Hollownton Homicide
Anthony Hollownton Series Book 1
by Gretchen S.B.
Genre: Supernatural Suspense
322 pages
There more to the world than he has ever known…
When homicide detective Anthony Hollownton is called to the scene of his latest murder case he quickly becomes aware that something isn't quite right.
It isn't the gruesomeness of the scene.
It isn't the symbols written on the wall.
It isn't the image carved into the victim's back.
It is something else, something he can't quite put his finger on, something he doesn't understand.
Then his partner disappears, leaving Tony alone as the world begins to unravel. As the body count rises Tony must scramble to adapt to this new supernatural world. A supernatural world that wants nothing to do with him and will shut him out at all costs. Until the killer's attention turns to Tony. Now he must work within the supernatural community's rules if he is going to come out of this case alive.
**On sale for $0.99 from Jan 13th-18th!!**
Add to Goodreads
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords
When homicide detective Anthony Hollownton is called to the scene of his latest murder case he quickly becomes aware that something isn't quite right.
It isn't the gruesomeness of the scene.
It isn't the symbols written on the wall.
It isn't the image carved into the victim's back.
It is something else, something he can't quite put his finger on, something he doesn't understand.
Then his partner disappears, leaving Tony alone as the world begins to unravel. As the body count rises Tony must scramble to adapt to this new supernatural world. A supernatural world that wants nothing to do with him and will shut him out at all costs. Until the killer's attention turns to Tony. Now he must work within the supernatural community's rules if he is going to come out of this case alive.
**On sale for $0.99 from Jan 13th-18th!!**
Add to Goodreads
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * Smashwords
Anthony jolted awake in bed. What disturbed him? Did his alarm go off? There was a ringing noise. Turning to his left, he grabbed the phone next to his bed.
“Anthony Hollownton.”
That was as polite as he could be for the middle of the night. If the caller had a problem with that, he or she would have to deal with it. He looked at his alarm clock: five am. That meant he’d gotten barely more than two hours of sleep. Why would someone call him at five am?
There was a pause on the other end.
“Hello?” he repeated, dread beginning to curl in the pit of his stomach.
He could hear talking on the other end, and silently pleaded that it wasn’t the same woman from earlier. He was just frustrated enough to trace the call and chew her out. He heard a male voice on the other end. and exhaled, forcing his muscles to relax one-by-one. He had to get more sleep; he was jumping to ridiculous conclusions.
“Hey, Tony, sorry to call so early, man, but I gotta ask you a question.” It was his partner. The tone in the man’s voice sounded serious, and genuinely upset about whatever he was prepared to say.
Tony tensed again. What if something happened to Amanda or the baby?
“What is it, Rick?” Tony tried to sound neutral.
When he heard his partner sigh, Tony relaxed again, feeling more tired than before.
“Look, man, I don’t believe it but Amanda asked me to, so I’m doing it.”
Tony screamed with frustration in his head. He wanted to get back to sleep.
“Get to the point, Nelson. I want to go back to bed.”
Using his last name showed Rick he meant business and urged him to get to the point.
“As you know, the land line is on Amanda’s side of the bed, and she picked up three phone calls tonight since we went to bed. She says they were from a woman who laughs and hangs up. After the third time, Amanda called star-sixty-nine, and the number was yours, your land line, anyway. I wasn't sure at first, since you don't really use it. But when I double-checked in my cell, the numbers matched. I told her it was crazy, since you never have women over. I said that except for her and some other cops, you don’t even know any women, no offense; but she insisted I call anyway to make sure.”
Tony’s jaw dropped. Now he was wide-awake. He must have been silent too long because his partner’s voice came back on with a worried tone.
“Hey, Tony, you still there?”
Tony flicked on his bedroom light and scanned the room, finding it empty.
“Yeah, man, I’m here, just shocked. There’s no one else here and I’ve been asleep. You know, it could be a prank caller who knows how to reroute numbers or something.”
Tony debated telling his partner about the call at work, but quickly dismissed it. With a wife and four-month-old daughter, Rick had enough on his plate.
