Welcome to a Hellsinger Investigation!
There will be prizes and giveaways. Be sure to hit up each blog for an update on the investigation. I have brought in for this tale of ghosts and shenanigans two special prizes (well many of them…but two!). You might have seen them already; a pair of cuddly alpaca and a braided leather Wolf sigil bracelet. You’ll be able to win one or both at each stop with a Grand Prize to be given away at the end of the tour.
The giveaway for this spot is: A Wolf Sigil Bracelet
Leave a comment or… if the blog is so inclined, ping their contest widget… to be entered to win!
Hellsinger Investigations
File #241
Residence: Hazel Maplethorn-Bocker
Paranormal Activity: Objects Relocating
Location: Eureka, CA
The residence is occupied by Ms. M-B and ten cats. Client is retired school-teacher and has no history of psychic or paranormal activity either personal or in residence. Residence is 1940s bungalow with no recorded deaths. Land cleared of any prior paranormal activity; formerly undeveloped acreage. No structures or causalities reported at location. Cannot discount native population or transitory inhabitants prior to establishment of city boundaries.
Team: Gidget and Matt
Consultant: Tristan Pryce
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PART EIGHT
The old crystal knob was nearly as solid as the door and Wolf’s Converses weren’t up to the challenge but he was going to give it his best effort. Angling his leg, Wolf brought his foot down on the latch and was rewarded with a small nearly imperceptible cracking sound. Matt buckled a bit when Wolf shifted his weight but he rolled his shoulders forward, and nodded for Wolf to continue.
“Dude, go again.” Matt widened his stance. “And shit, you’ve got some fucking long legs.”
Tristan came around the corner just as Wolf struck the knob again. This time the crystal sphere gave way, shattering under Wolf’s kick. The shockwave of hitting the solid mass twisted up Wolf’s thigh and he grimaced while rubbing at his knee. Lead crystal shards flashed through the air and spread over the hall floor, glinting a sharp promise for an unwary, unshod foot.
“We need to—” Matt stepped back, allowing Tristan to move in front of the door.
“Watch your feet, Tris.” Wolf cautioned. “Shit’s sharp.”
“I’m wearing socks,” Tristan said softly. “You know, I’ve got a skeleton key on my keychain for these knobs. We’ve got them all over the Grange.”
“Of course you do.” Straightening up, Wolf studied the latch. The silence from inside was nearly as loud as the crystal. “Can you get this open? Unless you’ve got some magic way in here, Thursday because I’m open to suggestions.”
“Here, let me undo the locking mechanism. These are exactly like the ones we’ve got home.” Tristan crouched and began to fumble with the odd gear-locking mechanism poking out of the heavy door. “Gidget’s calling for an ambulance. Just in case.”
“Hazel! Hazel if you can hear me, we’re coming in!” Wolf pounded at the door again.
“Not helping me here, Wolf,” Tristan warned. The latch gave way, vomiting up its innards and the door swung open on its oiled hinges. “Go.”
Hazel lay on the floor, her mouth flecked with drying foam. Her legs twitched, struggling against some unseen threat and her fingers kneaded at a knitted afghan, its fringed ends nearly knotted around one of her wrists. She keened, her eyes open and bulging, seemingly singing back at the ambulance’s siren cutting through the soft murmuring evening sounds coming from an open unscreened sash window.
Falling to his knees, Wolf cradled Hazel into the crook of his arm, sliding his finger into her mouth to check her airway for any obstructions. The older woman choked on the invasion, her tongue lashing about to shove Wolf’s fingers out of her mouth but he persisted until he knew she could breathe easily.
“What the hell happened in here?” Tristan collapsed onto the bed, its springs creaking.
Wolf sympathized with the helplessness in Tristan’s voice. There wasn’t much either of them could do and Hazel was unresponsive to anything Wolf tried to rouse her. Hazel gasped and wheezed in Wolf’s arms and he cursed the ambulance’s slow progress through the neighbourhood’s winding streets. It was torturous to hear it but unable to do anything but wait.
Something caught his lover’s attention and Tristan was off the bed before Wolf could respond. He crossed over to the open window, carefully stepping around something glittering on the floor.
“Oh god, Wolf. One of the panes is cracked” Tristan turned, his face pale and alarmed. “There’s glass all over the ground outside.”
“She broke the window?” Matt said from the doorway.
