GENRE: Thriller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
A photograph can tell the truth. It can also get you killed.
Ethan McGuire’s relentless pursuit of explosive stories has cost him his family, his integrity, and
now–possibly–his life. While documenting the rise of white supremacist movements in Western
New York, Ethan encounters a world of neo-Nazis, heavily armed survivalists, rogue FBI
agents, and violent criminals, all with something to hide. But when a crew of ruthless bank
robbers starts hunting him for photos he doesn’t even know he has, the stakes turn deadly.
As his enemies close in and his family becomes a target, Ethan must expose the truth–before it
buries him. Shooting at Shadows is a relentless thriller and chilling cautionary tale, inspired by
the author’s real-life experiences as a photojournalist. It exposes the darkness lurking beneath
the surface of American extremism–and the cost of bringing it to light.
"One hopes that McMullin has further adventures planned for his unlikely hero." –Kirkus
Reviews
"...a provocative thriller exploring highly pertinent themes in American culture today..." –Fredrick
Soukup, author of Blood up North
EXCERPT:
“Let’s do this.” The driver pulled across the lot and into the space closest to the entrance. The other three men
immediately got out and walked into the bank as they pulled down their ski masks. At the same
time, they opened their coats and swung out submachine guns on shoulder straps.
BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!BAM!
The first man in the door sprayed the ceiling of the waiting area with bullets from his gun.
Chunks of drop ceiling flew apart and fell to the floor as dust and smoke filled the air.
“THIS IS A HOLD UP. GET ON THE FLOOR. NOW!”
One of the men stood and looked out the front door. A second one raced to the desk of the
manager, grabbed her by her hair and threw her to the floor as he screamed, “AND DON’T
TOUCH THAT ALARM BUTTON OR YOU WILL DIE!”
The third man jumped on the tellers’ counter and pointed his gun, first at the tellers, then to the
half door that led to the waiting area. “Away from your drawers, get out there and lie on the floor.
Keep your hands where we can see them. No cell phones. No heroes. Everybody lives to see
another Friday night fish fry.”
A blond woman was visibly very pregnant, eight months or so it appeared, and when she got to
the front she struggled to get down. “HURRY UP!” the second man screamed.
“HEY,” the man on the counter yelled. “Get her a chair!”
“What the hell, man?”
“DO IT!”
“Damn,” he complained, but he went behind the manager’s desk, pulled the chair out, and
pushed it to behind the woman. “SIT!” he yelled in her face.
The third man jumped down from the counter on the tellers’ side and let his gun hang again
from its shoulder strap. He pulled a black plastic garbage bag from his coat pocket and calmly
went from drawer to drawer pulling out stacks of fives, tens, twenties, fifties, hundreds, all
bundled with paper wrappers. He took a moment flexing each before he threw them in the bag.
The few that were stiff he left on the counter. He knew they would explode with purple dye as
soon as they were a few yards outside the bank.
AUTHOR:
Forest McMullin is a writer based in Atlanta, Georgia. Earlier in his career, he was a
photojournalist who specialized in photographing fringe social groups. Today he writes both long
and short form fiction, Shooting at Shadows is his first novel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
GIVEAWAY
Enter to win a $25
Amazon/BN GC
No comments:
Post a Comment