Toxic Diamonds by Liza O'Connor Blog Tour @Liza0Connor

I'm happy to have Liza O'Connor back as a guest. As I've mentioned before, I love her books, from her science fiction romances to her historical romantic suspense. I found this series last year and thoroughly enjoyed the main characters Xavier and Vic. Toxic Diamonds is the eighth book in the series. While it's always more interesting to read books in order, I haven't caught up with all of them yet, but I had no trouble reading this as a standalone. Without further ado, here's the lowdown on Toxic Diamonds. 

Tubs tells a childhood story about himself: whenever his father was drunk, he’d try to drown Tubs by sticking his head in a bucket of water. Only Tubs could hold his breath for twenty minutes. Fortunately, his drunken father would lose interest and wander off for another drink long before twenty minutes were up.

So, can a person really hold their breath for twenty minutes? Certainly not everyone, but, some can. The current record is 24 minutes and 3 seconds.

Determining whom to trust is getting very hard, indeed. This may be the most trying cases imaginable. Director Stone has gone missing and it appears Ministers of Parliament are involved. Xavier is arrested and placed in a jail meant to kill him, while Vic, disguised as a woman, attempts to locate the Minister of External Affairs and ask for his help.

Everyone is called in to assist: Jacko, his wife Alice, their son, Pete, Samson, the Crime Lord, David and Claire, Tubs and his wife, Sara, the boys: Cannon and Ham, plus the bloodhound, Arroo.

The Wasp who escaped punishment for her attempts to murder her bigamist husband’s first wife last year is back. Vic discovers love letters between Ben, their terrible secretary and the Wasp. Worse yet, he shared Xavier’s financial advice with the Wasp, making her and her husband very wealthy.

With Stone missing, and Barns and Meyers stretched to their limits, Vic decides it’s time to train more of the Scotland Yard officers in intuitive and deductive reasoning. While only half the class makes it through her two-day course, everyone is pleased with her results.

Be warned, Vic’s sister, Claire, is becoming more difficult than ever. Gregory thinks she is going mad.

“Xavier! I think he snuck out and might be in the basement with the dead guy. Whatever this smell is could be killing him as we speak.”

Without waiting, she and Tubs took off. Gregory yelled for them to wait, but no one listened. In fact, Dr. Connors followed them.

When they got to the basement door, wet putty laid in strips at the bottom of the steps. Seeing the doctor behind Vic, Tubs focused on the doctor. “The door’s been open, so Xavier is probably inside. I can hold my breath a long time. Let me bring him upstairs. Otherwise, I’ll probably have to rescue both of you as well.”

Vic paused, but Dr. Connors just grabbed her arm and pulled her upstairs. The moment they closed the basement door, her heart wrenched. “What can knock a person out so quickly?”

“I’m not certain. But chemists have discovered several gases, some of which can be deadly.”

“Such as?”

“Such as the gases that form from the sewer lines. That’s why the toilets should have a kink to hold water. It prevents the foul gases from entering into the bathroom and possibly killing the residents in their sleep.”

Vic began to pace. “Why has Tubs not returned?”

“Let me go down and see,” Dr. Connors suggested. “We cannot risk you.”

“Like you aren’t vital as well?” she yelled. She then ran to the door and opened it just as Tubs climbed up the steep stairs with Xavier hanging over his shoulder.

When he reached the first floor he handed an unconscious Xavier to Dr. Connors, took a deep breath and returned downstairs.

“Tubs, come back!”

Book 8

TOXIC DIAMONDS

Free with Amazon Kindle Unlimited

Need to catch up?

Book 1

The Troublesome Apprentice

Book 2

The Missing Partner

Book 2.5

A Right to Love

Book 3

The Mesmerist

Book 4

Well Kept Secrets

Book 5

Pack of Trouble

Book 6

The Darkest Days

Book 7

The CrimeLords’ War

All Xavier & Vic books are Free with Amazon Unlimited

Liza O’Connor was raised badly by feral cats, left the South/Midwest and wandered off to find nicer people on the east coast. There she worked for the meanest man on Wall Street, while her psychotic husband tried to kill her three times. (So much for finding nicer people.) Then one day she declared enough, got a better job, divorced her husband, and fell in love with her new life where people behaved nicely. But all those bad behaviors has given her lots of fodder for her humorous books. Please buy these books, because otherwise, she’ll become grumpy and write troubled novels instead. They will likely traumatize you.

You have been warned.

The Adventures of Xavier & Vic Sleuth series: (Late Victorian/Mystery/Romance)

The Troublesome Apprentice — The greatest sleuth in Victorian England hires a young man who turns out to be a young woman.

The Missing Partner — Opps! The greatest sleuth in Victorian England goes missing, leaving Vic to rescue him, a suffragette, and about 100 servants. Not to mention an eviscerating cat. Yes, let’s not mention the cat.

