Thanks for checking out the blog tour for Kill Game, the first book in the Seven of Spades series!

In poker, a “kill game” is a fixed-limit game in which the stakes are suddenly doubled when a player triggers certain conditions. As our heroes Levi and Dominic hunt for the vigilante serial killer Seven of Spades, the stakes have never been higher.

Writing a Serial Killer

 

Few mystery and suspense tropes have captivated the American consciousness as thoroughly as that of the serial killer. The idea of a person who kills not out of passion or for personal gain, but rather to meet some deep-seated, alien inner drive, fascinates us even as it horrifies us.

 

Serial killers are challenging to catch because, unlike ordinary murderers, they usually have no personal connections to their victims. Finding a serial killer involves analyzing the shared qualities between the victims and every detail of each crime from victim selection to body disposal, searching for the most important key to the killer’s identity: their motivation.

 

Embarking on a series that centers around the hunt for a serial killer requires knowing that killer’s motivation inside and out, as well as having a concrete plan for how, when, and to what degree the other characters will interpret (or misinterpret!) the various details that provide clues to that motivation.

 

Like many people, I’m sick to death of stories about serial killers who target, torture, and murder women. So with the Seven of Spades, I went in a very different direction. This killer doesn’t choose victims based on qualities like gender or race. Instead, the Seven of Spades targets people based on their behavior – those who have not only done wrong in very specific ways, but have gotten away with it.

 

This allows me to incorporate another beloved mystery/suspense trope: vigilantism. Stories about vigilantes strike a deep chord with many people who are frustrated by a world in which it seems that injustice prevails more often than not. Fantasies about meting out extralegal justice, righting wrongs behind the scenes, and balancing the scales can be very cathartic, even empowering.

 

The question that arises, however, is at what point do vigilantes become as bad as the people they’re hunting? The response to that question is explored by one of the central debates of the series: is the Seven of Spades a moral crusader who’s simply taken things too far, or are they only using a facade of vigilantism to justify an insatiable need to kill?

 

About Kill Game

Homicide detective Levi Abrams is barely holding his life together. He’s reeling from the fallout of a fatal shooting, and his relationship with his boyfriend is crumbling. The last thing he’s prepared for is a serial killer stalking the streets of Las Vegas. Or how he keeps getting thrown into the path of annoyingly charming bounty hunter Dominic Russo.

Dominic likes his life free of complications. That means no tangling with cops—especially prickly, uptight detectives. But when he stumbles across one of the Seven of Spades’s horrifying crime scenes, he can’t let go, despite Levi’s warnings to stay away.

The Seven of Spades is ruthless and always two moves ahead. Worst of all, they’ve taken a dangerously personal interest in Levi and Dominic. Forced to trust each other, the two men race to discover the killer’s identity, revealing hidden truths along the way and sparking a bond neither man expected. But that may not be enough to protect them.

This killer likes to play games, and the deck is not stacked in Levi and Dominic’s favor.

Now available from Riptide Publishing.

Amazon

About the Seven of Spades Series

Las Vegas has never seen a serial killer like the Seven of Spades.

The self-styled vigilante is on a mission to cut down the wicked and treacherous, and Sin City has no shortage of targets for their bloody wrath. What happens in Vegas . . . ends with the Seven of Spades’s calling card on a grisly corpse.

Standing against the killer are Levi Abrams, a dedicated homicide detective locked in a constant struggle to restrain his own dark side, and bounty hunter Dominic Russo, a charming rogue with a heavy secret weighing on his shoulders.

The hunt for the Seven of Spades sends Levi and Dominic on a collision course, igniting a passionate relationship forged in conflict and sealed with blood. Together they’re stronger than the sum of their parts, but a wily, elusive serial killer isn’t the only threat that will strain their bond to the breaking point.

Ante up, because the Seven of Spades is all in. Are you?

Check out the Seven of Spades series!

About Cordelia Kingsbridge

Cordelia Kingsbridge has a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh, but quickly discovered that direct practice in the field was not for her. Having written novels as a hobby throughout graduate school, she decided to turn her focus to writing as a full-time career. Now she explores her fascination with human behavior, motivation, and psychopathology through fiction. Her weaknesses include opposites-attract pairings and snarky banter.

Away from her desk, Cordelia is a fitness fanatic, and can be found strength training, cycling, and practicing Krav Maga. She lives in South Florida but spends most of her time indoors with the air conditioning on full blast!

Connect with Cordelia:

• Email:  cordeliakingsbridge@gmail.com
• Tumblr: http://ckingsbridge.tumblr.com
• Twitter:  @c_kingsbridge
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cordelia.Kingsbridge/

 

To celebrate the release of Kill Game, one lucky winner will receive a $15 Riptide credit! Leave a comment with your contact info to enter the contest. Entries close at midnight, Eastern time, on October 28, 2017. Contest is NOT restricted to U.S. entries. Thanks for following the tour, and don’t forget to leave your contact info!