P. M. Terrell

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About P. M. Terrell

p.m.terrell is the pen name for Patricia McClelland Terrell, the internationally acclaimed, award-winning author of more than 21 books. A full-time author since 2002, she is best known for her suspense/thrillers and historical suspense. Prior to writing, she opened and operated two computer companies in the Washington, DC area. Her clients included the CIA, Secret Service, Department of Defense and local law enforcement agencies. Her specialties were white collar computer crime and computer intelligence, themes that have made it into many of her suspense/thrillers.

Series include Black Swamp Mysteries (Exit 22, Vicki's Key, Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, Dylan's Song, The Pendulum Files, Cloak and Mirrors); Ryan O'Clery Mysteries (The Tempest Murders, The White Devil of Dublin); Mary Neely Series (River Passage; Songbirds are Free) and the new Checkmate Series (Clans and Castles). Award-winning books include Vicki's Key, The Pendulum Files, The Tempest Murders, River Passage.

She is the founder of the Book 'Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair, an annual event that raises money to increase literacy. She is the co-founder of The Book 'Em Foundation, which raises public awareness of the direct link between high crime rates and high illiteracy.

She makes her home in North Carolina and is an avid animal lover and advocate for animal rights.

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Books By P. M. Terrell

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A Struggle for Independence Mar 17, 2020

by p.m. terrell

( 1 )

$6.99

Sometimes a woman comes to the realization that she has built the perfect life but with the wrong man.It is 1916 Ireland and Independence Mather has settled into a routine as the wife of a wealthy landowner. When architect Nicky Bowers enters her life, her world is upended. She quickly falls in love with the charming and attentive Irishman, but Nicky has secrets. When Penny discovers he is an Irish rebel, she is swept into the middle of the Easter Rising. Now she must decide whether to remain married to a British loyalist or join the rebellion to be by the side of the man she loves, and success is far from assured.Set against the backdrop of the 1916 Irish Easter Rising, the book offers sweeping views of the lush and beautiful Irish countryside, brings to life the Dublin of the early 20th century, and provides insight into the vastly different worlds of the British aristocrats and the average Irish citizen.Richard R. Blake of Midwest Book Review has said of Terrell's historical works, “Terrell introduces a new level of excellence to the historical novel. Using the mastery of an artist, Terrell paints colorful word pictures and descriptive phrases that are so exquisitely well-chosen that the reader is magnetically drawn into the plot, taking on a role as an active participant in the intrigue of the story.”

Other Formats: Paperback

The Banker's Greed Feb 28, 2011

by p.m. terrell , T. Randy Stevens

( 19 )

$6.99

Jessica Palmer, the only child of a powerful and influential banker, is kidnapped. She knows her survival could depend upon her ability to remember every detail. When she manages to escape, she provides information to the FBI - but all clues lead back to one man: her father. Now she is faced with becoming the prosecution's star witness. But could she be helping to send an innocent man to prison? And if he didn't orchestrate her kidnapping, who did? And why?

Other Formats: Perfect Paperback

Songbirds are Free Oct 1, 2007

by p.m. terrell

( 16 )

$6.99

Based on the true story of the capture and captivity of Mary Neely by Shawnee warriors. Captured in 1780 near Fort Nashborough (now Nashville, TN) Mary was taken hundreds of miles from home, deep into hostile Indian Territory. Renamed "Songbird" for her beautiful voice, she was made a slave to the chieftain's wife. Though she attempted numerous time to escape, she was taken through Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. She escaped three years later in northern Michigan, only to be captured by the British and held as a prisoner of war. While being transported to Fort Niagara, the ship ran aground in a gale and she escaped again. She traveled alone, on foot, across Canada, into New York and to Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh, PA) before being rescued by an American soldier. This is the story of her capture, captivity, escape, and journey home.

Other Formats: Paperback

Exit 22 (Black Swamp Mysteries Book 1) Sep 1, 2008

by p.m. terrell

( 13 )

$6.99

Political strategist Christopher Sandige is leaving Washington, DC for a much-anticipated vacation in Florida when an automobile accident leaves him stranded at Exit 22 in North Carolina. After meeting a beautiful but mysterious woman, he is pulled into a shocking double homicide. Now he's a fugitive on the run, racing to escape homicide detectives closing in and a sociopathic assassin determined to kill him... and time is running out.

Other Formats: Paperback

River Passage Sep 1, 2009

by p.m. terrell

( 13 )

$6.99

From the acclaimed author of Songbirds are Free comes this thrilling nonfiction narrative account of 300 men, women and children that followed Nashville founder John Donelson from Virginia and North Carolina to Fort Nashborough in the winter of 1779-1780. The journey should have taken only four weeks but more than four months after they departed, an emaciated group of settlers arrived at Fort Nashborough with a harrowing tale of survival.

Their river journey took them through hostile Chickamauga territory at the height of the Chickamauga Indian Wars. Dragging Canoe, the Chickamauga leader, said that “whole Indian nations have melted away like snowballs in the sun before the white man’s advance” and he declared war on any settler daring to venture west of the Great Smoky Mountains, stating, “I swear to all those here and to all those we represent: the white man will never live in peace here. Let the rivers run red with their blood.”

