SJ Grey’s “To Catch a Rat” is LIVE & we’ve got 5 Fun Facts, an excerpt & a gift card giveaway!

To Catch a RAT: A techno thriller (Darknet series Book 1) IS LIVE and the author is celebrating her release by sponsoring today’s newsletter and she’s sent over a “Five Fun Facts”, an excerpt and she’s giving away a $10 Amazon Gift Card. 😀

To Catch a RAT is the first book in the Darknet series.

If you like high-tech action and psychological suspense, with a smart hacker and a strong female lead at its core, then you should enjoy the Darknet series.

What’s it about?

Emma’s best friend Joss had a wild story to tell. She’d been hacked. She was being watched. She was in danger. No one believed her. Not even Emma.

Now she’s dead. The police write it off as accidental death, but Emma’s not so sure.

The more she learns, the deeper she’s drawn into a web of deceit and dark motives. Turns out Joss’s brother developed a revolutionary dark web application, one that people will kill to get their hands on. He’s now in jail on a dodgy manslaughter charge. And then there’s Emma’s boyfriend, who she discovers is lying about his identity.

Now Emma’s the one in danger, and she’s not sure who will believe her or who she can trust. Joss’s murder was only the start.

Five fun facts about the Darknet series

1. The first book was inspired by a post on our local Neighbourly forum, from a woman who said she was being harassed, and thought her house was bugged. I never found out what happened to her…

2. Each of the titles in the series has a cyber meaning too, and I had great fun designing a set of free bookmarks for newsletter subscribers. Each bookmark has the alternate meaning on it.

3. I usually write romance under the penname Sofia Grey, but I wanted a new audience for this series, hence the new pen name.

4. The series is (mainly) set in New Zealand. I’ve included a little Kiwi-English primer on my website https://sjgrey.com/

5. The second book comes out at the end of April, but newsletter subscribers get an exclusive FREE novella (Active Peers) that picks up the story at the end of book 1. Newsletter sign-up: https://www.subscribepage.com/i9c2o9

Short Excerpt

Caleb moved closer, the bright red pizza box between them. “Are you alone?” It was an urgent whisper.

Emma should have said no. She should have closed the door in his face and called the police right away. She did neither. An older instinct, one that continued to shout, he won’t hurt you, had her whispering in reply, “Yes. At the moment.”

“Can I come in? I need your help, Em.”

She stepped back, holding the door open, and he came in, dropping the box and tugging off the bike helmet.

“How did you know where I lived? And how did you get out of prison? The police are hunting you.” It was at once nerve wracking and wonderful to see him again. She grabbed hold of his arm. “I’m so sorry about Joss.”

Familiar blue-grey eyes, the same colour as the sea on a stormy day—the same colour eyes as Joss—stared at Emma, his pain visible. “What happened? I need to know the truth. You owe me that.” His voice was rougher than she remembered.

He was heavier built, too. He’d always been tall and slim, with a runner’s build—equally fast in the water or on land—but now he’d filled out. His corn-coloured hair was cropped close to his head. She catalogued the changes in her mind.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I found her, Caleb. In the river.” The memory wrenched at her, and she had to pause, to get her feelings under control. “They say it was an accident, but I don’t believe it.”

“I don’t either. Not with everything else.”

“Everything like what?”

“I can’t tell you. It’s safer that way.”

Emma gazed at him. “Talking of safe, you’re not safe here. The police warned me to look out for you. They might come back. You need to go.”

“In a minute. We need to talk first.” Caleb dumped the helmet on the table, and spun around, at the same moment as the front door clicked shut.

Emma looked up. It was Mark, phone in one hand, car keys in the other.

“Caleb Rush,” said Mark. “I thought you might come here. Move away from my girlfriend. I’m calling the police.”

Now time for the giveaway:

One lucky commenter will get a $10 Amazon gift card!!

How to enter for a chance to win it? Just leave a comment below (or better yet, tell me who’s your favorite bad-ass, strong heroine) and by 10pm EST, Sunday April 5th, 2020, I will randomly select one lucky commenter as the winner.

The winner will be contacted and will have 48hrs to respond confirming their email address, so if you are picked, do not delay or you will lose your chance. The prize will be sent to the winner directly by the author.

Giveaway open to INTERNATIONAL!!!