Review - Avenging Angel by Kim Smith

Avenging Angel

by: Kim Smith

Mainstream Fiction: Mystery/Suspense

ISBN: 978-1-60435-276-4

Cover Artist: Shara Azod

Editor: Lea Schizas

Word Count: 73,190

Release Date: December 18, 2008

To begin with, I have to say that I love a good cozy mystery - there is just something about that genre that leaves me feeling relaxed and happy. Avenging Angel left me feeling not only that way, but desperately wanting more as I read the final word. Ms. Smith shows off her extreme talent as she brings the story of Shannon Wallace to life, bringing the reader right along for one heck of a ride.

Avenging Angel has it all - humor, compassion, suspense and a tinge of romance. Shannon's life starts out great - great job, great boyfriend, until all that changes when her boss boyfriend calls her into the office to not only fire her, but break up with her. That same night, he ends up dead - and the dead body count just continues to rise - leaving Shannon to wonder if she will be next.

On top of all of this, she is trying desperately to find the missing "love movies" that her and her now dead ex made together. Shannon must find them before the cops do and turn her into the department late night entertainment.

Kim Smith's debut novel paves the road to great success as a writer. Her voice is fresh and her writing is fantastic. She leaves the reader wanting more, as each scene plays out and the depth of the characters and plot deepen. For lovers of cozy mysteries, Avenging Angel is sure to be a great hit. Kim Smith fits right in with other favorites such as Cleo Coyle, Sammi Carter, Joanna Carl, Denise Swanson and many others of this genre.

Once I started reading, I truly did not want to stop. Avenging Angel was a very quick and fun read for me and I simply cannot wait for Ms. Smith's next delightful creation!

*overall rating 4.5/5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About Avenging Angel:

Shannon Wallace is having a bad hair week.

She’s been ditched by her job, dumped by her boyfriend, and implicated in his murder.

When she finds out her very private video collection is missing from the crime scene, it is all out war to find the disks before the cops do. The problem is, the killer has them. And he’s watched them.

Now Shannon’s at the top of his most wanted list.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt:

My Aunt Nancy always told me to dress in my best clothes when I went out, because I never knew whom I might meet. This time, I hadn’t done the best I could to make myself presentable. Jeans, tee shirt, and a ponytail didn’t qualify for modern chic. When the detective opened the door to the Homicide Office, I wished I’d worn a skirt and heels. In a moment of clarity, I understood my aunt’s concerns about going out half-ready.

The sexy, Hispanic man who raised an eyebrow and patiently waited for me to state my business was none other than Salvador Ramirez, formerly of Mississippi Junior College, the same school I attended back in the day. Of all the eligible men at college, he was the most highly sought after. Partly because he’d won the “sexiest legs” contest two years in a row, and partly because he had a bad boy quality, which made all of the girls want him.

Especially me. And damn the luck, I got a shot at him. When I discovered our date was based on a dare someone posed, I retaliated by publishing excerpts of his personal journal in the college’s monthly newsletter, The Bugle.

“Mr. Ramirez,” I said, trying to look harmless. “Of the award-winning legs.”

His expression changed as he looked at me and I knew he remembered our rocky past. My heart leapt into my throat. This was not the face of a man happy to see an old chum.

“Shannon Wallace, of the vigilantes for journalism,” he said, deadpan. “Mama said there would be days like this.”

Nope. He was not a happy cop.

He waved me into the room. “Come in.”

The entire office was a mess, most of it concentrated on two desks littered with papers.
“What are you doing here? Looking for a few good men to belittle in a new publication? Should I hide the personal notes on my cases?” he asked.

Sarcasm. I smiled. It was a beginning. He hadn’t forgotten, so that meant he intended on seeing I didn’t get a chance to repeat my past mistakes. Dandy by me. I just wanted to plead my case, and escape a free woman. If I never crossed the threshold here again, my feelings wouldn’t be hurt.

“I think you’ve held a grudge, but it was all in fun.”

“Fun?” He scanned the hallway before shutting the door. “You ruined every chance I ever had of getting a decent date. I never dreamed you would print my private journal for Christ’s sake.”

“It was no journal. It was a freaking scorecard.”

(click here) to continue reading the excerpt

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About Kim Smith:

Kim Smith was born in Memphis Tennessee, the youngest of four children. After a short stint in a Northwest Mississippi junior college, during the era of John Grisham’s rise as a lawyer, she gave up educational pursuits to marry and begin family life.

She has worked in many fields in her life, from fast food waitress to telephone sales. “I always got the seniors on the phone who were lonely and wanted someone to talk to. My boss couldn’t understand why in the world I spent so much time talking to them and not enough time selling. That was when I realized I love people and care deeply about their lives.”

After the birth of her two children, she gave up working outside the home for the more important domestic duties of wife and mother. When her kids decided they wanted to pursue theater as an extracurricular activity, she gave up her free time to drive them to rehearsals, training classes, and plays. During those years, she found herself bored with nothing to do to while away the hours stuck in a car. She began thinking of stories to entertain herself and pass the time. Before long she started telling her husband about her stories and he assured her she could write a book if she really wanted to. She put the idea away once she landed a job as a network administrator for a small corporation, and together the Smith’s started their own video production company.

Writing was a dream, hidden but not forgotten, and soon Kim began to talk again of trying her hand at it. She played with words, and wrote several poems, one of which was picked up for an anthology.

One day in the early nineties her husband came home with a desktop computer and sat her in front of it. “Now you have no more excuses,” he said, and she realized the truth in his words. Procrastination, now no longer an option, she took off on the pursuit of penning her first book. Though that book, a young adult fantasy, was lost due to unforeseen circumstances, she kept going, writing a historical romance, and another YA.

When she decided to try out her hand at mystery writing, she discovered her true love and niche in the writing journey. She has since had four short stories, and her first mystery novel accepted for publication.

Kim is a member of Sisters in Crime, and EPIC. She still lives in the Mid South region of the United States and is currently working on her second book in the mystery series.

You can visit her website at http://www.mkimsmith.com/.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At this time, Avenging Angel is in eBook format, which can be purchased from the following:

Red Rose Publishing, http://www.redrosepublishing.com/

ARE http://allromanceebooks.com/

Mobipocket http://mobipocket.com/

If eBook format is not your typical way of reading, make this your first - you will not be sorry!!!