Dead Giveaway - Brenda Novak

Is it ever okay to do the wrong thing for the right reason? That’s one of the themes I wanted to explore when I wrote DEAD GIVEAWAY. Clay Montgomery has certainly walked on the wrong side of the law—is still walking on the wrong side of the law. Which makes it pretty tough to get together with a police officer. But faced with the same set of circumstances in which he found himself nineteen years ago, he’d do it all again. That’s what I love about him. He’s uncompromising in his determination to protect those he loves regardless of the personal sacrifice. I don’t know that I’ve ever created a character with such a strong sense of responsibility, or so much courage.

Because DEAD GIVEAWAY is the second book in a trilogy, the basic plot idea was already in place. I developed it before I wrote DEAD SILENCE, Book #1, but there was still a lot of brainstorming that needed to be done. I had to figure out how to make the conflict change and grow and challenge my characters in different ways. I also had to figure out how to make the nineteen-year-old murder upon which all three stories are based fresh and interesting from this new angle (from the perspective of Clay, the hero, and how it has affected his life). I did this by revealing more than the reader knew before, and showing that what happened twenty years ago was more complex than everyone believed. I offered a new challenge, in the form of Allie, the cold-case detective who comes home to solve the mystery that has been troubling her small town for so long, which created the ideal conflict. Clay has something to hide, and Allie’s out to expose it.

Next up is DEAD RIGHT, out in August 2007!

Dead Giveaway, On Sale Now!
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