A Right to Love — A romantic detour for Jacko. Want to see how amply rewarded Jacko was when he & Vic save an old woman from Bedlam?

The Mesmerist — The Mesmerist can control people from afar and make them murder for her. Worse yet, Xavier Thorn has fallen under her spell.

Well Kept Secrets — The problems with secrets is that they always come to light, no matter how you wish to silence them.

Pack of Trouble — Changes are a part of life, but these changes almost kill Vic.

The Darkest Days — Muddled cases make Vic very grumpy.

The CrimeLords’ War — Vic is almost killed twice as she tries to prevent a CrimeLords’ War, stop a female Russian spy, and locate Xavier.

Toxic Diamonds — The Queen’s Diamonds have been stolen, Director Stone of Scotland Yard is missing, and there is a toxic gas that may kill hundreds of Londoners. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT

LIZA O'CONNOR’S MANY BOOKS

Investigate these sites:

Liza's Blog and Website   Facebook   Twitter

Home Again

What a week! But I have mixed feelings about it. After four days on the road, we're home. I'm glad to sleep in our own bed after nearly a month away. Yet, I miss the family we left in Arizona. Toddler Girl's 2nd birthday was delightful. She already knows how to find pictures on my cell phone. Her favorite was everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to her. She played that video over and over, and giggle as she watches. A toddler's giggles are contagious.

My lack of planning for the weekend gave me a bit of grief, especially since I'd be on the road. Four blogs. I could have managed better. LOL

On my regular post at The Roses of Prose, I described our trip home. I over-estimated Hubs' interest in the route I planned.

Lexi Post invited me to Happily Ever After Thoughts. In her interview, she asked questions I hadn't answered before.

Then, Liza O'Connor let me share some background on The Case of the Meddling Mama.

And last but not least, every weekend is for Weekend Writing Warriors. I started sharing snippets from The Protector: An Outer Rim Novel.

Needless to say, I'm blogged out. If you get a chance, stop by on any of the posts and leave a comment. I always like to hear what you have to say.

Until Wednesday, then, when it will be Insecure Writers' Support Group Day, have a great week.

Liza O'Connor and the Scavenger Vanishes Blog Tour

Liza O'Connor is back with a tease about her latest release. When I read the first book in this series, I was enthralled with the hero, the heroine, and the premise of humans being able to soar like a bird. The second book was even better. I can't wait to read this one. 

Scavenger Vanishes

By

Liza O’Connor

What is a Virgin Mistress?

After the Terror Wars, the world’s population was far beyond what could be fed and sheltered, so new laws were created to drastically cut the population.

A young woman only had ONE chance at being a mother. If she got pregnant the very first time she had sex, it was designated a virgin birth. However, even then, the father of the child could decide to toss the mother out and keep the child, so motherhood was never a sure thing, not even for the lucky few.

And if you dare tried to have a baby outside of that once in a lifetime chance, and the police caught you, your child would be aborted and you would be charged with its murder and spend the rest of your life in prison.

While the rich thought this a very fine law to serve the poor, they twisted the rules a bit for themselves. Their daughters would remain Virgin Mistresses for as long as it took for the girls to become pregnant.  Thus, the parents would negotiate with another rich man to become their daughter’s husband, based on business needs and connections. Once the contract was signed, the young woman would claim to be a virgin until she became pregnant. She would remain living with her parents and would visit the gentleman or he would visit her. The gentleman might even be married already. Not to worry. Setting aside the current  wife was commonly done.

If a man were in serious need of a son to carry on, he could have several Virgin Mistresses at once, then marry the first one to become pregnant. As soon as the child was born, he could keep the mother, send her back to her parents, or even kill her.

In Alisha’s case, the President of Americas, her parent’s choice for her, had a wife, but he would set the lady aside once Alisha got pregnant. However, Alisha ran off and joined the SkyRyders instead of becoming a breed cow. 

Good thing too. The President was known for his abusive outburst, which would have resulted in Alisha’s death, for she wasn’t nearly submissive enough for the President.

Scavenger Vanishes

By Liza O’Connor

Blurb

Stationed on opposite coasts, Alisha and Logan must each face their own demons and challenges. On the West Coast, Alisha loses her rank for butting heads with General Powell and soon discovers the life of a private can be utter hell. On the East Coast, newly promoted General Logan discovers his soldiers do not recognize his authority to command. In an effort to retake control of the East Coast Corps, Logan authorizes unthinkable actions. When Alisha faces a life-threatening crisis, will Logan rise above his own troubles, or will she discover love and rescue with her best friend Jack?

EXCERPT

“Private Kane,” the general barked. “Why is it, except for Logan, not one of your students has attempted to shoot target thirteen?”

