Here’s the set-up for Kath Russell’s A Pointed Death, just $4.99 on Kindle:
Welcome to the world of Nola Billingsley, a 40-something biotechnology whiz with an adored shorthaired pointer, who finds herself embroiled in both a nefarious murder and a blazingly hot new romance in the thriller.
When techno genius Nola Billingsley finds her former employee, an amoral creep who stole secrets, murdered, she doesn’t exactly shed tears. Instead, she begins a flirtation with the inspector assigned to the case.
With her shorthaired pointer Skootch watching her back, Nola and her group of techno pals try to help solve the murder, bringing into play Nola’s feisty feminism and idealism, and putting both her life and her love affair at risk.
Finding a link between the Chinese government and American thieves, she bands with a group who believes that biotech people should protect their industry from any evil abusers. Could there be a government plot afoot, and can she save the world even as she tries to salvage her love life?
Smart, witty, and playful, A Pointed Death looks at the biotech industry with a decidedly feminine slant. The writing is edgy and full of humor, and the plot twists and turns with surprise after surprise. A breathtaking thriller with a unique background, A Pointed Death announces the debut of an enormously talented new writer to watch.
From the reviewers:
A Pointed Death is an entertaining caper with a unique peek into the world of biotech with San Francisco as the picture perfect location for Nola Billingsley and her pointer, Skootch, to hunt down the bad guys. Kath Russell takes us on a adventurous ride throughout the city’s unique locations. – Barbara Brennan
The plot is creative, interesting and well structured. The story touches on timely scientific, business and political issues, and the ending will surprise you. The writing is fresh and crisp, filled with lots of wit and humor, and mercifully devoid of the clichés and sermonizing that often plague debut novels. The characters are real people who you get to know. The City of San Francisco comes alive with the author’s skillful depiction of different places. – Stephen M. Charme
This big-hearted debut mystery reminds me of TV shows like “Monk” or “The Closer.” Like those shows, the whodunit here is pretty workmanlike, because to writer Kath Russell, her characters are the real heart of the story. – Kevin N. Nenstiel
Visit Amazon’s Kath Russell Page
Russell enjoyed over thirty-five years in marketing and communications management in the biotechnology industry. She was an executive with Cetus Corporation, one of the first genetic engineering companies. Russell also was president of Russell-Welsh Strategic Life Science Communications, Inc., and founder and chief executive officer of an e-commerce company offering services for mature companion animals and veterinarians.
Russell received her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University, her master’s degree in journalism from Boston University, her master’s of business administration from the Kellogg School of Management, and earned her certificate in creative writing from the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.
And here, in the comfort of your own browser, is your free sample of A POINTED DEATH by Kath Russell: