Owl Always Be Reading: Author & Book Spotlight + Giveaway: Journey to Death by Leigh Russell

Title: Journey to Death

Author: Leigh Russell

Release Date: February 9, 2016

Publisher: Thomas & Mercer

Lucy Hall arrives in the Seychelles determined to leave her worries behind. The tropical paradise looks sun-soaked and picture-perfect—but as Lucy soon discovers, appearances can be very deceptive. A deadly secret lurks in the island’s history, buried deep but not forgotten. And it is about to come to light.

As black clouds begin to gather over what promised to be a relaxing family break, Lucy realises that her father stands in the eye of the coming storm. A shadow from his past is threatening to destroy all that he holds dear—including the lives of his loved ones.

A dark truth is about to explode into their lives, and that truth is going to hit them right between the eyes.

Taking out her phone Lucy took a series of pictures, although no photograph could reproduce the

feel of the sea breeze on her face, the colours of the palm trees and the glorious flowering bushes,

or the sound of waves on the sand. Her pictures would serve as souvenirs, something to cling to

when her recollection faded. Over the past few weeks, so many people had assured her that the

memory of her pain would fade in time. It was true. Here on this beautiful morning she had barely

given Darren a thought. Frothy white water raced up the beach. As each wave drew back, the sand

appeared to dry instantaneously. She was not sure if that was due to the heat drying out the sand, or

if the water seeped down rapidly to leave the surface dry.

She could have stayed there all day, lazing in the shade, watching the ocean, but she had told her

parents she would be back for lunch and she knew her mother would fret if she was late.

Reluctantly she gathered up her belongings and started on her slow trek back to the hotel. It was too

hot to hurry. Instead of walking along the edge of the sea where she would be exposed to the sun,

she kept to the dappled shade of ancient trees that formed a backdrop to the beach.

Reaching the stretch of massive grey boulders she picked her way between the smaller ones, again

avoiding looking at the dead fish. She lost her footing on the smooth surface of a boulder and nearly

slipped over. Her heart thumped as she regained her balance. Placing her feet with care and

advancing laboriously, she stepped out from the rocky terrain onto soft sand. This was too beautiful

a setting to abandon to memory completely. As she rummaged inside her bag for her phone, the

rhythmic crashing of waves breaking against the rocks was disturbed by a loud thud. Spinning

around she saw a large boulder lying on the sand only a couple of inches away from her. It had not

been lying in her path a few seconds earlier. If she had not stopped to find her phone, her blood

would now be seeping into the yellow sand, her bones crushed by the large lump of granite. Her

phone slipped from her hand. She took a step back on trembling legs, as though the inert rock was

threatening her.

Shading her eyes with one hand she stared up at the huge wall of rock, but could see no signs of

disturbance. It must have been a random boulder that had fallen in her path. She wondered if the

vibrations from her footsteps could have dislodged it from some precarious perch high above her. It

was hard to believe the rock had fallen by coincidence, exactly in the spot where she was walking.

Dazzled by the light and dazed with shock, she thought she saw the silhouette of a person outlined

against the sky. In the time it took her to blink, the outline had disappeared. A few seconds later she

spotted a figure loping away towards the road. No sooner had it appeared than it vanished, leaving

her wondering if her eyes had been playing tricks on her.

Leigh Russell is the internationally bestselling crime author of the Geraldine Steel and Ian Peterson series. Having reached #1 on Kindle and iTunes, Leigh’s work has attracted glowing reviews in the UK and USA. Her titles regularly appear on bestseller lists and have been shortlisted for prestigious industry awards including the CWA Dagger. After studying English at the University of Kent, Leigh went on to teach, specializing in supporting those with learning difficulties. Leigh guest lectures for the Society of Authors, teaches creative writing courses in Greece and runs the manuscript assessment service for The CWA. She is married, has two daughters, and lives in London.