As the Donelson party ventured west of the Smokies, they were relentlessly attacked from Chattanooga through Muscle Shoals, Alabama. Many of the settlers were killed and several captured, including two Stuart sisters suffering from small pox. Their capture would spread small pox throughout the Chickamauga tribes, wiping out entire Indian villages.

As winter set in with a record snowfall, the settlers’ food supplies dwindled dangerously, causing shortages long before they reached their final destination and with the constant Indian attacks, they were unable to hunt or forage for food. As some settlers began to starve, others succumbed to frostbite, losing extremities—and even their lives.

The Tennessee River would also become their adversary as their flatboats and canoes, vessels not meant for whitewater rapids, were pummeled again and again, sometimes sucked into whirlpools and other times dashed against jagged rocks as sudden and vicious uncharted descents appeared in their paths.

The story is told through the eyes of 18-year-old Mary Neely, one of ten Neely children that accompanied their mother, Margaret, John Donelson and more than 300 settlers on the perilous, fated voyage. The book was determined to be so factual that the original manuscript was provided to the Nashville Metropolitan Government Archives for future researchers and historians. The award-winning author, p.m.terrell, is a descendant of Mary Neely and relied on historical accounts recorded by John Donelson, Mary Neely and other settlers who dared the river passage.

Winner, Best Drama Award

Honorable Mention, Nashville Book Festival, 2010

"p.m.terrell's excellence in historical fiction and descriptive style compels me to coin her the next Larry McMurtry" - Maury County, TN Public Libraries

"River Passage is well written and terrell has a sharp eye for detail. A rich and inspiring story!" - Nashville Metropolitan Government Archives

Other Formats: Paperback

Clans and Castles (Checkmate Book 1) May 1, 2017

by p.m. terrell

( 5 )

$6.99

A window into the ancestors of anyone of Scot-Irish descent...

In 1608, William Neely left Wigtownshire, Scotland for Ulster. He was looking for his place in the world but what he found was the adventure of a lifetime.

Surrounded by powerful clans that had ruled Ulster for more than a thousand years, he came to know some of the most mighty chieftains of the time, including the formidable Cahir O’Doherty, who launched O’Doherty’s Rebellion with the burning of Derry and the killing of Sir George Paulet of His Majesty King James’ service. It would put in motion a chain of events that would transform Ireland and it would mark Cahir O’Doherty as the Last Gaelic Irish King in Ireland.

Cahir O’Doherty became the Lord of Inishowen as a teen after the death of his father. Known as The Queen’s O’Doherty due to his loyalty to Sir Henry Docwra and the English Crown, he saved his clan lands on the Inishowen Peninsula and his people from the fate that had befallen other Irish clans.

Peace would be short-lived, however, when Henry Docwra, Governor of Derry, was replaced by the ruthless Sir George Paulet, who ushered in a new wave of hatred for the Gaelic Irish. It would all come to a head on one fateful night when O’Doherty took the commander at Culmore Fort hostage along with his wife and son. Gaining access to the weapons at Culmore Fort, he led an invasion of Derry, burning the village to the ground. It would touch off a wave of events that would unite the major clans of Ulster, leading to a bombardment of Burt Castle, a counterattack in the Inishowen Peninsula and the burning of Ulster; a major battle at Kilmacrenan and finally a siege at Tory Island.

And when O’Doherty’s Rebellion was complete, it would usher in the age of The Plantation and mass immigration of Lowland Scots, encouraged by King James I to transform all of Ulster.

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite:
Checkmate: Clans and Castles by P.M. Terrell is a spellbinding novel that captures a historic moment in Irish history in the early 17th century, exploring the adventures of William Neely, who came to Ireland from Scotland in 1608 in the hope of fighting in King James's army. As a young man, William Neely is seeking a place for himself in the world, but suddenly finds himself embroiled in the Cahir O'Doherty (the last Gaelic Irish King) rebellion. William discovers that he is of Ulster origins and he becomes torn between fighting against King James or for Ireland. His decision could change everything. Here is a tantalizing historical novel that plunges the reader into what life was like in Ireland at a period when powerful chieftains rose against each other, a captivating story with relevant historical and cultural references; it is the first book in the Checkmate series, and a great opening at that.

What immediately arrested my attention was the power of the prose. From the very beginning of the story, the reader is treated to gorgeous descriptions of the setting and the characters: “The winds were fervent across the Irish Sea, pushing the waves into the shoreline with uncharacteristic intensity, stopped only by the jagged rock below before misting William Neely.” The narrative is lyrical and the voice is irresistible. Yes, the prose sings in the reader’s ears like beautiful music and it is peppered with wonderful dialogues, which are well-composed to read naturally and to deepen the plot and conflict. P.M. Terrell’s characters are wonderfully developed and readers will love them. There is a lot of drama taking place throughout the narrative and the action is intense and unrelenting.

