Silver Dagger Book Tours
  • Welcome!
  • Current Tours
    • Book Tours
  • Book a Tour
  • Open Sign Ups
  • Contact
  • About
  • Win a Book Tour!
  • Welcome!
  • Current Tours
    • Book Tours
  • Book a Tour
  • Open Sign Ups
  • Contact
  • About
  • Win a Book Tour!

Don't Get Close - Book Tour and Giveaway

3/11/2022

26 Comments

 
Picture
Picture

Don't Get Close
by Matt Miksa
Genre: Thriller, Suspense 

Picture
An infamous reincarnation cult resurfaces in the wake of a deadly bombing, and it’s up to an FBI novice to learn its true aim—and uncover its dark past before it consumes her. 

Special Agent Vera Taggart walked away from a promising career as an artist to join the FBI, and she impresses her new colleagues with her eerie ability to divine conclusions from the grisliest crime scenes. Taggart’s first assignment is a decades-old cold case centered on a cult of suicide bombers known as the Sons of Elijah who believe they’ve been reborn hundreds of times, going back centuries. It seems like a low-risk assignment until a bomb tears apart a crowded Chicago restaurant. The Sons of Elijah have returned—and now it’s up to Taggart to stop their modern-day reign of terror.
 
Taggart’s investigation begins with Dr. Seth Jacobson, a renowned psychiatrist who claims to help people remember past lives through hypnotherapy. Jacobson had treated two of the Sons of Elijah’s founders before they’d gone on to commit a series of horrific murders. Desperate to understand how these ordinary patients could have taken such a violent path, Taggart agrees to undergo similar treatment with Jacobson.
 
Through her hypnosis sessions, Taggart comes to suspect the Sons of Elijah are targeting a high-tech government laboratory that could expose the group’s greatest secret with a controversial experiment. To save millions of innocent lives, Tag must come to grips with the shocking truth about the cult and her own puzzling role in its timeless mission. The fate of humanity rests on her ability to determine which threats are real and which exist only in her mind—and to decide whose side she’s really fighting for.



Add to Goodreads
Amazon * Apple * B&N * Kobo * BooksAMillion * Indiebound

​
​
Picture
Picture
If he finds me, he’ll stab me again, right through the belly. Sophie Whitestone pushed into the holiday crowds gunking up Michigan Avenue. She’d fold into the herd and disappear. When zebras packed in close, their stripes con- fused predators. Hadn’t she read that somewhere?
Strings of lights wrapped around the tree trunks lining Magnificent Mile, the wires like green snakes, coiling up every crooked branch, reaching the raw tips where new buds wouldn’t emerge for another five months. Each blinking bulb reflected off the carpet of fresh snow, where Sophie’s rubber soles made glistening patterns—little lacy flowers. These boots were her favorite. Something about leaving trails of icy blooms seemed magical, like spreading winter wishes.
These were childish notions, she realized with some sad- ness, not the ideas of a young woman. A college woman, who just that morning had stamped those enchanting impressions across the University of Chicago’s snow-covered quad, each oval evenly spaced and deep-set from a confident stride. Not hitched and staggered, like the damp shapes she was now marking on the downtown sidewalk.
He’ll follow my footprints, Sophie thought. Even if I’d lost him back at the L station, he’ll track those kiddie sunflowers.
Another drop of blood detached from the cuff of her coat and landed on the bright ground. Sophie winced and grabbed the sleeve, which was too long and hung limp past her fingertips. It wasn’t actually her coat. It belonged to a forgetful businessman who’d sat beside her on the Red Line. Sophie had stolen it, in fact. That “S” word made her sound like a criminal—like a thief—but she’d only taken it because she had to. In any case, she’d ruined it (blood never came out completely), but it was still in better condition than her own coat, which now sat stuffed inside a trash bin with a hole punched through its Gore-Tex shell. A perfect, round hole that matched the one in Sophie’s shoulder.
Even if he can’t track the boot prints, he’ll follow the dripping red trail. And if he catches me . . .
A woman screeched and Sophie’s shoulder blades flinched, sending shoots of pain down her arm. She dared to turn and look, just as the shriek swooped into a clucking laugh and the woman fell into a handsome guy’s embrace. He smiled through a graying beard. This man looked kind. It wasn’t him. He was still out there, somewhere in the crowd.
Sophie pushed through the pain. She accidentally kicked the back wheel of a stroller—a double-wide couch-on-wheels built for two. The lady steering the monstrous thing glared, and the pair of tots strapped inside, bundled up to their gums, squealed like piggies.
“I’m sorry, excuse me,” Sophie mumbled, and then regret- ted opening her mouth at all.
Shut up! she begged herself silently. Don’t speak. He’ll hear you and then he’ll find you and he’ll take out that weird screwdriver, the one with the handle shaped like brass knuckles, and he’ll add a few more holes in your body, or maybe more slash marks to match the ones from before, so please please please SHUT UP!
The lady snapped, “Just watch where you’re going, all right? Look, if you can’t handle a crowd, you should turn around now. It doesn’t get any better down there.” 

