Don't Close Your Eyes (Stephanie Chalice Thrillers Book 1)

OVER 200,000 COPIES SOLD



Three very different women have been murdered and NYPD Detective Stephanie Chalice wants to know why. Her case begins on the Roosevelt Island tram. The conductor has been shot, but lying next to him is the real mystery: a woman who might appear to have died of natural causes if not for the handwritten note stuffed in her mouth that simply reads "Look back!” When a second woman is found dead with a rag in her mouth and another cryptic note found nearby, Chalice realizes that a psychopath is stalking Manhattan, on the prowl for a very special type of woman. Part of the murderer’s twisted game is leaving intentional clues for the police, clues designed not only to taunt, but also to do something much worse. Chalice will uncover startling truths about who she really, but will it help her to discover the killer’s real purpose before another woman dies?





BookWire Review



DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES

LAWRENCE KELTER, Leisure Books, New York, NY, $6.99 US, paperback,

(322p)

ISBN: 0-8439-5554-6



"Don't Close Your Eyes" begins with a whimper and a bang--two seemingly

unrelated deaths. The first is a teenage girl whose asthma suffocates

her while sleeping. The second is a man shot on the tram that connects

Roosevelt Island to Manhattan. Lying next to the man is the real

puzzle: a woman who might appear to have died of natural causes if not

for the handwritten note stuffed in her mouth that simply reads "Look

back."



Murder mystery thrillers are often driven by tough, fast-talking,

streetwise detectives with a sad story about their past and a penchant

for nabbing perps. The cop on the case in "Don't Close Your Eyes" is

all these things and more. Meet Stephanie Chalice. She's a smart,

beautiful, 28-year-old NYPD homicide detective whose acerbic repartee

is like an arsenal of nuclear missiles--it convinces her male

colleagues that she means business.



Behind all the bluster, though, is a young woman with fierce passions

who shows the same tremendous dedication to her ill mother as she does

her job. Chalice is an excellent detective, but it comes at a cost. She

suffers recurring nightmares, and obsesses that the diabetes that

killed her father and weakens her mother will one day come for her.



When a second woman is found dead with a rag in her mouth and another

cryptic note nearby, Chalice realizes a serial killer stalks

Manhattan's Upper East Side. Her detective work combines intelligence,

persistence, a skilled partner, and well-connected friends. Secret

allies also work on her behalf to thwart dangers that lie just beyond

her periphery. As she follows a trail of clues and corpses to the

murderer, she also pursues her own demons, uncovering startling truths

about who she really is.



"Don't Close Your Eyes" is entertaining and engrossing. Detective

Chalice is a strong character, the killer is devilishly intriguing, and

the well-paced plot will keep your eyes wide open.

BookWire Review