“Yeah, I figured as much. I was just calling to make sure. Sorry for waking you up, man. I hope you can get back to sleep.”
Tony nodded. So did he. “Yeah, good night, Rick.”
He heard his partner say something to his wife. “Good night, Tony. See you tomorrow, I mean, today.”
As he hung up the phone, Tony looked closely at his room. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Against the wall, at the foot of his bed, was his forty-two-inch TV. To the left of the bed was the closet, which was still open from when he put away his work clothes, and no one was in there. To the right of the TV was the door leading out into the rest of the apartment, which was still closed. Everything on the nightstand was also right where he left it. Turning, he looked at the window above the bed, and found it still locked. He turned back, reaching into the top drawer of his nightstand and pulled out his gun before getting out of bed. If anyone was in his apartment, he intended to find them.
“Anthony Hollownton.”
That was as polite as he could be for the middle of the night. If the caller had a problem with that, he or she would have to deal with it. He looked at his alarm clock: five am. That meant he’d gotten barely more than two hours of sleep. Why would someone call him at five am?
There was a pause on the other end.
“Hello?” he repeated, dread beginning to curl in the pit of his stomach.
He could hear talking on the other end, and silently pleaded that it wasn’t the same woman from earlier. He was just frustrated enough to trace the call and chew her out. He heard a male voice on the other end. and exhaled, forcing his muscles to relax one-by-one. He had to get more sleep; he was jumping to ridiculous conclusions.
“Hey, Tony, sorry to call so early, man, but I gotta ask you a question.” It was his partner. The tone in the man’s voice sounded serious, and genuinely upset about whatever he was prepared to say.
Tony tensed again. What if something happened to Amanda or the baby?
“What is it, Rick?” Tony tried to sound neutral.
When he heard his partner sigh, Tony relaxed again, feeling more tired than before.
“Look, man, I don’t believe it but Amanda asked me to, so I’m doing it.”
Tony screamed with frustration in his head. He wanted to get back to sleep.
“Get to the point, Nelson. I want to go back to bed.”
Using his last name showed Rick he meant business and urged him to get to the point.
“As you know, the land line is on Amanda’s side of the bed, and she picked up three phone calls tonight since we went to bed. She says they were from a woman who laughs and hangs up. After the third time, Amanda called star-sixty-nine, and the number was yours, your land line, anyway. I wasn't sure at first, since you don't really use it. But when I double-checked in my cell, the numbers matched. I told her it was crazy, since you never have women over. I said that except for her and some other cops, you don’t even know any women, no offense; but she insisted I call anyway to make sure.”
Tony’s jaw dropped. Now he was wide-awake. He must have been silent too long because his partner’s voice came back on with a worried tone.
“Hey, Tony, you still there?”
Tony flicked on his bedroom light and scanned the room, finding it empty.
“Yeah, man, I’m here, just shocked. There’s no one else here and I’ve been asleep. You know, it could be a prank caller who knows how to reroute numbers or something.”
Tony debated telling his partner about the call at work, but quickly dismissed it. With a wife and four-month-old daughter, Rick had enough on his plate.
“Yeah, I figured as much. I was just calling to make sure. Sorry for waking you up, man. I hope you can get back to sleep.”
Tony nodded. So did he. “Yeah, good night, Rick.”
He heard his partner say something to his wife. “Good night, Tony. See you tomorrow, I mean, today.”
As he hung up the phone, Tony looked closely at his room. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Against the wall, at the foot of his bed, was his forty-two-inch TV. To the left of the bed was the closet, which was still open from when he put away his work clothes, and no one was in there. To the right of the TV was the door leading out into the rest of the apartment, which was still closed. Everything on the nightstand was also right where he left it. Turning, he looked at the window above the bed, and found it still locked. He turned back, reaching into the top drawer of his nightstand and pulled out his gun before getting out of bed. If anyone was in his apartment, he intended to find them.
Hollownton Outsiders
Anthony Hollownton Series Book 2
Life was finally getting back to normal…almost
Two months ago homicide detective Anthony Hollownton was forcibly thrown into the supernatural world. A world that has been eerily silent ever since.