​
​
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Matt Miksa is a former FBI intelligence analyst who helped prevent foreign spies from stealing America’s secrets. Today, he writes thrillers that blend history, politics, and science. Matt holds a graduate degree in China Studies from Columbia University and has spent time living in Beijing. He currently resides in Chicago with his wife and two daughters.


Website * Facebook * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
​


Picture
A Q&A with Matt Miksa, author of
Don’t Get Close: A Novel

Question: Some might find the part that reincarnation plays in your FBI thriller at odds with the fact-based approach of most crime thrillers. What did you learn about the science of reincarnation from your research?

Matt Miksa: In fiction, the concept of reincarnation is generally considered speculative or paranormal. However, during the course of my research, I learned that the vast majority of people around the world firmly believe they will be reborn in another body after death, including over one-third of Americans. And to my surprise, reputable scientists and medical professionals are actually studying the possibility. Some theoretical physicists believe the study of particle physics may shed light on the elusive concept of consciousness and possibly even prove that reincarnation is real! There are such strange, unexplained things about the field of quantum mechanics that even Einstein once called it “spooky.” So, the premise of Don’t Get Close—that a controversial experiment may uncover the “Big C” consciousness particle—is actually inspired by a real scientific hypothesis. When researching for this novel, I interviewed a particle physicist at the Fermilab National Accelerator, and we spoke for hours about this fascinating topic. In fact, the fictitious experiment in the novel is based on a real, massively complex experiment planned at Fermilab that is intended to study neutrinos (also known as “ghost” particles) and possibly shed light on the origin of the universe. Just like in Don’t Get Close, this real-life experiment will fire neutrinos thousands of miles through the earth’s crust to be collected by a particle detector located one mile underground! Just imagine: what incredible things will they discover? It’s one of the most anticipated scientific experiments in a generation that most people have never heard about.


Question: How much of Don’t Get Close is inspired by real life events?

Matt Miksa: All references to reincarnation, regression hypnotherapy, and near-death experiences in Don’t Get Close are inspired by real cases documented by respected medical and academic professionals. For example, the University of Virginia Divison of Perceptual Studies has investigated, coded, and published more than 2,000 cases over its forty years studying reincarnation. When researching this novel, I reviewed hundreds of these cases of people who claim to remember past lives and the investigators who set out to verify their stories.


Question: Why did you want to write about a young, female, queer FBI agent?

Matt Miksa: There are still persistent stereotypes within the Bureau when it comes to the “ideal” agent. I wanted a main character who broke the mold and brought a completely fresh, Gen-Z mindset to the field.
J. Edgar Hoover, the long-time former FBI director (1924-1972), famously required special agents to wear white button-down shirts and black suits. When I served in the FBI over a decade ago, Hoover had been gone for nearly forty years, yet there was still a stereotypical “look” for an agent. Beyond the dress code, almost all of them had studied criminal justice, law, or accounting. This was not the case for me. Yes, I’m a straight white guy with a crew cut, but I’m also a former pop singer and a creative writer with a closet full of (very) tight pants. Needless to say, I was often a fish out of water in the Bureau. And yet, my weird artist brain allowed me to think conceptually in ways that my colleagues often couldn’t, sometimes leading to major breakthroughs.

​

Picture
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

Mar 11
kickoff at Silver Dagger Book Tours
A Pinch of Bookdust
Craving Lovely Books
Insane Books
The Book Dragon
Twisted Book Ramblings

Mar 12
A Wonderful World of Words – GUEST POST
4covert2overt ☼ A Place In The Spotlight ☼
Liliyana Shadowlyn
Bedazzled By Books
Writing Dreams

Mar 13
@shaez_reads
ⒾⓃⓉⓇⓄⓈⓅⒺⒸⓉⒾⓋⒺ ⓅⓇⒺⓈⓈ
Cover Love Book Blog
Midnight Book Reader

Mar 14
Naughty Nightie Book Blog
Books a Plenty Book Reviews
Books all things paranormal and romance
Girl with Pen
Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read

Mar 15

Lady Hawkeye
The Sexy Nerd 'Revue'
Character Madness and Musings
Inside the Insanity – GUEST POST
Stormy Nights Reviewing & Bloggin'

Mar 16
❧Defining Ways❧
eBook Addicts
Lisa Everyday Reads
Literary Gold
Sylv.net

Mar 17
Anna del C. Dye official page
The Avid Reader
#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog
Scrupulous Dreams
The Faerie Review

Mar 18
Big Canvas Reads
Valerie Ullmer | Romance Author
Teatime and Books
The Bookshelf Fairy
The Scratching Post

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Picture
26 Comments
Bernie Wallace
3/11/2022 05:39:02 am

How long did it take you to write your book?

Reply
Marcy Meyer
3/11/2022 06:49:37 am

I like the cover. It is very eye catching. This sounds like a really good story.

