For the second helping of Thursday Themes for today, I’m delighted to welcome back my friend, and fellow Manchester Scribes writer, Karen Moore, to discuss her new book, Release. This is the sequel to Torn, and is just as brilliant!
Thank you, Jo, for this opportunity to talk about my new book, a thriller called Release, which was published last week by Darkstroke Books.
Release is a sequel to my first novel, Torn, and follows the main protagonist, Hanna Sullivan, once she leaves Sicily to settle down in North Wales with her new partner, Rhys. I didn’t set out to write a sequel but the nagging thought in the back of my head that my characters hadn’t finished with me yet, nor I with them, convinced me otherwise. Although a sequel, Release is written as a stand-alone novel for anyone who may not have read Torn.
Various themes are explored throughout both books. I’m fascinated by the way people react when faced with dilemmas and situations outside their comfort zone and I try to explore this in my writing.
In Torn, Hanna is devastated to discover that her charismatic Sicilian husband, Luciano, is not all that he seems, and horrified to learn the true nature of his family business. Not only has she been living a lie, but she has been inadvertently caught up in a world that threatens both her life and that of her young daughter, Eva, and many strangers besides. Protecting Eva from harm is Hanna’s overriding concern.
In Release, just when Hanna thinks they have escaped and are finally safe, the threat returns. Their lives are once again shaped by fear and thrown into turmoil as the boundaries between past and present start to blur. Hanna faces the difficult decision of whether to return to Sicily for her best friend’s wedding. But strange things have started to happen close to home.
Will Hanna and Eva ever be safe from the past?
In both books, the importance of family and friendship is a key theme, as is loyalty. Close relationships can have such a positive influence on all our lives. Their lack, breakdown, or loss can shatter the individuals concerned. Betrayal can destroy people or drive them to extremes, as can the desire for revenge and justice. Hanna’s actions are always tempered by her love for her daughter and the need to protect her. But how will it all end?
And Release is not the last we will see of Hanna. I’ve started work on a third novel in the series where we meet her and some of the other characters several years later. The action has now moved away from Sicily and the characters are facing new challenges in their lives.
I hope you will enjoy reading Torn and Release as much as I enjoyed writing them. Any feedback and/or reviews gratefully received! You can keep up with me and my writing on the social media links below.
Blurb for Release
A threat returns. An attack with fatal consequences. A life lived in fear.
When Hanna’s estranged mafioso husband, Luciano, is released early from a Sicilian prison, she fears he will come after her and her young daughter, Eva.
The revelation leaves her with a dilemma. Invited to Sicily to attend her best friend’s wedding, can she really take the risk?
But even staying at home in North Wales may not be safe. Something strange is going on at her old cottage in the hills. As the lines between Sicily and North Wales blur, Hanna uncovers a criminal operation that leads her to fear for Eva’s life all over again.
Will Hanna ever be able to release herself from Luciano’s grip? Or will her discovery lead her into even deeper danger?
Book links
Both books are available in e-book and paperback format on Amazon:
Release – http://mybook.to/releasenovel
Torn – http://mybook.to/darkstroketorn
Contact links
www.facebook.com/karenmooreauthor
www.twitter.com/KarenMo35731701
About the Author
Karen Moore is a British thriller writer based in Cheshire. She lived in Italy for ten years and worked as a tour guide in Europe, the USA and Canada, followed by a career in PR and marketing. Release is her second novel.