“Maybe, but I doubt it.” Wolf said as a pair of paramedics burst past him, pushing Matt into the room. He got up out of the way, pacing over to the window to pull Tristan back. The room’s pendant lamps were now blazing, giving the paramedics light to work by. It also spilled out of the window, illuminating the ground under the sill. “See if the cops are coming too, Matt. There’s footprints in the mud outside and there’s the screen. Someone was in here. With Hazel. And it sure as hell wasn’t for a quick cup of tea and a chat.”
§
Duck Duck Ghost by Rhys Ford
Hellsinger #2
Paranormal investigator Wolf Kincaid knows what his foot tastes like.
Mostly because he stuck it firmly in his mouth when his lover, Tristan Pryce, accidentally drugged him with a batch of psychotropic baklava. Needing to patch things up between them, Wolf drags Tristan to San Luis Obispo, hoping Tristan’s medium ability can help evict a troublesome spirit haunting an old farmhouse.
With Wolf’s sister handling Hoxne Grange’s spectral visitors, Tristan finds himself in the unique position of being able to leave home for the first time in forever, but Wolf’s roughshod treatment is the least of his worries. Tristan’s ad-hoc portal for passing spirits seems to be getting fewer and fewer guests, and despite his concern he’s broken his home, Tristan agrees to help Wolf’s cousin, Sey, kick her poltergeist to the proverbial curb.
San Luis Obispo brings its own bushel of troubles. Tristan’s ghost whispering skill is challenged not only by a terrorizing haunting but also by Wolf’s skeptical older cousin, Cin. Bookended by a pair of aggressive Kincaids, Tristan soon finds himself in a spectral battle that threatens not only his sanity but also his relationship with Wolf, the first man he’s ever loved.
Available from Dreamspinner on Sept 8. (http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5409)
Paranormal investigator Wolf Kincaid knows what his foot tastes like.
Mostly because he stuck it firmly in his mouth when his lover, Tristan Pryce, accidentally drugged him with a batch of psychotropic baklava. Needing to patch things up between them, Wolf drags Tristan to San Luis Obispo, hoping Tristan’s medium ability can help evict a troublesome spirit haunting an old farmhouse.
With Wolf’s sister handling Hoxne Grange’s spectral visitors, Tristan finds himself in the unique position of being able to leave home for the first time in forever, but Wolf’s roughshod treatment is the least of his worries. Tristan’s ad-hoc portal for passing spirits seems to be getting fewer and fewer guests, and despite his concern he’s broken his home, Tristan agrees to help Wolf’s cousin, Sey, kick her poltergeist to the proverbial curb.
San Luis Obispo brings its own bushel of troubles. Tristan’s ghost whispering skill is challenged not only by a terrorizing haunting but also by Wolf’s skeptical older cousin, Cin. Bookended by a pair of aggressive Kincaids, Tristan soon finds himself in a spectral battle that threatens not only his sanity but also his relationship with Wolf, the first man he’s ever loved.
Available from Dreamspinner on Sept 8. (http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=5409)
REVIEW:
I was excited to be coming back to the Hellsinger world. I enjoyed the first book, and getting to know Wolf and Tristan and the unique cast of corporeal and non-corporeal beings in their lives.
This installment starts out with Wolf in the dog house and Tristan having a hard time connecting to the special visitors to the Grange. The strain is creating problems in their relationship so they decide to take a vacation. This is where they went wrong.
Wolf's cousin has a house in SLO (San Louis Obispo)and she is having a problem that Wolf hopes Tristan's talent can help with. So you throw together two people trying to find their way into a relationship, a gun toting Great Aunt, a sexy older cousin, family drama and one pissed off ghost and you have the makings for a frightfully good story.
One thing that I think this author does so well is write families, in all of their quirky messiness. Her secondary characters add so much to the overall story that is seems a put down to refer to them as secondary. I would love to be a fly on the wall at a Kincaid family reunion, because I am sure that would be EPIC!
While the family aspect may be funny and angsty, the poltergeist in this story scared the bejeeus out of me. This story hit all of my creep factor buttons and reaffirmed my dislike of porcelain dolls. All kinds of scary.
A great addition to the series and I can't wait to find out what the deal is with the stranger we meet at the end of the book and his connection to Wolf and the Kincaid family!
This installment starts out with Wolf in the dog house and Tristan having a hard time connecting to the special visitors to the Grange. The strain is creating problems in their relationship so they decide to take a vacation. This is where they went wrong.
Wolf's cousin has a house in SLO (San Louis Obispo)and she is having a problem that Wolf hopes Tristan's talent can help with. So you throw together two people trying to find their way into a relationship, a gun toting Great Aunt, a sexy older cousin, family drama and one pissed off ghost and you have the makings for a frightfully good story.