His partner is back but will never be the same. Talking about seeing things Tony knows are real.
At least it is the Fourth of July and patrolling the festivities should be a cake walk.
Wrong.
A mutilated body is stumbled upon and now it is all Tony can do not to jump to supernatural conclusions. Is his jarring previous case making him paranoid or is there more to this murder than meets the eye?
Goodreads * Amazon
Two months ago homicide detective Anthony Hollownton was forcibly thrown into the supernatural world. A world that has been eerily silent ever since.
His partner is back but will never be the same. Talking about seeing things Tony knows are real.
At least it is the Fourth of July and patrolling the festivities should be a cake walk.
Wrong.
A mutilated body is stumbled upon and now it is all Tony can do not to jump to supernatural conclusions. Is his jarring previous case making him paranoid or is there more to this murder than meets the eye?
Goodreads * Amazon
The four of them headed up the driveway with the two uniforms peeling off as Rick and Tony passed Rick's car. Luckily, Tony was wearing a button up today so he simply hung his badge out of his shirt pocket so it was visible and put his hands behind his back, hiding the radio. He knew Rick would probably do all the talking, which would make it easier to be inconspicuous. As they walked farther up the drive, they saw the grey Prius that matched Mercedes' car's description. However, the red truck was nowhere in sight. There was a garage separating the duplex on either side so it could've been in there for all he knew.
Rick rang the doorbell and they both waited. Part of Tony hoped that all this was just a coincidence and that these two college kids hadn't murdered a woman and mutilated her body over an internship. Even though all the evidence was pointing quite blatantly towards them as the killers. There was some noise on the other side of the door and he exchanged glances with Rick. Tony cleared up one of his hands in case he needed to grab his weapon. His adrenaline began to shoot through his blood and his heart beat faster but he hoped the kids would just open the door like a regular household and not cause any problems.
After what seemed like an eternity, the door cracked open and the smell of pot blasted out into the cool outdoor air; it was clearly much warmer in the house. The kid that stood in the doorway looked pretty young. He was definitely college-aged; Tony would've been surprised if the kid was actually old enough to drink.
"Brian Summers?" Rick asked.
The blond kid in front of them blinked a few times before nodding slowly. "Yeah, what of it?"
Rick put his badge closer to the young man's face. "I'm Detective Nelson and this is my partner; we’re hoping to ask you and your girlfriend, Mercedes Foster some questions about last night."
There was a beat as if the kid was processing what Rick said, then his eyes went wide and before anyone said anything else the door slammed in their faces, they heard it lock, then yelling and what sounded like somebody running to the back of the house.
"Oh crap, looks like they're gonna make a run for it," said one of the cops behind Tony and Rick. "Don't worry about it, we’ll circle around the back, you guys come in from the front." With that Tony saw out the corner of his eyes the two men run around the house, guns drawn at a low ready position.
Pounding on the door, Rick yelled at the top of his lungs, "Brian, Mercedes, this is the police. You need to open this door and talk to us or we’re going to have to bring you down to the station. Running away or any delay tactics are only going to look bad for you. We need to talk to you. Come outside now."
There was no answer but before they could negotiate how to kick the front door down they heard a shriek around back. They exchanged glances before splitting up and taking off after the two uniforms around the back of the house.
Tony's heart was pounding in his years as his blood raced through his system. He couldn't believe what was happening. It had been so long since somebody tried to run on them. By the time he got to the back of the house, he could see on the other side of the short chain link fence that one of the cops had Brian on the ground and was cuffing him while the other was struggling with Mercedes, who was screaming and trying to break loose of his hold.
Before he could jump the fence, Tony saw Rick go through the open gates on the other side. At the same time Mercedes landed a kick between the legs of the officer she was wrestling with. Rick got there just in time to grab her arms and hook the second cuff on her.
"If you don't calm yourself down right now you're going to get arrested and charged with assaulting an officer, do you really want that on your record?" Rick asked her, speaking much louder than he needed to.