“Its position makes it almost impossible to hit, sir. I advise them not to try.”

“It’s clearly not impossible to hit. If I recall, Logan shot a bulls-eye. And he’s not even a high-ranked marksman.”

In the old days, Alisha would have smartly pointed out that Logan had almost cracked his ribs trying to shoot the target, and the general must have realized by now that Logan was a top-notch marksman. However, the new Alisha said nothing.

Powell told Dryer to hold up the test. He then looked down at Alisha. “I not only expect to see each of the remaining fliers try for the target, but each one who misses it will mean another thousand demerits on your record.”

Alisha could see Colonel Dryer smiling as he stood behind the general. She knew better than to object to the unfairness of the order. “Sir, yes, sir.” She jogged over to the four remaining fliers. It was an impossible request. Not only were these her four weakest fliers, but also her four weakest marksmen.

“See how well it goes when you stay focused?”

They all nodded, now confident and certain they could also pass the test.

“In fact, I’m so confident you can do this, that the general and I have made a little bet on the side. He asked me why no one shoots the left-hand target, and I told him it wasn’t worth the trouble. Well, he thinks it is, so he suggested I come up with some incentive to see which of you can get closest to the bulls-eye.”

“I thought that target was impossible,” one of them reminded her.

“No,” Alisha assured them. “General Logan nailed it with a bulls-eye. It’s just you have to shoot across your torso. You can’t turn the catcher to shoot, or you’ll go off target.”

“That’ll hurt like hell,” another objected.

 “There will be a kickback,” Alisha admitted. “But you guys are as tough as leather. I’ve seen you take some brutal tumbles in the wind tunnel. You can’t tell me a little kickback is going to frighten you off.”

“If you promise to rub salve on my bruised ribs, I’ll give it a try,” Rodney Rutherford stated. He’d been “going for the gold” for the entire two weeks, so she wasn’t surprised by his suggestion. What did surprise her was how quickly the other three agreed to the same deal.

“Fine, I’ll rub salve on anyone who hits that target,” she agreed. It was a hell of a lot better than a thousand demerits. “But you can’t dunk the test to do it. You have to pass and hit the target.”

“And if we pass and hit a bulls-eye?” Rodney asked.

“The general will probably promote you to captain.” She hoped that was incentive enough.

“No, no, no…You can’t make promises for the general. What will you do?”

The general’s words came back to her about doing whatever it takes to get him ten more fliers. She had no doubt they wanted some sexual incentive. My job really is like being a virgin mistress.

“What do you want?” she asked

“A kiss or a lap dance, our call,” Rodney offered.

“Deal.”

SALES LINK

The SkyRyder’s Series, Book 3

Scavenger Vanishes

AMAZON

About the Author

Liza O’Connor lives in Denville, NJ with her dog Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small Cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels.

OTHER BOOKS BY LIZA O’CONNOR

SCIENCE FICTION

The Multiverse Series

Sci-Fi Soap Opera with humor, romance, and science

The Gods of Probabilities

Surviving Outbound

Surviving Terranue

Surviving Sojourn

Artificial Intelligence Series

Sci-Fi/Romance

Public Secrets

Birth of Adam

The SkyRyders Series

Sci-Fi Romance

Scavenger’s Mission

Scavenger Falters

Scavenger Vanishes

Follow Liza O'Connor 

Check out all my books on Amazon

Be sure to click FOLLOW  on my Amazon page so I can alert you to new books.

Stop by my Author Facebook Page 

which I've dedicate to Sci Fi books

Wander over to my personal Facebook Page

where I talk and share about books, politics, and other silliness.

Twitter is a great place to find me: @Liza0Connor 

(That's @Liza, the number 0, then Connor)

ALL OF LIZA’S BOOKS

THERE’S OVER 30 OF THEM

SCAVENGER FALTERS by Liza O'Connor Blog Tour

 

Diane sez: I am so excited to share in Liza O'Connor's blog tour for SCAVENGER FALTERS. I read Scavenger's Mission in one night! As I wrote in my review on Amazon, don't start that book before going to bed. Forewarned by self, I started Scavenger Falters in the afternoon. LOL It's another thrill ride. Here's what Liza has to say about her new release.

Alisha got slammed in book 1 for disobeying an order that she hadn’t even known existed. And now she discovers that a reg that has been in the book since early on, one against abusing new cadets is being blatantly ignored and not even Jack wishes to stop the horror. She declares it hypocrisy at its worst. Here she got slammed for rescuing a flyer in need of medical care, while this fort still allowed the ‘making of dogs’, abusing first year cadets, sometimes to their death. So with her new Colonel powers, she storms into the mess hall and climbs upon a table, determined to end the practice of dogs once and for all.

