My Newest Release
Checkmate
Book One in The Brian Koski Stalker Series
Caryn Deaver survived a nightmare...and now it's back!
Checkmate Cover
Caryn’s Deaver’s abusive ex-husband bound her and their children hand and foot, locked them in the bathroom, and set the house on fire. They managed to escape with their lives, and Dan Hamilton was sentenced to eighteen years in prison for the crime. He’s out now and the rules in his sadistic game allow Caryn only twelve “moves” before she will die.
Zach Riker, Cheyenne’s Fire Chief, was the first paramedic on the scene eighteen years ago. He saved Caryn’s life. Now she is his life and he’ll stop at nothing to protect the woman he loves.
Checkmate Promotional Trailer
Interested in seeing the video trailer for Checkmate? It's available in my blog, and it's awesome!
Checkmate Reviews
Wow. Okay... so just... wow. This was one of the BEST suspense novels I’ve read in I don’t know how long…Is it a perfect book? Of course not, and that's why it's not a "Best Book", but it's darn close. The author head hops (though, it’s fairly seamless, to the point where even I – a POV purist – wasn’t thrown from the story), there are some bits of dialogue that sounded a little “off”. Sometimes I think character motivation didn’t ring entirely true. But despite these small glitches (and they ARE small), this was absolutely the most enthralling book I’ve read in months. If I were a Hollywood executive, I’d option this book for a movie immediately. It’s really that good.
-- Poppy, Long and Short Reviews
Gripping and suspenseful, Checkmate by Jean Hackensmith will have you on the edge of your seat and rooting for the good guys…In addition to the full slate of realistic and complex characters found within Checkmate, Hackensmith has written a novel that pulls you in from the first word to the last. The subplots compliment the main plot and are pulled together at the end--which is superbly done...The high level of research Hackensmith performed is obvious in her realistic portrayal of Dan, who as an ex-cop manages to use his on the job training to keep eluding Brian and members of the Sixth Precinct. Hackensmith also performed thorough research on the training and usefulness of protection dogs, and made Mika into a wonderful canine character who readers will fall in love with.
--Cheryl, The Book Connection
-- Poppy, Long and Short Reviews
Gripping and suspenseful, Checkmate by Jean Hackensmith will have you on the edge of your seat and rooting for the good guys…In addition to the full slate of realistic and complex characters found within Checkmate, Hackensmith has written a novel that pulls you in from the first word to the last. The subplots compliment the main plot and are pulled together at the end--which is superbly done...The high level of research Hackensmith performed is obvious in her realistic portrayal of Dan, who as an ex-cop manages to use his on the job training to keep eluding Brian and members of the Sixth Precinct. Hackensmith also performed thorough research on the training and usefulness of protection dogs, and made Mika into a wonderful canine character who readers will fall in love with.
--Cheryl, The Book Connection
Excerpt From "Checkmate"
“Melissa called at lunch today,” Caryn told Zach three days later as they made the now routine drive from Lebhart Elementary to their home. “They sold the house.”
“Really? That’s great,” he returned as he took his eyes from the road for a moment to glance at her. “When are they moving?”
“They’re hoping to convince the bank to speed up the closing--both on the old house and the new one--so hopefully they can move to Loveland within the next couple of weeks.” She adopted a sheepish expression. “I...kind of told them that we’d help them move.”
He looked at her again with a wry expression. “You kind of told them? How do you kind of tell somebody something?”
“Okay, so I did tell them we’d help.” Her expression grew serious. “I really need to get out of this town for a few days, Zach.”
“You mean you need to get away from the whole Dan thing for a few days.”
She managed a wan smile. “That, too. Look, if you don’t want to go, or you can’t get away, I can go alone--”
“No, I’ll go. I could use a few days away myself. Just try and give me a week or so notice so I can get Mike to cover for me,” he said, referring to the Assistant Fire Chief.
