Initiated to Kill by Sharlene Almond

Annabella Cordova quickly becomes embroiled in the conspiracy involving the university she studies at. When her roommate goes missing, it becomes very personal. Her ability to read facial and body language in people leads her to discover parallels from an earlier century.

Two men, centuries apart, initiated for violent purposes, unmasking an organisation long-forgotten, and reviving a criminal mastermind never apprehended.

In the time in which one man roams the streets of Whitechapel in the 19th century, and the other stalks the halls of Seville University in the 21st century. My debut international thriller, Initiated to Kill, takes the reader from past to present, connecting these two men in a way only one organisation can control.

INITIATED TO KILL is available from Amazon.

 *****

Dr Jeri Fink commented in her 5/5 star review, “Almond’s writing flows, moving in a rhythm rarely found in today’s fiction. She tackles time like a character; the present and the past merge and separate as the story presses forward. There is tension and mystery at every corner – even the best guess won’t work until the last page. Her characters, like Annabella and Valero, both wounded spirits, bring you into their worlds with haunting insights.”

Moving on from the exposition — the parallels and symbolism are sound and solid and, in my opinion, quite superbly done. I was able to appreciate them even more upon my second reading, which really helped me to follow and appreciate the puzzles and connections built up throughout the narrative. I would definitely recommend reading this book more than once in order to get a better understanding of the story.

The high quality writing style and story construction prompted me to give the book a high rating, though I opted out of choosing the highest score due to the arguably excessive graphic descriptions and the exposition. I hesitate to say I found Initiated to Kill an enjoyable reading experience considering the subject matter, but I definitely found it to be a memorable one.

 *****

As an author of historical/21st century psychological, international thrillers, my books challenge readers to think beyond what they believe, as well as taking the reader on a journey throughout Europe and abroad.

Having studied in Criminology and Neuro Linguistic programming; in addition to doing a diploma course in body language, enables me to give an authentic feel to my characters, and the crimes committed. Because I’ve always been fascinated with human psychology, especially criminal psychology, I always include that element in every book I write.

My books don’t just cover the crimes committed, but what drove that person to commit those crimes? Examining their past, their weaknesses, and childhood; all building up to why some of the most infamous crimes were committed.