Spotlight: The Third Estate by D.R. Berlin

Secrets of the Manor

Suspense Thriller

Date Published: December 26, 2024

In a busy outdoor market, in broad daylight, an apparently ordinary woman is gunned down by a professional assassin. Twelve years later, the killer is back with a new target – and a mysteriously sinister employer…

What secrets could a father leave behind?

A gripping, high-stakes thriller that seamlessly blends espionage, mystery, and intense suspense, The Third Estate: Secrets of the Manor will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

Sophie Allard, a promising jet pilot cadet at a prestigious military academy, finds her world shattered when she’s summoned to the Commander’s office with devastating news—her estranged father has died in a mysterious lab explosion at their family estate.

What begins as a routine investigation soon spirals into something far more dangerous.

As Sophie delves deeper into the secrets surrounding her father’s death, she uncovers hidden truths that threaten not only her career but her life. Unraveling a web of deception and betrayal, Sophie discovers that her father’s involvement with a powerful and shadowy organization—the Third Estate—could hold the key to both her survival and her downfall.

With an assassin hunting her every step and the enigmatic Grey Lady pulling the strings behind the scenes, Sophie must navigate a perilous landscape of secrets, lies, and danger.

This fast-paced thriller is perfect for fans of complex conspiracies, strong female protagonists, and unpredictable twists. If you love novels that combine action, suspense, and mystery, The Third Estate is your next must-read.

Will Sophie uncover the truth—before it’s too late?

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About the Author

D.R. Berlin is an award-winning author, U.S. Army veteran, and General Surgeon with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Writing minor from MIT. A graduate of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, her career in high-pressure environments fuels the pulse-pounding suspense and authentic detail in The Third Estate: Secrets of the Manor. Berlin combines her scientific expertise and love of storytelling to deliver a gripping, intricate thriller that keeps readers on edge. Drafted as the unofficial photographer of her children’s sports teams, she has been affectionally dubbed the “Mamarazzi.”

Connect:

Website: https://drberlinauthor.com

Twitter: https://x.com/DRBerlinAuthor

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Spotlight: Sam Squared by Cindy Dorminy

Publication date: March 17th 2025

Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Falling in love should be easy as Pi.

Seventeen-year-old Samantha Baughman has one month to raise her GPA, or she can kiss her coveted Auburn basketball scholarship goodbye. Her only hope lies with her high school’s resident bad boy—and closet genius—Samuel King.

The last thing Samuel wants is to get tangled in anyone else’s problems. But when he gets caught helping another student cheat, his teacher offers him a get-out-of-jail-free card. With a one-way ticket to boarding school as his only other option, Samuel reluctantly agrees to tutor Samantha… with one stipulation. They have to keep their arrangement on the down-low. No one can know about their study sessions, especially Samantha’s overprotective brother, who has already warned Samuel to stay away from his sister.

As the “Sams” spend more time together, their playful banter turns into genuine attraction, including one extra-credit-worthy kiss. But Samantha’s brother’s threats send Samuel backpedaling so fast that he denies their encounter ever happened. Now, it’s game on for Samantha to get him to confess. She may need his help to pass her classes, but he’s the one who needs schooling in matters of the heart.

Excerpt

Samuel

When I plop my tray onto the table, she glowers at me. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Eating lunch.” I glide into my chair. “You see, Sam-Man, the food we eat gets metabolized, and it turns into glucose for our cells to use. And big, strapping guys like me do a lot of metabolizing.”

“Ugh.” She pushes my tray away from hers. “Only you could make a biological process sound dirty. Go away.”

I glance around the table. Jared shrugs. Rachel mouths, “I have no idea.”

To further irritate her, I add, “The dirty part is after our body has removed all the nutrients and what’s left over—”

“Ew.” Paige covers her ears. “Gross. Some of us are eating.”

Sam points to a table full of football jocks. “Why don’t you teach them about metabolism?” She flicks her wrist to shoo me away. “Nobody at this table cares.”

Her face is bright red as she cuts at her lasagna until it’s unrecognizable.

 My friends stare at me, waiting for my response. I tap Sam’s tray with my fork. She stabs at my hand with her fork.

