Free to Kill by Julie Mellon is a GREAT First Book in a Gripping FBI Series - This Book is Currently FREE!

In "Free to Kill", FBI Agent Katie Freeman is recently reassigned from Louisiana to Tennessee when she’s immediately tasked with investigating the horrific death of a local woman. 

Katie and her hunky partner Michael must wade through the mounting evidence to find the sadistic killer before he kidnaps and kills again.

I liked this book. It had all the elements I look for in a suspenseful murder mystery. I enjoyed following the FBI’s investigative procedures and learning about Katie and Michael’s backgrounds. The story moves along at a nice, brisk pace without any annoying story speed bumps to slow things down. 

I had just two minor criticisms: The first was that Katie is supposed to have been raised in a sheltered environment, yet in just a few weeks her mother’s friend is able to get Katie set with a driver’s license and other government paperwork – far too quick to be believable. The second was the sometimes-stilted dialogue, where people spoke without using contractions. It wasn’t done consistently enough to be unbearable, but it was done often enough for me to notice.

One last thing I’d say about the graphic nature of the kidnappings and killing here, since some reviewers expressed that it was a deal breaker for them. Yes, there was some mention of medieval style torture, but it was brief and not overly descriptive. I think it was actually necessary to some degree. It added an extra layer to the story and eventually led Katie and Michael to the killer.

This book kept me entertained and reading along, and I finished in less than a day. I liked Katie and Michael’s characters, and the author’s writing enough to be willing to read more books in this series.

5 of 5 Stars, Review by Susan Barton, DIY Mom Blog

*This book is currently FREE on Amazon so grab it while you can!

Why and How I Made the Transition from Law Enforcement to Authorship by Anita Dickason, Author of Sentinels of the Night

I LOVE books that feature strong female characters, so when I heard about Sentinels of the Night by Dallas police officer turned crime author Anita Dickason I knew I had to highlight this awesome woman! 

I reached out to Anita to ask her how she made the transition from law enforcement to book series author and she kindly obliged with an author guest post. Anita has lots to share about her journey - it's certainly a fascinating one - so read on!

After retiring from the Dallas Police Department, I started an accident reconstruction business. I received a phone call from a California film company. They were looking for an accident investigator and had found my website. A new reality TV series was being filmed about unsolved mysteries. One episode dealt with the death of a witness to the Kennedy assassination. Lee Bowers was killed in a car accident in 1966.

The date to film was set, and the company had obtained permits from the Texas Department of Transportation to shut down the southbound lanes of a highway outside of Midlothian, a small town south of Dallas.

At first, I wasn’t receptive to their offer. I knew nothing about the accident and had little time to research. The company representative asked if I would at least look at the documents and I agreed.

The packet I received included the location of the shoot and a video of a Geraldo Rivera show that had aired in the middle 90s on the same topic. In the video, a man stood on the highway pointing to the bridge that Bowers vehicle had hit. It only took a few seconds to realize everyone had the wrong location. The bridge and highway didn’t even exist in 1966.

That got my attention. Could I find the actual accident site? By the time I had researched documents at the county courthouse and located the right bridge, I was hooked. I decided to attempt a reconstruction of the accident.

I wrote a book that detailed my research and conclusions, JFK Assassination Eyewitness: Rush to Conspiracy. The project became the springboard to a new career as an author and publisher. I closed the accident reconstruction business and started Mystic Circle Books & Designs, LLC, providing manuscript and cover design services to help other authors publish their books.

As for my books, I have published two fiction novels, Sentinels of the Night and Going Gone! The stories are suspense/thrillers with a touch of paranormal and light romance. I set up a new FBI unit, code name—Trackers. Each of the agents has a unique gift drawn from Native American myths or Irish and Scottish folklore. I am on my third Tracker novel and hope to have it published by the first of the year.

For more information on Sentinels of the Night and the second Tracker novel, Going Gone!, please see my website, Amazon author page or the book trailers: 

Anita Dickason Website

Amazon Author Page

Sentinels of the Night Book Trailer

Going Gone! Book Trailer