“Oh, I’m sure he’ll love that. Mike has done an awful lot of covering for you in the past month. You haven’t been called out after hours since the wild fire.” Caryn’s gaze strayed to a small, unmarked cardboard box that sat in the recessed console area between the two bucket seats. “What’s in the box?”
“Nothing,” he returned vaguely. “Just something I picked up.”
A mischievous smile curved her lips. “Is it for me?”
He shook his head. “No, it is definitely not for you.”
Her brow furrowed. “What is it?” she repeated.
He sighed. “Promise you won’t freak out?”
“Why would I freak out?”
“Because it’s a gun.”
Caryn’s eyes widened in horror. “A gun! Zach, are you crazy!”
“No, Dan is crazy, Caryn. He knows where we live now, and I’m not going to take any chances.”
“Where--” she swallowed convulsively “--did you get it?”
“From Brian. It’s a police issue Beretta. Where he got it from, I don’t even want to know. The damn thing holds seventeen rounds.” He looked at her again. “Even I couldn’t miss Dan with that many bullets, and I’ve never fired a gun.”
“Never?”
“Nope. My dad wasn’t into hunting, so I’m not either.”
“Did Brian show you how to use it?” she asked softly.
He nodded. “The basics, anyway; how to load it and stuff. We’re going to go to a firing range this weekend and practice.” He sent another glance in her direction and added pointedly, “All of us.”
Her eyes almost popped out of her head this time. “You want me to learn how to shoot that thing, too!”
“I want you to be able to defend yourself if the need ever arises, Caryn.”
“But--!”
Zach glanced in the rearview mirror just as a rusted Ford F250 pulled onto Hynds Boulevard off Cattle Drive and barreled toward them. He let up on the accelerator to make it easier for the speed demon to pass. “Look, don’t argue with me, okay? You don’t have to like owning a gun any more than I do, but--what in the hell is this guy doing?”
“Who?” The question bounced from Caryn’s lips when the SUV was rammed from behind.
Mika jumped up from her prone position on the back seat and began to bark wildly.
“Zach, what in the world--!”
“Hold on!” He floored the gas pedal and the manual five-speed transmission kicked into overdrive as the eight-cylinder engine roared to life. The truck behind them did the same and, once again, a rear impact sent them flying back against the seat, then lunging forward again. Only their seatbelts kept them from hitting the dash. Mika wasn’t so lucky. The dog landed on the rear floorboards with a thump and a yelp.
“Mika!” Caryn cried. She started to undo the restraining harness so she could turn and check on the dog, but Zach’s barked order halted her.
“Don’t undo your seatbelt! Grab the radio! Call dispatch!”
“Is it Dan?” Caryn cried.
“I don’t know. Just grab the damned radio!”
Caryn snatched the microphone from the dash. “How do I work it!”
“Just press the button--watch out! He’s going to ram us again!”
The words were barely out of Zach’s mouth before the other vehicle smashed into the rear side panel of the SUV. The collision was enough to make Caryn lose her grip on the mic. She scrambled to retrieve it from the floor of the vehicle.
“Tell them where we are and that we need the police!” Zach yelled as he swung the wheel to the right in an attempt to avoid another clash with the truck.
Caryn pressed the button and screamed into the microphone. “This is Caryn Deaver. I’m with Chief Riker. Someone’s trying to run us off the road! We’re on Hynds Boulevard--28th Street! We need the police...!”
“Get the gun, Caryn!”
“What?”
“Get the damned gun! The clip is already loaded. All you have to do is slide it into the hand grip.”
“Zach--!”
“Just do it and give me the damned thing!”
Caryn dropped the microphone and scrambled to pull the box out of the console. She laid it on her lap and opened it just as a particularly fierce impact jarred the vehicle. Caryn’s head bounced to the left, then was flung right again. It bashed against the window, the box hit the floor, and she slumped in the seat. The police issue Beretta, and the full clip, tumbled out onto the floorboards.
“Caryn!” Zach yelled. “Caryn!”