“She’s still miffed that even though she scored the winning goal, her percentages sucked.”

Sam slams her fork on the table. “You need to get over that. I did fine.”

“Stats don’t lie.”

If she could shoot daggers with her eyes, I’d be a dead man.

“What’s it to you anyway?”

“I’m only stating facts.”

Between bites of her lasagna, she says, “I don’t give a flying fudge monkey about what you have to say.” She scans the table. Paige and Rachel shake their heads, probably too afraid to dispute her word.

“Jared cares, don’t you?” I ask.

He freezes, like a deer caught in the headlights. “Uh, I plead the sixth.”

“The fifth,” I say.

“That too.”

Sam wads up her napkin and tosses it onto her tray. “If you don’t leave this table right now, I will.”

Paige latches on to Sam’s arm. “Why are you so angry at him?”

“I’m not.” Her voice screeches to a level that could break glass.

“Are too,” we all reply. When her livid expression falls on me, I wink. 

Bad idea.

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About the Author

Cindy Dorminy writes about love when it’s least expected. Quirky dialogue and sassy, southern heroines are a must in her romances. When she’s not in her she-shed working on her next novel, she enjoys walking her dog, gardening, and weightlifting. She shares her house with her musician husband, an awesome daughter, and a miniature dachshund who would eat all the food if he could figure out how to open the refrigerator. She resides in Nashville, TN, where live music can be heard everywhere, even at the grocery store.

Connect:

https://www.cindydwrites.com/

https://www.facebook.com/authordorminy

https://www.instagram.com/cindydorminy/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15101100.Cindy_Dorminy

Spotlight: Boy With Wings by Mark Mustian

Johnny Cruel is born with wing-like appendages. Is it a miracle, or is he cursed? Is he an angel or a horror? Struggling to find his place in the world, Johnny ends up in a freak show traveling the 1930s South, where he bares his back to onlookers who come to gape, laugh, recoil and fawn. While looking for a place to call home, Johnny notices a strange man who pursues him. What does this man want, and can he be trusted? In his signature fashion, Mark Mustian pens a thrilling and emotional story of self-discovery perfect for book clubs and fans of historical fiction.

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Hardcover | Paperback | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Mark Mustian is the author of the novels “The Return” and “The Gendarme,” the latter an international bestseller that has been published in eleven languages. He was a finalist for the Dayton International Literary Peace Prize, shortlisted for the Saroyan International Award for Writing, and the winner of the Florida Gold Book Award for fiction. He is the founder and president of the Word of South Festival of Literature and Music in Tallahassee, Florida, now in its tenth year. A former elected official and an attorney, he lives in Florida and Michigan with his wife and elderly dog. Learn more at: www.markmustian.com

Connect with Mark on social media:

Facebook: @MarkMustianAuthor

Twitter: @MarkMustian

Spotlight: Double Crossed by Eliot Parker

Thriller

Date Published: September 10, 2024

Recovering from the emotional and physical damage of his last case, Ronan McCullough is trying to put his life back together. But when a federal agent's charred remains surface, linked to a professor's encrypted money laundering scheme, Ronan becomes embroiled in a high-stakes game of life and death with someone who is willing to kill everyone that knows anything about the encryption codes.

Ronan soon uncovers several dark secrets and learns that nobody is being honest with him, including the people he trusts the most. When the encryption codes are stolen and Ronan learns their real purpose, he finds himself in a race to stop a plan that will make it nearly impossible to stop the funding of dangerous crimes.

As the body count rises and secrets are unearthed, Ronan must navigate a web of deceit to uncover the truth. How will Ronan succeed when the main suspect is a set of numbers?

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Eliot Parker is the author of five thriller novels and two collections of short stories. His latest thriller, DOUBLE CROSSED, won the American Writing Awards award for best mystery/thriller in 2024. His thriller A FINAL CALL was named a "Best Book to Discover of 2022" by Kirkus Magazine and a finalist for the Hawthorne Prize in Fiction. Eliot has won the West Virginia Literary Merit Award as well as the PenCraft and Feathered Quill Book Awards for his works and been a finalist for the SIBA Book Prize in 2016. He hosts the podcast program "Now, Appalachia," on the Authors on the Air Global radio network that profiles authors and publishers from the Appalachian region. He teaches writing at the University of Mississippi.

