Murder in the Vale (The Ghosts of Cardiff Book 1) by Michele E. Gwynn

Available on Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Gudt5s

BLURB

In the beginning…

Cardiff is littered with ghosts, so say the superstitious and those born and raised in “the Vale”. From Glamorgan to Llandaff, unsolved murders give rise to tall tales of restless spirits. For Father Cai Sayer, these stories become questions of faith and mysteries to be solved. For Detective Sheila Leeds, they are cold cases with suspects who must be brought to justice. In between folklore and evidence, a forbidden attraction develops as the handsome priest and the jaded detective find themselves sucked into a forty-five year old murder mystery. Who killed Jameson Putnam and Philippa George in Llandaff Cathedral, and why?

EXCERPT

Knocking it back and feeling the fire of the liquid spill down his throat, Jameson nodded. He wasn’t about to let Pippa go off with Randall, especially not knowing exactly what was going on between them. It became increasingly clearer in the car ride over that they were very familiar with each other. Neither seemed at all aware that they touched often. Randall had placed his arm around her, and she often set her hand on his arm or thigh when talking. The subject of Randall’s brother had come up a few times as well with Pippa not seeming at all interested in talking about Eddie. The rest of the crew opted to stay on the blankets. No one was thrilled with the idea of breaking into a church.

“There’s a window not far from the door. It’s small, but usually propped open to air out the sanctuary. If you lift me up, I can shimmy in and open the door from the inside.” Pippa looked to see which one would offer a hand.

Jameson took her by the hand and they wandered over to the spot beneath the window. Randall followed and together they lifted Pippa up onto their shoulders, where she balanced precariously until she grabbed the ledge. Both lifted her feet up, pushing to help her over. Randall looked over at Jameson and smiled. Jameson looked away and waited. In a moment, they heard the click of the lock, then the door slid open. Pippa appeared and stepped aside, allowing them entry.

“It’s rather dark in here, don’t you think? How will we find these saints?” Jameson waited for his eyes to adjust to the gloom interior.

“It’s not that bad. Just give it a minute. The moonlight coming in from the windows is more than enough.” She took his hand and said, “This way.”

They walked down a steep set of stairs to the lower chamber. Randall followed. They spread out, all three trying to make out the inscriptions on the crypts. Pippa, ever the adventurous one, whispered, “I’ve found Oudeceous. Rather garish tomb too.” Silence ensued as they all kept searching. Jameson felt a presence behind him and turned quickly, finding Randall standing over him.

“Dammit, man. You could let a person know you’re there.” Jameson noted his friend acting strangely. “Well? What?” He waited.

On the other side of the cathedral, Pippa looked up and saw the boys together, close in what appeared to be a quiet conversation. She continued looking around for Teilo, walking to the far side away from them.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michele E. Gwynn is a freelance journalist in San Antonio. She writes for newspapers, magazines, and online websites like Examiner.com (under the categories of Film, Animal Rights, Healthy Food, and Sex and Relationships), Yahoo Voices, Alwayz Therro Magazine, and more. In addition, she also edits websites and books - recently editing the debut supernatural romance novel, Lone Wolf Rising, by Indie author Jami Brumfield, and her next novel in a new series, The Witch's Vampire - Mystery Springs Unleashed. Prior to her career in writing, Ms. Gwynn worked first as a referral coordinator, billing manager, then office manager for a dermatology practice. 

Ms. Gwynn has published three books; one in the genre of erotic suspense, Exposed: The Education of Sarah Brown; one in the horror genre, Harvest (Book I in the Harvest Trilogy - Book II due out December 2014), and one children's fiction, The Cat Who Wanted to be a Reindeer. She plans to continue "The Cat Who.." series with the intent on introducing common greetings and words of foreign languages with educational information about the history of other countries for children. 

She resides in the small town of Schertz, Texas on the northeast side of San Antonio with her four felines who so graciously allow her to reside in their home.

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