That moment Mercedes seemed to see she and her boyfriend were outnumbered and calm down a bit.
"We are going to put you and your boyfriend in the back of a squad car and take you downtown. Hopefully that will give you some time to cool off a little bit and my partner and I can ask you some questions," Rick explained.
In response, Mercedes ended her struggle to get away.
Rick rang the doorbell and they both waited. Part of Tony hoped that all this was just a coincidence and that these two college kids hadn't murdered a woman and mutilated her body over an internship. Even though all the evidence was pointing quite blatantly towards them as the killers. There was some noise on the other side of the door and he exchanged glances with Rick. Tony cleared up one of his hands in case he needed to grab his weapon. His adrenaline began to shoot through his blood and his heart beat faster but he hoped the kids would just open the door like a regular household and not cause any problems.
After what seemed like an eternity, the door cracked open and the smell of pot blasted out into the cool outdoor air; it was clearly much warmer in the house. The kid that stood in the doorway looked pretty young. He was definitely college-aged; Tony would've been surprised if the kid was actually old enough to drink.
"Brian Summers?" Rick asked.
The blond kid in front of them blinked a few times before nodding slowly. "Yeah, what of it?"
Rick put his badge closer to the young man's face. "I'm Detective Nelson and this is my partner; we’re hoping to ask you and your girlfriend, Mercedes Foster some questions about last night."
There was a beat as if the kid was processing what Rick said, then his eyes went wide and before anyone said anything else the door slammed in their faces, they heard it lock, then yelling and what sounded like somebody running to the back of the house.
"Oh crap, looks like they're gonna make a run for it," said one of the cops behind Tony and Rick. "Don't worry about it, we’ll circle around the back, you guys come in from the front." With that Tony saw out the corner of his eyes the two men run around the house, guns drawn at a low ready position.
Pounding on the door, Rick yelled at the top of his lungs, "Brian, Mercedes, this is the police. You need to open this door and talk to us or we’re going to have to bring you down to the station. Running away or any delay tactics are only going to look bad for you. We need to talk to you. Come outside now."
There was no answer but before they could negotiate how to kick the front door down they heard a shriek around back. They exchanged glances before splitting up and taking off after the two uniforms around the back of the house.
Tony's heart was pounding in his years as his blood raced through his system. He couldn't believe what was happening. It had been so long since somebody tried to run on them. By the time he got to the back of the house, he could see on the other side of the short chain link fence that one of the cops had Brian on the ground and was cuffing him while the other was struggling with Mercedes, who was screaming and trying to break loose of his hold.
Before he could jump the fence, Tony saw Rick go through the open gates on the other side. At the same time Mercedes landed a kick between the legs of the officer she was wrestling with. Rick got there just in time to grab her arms and hook the second cuff on her.
"If you don't calm yourself down right now you're going to get arrested and charged with assaulting an officer, do you really want that on your record?" Rick asked her, speaking much louder than he needed to.
That moment Mercedes seemed to see she and her boyfriend were outnumbered and calm down a bit.
"We are going to put you and your boyfriend in the back of a squad car and take you downtown. Hopefully that will give you some time to cool off a little bit and my partner and I can ask you some questions," Rick explained.
In response, Mercedes ended her struggle to get away.
Gretchen is a Seattleite that loves her home. She has a day job as a Program Coordinator a local university. She loves to read, write and create characters. As well as knit and binge watch Netflix. She is also on a sporadic book blog and internet radio show with some of her college friends. She currently lives with her husband and their mischievous Rotti mix, who always seems to find something new she shouldn't be chewing on.
Gretchen loves to hear from her readers. So feel free to drop by!
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Google+ * Amazon * Goodreads
Gretchen loves to hear from her readers. So feel free to drop by!