Scavenger Falters

By

Liza O’Connor

Alisha Kane, the Corps’ best flyer, is promoted to colonel, in charge of teaching the Corp’s SkyRyders her extraordinary flying maneuvers. The man she loves, Logan, continues to place the Corps first and insists they both remain focused on their work. For Alisha, this means ferreting out the best flyers in a Corps that has systematically forced great flyers into mediocrity. Logan focuses on learning Alisha’s flying techniques so that he can become the hero the East Coast desperately needs. The result includes fractured ribs and broken hearts, but through it all they never relinquish their love of the Corps.

 EXCERPT

Alisha pushed her way through the crowded mess hall and climbed up on a table. Standing taller than the men for once, she had little trouble getting the troops’ attention and silence. “It has come to my attention that this fort still keeps dogs.”

A few snickers in the far corner got her quick attention. “I will remind each of you that reg 3.354 forbids the practice. But then you all know that. So I will tell you something else. It. Is. Wrong!” She displayed her anger in each separate word. “The Corps is not just a job. It is your family. And what type a family takes their new additions, their children, and beats, rapes and sodomizes them for the first year of their lives?”

The room was deathly quiet as she continued. “On my first day as a Ryder I was the dog, and I was nearly killed when I was purposely stalled out at three hundred feet over the Wind Farms Ridge. And before you say ‘so what’, think about how many of you would be standing here today if I had died before the Ridge and Broadtown battles?

“All of you have probably been a dog. That’s what makes the continuance of this behavior so horrible. You personally know how hurtful it is. Nobody will admit it, but you know the violence can go too far. You know Ryders who have died. So I’m telling you now. The practice of making dogs stops today! And captains, I hold you personally responsible for the health and well-being of every member of your squad. If I even suspect that someone under your care is being abused, I will come down on you so hard, you will long for the anger of the general. Is that understood?” she asked softly.

The dead silence gave no reply.

“The colonel is waiting for a reply, captains,” General Powell said from the door.

“Sir, yes, sir!” The reply came immediately.

“I hope the slowness of your response was because you were in shock at the realization of the monstrosity of this practice each of you has participated in. Because if you only replied because I prompted you, then your time as captain will be very short-lived. And I don’t just mean at this fort.” The general entered the commissary and walked to the table where Alisha stood.

“We’ve all been the dog,” he continued. “I was one, myself, when I was a cadet. But until today, I’d forgotten the horror of that year: the beatings, the abuses. When my year was up, I put it behind me. I convinced myself it made me a stronger soldier. But it didn’t make me stronger. It just made me hate a couple of officers for the next forty years.”

The remark got several nervous chuckles from some of the men.

The general was not smiling, however. “We are at war, gentlemen, and our enemy is well financed, clever, and determined. If Colonel Kane’s reasons have not convinced you that the practice of dogs must stop, then let me try one more reason. We can’t afford to waste Corps resources. Had Colonel Kane died during her time as a dog, the war would be over now. And every man here would be nothing more than a glass-framed picture on his mama’s mantel.”

The general let his words sink in for a moment and then continued.

“Now, is there any soldier here that thinks I’m not dead serious that the days of dogs have ended?”

The reply was instantaneous. “Sir, no, sir.”

“Consider this a part of the new world, gentlemen. No dogs, no rabbits, no nothing! You will treat your newest members with the same dignity and respect you expect from your own commander.” He looked up at Alisha. “Sorry for stealing your thunder, Colonel. Is there anything you’d like to add?”

“No,” Alisha said. “I think they’ve gotten the message.”

SALES LINKS

The SkyRyder’s Series, Book 2

Scavenger Falters

AMAZON

The SkyRyder’s Series, Book 1

Scavenger’s Mission

AMAZON

About the Author

Liza O’Connor lives in Denville, NJ with her dog Jess. They hike in fabulous woods every day, rain or shine, sleet or snow. Having an adventurous nature, she learned to fly small Cessnas in NJ, hang-glide in New Zealand, kayak in Pennsylvania, ski in New York, scuba dive with great white sharks in Australia, dig up dinosaur bones in Montana, sky dive in Indiana, and raft a class four river in Tasmania. She’s an avid gardener, amateur photographer, and dabbler in watercolors and graphic arts. Yet through her entire life, her first love has and always will be writing novels.

OTHER BOOKS BY LIZA O’CONNOR

SCIENCE FICTION

The Multiverse Series

Sci-Fi Soap Opera with humor, romance, and science

The Gods of Probabilities

Surviving Outbound

Surviving Terranue

Surviving Sojourn

Artificial Intelligence Series

Sci-Fi/Romance

Public Secrets

Birth of Adam

The SkyRyders Series

Sci-Fi Romance

Scavenger’s Mission

Scavenger Falters-

 Scavenger Vanishes-coming 2017

Click here For ALL Novels by Liza

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