“Chief? Chief Riker? Are you all right?” The dispatcher’s frantic voice blasted from the radio, but Zach had no time to answer the call.
Going on instinct alone, he turned the wheel sharply to the left and rammed the vehicle beside him. They were almost bumper to bumper now; a quick glance to his left revealed the identity of the man in the driver’s seat. Dan Hamilton’s face was distorted with murderous rage, as his gaze locked with Zach’s for a split-second before he swung the truck into the SUV once again. The muscles in Zach’s arms bulged with his attempt to keep the steering wheel, and consequently the tires, turned into the truck. The piercing shriek of metal against metal ripped through the quiet afternoon.
“Chief! Are you there? We’re sending help...”
Zach’s eyes darted to floor--and the gun--where it lay next to Caryn’s feet and well out of his reach. Shit! He looked back at the road in front of them. A ravine was coming up on the right--a twenty foot drop that would ensure their deaths if Dan managed to force them over the side.
Zach turned the wheel quickly to the right, hit the shoulder, and cranked it left again. The force of the impact from the SUV sent the truck reeling toward the left shoulder. Zach hit the brakes.
The SUV fish-tailed, the rear end swinging about with a screech of tires against asphalt. Gravel flung every which way as the front tires hit the shoulder; the red Fire Chief’s SUV came to an abrupt standstill sitting broadside in the road. The truck rammed them an instant later--a direct impact with the driver's side door. The airbag inflated, Zach's head hit the steering wheel and his world, too, descended into darkness.
“Really? That’s great,” he returned as he took his eyes from the road for a moment to glance at her. “When are they moving?”
“They’re hoping to convince the bank to speed up the closing--both on the old house and the new one--so hopefully they can move to Loveland within the next couple of weeks.” She adopted a sheepish expression. “I...kind of told them that we’d help them move.”
He looked at her again with a wry expression. “You kind of told them? How do you kind of tell somebody something?”
“Okay, so I did tell them we’d help.” Her expression grew serious. “I really need to get out of this town for a few days, Zach.”
“You mean you need to get away from the whole Dan thing for a few days.”
She managed a wan smile. “That, too. Look, if you don’t want to go, or you can’t get away, I can go alone--”
“No, I’ll go. I could use a few days away myself. Just try and give me a week or so notice so I can get Mike to cover for me,” he said, referring to the Assistant Fire Chief.
“Oh, I’m sure he’ll love that. Mike has done an awful lot of covering for you in the past month. You haven’t been called out after hours since the wild fire.” Caryn’s gaze strayed to a small, unmarked cardboard box that sat in the recessed console area between the two bucket seats. “What’s in the box?”
“Nothing,” he returned vaguely. “Just something I picked up.”
A mischievous smile curved her lips. “Is it for me?”
He shook his head. “No, it is definitely not for you.”
Her brow furrowed. “What is it?” she repeated.
He sighed. “Promise you won’t freak out?”
“Why would I freak out?”
“Because it’s a gun.”
Caryn’s eyes widened in horror. “A gun! Zach, are you crazy!”
“No, Dan is crazy, Caryn. He knows where we live now, and I’m not going to take any chances.”
“Where--” she swallowed convulsively “--did you get it?”
“From Brian. It’s a police issue Beretta. Where he got it from, I don’t even want to know. The damn thing holds seventeen rounds.” He looked at her again. “Even I couldn’t miss Dan with that many bullets, and I’ve never fired a gun.”
“Never?”
“Nope. My dad wasn’t into hunting, so I’m not either.”
“Did Brian show you how to use it?” she asked softly.
He nodded. “The basics, anyway; how to load it and stuff. We’re going to go to a firing range this weekend and practice.” He sent another glance in her direction and added pointedly, “All of us.”
Her eyes almost popped out of her head this time. “You want me to learn how to shoot that thing, too!”
“I want you to be able to defend yourself if the need ever arises, Caryn.”
“But--!”