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Google+ * Amazon * Goodreads
Follow the tour HERE for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
Jan 13
kickoff at Silver Dagger Book Tours
La Libreria di Beppe
Jan 14
Spunky N Sassy
Jan 15
fuonlyknew
Urban Smoothie Read
Jan 16
2 Girls & A Book
books are love
Jan 17
Book Review Virignia Lee
Brianna Remus Books
Jan 18
A Mama's Corner of the World
Bound 2 Escape
Jan 19
AC Squared Book Blog
Fantasticando sui libri
Jan 20
JB's Bookworms with Brandy Mulder
Jan 21
Girl with Pen
Jan 22
Book Bangers Blog
Home for Book Lovers
Jan 23
Jazzy Book Reviews
Loves Great Reads Blog
Jan 24
Books a Plenty Book Reviews
Lisa-Queen of Random
Jan 25
Quiet Fury Books
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too!
Jan 26
Meghan's Mindless Mutterings: Reviews & Giveaways
nanasbookreviews
Jan 27
Mello & June
Jan 28
Aconite Cafe
Jan 29
Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'
Sylv.net
Jan 30
The Attic Ghost – GUEST POST
Queen of All She Reads
Jan 31
Tales of A Wanna-Be SuperHero Mom
Teatime and Books
Feb 1
T's Stuff
The Authors Blog
Feb 2
The Books You Read
The Bookworm Chronicles
Feb 3
Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer
Feb 4
Cali Book Reviews – GUEST POST
Feb 5
The Book Town
The Pen and Muse Book Reviews
Feb 6
Rabid Readers Book Blog
The Voluptuous Book Diva
Feb 7
The Reading Spot
Yah gotta read this
Feb 8
Adventures Thru Wonderland – REVIEW BOTH
Yearwood La Novela
Feb 9
JBronder Book Reviews – REVIEW BOTH
Feb 10
Anna Del C Dye – GUEST POST
Feb 11
United Indie Book Blog – GUEST POST
Port Jericho – GUEST POST
Feb 12
Momma Says: To Read or Not To Read – REVIEW BOTH
Sapphyria's Book Reviews
Feb 13
Laurie's Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews – REVIEW BOOK 1
Jan 13
kickoff at Silver Dagger Book Tours
La Libreria di Beppe
Jan 14
Spunky N Sassy
Jan 15
fuonlyknew
Urban Smoothie Read
Jan 16
2 Girls & A Book
books are love
Jan 17
Book Review Virignia Lee
Brianna Remus Books
Jan 18
A Mama's Corner of the World
Bound 2 Escape
Jan 19
AC Squared Book Blog
Fantasticando sui libri
Jan 20
JB's Bookworms with Brandy Mulder
Jan 21
Girl with Pen
Jan 22
Book Bangers Blog
Home for Book Lovers
Jan 23
Jazzy Book Reviews
Loves Great Reads Blog
Jan 24
Books a Plenty Book Reviews
Lisa-Queen of Random
Jan 25
Quiet Fury Books
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, &, Sissy, Too!
Jan 26
Meghan's Mindless Mutterings: Reviews & Giveaways
nanasbookreviews
Jan 27
Mello & June
Jan 28
Aconite Cafe
Jan 29
Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'
Sylv.net
Jan 30
The Attic Ghost – GUEST POST
Queen of All She Reads
Jan 31
Tales of A Wanna-Be SuperHero Mom
Teatime and Books
Feb 1
T's Stuff
The Authors Blog
Feb 2
The Books You Read
The Bookworm Chronicles
Feb 3
Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer
Feb 4
Cali Book Reviews – GUEST POST
Feb 5
The Book Town
The Pen and Muse Book Reviews
Feb 6
Rabid Readers Book Blog
The Voluptuous Book Diva
Feb 7
The Reading Spot
Yah gotta read this
Feb 8
Adventures Thru Wonderland – REVIEW BOTH
Yearwood La Novela
Feb 9
JBronder Book Reviews – REVIEW BOTH
Feb 10
Anna Del C Dye – GUEST POST
Feb 11
United Indie Book Blog – GUEST POST
Port Jericho – GUEST POST
Feb 12
Momma Says: To Read or Not To Read – REVIEW BOTH
Sapphyria's Book Reviews
Feb 13
Laurie's Paranormal Thoughts and Reviews – REVIEW BOOK 1
