The Anchor

 

 

The Anchor

by Kevin R. Doyle

GENRE: Mystery

Jen has toiled away in television news, just waiting for a big break. And at the same time she finally gets a shot at the promotion opportunity she’s waited years for, head anchor for the nightly newscast, an unseen, shadowy man is desperate for her to notice him. When messages and well wishes don’t do the trick, her mysterious admirer intends to do anything necessary to make Jen a success and snare her attention, even if it means attacking her fiancé and killing off her competition.

Enjoy an Excerpt:

“Package for you,” Aldiss said.

Jen looked down at the plain wrapped bundle lying on her desk.

“Jack do something to make up for?” her deskmate asked.

Jen puffed in exasperation and plopped into her chair.

“What hasn’t he done?” she replied.

Aldiss chuckled and bent over his computer screen.

“How long have you and I shared a desk?” she asked.

“A year or so, give or take,” Aldiss replied, looking up.

“Uh huh. And how long have I been seeing Jack?”

“That you’ve admitted to? Seems like running on a year.”

“Eleven months.”

“Close.” Her coworker turned away and went back to his work.

Jen tapped her fingers on her desk and stared at the bundle. It had a small card attached, but without raising the flap and reading it, it looked like some sort of generic message-type thing.

“And when’s the last time he’s sent me a gift at work?”

Aldiss grinned.

“What’s the package say?” he asked.

“You didn’t look?”

“Hey, bunky, I believe in privacy.”

“Some reporter you are.”

She glanced at the package again, noted that it had come from FedEx, and assumed Tammy had signed for it up at the front desk. Then she flipped the front flap on the little card open.

“Hmm.”

Aldiss glanced up from his work but didn’t say anything.

Jen snared some scissors out of her desk and cut the paper open.

“Obviously, somebody thinks my current diet’s unnecessary.”

He looked up again, his brows raised.

Jen held up a box of Russell Stover chocolates.

“Card not from him?”

Jen shook her head.

“Say who it’s from?”

She held the card up eye level.

“In appreciation of all your service to the community,” she recited.

“Doesn’t sound like a new lover.”

“I hope not. I’d like to think I’d know if I was seeing someone new.”

Aldiss furrowed his brow.

“You done any story lately that’s been big time?”

Jen half glared at him.

“Meaning?”

Aldiss spread his hands out in a placatory gesture.

“Hey, nothing personal. I’m just curious what they mean by service to the community.”

Jen glanced down at the card for a second before looking back up.

“Maybe it’s just a fancier way of saying ‘I like your work.’”

“Or maybe it’s just some creeper who’s got a thing for you. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time a hot news anchor had an admirer.”

Grinning, Jen picked a paper clip off her desk and flipped it at him.

“Far as that goes,” she snorted, “wouldn’t be the first time for me.”

Aldiss picked the clip up from where it had fallen on his desk and tossed it back her way.

“Just imagine if they end up giving you Karyn’s nighttime slot. They’ll be coming out of the woodwork.”

“Thanks,” Jen said. “I’m doing my best not to think of that.”

My Thoughts:

The Anchor is labeled as a Mystery, but in my opinion it’s more of a Psychological Thriller.  The Author, Kevin R Doyle, has a fantastic way of storytelling that hooks the reader from the very beginning of each book he writes. 

In The Anchor, we have Jen, who just wants her big break in television news. Just as she’s about to get her big break, a super-fan interjects themselves into her life - doing everything they can to ‘pave the way’, including killing off her competition.

The story is very fast paced and honestly, I did not want to stop reading until I had finished the book. While a psychological thriller isn’t particularly a genre that I read on the regular, it was a nice change of pace for me. I felt I was personally involved with the story and just could not put it down.

My rating: 5 out of 5

About the Author:

A high-school teacher, former college instructor, and fiction writer, Kevin R. Doyle is the author of numerous short horror stories. He’s also written three crime thrillers, The Group, When You Have to Go There, and And the Devil Walks Away, and one horror novel, The Litter. In the last few years, he’s begun working on the Sam Quinton private eye series, published by Camel Press. The first Quinton book, Squatter’s Rights, was nominated for the 2021 Shamus award for Best First PI Novel.  The second book, Heel Turn, was released in March of 2021, while the third in the series, Double Frame, came out in March of 2022. The fourth Sam Quinton book, Clean Win, will be released in March of 2023.

Web site: kevindoylefiction.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Kevin-R.-Doyle/author/B00BNZDLDE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kevindoylefiction

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6473241.Kevin_R_Doyle

Buy Links: The book will be on sale for $0.99 during the tour.

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-anchor-kevin-r-doyle/1142687593

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Anchor-Kevin-R-Doyle-ebook/dp/B0BKH7JSZ6

GIVEAWAY

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