One thing that I think this author does so well is write families, in all of their quirky messiness. Her secondary characters add so much to the overall story that is seems a put down to refer to them as secondary. I would love to be a fly on the wall at a Kincaid family reunion, because I am sure that would be EPIC!
While the family aspect may be funny and angsty, the poltergeist in this story scared the bejeeus out of me. This story hit all of my creep factor buttons and reaffirmed my dislike of porcelain dolls. All kinds of scary.
A great addition to the series and I can't wait to find out what the deal is with the stranger we meet at the end of the book and his connection to Wolf and the Kincaid family!
RATING: 5 Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries. This book was given to us by the author. Many thanks.
§
Duck Duck Ghost Promo Tour
Sept 2
Love Bytes: http://lovebytesreviews.com/
Sept 3
Prism Alliance: http://www.prismbookalliance.com/
Sept 4
Smoocher’s Voice: http://www.smoochersvoice.com/
Sept 5
On Top Down Under Book Reviews: http://ontopdownunderbookreviews.com/
Sept 6
Fiction Vixen: http://fictionvixen.com/
Sept 7
Boy meets Boy: http://boymeetsboyreviews.blogspot.com/
Sept 8
Three Chicks after Dark: www.3chicksafterdark.com
Sept 9
Ndulgent Bloggers: http://guiltyindulgencebookclub.blogspot.com
MM Good Book Reviews: http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com/
Sept 10
Rainbow Gold Reviews: http://rainbowgoldreviews.wordpress.com/
Sept 11
Joyfully Jay: http://joyfullyjay.com/
Sept 12
The Blogger Girls http://thebloggergirls.com/
Sept 13
The Novel Approach: http://thenovelapproachreviews.com/
§
About Rhys Ford
Rhys admits to sharing the house with three cats of varying degrees of black fur and a ginger cairn terrorist. Rhys is also enslaved to the upkeep a 1979 Pontiac Firebird, a Toshiba laptop, and an overworked red coffee maker.
My Blog: www.rhysford.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rhys.ford.author
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rhys_Ford
And at the Starbucks down the street. No really, they’re 24/7. And a drive-thru. It’s like heaven.
My books can be purchased, folded and first chapters read at Dreamspinner Press. http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Ooooohh! A ghost that leaves footprints. Very interesting!
ReplyDeletepenumbrareads[at]gmail[dot]com
Great excerpt. I really need to read these books.
ReplyDeletedebby236 at gmail dot com
Great excerpt.
ReplyDeleteLove the humor in the middle of the intense action.
ReplyDeleteOh so good. And I Have to say, I'm about 60% through Duck Duck Ghost and I love it!
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited that she brought Tristan and Wolf back...
ReplyDeleteAnd the plot thickens!
ReplyDeleteI love it--I have a theory but hmmm. Loved Duck Duck Ghost
ReplyDeleteWow! Footprints in the snow? Thanks for the excerpt and contest.
ReplyDeleteMarcine
Dejamew[at]centurylink.net
Another great installment! Looking forward to seeing what happens next.
ReplyDeleteReally excited to read this book. Great new series.
ReplyDelete-Miranda P
Oh ghostly muddy footprints, but thankfully Hazel is still alive. Thank you for another snippet into your book, I look forward to the next one and thank you also for a chance to win a prize :)
ReplyDeletehopefully Hazel will be ok (looks like it was a close call), but what to make of the window & footprints? hmmm
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love the series and the way Rhys keeps giving us these daily snippets.
ReplyDeleteineztey@yahoo.com
What next?!? Can't wait. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to slowly read DDG. It's great, but I'm trying to make it last.
So much fun!
ReplyDeleteNice review
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
Yikes! I'm loving this and I want Hazel to be OK :)
ReplyDeleteAnother great addition to the story! Thanks for the review too!
ReplyDeleteaegger.echo(at)yahoo(dot)com
Ooh, somebody physical behind the attack?
ReplyDeleteashley.vanburen[at]gmail[dot]com
Loving the series. Keep them coming.
ReplyDeletemomsdesk at verizon dot net
Such an interesting story and the thing with the footprints was so intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI hope Hazel will be OK!
ReplyDeleteI hope Hazel will be OK!
ReplyDeleteGreat segment, onto the next.
ReplyDeleteSo puzzling about the footprints. Glad Wolf used his leg instead of his shoulder on the door which is supposed to be the better method.
ReplyDeletestrive4bst(AT) yahoo(Dot) com
Loved the next installment. I need to get the books. Thanks for the giveaway too!
ReplyDeleteHoping Hazel will be ok, loving this blog tour. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDelete