they are great books in this exciting series!  My review for Scorched is at this link and for Twisted is at this link.

                                   



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Beyond Limits
The Tracers Series #8
By: Laura Griffin
Releasing January 27th, 2015
Pocket Books


Blurb

FBI agent Elizabeth LeBlanc is still caught in the aftermath of her last big case when she runs into the one man from her past who is sure to rock her equilibrium even more. Navy SEAL Derek Vaughn is back home from a harrowing rescue mission in which he found evidence of a secret terror cell on US soil. Elizabeth knows he’ll do anything to unravel the plot—including seducing her for information. And despite the risks involved, she’s tempted to let him. . . .

On the surface Derek’s offering a simple deal—Elizabeth provides him with intel, he delivers the terrorist. But he knows nothing about Elizabeth is easy, and now their volatile relationship threatens to distract him from the most important mission of his career. Together with the forensics experts at the Delphi Center, he and Elizabeth are closing in on the truth, but it may not be fast enough to avert a devastating impending attack . . . or stop a ruthless enemy from escaping to kill again.


Excerpt

“Vaughn, get over here.”

He followed a narrow corridor and almost stepped on a pair of legs jutting out from the wall. A young man was seated on the floor with his hands zip-cuffed behind him. He wore loose-fitting pants and high-top sneakers and was fifteen, max, but his eyes already had the flat, battle-hardened look of a warrior.

“Found him in the tunnel.” Sean nodded toward a passage that connected the house to who the hell knew what. The tunnel system here was like a rabbit warren.

Derek spotted a workbench littered with electrical wires, nails, several jars of black powder—all bomb components. He scanned the rest of the room, and his gaze came to rest on a large safe in the corner. It was a serious box, definitely imported, and would have been a major pain in the ass to get here.

Now Derek understood why he’d been called over. He glanced at the kid and tried to remember his rudimentary Pashto.

“What’s the number?” Derek asked in Pashto, because he didn’t know the word for “combination.”

The kid didn’t answer.

Derek pointed the stock of his gun at the safe. “Open it.”

The kid looked away, sullen.

“Screw this.” Sean reached for his kit and got out some C-4.

Derek stepped over to check for booby traps. He didn’t see any, but there was only one way to know for sure. Sean set a small charge, and they crossed to the other side of the room. The burst reverberated through the cavern, and they rushed back over.

“Damn, look at all this.” Sean pulled out a stack of papers, singed around the edges and still smoking. He flung it to the ground and stomped the fire out as Derek reached in and pulled out a notebook computer.

“Two minutes,” the CO said over the radio.

Derek cursed. Even with the extra minutes they’d built into the plan, they were running behind.

Sean was already pulling out his mesh bag, which they carried for this purpose. Some of the papers were in English, but Derek didn’t take the time to read them as he jammed everything into the bag. He reached in and snatched a thumb drive as Sean grabbed another batch of papers. Loose pages fluttered to the ground.

His teammate held up a sheet. “Hey, look at this.”

“No time to read. We need to move.”

“It’s a map.”

Derek glanced at it. It was in English, with notes scrawled around the edges. Derek scanned the street names. His blood ran cold. He looked at Sean.

“Guys, move it!” someone yelled down the stairs.

Derek glanced at his watch. They’d been on target way too long. He glanced at the kid. In a matter of hours, this house would be looted and abandoned. In a matter of minutes, this guy would be in the wind.

“On your feet,” Derek ordered.

Sean shouldered his pack. “They said no prisoners.”

“On your feet!”

The kid stood grudgingly, proving he knew at least some English. 

Sean shot Derek a look before taking the prisoner by the arm and propelling him toward the stairs.

Derek’s mind reeled as he looked at the papers strewn on the floor. He scooped up every scrap and checked the safe again to make sure he hadn’t missed anything, then threw his bag over his shoulder and raced upstairs. All the windows rattled as a Black Hawk swooped overhead en route to the landing zone. He glanced into the courtyard just as their EOD guy ducked out. He’d been setting the charge on the ordnance, and the look on his face told Derek it was about to blow.

“Hey, what are you doing here? Haul ass!”

Boom!

Derek dropped to his knees as the house shook. Chunks of debris rained down from the ceiling.

“Come on!” Derek yelled.

They sprinted outside, where the last member of their team was holding security by the door. A few neighbors’ lights had come on. People peered through windows and leaned out from doorways.

“Vaughn, where the hell are you?”

It was Luke’s voice over the radio, probably already at the LZ, which was a vacant lot at the end of the street.

“We’re half a click away.”

They double-timed it toward the landing zone, pushing the prisoner ahead of them.

“We got company,” Cole said over the radio as a truck screeched around the corner. It was packed with armed men and had a .50-cal machine gun mounted to the roof.

Derek grabbed Sean’s vest and yanked him out of the road. He pushed him down the alley leading to their alternate exfil route.

“Vaughn, report! Where are you?”

“Almost there.”

