The newest Eva Driscoll thriller hits the shelves tomorrow, February 24. Here’s a sample of the latest action-packed opus by bestseller
Alan McDermott
Sonny picked up a menu. “I hope they have those burgers that come loaded with pineapple.”
Gray stopped browsing and looked at his friend in disbelief. “Seriously?”
“Oh, mate, you gotta try one. They. Are. Yumptious!”
“That’s not even a real word!” Melissa laughed.
“It is,” Sonny said, in a mock-serious voice. “It’s an old English word, from the fourteenth century. It means, ‘a scrum-diddly-umptious snack, such as a slab of minced beef covered in pineapple.’”
Melissa giggled. “You’re—”
The sound that interrupted the girl was familiar to everyone at the table.
Gray pushed Melissa down on the seat and threw himself on top of her, then looked where the shot had come from. As customers screamed, Gray saw two women dart to the exit.
They didn’t make it.
The gunman stood by the counter. He fired twice, hitting both women in the back, then swung his gun slowly over the rest of the cowering customers. Some were hysterical, others shocked into silence. The gunman’s aim settled on a middle-aged blonde with a bouffant hairdo.
“You! Get up and lock the door.”
The woman sat, frozen with fear.
“NOW!”
The terrified woman jumped to her feet and scurried to the door, but when she got there she looked panicked, not knowing how to follow his instructions.
“At the top!” the gunman yelled.
She looked up and saw a small catch.
“That’s right. Push it up…good. Back to your seat.”
The woman was in tears as she returned to her table, joining a man and two young boys.
“Tony!” the shooter yelled towards the kitchen. “Tony Wallace. I know you’re in there. Come out!”
There was no sign of anyone obeying his instructions.
“If you don’t come out by the time I count five, I’ll kill one of your precious customers, and that’ll be on you, Tony. You hear me?”
The gunman started counting off slowly, which did nothing to calm the terrified patrons. Most were either on the edge of meltdown, or already there.
“We gotta do something,” Sonny said, who was also crouched down in his seat, but Gray was way ahead of him.
The shooter was about thirty feet away, on the other leg of the L-shaped room. To get to him, Gray would have to run twenty feet down the aisle that separated two rows of booths, then turn right and sprint another ten feet. There was no way he could do that without being seen.
“…two…”
“We need a distraction,” Gray whispered to Eva and Sonny.
He was looking around for something, anything, that they could use to get the gunman’s attention, but help came from the kitchen. There was a clatter of pots and pans, followed by the sound of heavy pounding. The shooter heard it, too, and Gray saw him disappear behind the counter.
Gray was about to seize his chance, but Eva beat him too it. She rose to her feet, stood on the back of the seat, and leaped onto the counter, dropping silently on the other side. There, she grabbed a steaming jug of coffee as she made her way to the corner. She stooped and peeked around, then stepped out and crept towards the door to the kitchen.
A shot rang out, followed by another. Then a scream, which was silenced by another explosion from the handgun.
Eva was three feet from the door when it crashed open. The moment the gunman emerged, she flicked the lid on the coffee pot and hurled the contents at his head.
Empires Will Fall
Book 5 in the explosive Eva Driscoll action thriller series.
Eva Driscoll has discovered a chink in the armour of the ESO, the most powerful organisation on the planet. She plans to exploit it to take them down once and for all, but her plans are interrupted when she discovers that the ESO is targeting a doctor and his family, as well as a college student. Keen to use them as leverage against the ESO, Eva strikes first, only to discover a shocking secret that could change the world forever.
Available live on Amazon Friday, February 24.
About the author
Alan McDermott is a full time author from the south of England, married with beautiful twin daughters. He used to write critical applications for the NHS, but now he spends his days writing action thrillers.
His debut novel, Gray Justice, has been very well received and led to the 10-volume Tom Gray series. He was subsequently picked up by Thomas & Mercer, who published his first 10 books.
Alan’s seventh title, Trojan, is a spinoff featuring MI5 agent Andrew Harvey. It was shortlisted for the ITW Best E-Book Original Novel award 2018.
His latest series is the Eva Driscoll thriller series: Run and Hide, Seek and Destroy, Fight to Survive, and soon, When Death Strikes. He has also written two stand-alone thrillers, Motive and Fifteen Times a Killer.
Find more about Alan at:
- his website
- his blog
- his Amazon Author page.