Reply
Kari B
3/11/2022 07:40:24 am

Sounds like an exciting thriller with a genuinely interesting lead character.

Reply
Beyond Comps
3/11/2022 08:16:36 am

Great cover!

Reply
Jon Heil
3/11/2022 10:13:15 am

Death is coming soon

Reply
Rita Wray
3/11/2022 11:21:28 am

The book sounds very intriguing.

Reply
Debbie P
3/11/2022 12:04:38 pm

This sounds like a great read and it's set in Chicago!

Reply
wendy hutton
3/11/2022 01:04:11 pm

love the cover, congrats on the release

Reply
Barbara Montag
3/11/2022 01:24:26 pm

Wow I love everything about this - genre title & cover!
Thank you for sharing this.

Reply
Bea LaRocca
3/11/2022 03:18:45 pm

I like the cover, synopsis and excerpt, this sounds like a thrilling read. Thank you for sharing your guest post and book details and for offering a giveaway, I have enjoyed reading about you and your work and I am looking forward to reading your book

Reply
bn100
3/11/2022 03:45:38 pm

nice interview

Reply
Terri Quick
3/11/2022 05:27:02 pm

Nice cover

Reply
Sherry
3/11/2022 07:16:56 pm

I love the cover and the excerpt.

Reply
Michele Soyer
3/12/2022 06:12:44 am

The title draws me in - perfect for a thriller.

Reply
Amy F
3/12/2022 09:48:18 am

Love the cover! This sounds great.

Reply
Wendy Jensen
3/13/2022 01:14:54 pm

The book details sound like a great thriller.

Reply
Calvin
3/14/2022 04:33:18 pm

Looks like a lovely book, cool tour!

Reply
Karin
3/16/2022 06:50:11 am

Nice excerpt

Reply
Renata
3/17/2022 10:34:19 pm

I like the cover!

Reply
Daniel M
3/18/2022 01:08:16 pm

like the cover

Reply
beth shepherd
3/18/2022 03:59:22 pm

This looks like a great read. Thank you

Reply
Christy R.
3/18/2022 05:39:17 pm

Thank you for the excerpt. The book sounds interesting with the concept of reincarnation. Best of luck with the publication.

Reply
Abigail Gibson
3/18/2022 07:23:12 pm

Looks like a fantastic book!

Reply
Ann Fantom
3/18/2022 07:33:38 pm

This sounds like an interesting book and I also like the cover.

Reply
David Basile
3/18/2022 09:52:40 pm

Looks like a good read.

Reply
Sand
3/18/2022 09:57:42 pm

Sounds like a great book!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Win a FREE tour here!
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Sign up for tour updates!

    New tours. All genres. All ages. All the time.

    Thank you!

    You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Action
    Activity Book
    Adventure
    African American
    Alt History
    Anthology
    Apocalyptic
    Audiobook
    Australian
    Bdsm
    Billionaire Romance
    Biography
    Chick Lit
    Childrens
    Christian
    Coloring Book
    Comedy
    Coming Of Age
    Contemporary Fiction
    Contemporaryromance
    Contemporary Romance
    Cookbook
    Cozymystery
    Cozy Mystery
    Crime
    Cyberpunk
    Dark
    Dark Romance
    Drama
    Dystopian
    Educational
    Epic Fantasy
    Eroticromance
    Erotic Romance
    Fairytale
    Fantasy
    Fantasy Romance
    Financial
    Giveaway-hop
    Gothic
    Graphic-novel
    Health And Wellness
    Historical
    Historicalromance
    Historical Romance
    Holiday
    Horror
    Humorous
    Inspirational
    Legal Thriller
    Lgbtq
    Literaryfiction
    Mafiaromance
    Mafia Romance
    Magicrealism
    Magic Realism
    Mcromance
    Mc Romance
    Memoir
    Menage
    Middlegrade
    Middle Grade
    Military
    Mystery
    Mythology
    Native American
    Newadult
    New Adult
    Nonfiction
    Paranormal
    Paranormalromance
    Paranormal Romance
    Parenting
    Pets
    Poetry
    Politics
    Postapocalyptic
    Pulp-fiction
    Reverseharemromance
    Reverse Harem Romance
    Rockstarromance
    Rockstar-romance
    Romance
    Romantasy
    Romanticcomedy
    Romantic Comedy
    Romanticsuspense
    Romantic Suspense
    Satirical
    Sciencefiction
    Science Fiction
    Scifi
    Scifiromance
    Scifi Romance
    Selfhelp
    Shortstories
    Short Stories
    Special Needs
    Special-Needs
    Speculativefiction
    Speculative Fiction
    Sportsromance
    Steampunk
    Supernatural
    Suspense
    Sweetromance
    Thriller
    Timetravel
    Time Travel
    Travel
    Urban
    Urbanfantasy
    Urban Fantasy
    Western
    Womensfiction
    Womens Fiction
    Youngadult
    Young-adult
    Youngadultya
    Young Adult Ya

    Picture

    Archives

    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016