The Enemy Stalks
© 2001 by Betty Sullivan La Pierre
Publisher: SynergEbooks
ISBN: 1591092043

THE ENEMY STALKS is the debut of the "Hawkman Series", where the introduction of a fascinating detective known as Hawkman, former Agency operative comes into play under an assumed identity. Jennifer Morgan, a young widow, the equally fascinating heroine, lives across the lake. Together, along with an aggressive falcon, they take on the dangerous double agent, Dirk Hinderson, a vicious murderer who hates Hawkman and has vowed to extinguish him from the face of the earth. He uses Jennifer as his means to get to his target. The action takes place in a secluded lakeside community in the Northwest where even the eccentric secondary characters have unique appeal. A read you won't want to miss.

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Reviews!

I really enjoyed reading this nifty spy vs. romantic spy fable set in the Pacific Northwest. It affirms once again, that love is blind. The Enemy Stalks focuses on Jennifer, a single woman living by herself in a sparsely settled lakeside community who becomes attracted to her neighbor, a bearded man with an eyepatch. The locals call him Hawkman because of his hobby with predatory birds. Jennifer and Hawkman live directly across a lake from each other along a narrow stretch of water. The distance between them is close enough for each of them to easily observe the other. Things can get a bit dull in the woods even with a satellite dish. She likes dogs and he keeps falcons for hunting. They both like pets. She feels a kinship.

Early on, the eccentric loner admits to her that he is obsessed with getting revenge for the killing of his late wife and that he has sworn to murder the perpetrator. He also warns her that she herself is in mortal danger just by being close to him. In the first chapter she finds him in his home lying in a pool of blood, the wounded target of a gunman. The assassin lies dead of gunshot wounds in the yard. This is not discouraging to the determined Jennifer.

As the plot thickens, "The Agency" becomes involved. Unmarked helicopters circle overhead and Jennifer receives phone calls warning her of rape and mutilation if she continues to associate with Hawkman. She can't tear herself away from him. She becomes Hawkman's willing partner in his plans for revenge. Although she had never liked having guns around the house, Hawkman gives her a gun and the courage to use it. He teaches her marksmanship just in time to help him kill two Iranian hit men.

The story has a nasty sneering villain who hisses and snickers when he speaks. Dogs bite him. He's so mean that even birds peck him.

This novel on cassette is a real mouse clicker and the strongest reason yet for investing in a palm pilot.

~Gene Herd - Executive Director Hollywood Radio and Television Society ~

4.5 Stars - Move over Jack Higgins, there is a neeew star in the action/adventure firmament!

Jim Anderson thought he had left his past with the Agency behind when he changed his name to Tom Casey and moved to tiny Copco Lake. Known in the area as Hawkman because of his work with injured raptors, he hopes to build a new career as a private investigator.

Jennifer Morgan thought the peace and quiet of the lake area would help to alleviate the pain of her husband's death and allow her to focus on writing wild life articles. Both are wrong!

The action snags you on the very first page and doesn't release it's grip until the very end. This is a well-written book that will have you shivering in suspense and rooting for this delightful couple. A don't miss read!

~Judith R. Parker Author of: THE HOUSE SITTER, TWIST OF TERROR, WINTER KILL, RIDE A COLD WIND, A KIND OF JUSTICE, MISSING

4 Stars - This is a fast moving story that keepss yoou involved from the start. The characters are well written, and the dialog very real. The sexual tension between the hero and heroine is kept at a nice peak while the suspense is woven throughout with a fine hand. The birds make for some interesting 'secondary' characters themselves and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel and revisiting Hawkman, Jennifer and their feathered friends.

~Jaycee - Timeless Tales Reviews<<<~

THE ENEMY STALKS is the first in the series of the Hawkman books. In this story, Ms. La Pierre introduces you to the most intriguing characters that you could ever dream of meeting.

Jim Anderson retired from The Agency after his wife, and unborn child were killed in a car bombing. He went into seclusion, at Copco Lake, in the Pacific Northwest, under an assumed name, Tom Casey. Soon after moving there, he captured an injured hawk, nursed it back to health, and the people of the area started calling him The Hawk Man, a name that seemed to stick.

Jennifer Morgan, a young widow, is also living at Copco Lake. She is living a very quiet life in the community, writing wild life stories, and trying to adopt a ten-year-old boy, who desperately needs a home. That is until she meets Hawkman. Her life then turns into anything but quiet.

Someone does not want Jennifer to have anything to do with Hawkman. And that same someone is determined to make sure that Hawkman doesn't live much longer. In trying to eliminate Hawkman, he uses Jennifer as a means to get to his target.

I have to say that I am a big fan of Ms. LaPierre. Her books are absolutely wonderful, and THE ENEMY STALKS just goes to prove my point. Ms. LaPierre has written an incredible, fast moving, story. A story, that keeps you on the edge of your seat. At the same time she has woven this story around the most beautiful scenery. You feel you can not only see the gorgeous sites, but also smell the fresh air, the trees, and actually hear the Canadian geese, as they make their way across the clear blue skies of the Northwest.

Her characters are not only exciting, but also very real, and show many facets to their personalities. Hawkman may be a dangerous man, but he seems everything but that when he is caring for an injured owl, or pulling porcupine quills from a dog that got a little to close for comfort. Ms. LaPierre's characters are all real and interesting. They all soon become old friends who you can't wait to see again, and again.

I absolutely loved THE ENEMY STALKS, and I can't wait to open the sequel, DOUBLE TROUBLE. My only complaint about Ms. LaPierre's books is the fact that she can't write them fast enough for me. I always read that last page, close that book and want more. She is absolutely fantastic, and I can't get enough of her work. And you won't be able to either.

~Sue Hartigan - All About Murder~

Excerpt!

CHAPTER ONE

Dirk Henderson punched the intercom on his desk.  "Krubes, hold my calls."

"Yes sir."

Assuring himself privacy, he locked the office door from the inside, then paced the room.  His fists clenched, he stopped at his desk and glanced down at the black and white photograph of a man releasing a hawk.  "You bastard!  The Agency tried to convince everyone you were dead, but I didn't buy it.  That beard and long hair don’t fool me.  I’d recognize you with a sack over your head."  A cynical chuckle escaped his lips.  "How about that eye-patch?  Is it for real, Casey?" he sneered. 

Dirk’s face turned crimson, clashing with his mop of thick red hair.  "How the hell did that idiot miss you at such close range?  They ought to call you Catman.  You got more than nine lives and always land on your goddamn feet!" 

He yanked out the desk chair, sat down and rummaged through the drawers for the voice changer.  Placing it over the receiver, he keyed in a number and drummed his fingers on his thigh.  When a male voice answered, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk.  "Interested in a heavy job?  You’ll have only one chance.  I’ll leave instructions at the usual place."

He dropped the phone back on the cradle and flopped back in his chair.  A muscle twitched in his neck while his fingers formed a pyramid atop his chest.  After a few moments, he picked up the photo and flipped it with his finger.  "Well, Hawk Man, as you now call yourself, your bird-lovin’ days are numbered."

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