Connect:

Website: https://www.eliotparker.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/eliot.parker.98

Twitter/X: https://x.com/E4419

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eliot.parker

BookBuzz: https://bookbuzz.net/thriller-double-crossed-by-eliot-parker/

Spotlight: Pretty Girls Get Away With Murder by Brandi Bradley

Brimming with quick wit and juicy gossip, the latest novel from Brandi Bradley, “Pretty Girls Get Away With Murder,” reveals the hidden dark side of picture-perfect Southern charm.

When a young entrepreneur is killed, everyone in town points fingers at his New Age, neo-hippie, miracle-manifesting, smokeshow of an ex-girlfriend, Gabbi – including the victim’s best friend, Jenna. As detective Lindy D’Arnaud and her partner Boggs search for a motive, they begin to wonder if this is a case of jealous violence or shady business dealings gone sour.

In Lindy’s personal life, things aren’t much clearer. When Lindy’s wife’s ex-boyfriend–and sperm donor to their baby–decides to move back to town, she finds herself competing for her wife’s affection. Can they be postmodern in Western Kentucky where living as a queer person is tenuous enough already?

Told through the shifting perspectives of Lindy, Gabbi, and Jenna, “Pretty Girls Get Away With Murder” is a twisty page-turner for fans of Southern noir and NBC’s “Dateline.”

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Paperback | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Brandi Bradley is an indie author and educator who lives in the great city of Atlanta, Georgia. She writes short stories and novels about crime, family drama, flea markets, cowboys, rowdy girls, and gossip. She has had short stories and essays published in Juked, Louisiana Literature, Carve, and Nashville Review. She teaches writing at Kennesaw State University. “Mothers of the Missing Mermaid” (2023) is her debut novel of secrets by the sea in Destin, Florida. Bradley’s second book, “Pretty Girls Get Away With Murder” will be released in March 2025. Learn more about her life and work at: www.brandibradley.com 

Connect:

Facebook: @brandibradleysboots | Twitter: @bebebradley

Instagram: @thebrandibradley | TikTok: @thebrandibradley

Spotlight: Wages of Empire by Michael J. Cooper

Historical Fiction

Date Published: November 30, 2023

In the summer of 1914, 16-year-old Evan Sinclair leaves home to join the Great War for Civilization. Little does he know that, despite the war raging in Europe, the true source of conflict will emerge in Ottoman Palestine, since it's from Jerusalem where the German Kaiser dreams to rule as Holy Roman Emperor. Filled with such historical figures as Gertrude Bell, T.E. Lawrence, Winston Churchill, Faisal bin Hussein, Chaim Weizmann, and Achad Ha’am, “Wages of Empire” follows Evan through the killing fields of the Western Front where he will help turn the tide of a war that is just beginning, and become part of a story still being written.

Readers who enjoy Wages of Empire should know that the story continues with the sequel, Crossroads of Empire, the second book in this series. 

Buy on Amazon Kindle | Audible | Paperback | Hardcover | Bookshop.org

About the Author

Michael J. Cooper emigrated to Israel in 1966 and lived in Jerusalem during the last year the city was divided between Israel and Jordan. He graduated from Tel Aviv University Medical School, and after a forty-year career as a pediatric cardiologist in Northern California, he continues to do volunteer missions serving Palestinian children who lack access to care.

His historical fiction novels include Foxes in the Vineyard, set in 1948 Jerusalem, which won the 2011 Indie Publishing Contest grand prize and The Rabbi’s Knight, set in the Holy Land in 1290. Wages of Empire won the 2022 CIBA Rossetti Award for YA fiction along with first-place honors for the 2022 CIBA Hemingway award for wartime historical fiction.

He lives in Northern California with his wife and a spoiled-rotten cat. Three adult children occasionally drop by.

Connect:

Website: https://michaeljcooper.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.cooper.568089/

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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mjcoopmd/

BookBuzz: https://bookbuzz.net/historical-fiction-wages-of-empire-by-michael-j-cooper/