Fatal Recall by Gini Rifkin is a Mystery Suspense Thriller Event pick #romanticthriller #thriller #mustread #giveaway
When word of her research is leaked to the press, Marilyn becomes the killer’s next target.
Title: Fatal Recall
Author: Gini Rifkin
Genre: Romantic Thriller
Book Blurb:
Hudson Kincaid prefers the wide-open spaces. But tracking down a serial killer means hanging out in Denver as he investigates neuroscientist Dr. Marilyn Monrose. So far, he can’t figure out if she’s city kitty in high heels, or a country kitten in cowgirl boots?
Marilyn’s experiments using ramped up virtual reality, captures the final moments of each murder victim’s life, a chilling discovery she’s trying to keep secret. The last thing she needs is a determined private detective barging into her lab—no matter how sexy he looks in his Stetson hat.
When word of her research is leaked to the press, Marilyn becomes the killer’s next target.
Now the woman Hudson races to save, is the one who has stolen his heart.
Excerpt:
She tried not to fidget. Why didn’t he speak? He’d said he’d come to ask her questions. “Well?” she prompted, breaking the strained silence. He stared back and forth between her and the name scrawled on his note pad, and his reason for contemplation sank in.
Her name, Marilyn Monrose, spelled so closely to her idol’s, often inspired presuppositions as to her appearance, imaginings she couldn’t live up to. “Sorry, no blonde hair or luscious curves. I do have a PhD in biochemistry with a minor in quantum technology and neuropsychology. Oh, and I definitely agree diamonds are a girl’s best friend.”
The man cleared his throat, stifled a grin, and had the decency to restrict his concentration to her face. “I’m investigating a recent spate of murders, Miss Monrose.”
“Dr. Monrose.”
“Yes, of course. Sorry. Dr. Monrose, I’m sure you’ve read about them in the newspaper.”
Getting down to business, the spark of amusement in his eyes turned dead serious. This had been a mistake. She shouldn’t have let him in.
“I’m not here to judge the worth of your expertise. I’m making basic inquiries, following up on a hunch.”
“I’m not sure I like being considered a hunch in a murder investigation.”
He flipped his notepad shut, and along with his pen, he shoved both into the pocket of his sport coat. “It beats being a victim.” There was an unmistakable sincerity in his voice, and he stood taller as if he’d come to personally champion the ignoble deaths of all three women.
As he studied the room, she studied him. Ruggedly handsome, his sensuous mouth softened
the strong cut of his jaw, and the beginnings of a five o’clock shadow highlighted his cheek bones. Midnight brown hair curled down over his collar, a bit too long, and a bit too intriguing.
“What exactly are you working on in here?”
Following one of her VR sessions, the room always seemed in disarray. Had he noticed the pieces of her equipment scattered across the room, or her notes, now an untidy heap on the floor beside her chair. “My theory is rather hard to explain, and right now I’m not at liberty to divulge the details of my project.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Both.” Chin up, she squared her shoulders and crossed her arms over her chest. When faced with an obstinate male, she took what she considered her Wonder Woman pose. She wasn’t about to budge on this and wouldn’t be intimidated. Gender equality had been slow in reaching the scientific community, and she’d been crossing swords with males and their attitudes since day one. He wouldn’t win.
As if in frustration, PI Kincaid ran his left hand through his hair. Clean yet far from manicured, his hands appeared strong and accustomed to work not found behind a desk. He wasn’t wearing a wedding band.
As they stood sizing up one another, her gaze slid lower. His white dress shirt was open at the neck, his tie hanging loose and a bit askew as if he’d already had a long day. Straight-legged dark trousers covered the tops of the cowboy boots he wore, and she’d bet there was a Stetson on the front seat of his car—or more likely his truck, parked in the lot.
A haunting weariness overtook his demeanor before he turned and strode toward the door. Did he also have visions he’d like to erase? “Thank you for your time, Dr. Monrose.”
Was that all he wanted? Wasn’t he going to ask her anything else? She should be glad he was leaving, yet disappointment riffled through her, which made no sense at all. “Wait.”
He halted and pivoted to face her, expectation now enlivening his appearance.
“I…I have to key in the code before you can open the door.” She hurried across the room.
He stepped to one side yet remained near, and the closeness of his body gave her a little thrill. He smelled clean and earthy. Oh man, bayberry soap. An image skipped through her mind of him
soaking in a clawfoot tub, the room drenched in the soft glow of a kerosene lamp. With a shake of her head the daydream dissolved away, and she keyed in the security numbers. Her experiments were overloading her brain cells again.
The code box clicked, and the green light went on.
Standing at her back, he reached around her. They both grabbed for the doorhandle at the same time and, hands overlapping, they pulled the door open in unison. with one arm, he continued encircling her from behind, and a streak of sensuous pleasure blazed a path from her belly to the crotch of her new Victoria Secret panties.
Oh, for Heaven’s sake. She was a well-educated, thirty-year-old woman. She shouldn’t act all gangly and intimidated because a handsome cowboy private investigator captivated her with a pensive gaze in those gorgeous green eyes—sad, sincere eyes.
“Thanks again.” He slipped around her and ambled out the door and down the hallway. The image projected by his tall, broad-shouldered form left her feeling fine-boned, almost dainty—a sensation she hadn’t experienced since before the seventh grade, the year she’d shot up four inches in height and towered over all the boys in her class.
When he disappeared around a corner, she exhaled long and slowly, ordering her senses to simmer down. With the security door closed and the red light on, she felt less vulnerable as she retreated back into the lab. The trauma and suffering she’d witnessed during the VR experiment seemed to hang in the air, awaiting the return of her undivided attention. Hands gripping the metal countertop, she held on tight as the immensity of what she’d achieved, and what she’d seen, flooded back in full force.
Then hot fear of another kind replaced all other sensations.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
https://books2read.com/u/49GXNk
https://www.bookbub.com/books/fatal-recall-by-gini-rifkin
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58607810-fatal-recall
What makes your featured book a must-read?
Fatal Recall received the Colorado Author’s League Excellence in Writing award for best romantic thriller of the year. My heroine, neuroscientist Dr. Marilyn Monrose, has a fetish for anything related to her idol Marilyn Monroe. She never dreamed her research into virtual reality could help catch a killer. My hero, Hudson Kincaid, is an ex-cop turned P.I. (He isn't very good at following the rules.) When Hudson's ex-girlfriend, and a coworker of Marilyn's, are added to the mix, the lives of our H & H become even more complicated as they search for the murderer. I think the virtual reality aspect of the story and my PI being a cowboy at heart, add a new twist to the usual serial killer story.
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $40 Amazon gift card:
https://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/92db7750337
Open Internationally.
Runs August 6 – August 20, 2025.
Winner will be drawn on August 21, 2025.
Author Biography:
Gini Rifkin writes stories of romance and adventure. Her settings include the American West, Medieval England, Victorian England, and Contemporary thriller and fantasy. When not reading or writing, she has the privilege of caring for a menagerie of abandoned animals including ducks, goats, donkeys, and cats. Among other honors, she has received two Excellence in Writing awards from The Colorado Author’s League, and The Beverley Award from Romance Writers of the Rockies, and two National Excellence in Story Telling (NEST) awards. When not reading or writing, she is trying to master the art of processing, spinning, and weaving various fleeces, going from lamb to loom. Her writing keeps her hungry to learn new things, and she considers family and friends her most treasured of gifts.
Social Media Links:
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B002QRS66U
https://www.facebook.com/people/Gini-Rifkin-Author/100001680213365
Compelling blurb and excerpt, Gini! Continued best :)