The Vanishing Wife

The Vanishing Wife

by Barry Finlay

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BLURB:

How far will a man go when his family is threatened?  Mason Seaforth is about to find out. He is a mild mannered accountant living a quiet, idyllic life in the quiet community of Gulfport, Florida with his wife, Samantha.  At least, it’s quiet and idyllic until Sami, as she’s known to her friends, vanishes the night of their 20th anniversary.

Mason is thrown into a life that is meant for other people as he and their brash friend, Marcie Kane, try everything to find out what has happened to Sami.  A search of Sami’s computer uncovers notes describing a past that Sami has buried for more than 20 years.  Then come the threatening phone calls: to Sami, to their daughter Jennifer at university in Miami, and to Mason.

Mason and Marcie are thrust into a race against a sadistic killer to discover what has happened to Mason’s wife. He reluctantly exchanges his spreadsheets for a Glock 17 and he and Marcie follow a trail left behind by Sami which leads them to a potential confrontation with some very dangerous men in Canada.  Mason is required to make decisions that he could never imagine himself making and each one has deadlier consequences than the last. The wrong one could result in the death of his entire family.  

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1. Name three things on your desk right now.

I have a notepad that I use for jotting down ideas and questions for my next book, a tray full of papers that should have been filed a long time ago and a list of people I need to contact for my next fundraiser, a golf tournament in August to raise money for Wounded Warriors Canada.  I’m glad you only asked for three. We might have been here for awhile otherwise.

2. Plotter or pantster?

I suppose the notepad might have suggested I’m a plotter but I think I’m a bit of both. I jot down the main ideas and questions for which I need to do some research but I let the story take me where it will. I was actually surprised with my last book, The Vanishing Wife, in that it went in unexpected directions as I was writing. I like to have the basic outline in my head before I start, but other than that, I’m willing to go along with the characters and events as they unfold.

3. Hamburger or sushi?

I love hamburgers cooked on the barbecue in the summer with lots of relish and pickles. That first burger after a long winter is always a treat. But occasionally I will eat sushi. I just won’t go out of my way to do it. 

4. What authors have influenced your work?

I have been asked this question a few times and haven’t been able to come up with an answer. I’m influenced by any author that can engage a reader in the first few lines and keep their attention throughout. I think Lee Child, the author of the Jack Reacher series, is good at that. It’s incredible how much trouble Reacher stumbles into, but I’m always engaged. Steve Berry, Michael Connally and Daniel Silva always keep me interested. That’s the type of writing I aspire to. Okay, maybe I can come up with an answer.   

5. Heels or flats?

Well, I did wear heels back in the day when Beatle boots were popular but not quite the kind of heels you are asking about. How is that for ageing myself?  I was just reading in this month’s Men’s Health that the higher a woman’s heels, the more likely a man is to help her. Not only that but higher heels make a woman taller, her gait is sexier and we males are conditioned by the media to associate high heels with sex. So, I guess that answers the question. Definitely heels!

Excerpt Two:

Sami never went anywhere without her cell phone, and if she had gone out for a walk, she would certainly have taken the phone with her. He reached for his own phone and dialed Sami’s number. The number rang. And rang, and rang again. Mason held his breath.  “Please, Sami, please, pick up,” he whispered.  On the sixth ring, he heard Sami’s confident voice message. “You have reached Samantha Seaforth. Please leave a message, and I will call you back.”

In a shaking voice, Mason heard himself doing as she asked. “Sweetie, it’s Mason, I’m leaving a message. Where are you?  Please call me back right away.”

It had been two hours since he first noticed Sami was gone.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

In 2009, Barry Finlay went up a mountain as an accountant and came down as a philanthropist. After over thirty years in various financial roles with the Canadian federal government, he took his life in a different direction and climbed Africa’s Mount Kilimanjaro at age sixty with his son Chris. The climb and their fundraising efforts to help kids in Tanzania led to the award-winning book, Kilimanjaro and Beyond: A Life-Changing Journey. He followed that up with the hilarious travel memoir, I Guess We Missed The Boat, which was named Best Travel Book of 2013 by Reader Views. Now, he has completed his debut fiction book, The Vanishing Wife. Barry was named to the Authors Show’s list of “50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading” in 2012. In 2013, he received the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee medal for his philanthropic work in Africa. He lives in Ottawa, Canada with his wife Evelyn.

Website: www.keeponclimbing.com

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorBarryFinlay

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Karver2

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5213951.Barry_Finlay

Amazon: https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/profile

Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/karver2/

Barry will be awarding a medium or large t-shirt with the author's "Keep On Climbing" logo on the front to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour (US/CANADA ONLY).

a Rafflecopter giveaway