The street smelled like sewer water. Trash swirled in the rotor wash as they neared the waiting helo.

Rat-tat-tat.

The gunner on the truck let loose with the .50-cal. His buddies with AKs were well out of range, but that didn’t stop them from spraying bullets.

Derek rounded the building just in time to get a mouth full of dust. Mike was lifting the doctor into the chopper. Hailey had a SEAL on each arm, and they were practically carrying her, but she tore away from them and made a sprint for it. She flung herself onto the helo, and about a dozen hands reached out to pull her inside. Luke and Mike jumped in behind her.

Rat-tat-tat.

Derek and Sean ducked and sprinted while several teammates aimed over their heads and returned fire. The prisoner reached the helo first, and Mike pulled him aboard.

Rat-tat-tat-tat.

Sean crashed down behind him. Derek turned and hauled him to his feet. Noise drowned out the words, but Derek could read his friend’s lips and the panicked look in his eyes: I’m hit. Derek heaved him over his shoulder and stumbled forward. Bullets peppered the helo’s sides as Luke jumped down and helped lift Sean inside.

“Go, go, go!”

Derek grabbed the outstretched hands of his teammates as they seized his pack and yanked him aboard. His boots were barely inside when the Black Hawk lurched off the ground and lifted into the sky.

400 Pgs | Heat Level: 3

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes |iTunes | Kobo


Author Info

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author LAURA GRIFFIN started her career in journalism before venturing into the world of romantic suspense. She is a two-time RITA Award winner (for the books Scorched and Whisper of Warning) as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award (for Untraceable). Laura currently lives in Austin, where she is working on her next book. Visit Laura at her website or Facebook

Author Links:  Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads


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GIVEAWAY


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here is the link for the rest of the tour


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My Review:

Beyond Limits by Laura Griffin is a thrilling suspenseful tale that follows the adventures of a SEAL, Lieutenant Derek Vaughn, whose successful hostage retrieval mission has unexpected repercussions which bring him back into contact with the FBI representative he’s been unable to forget for the past year, Agent Elizabeth Le Blanc.  Turf wars are nothing new, but when the FBI is having trouble pinpointing the threat which may wreak havoc in the States, Derek decides to not only pursue the woman who has haunted his dreams, but also to take matters in his own hands, no matter what the repercussions to his life or his career.


There are some stories that grab you from the first page and don’t let go until the very last word...and then you’re sorry to see them end.  This was one of those for me.  The first thought that I had, once I caught my breath, was that this should be made into a movie, because the scenes were so vividly portrayed that I had no problem picturing the action!  The rollercoaster ride of events kept me enthralled, as the threads of the story start out in multiple locations and get woven into a tapestry that forms an impressive picture of the various folks who work together to keep the country safe.  The relevance to recent events and the very real threats that are explored is counterbalanced by the intense heat and poignant challenges that characterize the interactions between the main characters.  It was delightful to get a glimpse of some of the folks from the Delphi center and there are a couple of secondary characters who definitely need to be followed further, so I look forward to reading more stories about them. 

A copy of this title was provided to me for an honest review, which has been submitted to Night Owl Reviews.

Exposed

Exposed  
by Laura Griffin is another of her wonderful romantic suspense tales.  I love the way the stories in this series intertwine with each other and that one gets glimpses of some of the other characters in the Delphi Center yet each storyline is distinct and explores different aspects of investigative technique.  If you would like to get a feel for this very talented author's writing style, her story, Nightfall, is available at no charge on Amazon (I am not sure for what time period).  Please click on the cover to be taken to the site.
         


I am also delighted that both of this author's titles, Scorched and Twisted, were nominated for a RITA Award for romantic suspense!  Well-deserved and I will be keeping my fingers crossed that one of them wins (although Scorched is one of my favorites and one of my relatively rare 5 star picks!).  My review for Scorched is at this link and for Twisted is at this link.

                                           





My review for Exposed is as follows:



Exposed by Laura Griffin is the exciting story in her ‘Tracers’ series that centers around photographer Maddie Callahan who supplements her CSI work for the Delphi Center with photography of personal and far happier events. A vicious mugging ensnares her in an FBI investigation that brings her to the attention of Special Agent Brian Beckman who finds himself fascinated by the prickly woman who has an exceptional eye for detail and very strong resistance to his brand of charm. The clock is ticking as the search for a kidnapped woman who seems pivotal to the FBI investigation continues and Maddie uses her formidable resources at the Delphi Center to aid Brian even as she rejects the pull she feels for the sexy agent. The issue becomes whether there is more danger to Maddie’s heart or her life as the search for the suspect intensifies but Brian is determined to find a way to protect both or die trying.

