Ya’ll know Leslie Kelly, right? She writes sexy, funny Blaze romances for Harlequin. Her books are fun, flirty and a little outrageous. I’d like to introduce you to Leslie Parrish, her evil twin sister. If you’ve read any of Leslie Kelly’s work, forget everything you know. Fade
to Black took my breath away. Literally and figuratively. Leslie talks about her plunge into the dark side in this Press Release. She’s also started a NEW BLOG. Fade to Black is schedule for release July 7th. Now that all the “public service” information is out of the way, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty. Trust me. It is nitty. And gritty. Dark, violent, and filled with details and descriptions that leaves a taste of evil in your mouth. Leslie cooks up a tale of depravity that could be ripped from the headlines. Her characters are real and evocative, layered and tempered by the past and present. I’ve worked with officers like Dean Taggert and Stacey Rhodes. I’ve confronted evil ladled from the same cauldron as the Reaper.

I’m not a reviewer. I read books. And I write them, but that certainly doesn’t make me an expert. I know what I like and occasionally, I find a treat I want to share. This book is billed as a debut novel. In many ways, it is. New name, new series, new genre, but the same attention to story, plot, and characters. Since I’m not a reviewer, I fear I can’t really do justice to this book, but I’ll try. Leslie, you blew me away, lady.

A group of elite FBI special agents has been brought together to form the Cyber Action Team, aka CAT–and they have one mission: to solve Internet-related murders.

From his years in the FBI’s violent crimes unit, Special Agent Dean Taggert has learned firsthand how vicious people can be. But this is the worst he’s ever seen. Eight victims have been murdered, their final moments captured on film and shown on a secret Web site called Satan’s Playground. And a madman who refers to himself as the Reaper is auctioning off their means of death.

When the investigation leads Dean to the small town of Hope Valley, he enlists the help of sexy and capable Sheriff Stacey Rhodes, who’s dealing with secrets of her own. It’s too late to save the latest victim, but Dean and Stacey still have to work fast, because the Reaper’s next auction is about to begin…

From the opening paragraph to the very last sentence, I was drawn into the world of the Reaper and the desperate attempt of a dedicated group of federal agents intent on hunting him down. The Reaper plays in cyberspace. I have a little experience with imaginary worlds on the net, though nothing like the Devil’s Playground, thankfully. I know places like it exist. People like him exist. Leslie conveys the horror of his crimes in chilling prose. She paints his psyche with the finesse of a criminal profiler.

I understand Sheriff Stacey Rhodes–her PTSD, her need to leave behind the real world of “big” crime for the idealized world of her childhood where dealing with punk kids from the high school and stopping to pick up donuts for the office are the busy spots in her day. Special Agent Dean Taggert wears his swagger like the standard issue suit that is the “uniform” of a federal agent. But the depth of this man is real and good and big-hearted. Rather than clash, as so many small-town cops and big-city agents often do, these two fit together like a practiced hand on the well-worn grips of a favorite pistol.

I’m glad I don’t have to give a cover quote for Fade to Black. I don’t have the words to be clever and superlative the way this book deserves. The buffet of light and dark, good and evil, contempt for life and demand for justice brought to the table by Leslie Parrish is rich and satisfying yet still induces goosebumps and a sense of dread. Don’t read it without a night light, but definitely read it!

Jordan Dane, Brenda Novak, Allison Brennan, as much as I enjoy ya’ll…move over. Leslie Parrish is going to be an author to reckon with. Leslie? Thank you for the honor of being one of the first to read Fade to Black (and it was an honor!). I can’t wait for Pitch Black and other books of the Black CATs that follow! (And FYI, I didn’t know who the killer was until Leslie revealed the identity! This is a rare and much appreciated benefit.)

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