The Mason’s Mark: Love & Death in the Tower by @msspencerauthor is a Binge-Worthy Book Festival
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    • Aug 2, 2019
    • 4 min read

The Mason’s Mark: Love & Death in the Tower by @msspencerauthor is a Binge-Worthy Book Festival


Title: The Mason’s Mark: Love & Death in the Tower

Author: M. S. Spencer

Genre: Romantic Suspense/Cozy Mystery

Book Blurb:

In both the best and worst first day at work ever, docent Claire Wilding meets the man of her dreams, but her carefully rehearsed guided tour of the George Washington National Masonic Memorial collapses when she discovers a dead body and is drawn into a dark world of black ops and Italian renegade masons, of secret cabals and hidden treasure. Also cloaked in mystery is handsome Gideon Bliss, a George Washington expert who haunts the Memorial, his manner evasive. What is his secret? Claire fears she'll fall in love with him only to learn he's a thief or even a murderer.

Juggling two eccentric mothers, an inquisitive sister, and an increasingly smitten detective, Claire must find answers to a complex web of intrigue, including who to trust and who to love.

Excerpt PG: The Helicopter

A light flashed on and off in the copter’s interior. They heard a crash, and the helicopter tried again to rise. This time whoever was at the controls kept forcing it up, which only made the ship lean more precipitously until it finally fell over on its side. The thing scudded across the grass, scattering police and agents as it careened, its speed increasing. When it reached the fence it crashed through. Claire thought for a minute it might actually break out and keep moving, but the tail assembly caught on the post and the aircraft screeched to a halt, spinning wildly.

They heard a gunshot, and then another. The police rushed the ship. One put a bullet through the main motor. A puff of black smoke rose from the engine, and it lay still at last. Ernest began to run toward it, but Thompson held him back. “Not yet. Let my men secure the area first.”

The door opened, and a hand, covered in blood, scrabbled around until it found a solid purchase. White pulled himself up and through. He slid off the machine and landed heavily on the ground. A minute later another bloody hand manifested itself, and Peel climbed out, holding his side and panting heavily. He made no attempt to escape when the police moved in and handcuffed him. One cop lowered himself into the helicopter. Another one signaled to the ambulance by the gate. Two medics pulled a gurney out of the back and rolled it toward him.

The chief, Thompson, Ernest, Gideon, and Claire trooped over to the two operatives. The chief spoke first. “White?”

The black ops agent made as if to stand, and his face twisted in pain.

Thompson asked gruffly, “You shot?”

White shook his head. “Aggravated an old ankle injury, that’s all. I’m fine.”

Martingale clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Take it easy, old boy. Tell us what happened.”

White let his first real smile warm his features. “All went according to plan, Chief. All according to plan.”

Angle gestured at the helicopter. “What happened to the police copter you were supposed to use?”

The agent snorted. “You should have checked the roster. They were all out on call. Had to improvise.”

Peel said nothing. Claire saw blood trickle out between his fingers, where they pressed into his side. “You’re hurt.”

White glanced at the other agent. His voice cold, he snapped, “It’s only a scratch. I winged him. He’s all right. For now.”

“Hey, detective, I found the hijacker.” The sergeant who had been searching the helicopter scrambled out, hauling a body after him. He laid it out on the tarmac. The little group stood in a ring, staring at the man who lay inert, eyes closed, blood pouring from his chest. He took one rattling breath, and his body relaxed.

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What’s the first binge-worthy book you read and why was it a must-read?

I don’t know about the first, since I have been a bookaholic since I was handed my first board book. But Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is one I’ve read at almost one sitting (actually, I was sick in bed so it was a few days).

What makes this a binge-worthy book?

Well, why don’t I quote from a few reviews?

Devika Fernando: "... the author delivers a powerful read that has made me a fan forever…[T]he final chapters had me glued to my chair.”

Rochelle Weber: “For a wonderful romp through our nation’s history…I highly recommend Mason’s Mark.”

Mark Love: “[an] engaging story filled with intrigue, danger and plenty of steamy romantic action.”

Christina Cole: “If you enjoy suspense and thrills along with a love story, you'll quickly be caught up by this tale of murder and scandal."

Molly Daniels: "This is a fast paced and fun mystery with a steamy romance mixed in."

Giveaway:

Enter to win a $50 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $50 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $25 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $15 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Enter to win a $10 Amazon (US) or Barnes and Noble Gift Card

Open internationally

Runs August 1 – 31

Drawing will be held on September 1.

Author Biography:

Although M. S. Spencer has lived or traveled in five of the seven continents, the last thirty years were spent mostly in Washington, D.C. as a librarian, speechwriter, literary editor, professional staff at a U. S. Senate committee and at the Dept. of the Interior, non-profit director, and parent. She holds a BA from Vassar College, a diploma in Arabic Studies from the American University in Cairo, and Masters in Anthropology and in Library Science from the University of Chicago. All of this tends to insinuate itself into her works.

Ms. Spencer has published twelve romantic suspense or murder mystery novels, with two more on the way. She has two fabulous grown children and an incredible granddaughter. She divides her time between the Gulf Coast of Florida and a tiny village in Maine.

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