The Seventh Survivor [Paperback]

Lori Lacefield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2006

Is a charitable cause worth killing for? That’s what former kidnapping victim Palmer Reed must decide when she is nominated to the board of Tennessee’s prestigious Diamond Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping the victims of crime. Reuniting with the board’s Chairman, a woman known as The Vindicator (who helped rescue Palmer twenty years ago from their mutual enemy), Palmer enters the Foundation’s society of country clubs, fancy balls, and fundraisers. What will she do when she learns the Foundation’s secret method for raising money is something sinister--and worse, when she discovers the Chairman’s plan to take justice to a whole new level? In The Seventh Survivor, mysterious accidents, betrayal, and vengeance make sure that no one plays by the rules in this high-tension thriller through Southern high society where extortion, murder, and lovers past and present collide.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lori Lacefield, an education analyst, is a lover of nature, dogs, mystery, and of course, justice. A member of Pikes Peak Writers and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, she lives in Centennial, Colorado. This is her first novel.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Palmer moved down the stairs, her heart throbbing in her temples. With the drapes pulled tight, the restaurant was nearly pitch black, creating an eerie solitude. The place was empty, except for her and a killer. She called out. "Mrs. Swall?" Her voice sounded like something out of a drive-in speaker, only not human. The reply came from behind. "I’m here," Marjoram said. Palmer turned to see her standing at the top of the stairs, half her face revealed in light and half hidden in darkness. Palmer’s throat was the substance of chalk, her eyes as dry as burning dust. She thought her heart would simply explode. "I guess you’ve heard," she stammered. "Oh, indeed. The question is, what do you plan to do about it? "Do? Palmer asked. Marjoram moved down the dark stairs, a thin sliver of light from an unknown source running horizontally across her face. Her steps tapped across the hardwood floor, like the steady drip from a water faucet. "Yes. Since you’re responsible for this latest catastrophe, I would think you’d do something. I am certain you considered this option in your deliberations, as any intelligent person would do." Palmer flushed. Once the golden child, now the black sheep. "I don’t know what happened, yet. I can’t decide on a course of action until I know what went wrong." Marjoram’s sarcasm bit into the open wound that was Palmer’s heart. "You don’t know what went wrong? Well, let me see if I can help you. Tell me, did you get your money? Did Thurgood and Maloney deliver? Her right brow arched high above her eye. Palmer knew what she was driving at. She was sparing no kindness, wasting no time. "My note did not get David killed."

Product Details

• Paperback: 282 pages
• Publisher: Capital Crime Press (September 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977627683
• ISBN-13: 978-0977627684
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,409,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wow and Wow again, September 13, 2006

By 

Elizabeth Krieger (Overland Park, Kansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Seventh Survivor (Paperback)

This book, I hope, is sure to be the first in a line of suspense novels from this author. It really gets your attention and makes you want to read until your legs ache from sitting it one position. I can't wait to read more from this lady. If you are a fan of Patricia Cornwell, Mary Higgins Clark, or others like them you will love this book. You will never look at charity functions the same way again.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Welcoming a new writer to the mystery and suspense aisle!, December 27, 2007

By 

R. Kyle (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Seventh Survivor (Paperback)

The Diamond Foundation is one of the most prestigious in East Tennessee. Their mission is to help survivors of crime from families who've lost a member to murder to employers who have had funds embezzled, the Diamond Foundation attempts to give some restitution when the Justice System simply has nothing to offer. What's exceptional is that in the heartland of the 'good old boys' club', this group is run solely by an all-woman board of directors.

Palmer Reed finds it a signal honor that she and her best friend Keely have been invited to join the Foundation as directors. Marjoram Swall, the head of Diamond, is one of Palmer's personal heroes, since she saved Palmer from kidnappers years ago.

That kidnapping still haunts her and is coming to the foreground, since Scott Thurgood, the man who masterminded the kidnapping, is running for Congress and will stop at nothing to win.

Worse, as Palmer learns more about the Diamond Foundation, she realizes the group's method of collection is not entirely legal--and that people who don't pony up the cash have a bad habit of disappearing...

What will happen to her if she tells?

"The Seventh Survivor" is a well-told tale of suspense from first-time author, Lori Lacefield. The CO-based author has a good feeling for the South and recreates much of the landscape very well.

Ms. Lacefield also has a knack for building suspense. Her story is well-constructed, particularly for a first-time author. Kudos also to her editor for actually copy-editing this book.

Palmer has good depth of character, but much of the rest of the cast are simply paper tigers-tigresses.

This novel's only serious flaw is that Ms. Lacefield was somewhat over-ambitious. "Survivor" is just over 300 pages, covering from March to September. The book is comprised of 88 chapters--I think the longest chapter is about 4 pages. In the case of this particular novel, the James Patterson style partitioning is somewhat distracting and takes away from suspense.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Suspenseful & Entertaining Mystery, September 4, 2007

By 

Ron Burley (Eugene, OR USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Seventh Survivor (Paperback)

I loved Frankie Johnson, and hope this is the first book of a series based on her character. Lacefield does a great job of creating a realistic woman investigator who is smart, clever and a bit cocky... but still has her "female" side. So many women in this genre are either super-butch, super-bitchy or fem-fatales in disguise. I was waiting for someone to get this right. Lacefield finally did. I read the book in one sitting. I guess that makes it a true page-turner. Highly recommended!