This exciting romantic suspense story provides yet another mesmerizing tale of the fascinating people who work out of the Delphi Center and do their investigative magic. As is common with books in this enthralling series, the action starts with a bang and intensifies throughout the story. One of my favorite characteristics of this author’s work is the breadth of information that she provides about the science and technology applied to solving crimes even as she supplies a wonderfully intense read. The contrast between the romanticism of photo shoots for prospective brides and the gritty aspects of documenting a crime scene is striking yet beautifully demonstrates the attention to detail required for each type of photograph. The past events that have shaped each of the main characters give intriguing depth to these complex characters who each are struggling against their own demons yet strongly attracted to one another. I love the gradual increase in intensity of the action and the suspense that ratchets up and warn that it is easy to get lost in this delicious read so don’t start it unless you have time to read the whole thing, otherwise you may not get a lot of sleep that night!

A copy of this exciting title was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

The review has been submitted to Night Owl Reviews.

Scorched (and a trip to the County Fair)

Scorched  
by Laura Griffin is a incredibly action-packed read and I was mesmerized throughout the entire book.  I always enjoy Ms Griffin's ability to craft an suspenseful read but somehow this particular story resonated deeply with me.  It highlights the extent of sacrifice made by those who have chosen to serve our country at the expense of their lives and personal relationships and reminds us of the tremendous cost paid by those who remain at home and wait and worry about their loved ones who constantly put themselves in harm's way.  It is an even more poignant read in light of the current events in news today and my admiration for all of those who serve here and in other countries is even greater after reading this tale in addition to a couple of fantastic military romance books by Jessica Scott (Because of You and Until There Was You).    I am seriously behind in my reviews but those should be posted within the week if all goes well.  Scorched combines realistic characters with a suspenseful plot that ratchets up the excitement until one gives a sigh of relief with the last page.  I like the fact that both the hero and heroine are proactive, fascinating fighters and they make an excellent team and there are intriguing secondary characters who have their own story that begs to be told, hopefully in the relatively near future.  Scorched will be released at the end of October, put it on your list of 'to be read' books, my copy is going on my 'keepers' shelf!  My Night Owl review is at this link.


On a personal note, my propensity for entering contests netted me tickets to several concerts and we were able to attend the Earth, Wind and Fire concert at the Los Angeles County Fair yesterday.  Fair admission was included and although I was miserable since I don't tolerate heat well, we revisited many of the exhibits that remind me of the fun of going to a County Fair.  I was able to see the remarkably vivid multicolored roses that are evidently cultivated in The Netherlands, a zonkey (zebra/donkey hybrid) and a zorse (zebra/horse), the beautiful Clydesdale horses (which made me think of Chris Platt's book, Star Gazer), beautiful handicrafts and the amazing things which are deep-fried....including pineapple and pineapple upside down cake...on a stick!  No, I didn't try them...it was a very long way from home and I feared the results if I didn't tolerate them, lol.  I did drag my poor husband around the food carts until we found a crepe maker, it was delicious.  And of course, I had to buy cotton candy (there is a reason my dentist shakes his head at me).

The concert was fabulous (except for the heat headache I had)...I don't have that kind of energy so it is remarkable watching some of the original members of the band (which has been around 41 years) bounce around the stage.  They covered their most popular songs in an extensive medley and the crowd had an excellent time.  It was a great experience even though it was a little annoying to intermittently smell the awful stench of someone's recreational drugs.  Nonetheless, this group tries to make sure that their audience is satisfied and they are definitely showmen.  Some of the notes weren't quite as pure as they used to be but it was a fantastic trip down memory lane!

Squid color change and music

Ok, I admit it, I can get easily distracted when I am writing a review and at a temporary loss for words.  That is happening a lot lately since I have written reviews for Night Owl Reviews for the past three years according to a particular template and last month the specifications changed abruptly.  It's amazing how one gets into a rut and makes a commonplace task difficult but it has been really difficult for me to switch to the new format and I fear that my writing is even more stilted than ever before.  Anyway, that means I get stuck frequently and start wandering around and doing other things like looking at e-mails and visiting blogs and getting my 10 second news inputs at various homepages.  I was really intrigued by the article stating that some scientists hooked up a squid to an iPod nano and recorded video of the color changes (squids have something called chromatophores in their skin that allows them to release color...brown, red or yellow).  The video shows their response to Cypress Hill's Insane in the Brain.  It's fascinating to watch (and yes, I turned up the volume since I usually have my computer on mute).  The link to the article is here and directly to the video is here.  And no, I don't get hungry when looking at squid since I don't like calimari but I do admit that visiting another blog which gave a picture and a recipe for lobster roll (yum) did make me hungry!

Back to the reviews.  Don't get me wrong, most of the reviews on tap are for excellent reads, I have been fortunate to have been reading some great review books (although there were a couple of titles I am still struggling about what to say since I had trouble finishing them) and will be posting over the next few days about Lori Foster's Run the Risk, Jeri Smith-Ready's Shade, Shift and Shine trilogy (yes, there is a story about this since I have already posted about Shine) and Corrina Lawson's Luminous.  I also was fortunate enough to receive Laura Griffin's upcoming novel, Scorched so that is toward the top of my TBR pile!  Back to being productive...