Book Title: Double Exposure
Author: Anne Barwell
Publisher: LaceDragon Publishing
Cover Artist: T.L. Bland
Release Date: July 11, 2022
Genre: Paranormal, Mystery, Detective, MM Romance
Tropes: Found family, fated mates, romantic suspense
Themes: Family, acceptance
Length: 73 000 words/179 pages
Although it’s part of a shared world, it can be read and enjoyed alone.
It’s the first in a spin-off series of The Sleepless City and does not end on a cliffhanger.
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Someone is hunting supernaturals
Blurb
Pōneke Shadows Book 1
Vampires and werewolves live long lives. The Sleepless City saga might have ended but the story continues…
Someone is hunting supernaturals.
Vampire Simon Hawthorne and his human partner Ben Leyton’s plans for a peaceful holiday with family are hijacked by the New Zealand Supernatural Council.
Tensions are on the rise in Wellington. Supernatural councillors are disappearing. Werewolves are suspicious of anyone human or vampire. If they don’t work together, their enemy has already won.
And no one with a connection to the supernatural world is safe.
Simon glared at the police officer guarding the taped off area around the gallery. “I need to get in there,” he said, struggling to keep his tone even. “My partner—” He’d caught the scent of human blood when he’d got out of the car. Not Ben’s, but still human.
“I’m sorry, Professor Hawthorne. I can’t let anyone through.” Susan Lincoln sounded polite but firm. “I can get the detective in charge to contact you later.”
“Could you at least tell Detective Larson I’m here to see him? I have information about the case.” Simon usually kept a low profile in such matters, but to hell with that. He’d worry about damage control later. All that mattered was finding Ben.
She hesitated. “This is very—”
“It’s fine, Officer. The professor is helping us with our enquiries, so you can let him through.” Anson Larson pulled up the tape to allow Simon access. He lowered his voice so only another vampire could hear. “I figured you’d be here when you could. Did the council send you?”
Anson had helped their team out on numerous occasions, although he’d turned down an offer to officially join them. He had no intention of being the Supernatural Council’s “pet vampire on call on the force” despite Simon’s pointed assurances that wouldn’t happen. Jonas Forge and Lucas Coate had both worked for the Boggslake PD, in the roles of head detective and medical examiner respectively, and all of their team had told the council at some point where they could shove it. Despite risking his life for them several times over, at the end of the day, Simon was well aware of where he stood with them.
Useful and disposable.
“The council?” Simon frowned. “No. Ben’s in trouble. He… called me.”
Mindy O’Shea looked up from her conversation with the medical examiner when Simon passed the front desk. She’d joined the local force as a detective a few years ago. Despite being a werewolf, she’d come from a pack in Indiana, so she was thankfully not connected to the Coate family and their internal politics. She and Anson made a good team.
He politely returned her nod, retreating into social niceties to mask his relief that the human blood he’d noticed outside had come from the poor chap on the floor.
“After he called us, I hope.” Anson continued their conversation while he led Simon up the stairs to Daphne’s office.
The smell that hit Simon when he walked into the office was very different, and difficult to ignore, considering it had been spray-painted in large letters on the walls.
Simon wrinkled his nose. “Pig’s blood. Lovely.” He sniffed, his nostrils flaring when he recognised a very familiar underlying scent. Although cured of John’s bloodlust virus, it had left Simon with the ability to recognise the smell of Ben’s blood and the temptation that accompanied it. He pushed past Anson and knelt on the carpet, running his fingers along the rough fibres. His fangs descended, he brought his finger to his lips and stopped himself in time from licking it.
“Give us the room,” Anson said sharply to the two human police officers guarding the crime scene. “Human blood,” he said once they were alone. “I noticed it earlier. It’s not Austin Sumison’s. They killed him downstairs.”
“It’s Ben’s,” Simon said flatly.
Anne Barwell lives in Wellington, New Zealand. She shares her home with a cat with “tortitude” who is convinced that the house is run to suit her; this is an ongoing “discussion,” and to date it appears as though Kaylee may be winning. Anne works in a library, is an avid reader and watcher of a wide range of genres, and is constantly on the look-out for more hours in her day. She likes to write in series and even so called one shots seem to breed more plot bunnies. Her writing is like her reading – across a range of genres, although her favourites are paranormal, fantasy, SF, and historical. Music often plays a part in her stories and/or her characters are musicians.
She also hosts and reviews for other authors, and writes monthly blog posts for Love Bytes. She is the co-founder of the New Zealand Rainbow Romance writers, and a member of RWNZ. Her books have received honourable mentions five times, reached the finals four times—one of which was for best gay book—and been a runner up in the Rainbow Awards.
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