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Blurb:
Skye Maddox is a contract assassin driven by both personal demons and professional discipline. Hired by grieving father Milo Williams to hunt down the chain of men responsible for his son’s death, Skye takes on a mission that escalates into a war with Washington, D.C.’s most dangerous underworld figures led by a man known only as Hetman. As she climbs Milo’s ladder of revenge, Skye uncovers a web of corruption that links drug dealers, judges, mobsters, and even international crime syndicates.
The story escalates through brutal shootouts, betrayals, and psychological games, as Skye pushes deeper into Hetman’s empire. Each success makes her a bigger target. In the end, she must weigh the cost of finishing Milo’s revenge against the danger of becoming just another expendable weapon in someone else’s war.
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Read an Excerpt
Jayla jotted in her notebook. She always collected the euphemisms Skye used for her profession. “So, tell me about this latest assignment. How do you feel about this player you’ve taken off the board? Was it, in your mind, a just action?”
“You always want to go there,” Skye said, shaking her head. “What did I tell you? The first rule of the assassin’s doctrine. The target has got to deserve it.”
“Oh, yes,” Jayla said with a half-smile. “Your job, while criminal, does have rules
“I misspoke earlier,” Skye said, sliding a slim dagger out of her boot. “It’s not a job. It’s a profession. All professions have their rules. For doctors, rule number one is ‘do no harm’, right? For an assassin, it’s that the target has got to deserve it.” Skye began to absently flip the dagger in the air, catching it by its tip each time. “In this case, this bastard kidnapped my client’s son. I don’t know how they got him. My client kept his family totally under the radar. But once he got the ransom demand, the client agreed to pay, and the ransom money was in transit but not fast enough to suit the kidnappers. They killed the boy, I think just to make a point. Just to be snotty. The action took place overseas and no way the police would ever have gotten close to the killer.”
Jayla nodded. “I think I understand. So, you were hired to…”
“Correct the balance,” Skye said, standing.
Interview with Austin S. Camacho
What is your favorite part of the book?
In addition to being a high action thriller, True Target is also built on a puzzle – who is the master criminal Skye is being paid to eliminate. So my favorite part of the book is the big reveal, when my protagonist finally figures it all out and can name the villain.
Does your book have a lesson? Moral?
I don’t think this novel has a moral, but if there is a lesson it may be the importance of knowing yourself. Skye, a professional assassin, is wrestling with who she is, why she does what she does, and how that lifestyle is affecting her.
Are your characters based off real people or did they all come entirely from your imagination?
All of my fictional characters are total figments of my imagination. Of course, I will sometimes take specific characteristics from people I’ve met for various characters. But if someone points to one of my characters and says, “that’s me, isn’t it?” they’re telling me more about themselves than they realize.
Of all the characters you have created, which is your favorite and why?
That’s like asking a parent which of their children they love more. I can’t honestly say I have a favorite character. I will say that right now Skye is the character I’m most fascinated with because I am still learning about her – a work in progress is always the mot interesting.
What character in your book are you least likely to get along with?
Of course I’d get along very well with the good guys and not so well with the bad guys. I can get along with thieves or even violent people. What I can’t stand is dishonesty, and the master villain in this book is very duplicitous and runs a huge enterprise based on lies. I could not get along with him at all.
What would the main character in your book have to say about you?
Skye would like that I am detail oriented and a bit of a smart-ass, as she is. But she would call me a wimp because I’m not prepared to fight over minor things. She would also say that I’m too concerned with the wide world. Her focus is narrow and her world doesn’t extend far beyond her city, Washington DC.
Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?
I am definitely building a series here, with this book being the first. Skye is a woman in transition, and this series of books will follow the rising and advancing of her spirit. While each adventure will stand alone, you will see this character grow and mature because the events in each story will have an impact on her. I hope you’ll want to come along for the ride.
About the Author:
Austin S. Camacho is the author of eight novels about Washington DC-based private eye Hannibal Jones, five in the Stark and O’Brien international adventure-thriller series, and the detective novel Beyond Blue. His short stories have been featured in several anthologies and he is featured in the Edgar nominated African American Mystery Writers: A Historical and Thematic Study by Frankie Y. Bailey. He is a past president of the Maryland Writers Association, past Vice President of the Virginia Writers Club, and one of the creators of the Creatures, Crimes & Creativity literary conference.
Connect with Austin S. Camacho
Giveaway:
$25 Amazon/BN GC
2 comments:
Thank you for featuring TRUE TARGET today.
Thanks to the Avid Reader for featuring my novel True Target today. I wonder if readers ever think about what a character might think about them...
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