Forty-Four Box Set, Books 1-10 (44) (176 page)
Read Forty-Four Box Set, Books 1-10 (44) Online
Authors: Jools Sinclair
Forty-Four Box Set, Books 1-10
The Road Not Taken (An Abby & Jesse Short Story)
Whiskey Rain (A Rose City Novella)
Available on Amazon.com
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About the Author
Like her main character, Jools Sinclair has a house in Bend, Oregon. She is currently on the road, working on what comes next.
Learn more about Jools Sinclair and the
Forty-Four
series at…
JoolsSinclair.com
Praise for
Forty-Four
*****
A FANTASTIC novel!
44
was just about impossible to put down once I started. From the very beginning, there was an air of mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat… I highly recommend this fantastic novel!
The Caffeinated Diva
*****
Everything from the setting, to the time frame, to the characters, was beautifully developed. This book is truly a gem and I highly recommend it. It literally took my breath away.
Avery’s Book Review
*****
Sinclair sucked me in like a vacuum cleaner sucks up dirt. She brings mystery, love, and friendship to the book and weaves a lovely tale.
Just Another Book Addict
*****
IMPRESSIVE!
44
is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and will take readers by storm. With so much information in such a small book it will impress readers to the detail and depth in so few pages. The conclusion will take your breath away. Don’t miss you chance to check out this amazing story.
The Book Whisperer
*****
Fantastic, edge of your seat thriller. A MUST READ! It twists you about and as soon as you think you have it all figured out, throws you for the final loop with an ending that will break the hardest heart.
Wormhole
Forty-Four Book Eleven
Forty-Four Book Twelve
Also from Jools Sinclair…
Who says you can never go home again? Go back to high school with Abby and Jesse, back to a simpler time, back to where it all began... before that fateful day on that icy mountain road that would change them both forever.
It's almost Thanksgiving and the biggest game of Abby Craig's life is just days away. But before she can focus on scoring goals, she has to help Jesse solve a mystery that's been haunting the school's basketball team for the last fifty years. Meanwhile, her boyfriend Conner is proving to be a whole different kind of distraction. Will Abby be able to juggle it all or will her junior year end up being a real turkey?
This heartwarming short story is a prequel to
Forty-Four
, which has been downloaded by more than half a million readers.
The Road Not Taken
is approximately 10,000 words long.
Whiskey Rain: A Rose City Novella
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New Book from Jools Sinclair Mailing List
Free sample of…
Whiskey Rain
A Rose City Novella
by
Jools Sinclair and Emily Jordan
The rain was coming down hard and being blown around in different directions like the world was stuck inside a carwash. It had been the wettest March in thirty years. And it didn’t look like it was going to let up anytime soon.
The woman blinked and squinted up into the deluge before dropping her head and pulling on her hood.
For a moment she thought about calling a taxi but then blew it off. It was twelve blocks. She could do twelve blocks. Even in a little rain. Okay, in a lot of rain.
She began walking toward the bridge and then remembered something. The bridge hadn’t factored in to her estimate. Twelve blocks
plus
the Ross Island Bridge. She had done a story on it last year. The numbers came back to her… 3700 feet long, 123 feet high.
Taxi!
The word exploded in her head like a wet firecracker. But as she reached the corner of First and Arthur she realized she was already thoroughly soaked. Soaked and committed. Somewhere along the way her pride had taken an interest and it was going to see her through this.
She did her best to avoid the puddles and the watery potholes when she got to the crosswalks. Not that it mattered. Her shoes and socks were wet and spongy.
She shivered as she passed the creepy entrance to the Arthur Street Tunnel and tried to think of other things.
She thought about a hot shower, an episode of
House Hunters International
—somewhere tropical—a drink, and those Trader Joe’s taquitos she had become addicted to. Maybe there was even some guacamole left. She hated when the guacamole turned brown, but on a night like this she might even go with brown guacamole.
She thought about the story she was working on. It was big news, the break she had been waiting for, a stepping stone to a better job on a major newspaper. She smiled at the possibility.
She thought about the man she had met recently. He was obviously dark and troubled, but there was something about him, something that called to her in a way no one had in a long time. Lately, she caught herself thinking about him more and more.
As she stepped onto the bridge’s narrow walkway, a gust hit her from the side, blowing off the hood and shooting water into her ear. She tilted her head and shook it several times, trying to get her hearing back.
“Damn this rain.”
At some point she began to get the feeling that someone was following her. She turned back a few times but didn’t see anyone. Still, she began to walk faster.
She was halfway across the bridge now, more than halfway home. The rain was cold but she didn’t feel it, having settled into a comfortable pace, fast enough to get her blood flowing, fast enough to get the job done.
Yeah, there was someone back there all right. She stopped and turned around again, waiting for a passing car to light up the walkway behind her. A few cars sped by but, again, she didn’t see anyone.
“Go to hell,” she said at the cold, wet night. “Whoever you are.”
She stared down at the river for a moment, black and whipped up. It was sad, she thought, that people got to the point where their lives felt so beyond repair, so beyond rescue, that they sometimes used this bridge to end it all. She looked down a moment longer. The empty darkness stared back and the rain kept on falling. She shivered again and turned back toward her route.
But when she looked out in front of her someone was in her way.
“Do you…” a snot-filled voice said.
She couldn’t make out all the words.
“I’m sorry,” she said, instantly feeling stupid and mad at herself for apologizing.