Zach glanced in the rearview mirror just as a rusted Ford F250 pulled onto Hynds Boulevard off Cattle Drive and barreled toward them. He let up on the accelerator to make it easier for the speed demon to pass. “Look, don’t argue with me, okay? You don’t have to like owning a gun any more than I do, but--what in the hell is this guy doing?”
“Who?” The question bounced from Caryn’s lips when the SUV was rammed from behind.
Mika jumped up from her prone position on the back seat and began to bark wildly.
“Zach, what in the world--!”
“Hold on!” He floored the gas pedal and the manual five-speed transmission kicked into overdrive as the eight-cylinder engine roared to life. The truck behind them did the same and, once again, a rear impact sent them flying back against the seat, then lunging forward again. Only their seatbelts kept them from hitting the dash. Mika wasn’t so lucky. The dog landed on the rear floorboards with a thump and a yelp.
“Mika!” Caryn cried. She started to undo the restraining harness so she could turn and check on the dog, but Zach’s barked order halted her.
“Don’t undo your seatbelt! Grab the radio! Call dispatch!”
“Is it Dan?” Caryn cried.
“I don’t know. Just grab the damned radio!”
Caryn snatched the microphone from the dash. “How do I work it!”
“Just press the button--watch out! He’s going to ram us again!”
The words were barely out of Zach’s mouth before the other vehicle smashed into the rear side panel of the SUV. The collision was enough to make Caryn lose her grip on the mic. She scrambled to retrieve it from the floor of the vehicle.
“Tell them where we are and that we need the police!” Zach yelled as he swung the wheel to the right in an attempt to avoid another clash with the truck.
Caryn pressed the button and screamed into the microphone. “This is Caryn Deaver. I’m with Chief Riker. Someone’s trying to run us off the road! We’re on Hynds Boulevard--28th Street! We need the police...!”
“Get the gun, Caryn!”
“What?”
“Get the damned gun! The clip is already loaded. All you have to do is slide it into the hand grip.”
“Zach--!”
“Just do it and give me the damned thing!”
Caryn dropped the microphone and scrambled to pull the box out of the console. She laid it on her lap and opened it just as a particularly fierce impact jarred the vehicle. Caryn’s head bounced to the left, then was flung right again. It bashed against the window, the box hit the floor, and she slumped in the seat. The police issue Beretta, and the full clip, tumbled out onto the floorboards.
“Caryn!” Zach yelled. “Caryn!”
“Chief? Chief Riker? Are you all right?” The dispatcher’s frantic voice blasted from the radio, but Zach had no time to answer the call.
Going on instinct alone, he turned the wheel sharply to the left and rammed the vehicle beside him. They were almost bumper to bumper now; a quick glance to his left revealed the identity of the man in the driver’s seat. Dan Hamilton’s face was distorted with murderous rage, as his gaze locked with Zach’s for a split-second before he swung the truck into the SUV once again. The muscles in Zach’s arms bulged with his attempt to keep the steering wheel, and consequently the tires, turned into the truck. The piercing shriek of metal against metal ripped through the quiet afternoon.
“Chief! Are you there? We’re sending help...”
Zach’s eyes darted to floor--and the gun--where it lay next to Caryn’s feet and well out of his reach. Shit! He looked back at the road in front of them. A ravine was coming up on the right--a twenty foot drop that would ensure their deaths if Dan managed to force them over the side.
Zach turned the wheel quickly to the right, hit the shoulder, and cranked it left again. The force of the impact from the SUV sent the truck reeling toward the left shoulder. Zach hit the brakes.
The SUV fish-tailed, the rear end swinging about with a screech of tires against asphalt. Gravel flung every which way as the front tires hit the shoulder; the red Fire Chief’s SUV came to an abrupt standstill sitting broadside in the road. The truck rammed them an instant later--a direct impact with the driver's side door. The airbag inflated, Zach's head hit the steering wheel and his world, too, descended into darkness.