Other Formats: Paperback

A Thin Slice of Heaven Mar 30, 2015

by p.m. terrell

( 15 )

$6.99

She had arranged to meet her husband in Northern Ireland for a second honeymoon, but when Charleigh arrives at the remote castle, she receives a message that he won’t be coming—and that he’s leaving her for another woman.

Stranded for the weekend by a snowstorm that has blocked all access to the castle, she finds herself three thousand miles from home in a country she knows nothing about.

She is soon joined by Sean Bracken, the great-grandson of Laird Bracken, the original owner of the castle, and she finds herself falling quickly and madly in love with him. There’s just one problem: he’s dead.

As the castle begins to come alive with secrets from centuries past, she finds herself trapped between parallel worlds. Caught up in a mass haunting, she can no longer recognize the line between the living and the dead. Now she’s discovering that her appearance there wasn’t by accident—and is more earth-shattering than she ever suspected.

Other Formats: Paperback

Vicki's Key (Black Swamp Mysteries Book 2) Feb 27, 2012

by p.m. terrell

( 15 )

$6.99

Award-Winning Series

"Riveting... spell-binding... sexy"

Sometimes it simply is not possible to leave the CIA.

After a failed mission, Vicki Boyd has decided there must be more to life than CIA operations. She leaves the agency and moves to a small town where she will be assisting an elderly woman while she determines what to do with the rest of her life.

But when she arrives, she discovers Laurel Maguire is confined to her room and her nephew, Dylan, has come from Ireland to oversee her affairs. She quickly falls in love with the charismatic Irishman, but all is not what it seems to be in Laurel’s home.

When the CIA section chief arrives with one more mission, Vicki finds herself pulled in two opposing directions. Her mission is to provide remote assistance with a clandestine operation in an isolated Afghanistan village.

And as the stakes mount with her CIA assignment, activity at Laurel’s house increases in the form of ghostly apparitions, blood mysteriously appearing and disappearing, and a malevolent force that seems determined to harm her.

The two worlds are about to collide… in murder.

Based on the real psychic spy program first begun in the United States during the Cold War.

Other Formats: Paperback

Cloak and Mirrors (Black Swamp Mysteries Book 6) Jan 24, 2017

by p.m. terrell

( 7 )

$6.99

Award-Winning Series

Vicki and Dylan are back in the 6th book of the Black Swamp Mysteries Series, and they've discovered the CIA can even hijack a honeymoon.

While staying in a remote Irish manor house along the Wild Atlantic Way, they are directed to retrieve a microchip containing stolen documents on Russia's newest stealth technology. But when the CIA asset decides to defect, their mission becomes much more complicated. In their attempt to turn him over at a designated rendezvous point, they discover they are being hunted and the Russians are closing in.

Dylan's quest to deliver the defector takes him through Ireland's mysterious and haunted Blue Stack Mountains, to an abandoned property filled with IRA weapons, and across the Irish countryside on horseback—joined by a man he thought he would never see again. Separated from him, Vicki and her sister Brenda are fighting their own battles as Russians surround the remote manor house, intent on capturing the psychic spy.

Even when they believe they have escaped, the Russians have one more trick up their sleeve... And this one is designed to kill.

Romance, suspense and adrenaline-pumping adventure - another page-turner from award-winning author p.m.terrell.

Other Formats: Paperback

The White Devil of Dublin (Ryan O'Clery Suspense Book 2) Sep 15, 2014

by p.m. terrell

( 6 )

$6.99

Detective Ryan O'Clery agrees to meet a noted historian claiming to have discovered information about his ancestors, but when he arrives he finds her murdered and her computer stolen. His investigation will lead him back to 12th century Ireland, to a time of Viking invaders and conquests, to an albino known as The White Devil of Dublin, and to a secret his family kept hidden for more than eight hundred years. It will also bring him face to face with a serial killer intent on finishing the job he started.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback

The Pendulum Files (Black Swamp Mysteries Book 5) Feb 24, 2014

by p.m. terrell

( 10 )

$6.99

CIA operative Dylan Maguire joins forces with psychic spy Vicki Boyd to find out who is bombing merchant vessels bound for the United States from China. Their mission will lead them to Black Sites, the high seas and into covert operations. And when an assassin escapes from prison determined to finish the job he started, they find their personal lives and their missions are about to collide in ways they never could have imagined.

Other Formats: Paperback

The Tempest Murders (Ryan O'Clery Suspense Book 1) Aug 19, 2013

by p.m. terrell

( 14 )

$6.99

Detective Ryan O’Clery is working a series of homicides when he discovers a journal kept by an uncle five generations earlier, detailing the same type of murders as the Night of the Big Wind swept the Atlantic Ocean across Ireland in 1839. As Hurricane Irene barrels toward the North Carolina coastline, Ryan discovers even the killer’s description matches exactly. And as he falls in love with television reporter Cathleen Reilly, he begins to wonder if she is the reincarnation of Caitlyn O’Conor, the woman lost to the killer as the storm raged in Ireland—and if he is the reincarnation of Constable Rian Kelly. Now he’s in a race to rescue Cathleen before the killer finds her—or is history destined to repeat itself?

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Paperback

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