Q&A with Author, Debra Webb; Book Review: Power

Please help me welcome author Debra Webb and learn more about her new series, Faces of Evil!
{See Review below Author Interview.}

I really liked Power and actually want to go back to get the first two novels in the series! I am impressed with the character development and energy in the work.
Q1.  I love series and I like to this question:  When you do a series do you have each book plotted out before you start the first one or do the subsequent books flow from the first?

DW: Thank you so much, Martha! I wish I was such an organized planner/plotter. What I do have is an idea of the big showdown at the end and some of the points I want to hit along the way. With the Faces of Evil part of the journey is already in place. Each story will focus on a crime just a little more heinous than the last. The motive for the crime will escalate in urgency.

Q2.  Have you noted many changes in romance writing over your years of experience?

DW:  There are fewer taboos. Real life issues are explored on a much deeper level. Female characters continue to be stronger and more independent. It has been a truly interesting journey and I look forward to what’s to come!

Q3.  Can you share one of the things you found most difficult on your road to publication?

DW:  Allowing my voice to shine. There’s so much to learn when you jump into the fray of pursuing publication. You hear all these rules, all the do’s and don’t’s. Sometimes trying to color so closely inside the lines can hamper your unique voice. And fear, of course, there’s always the fear of failure which prompts striving for a more perfectly polished manuscript which can prove detrimental. Find what it is you write best. Know your genre. Know the industry. Write the book.  But remember that for every rule there is the exception. For all the do’s and don’t’s there are the did-it-anyway’s.

Q4.  In Power you touched on the topic of ‘bullies’.   Do you think that is that something you might explore more fully in another book?

DW:  I sincerely believe there’s a fine line between good old competitiveness and just being plain old mean. I don’t tolerate bullies very well. And I will be exploring the issue further in Revenge.

Q5.  If you could have a theme song for the Faces of Evil Series, what would it be? And/or do you have a dream cast for your books? 

DW:  Someone Like You by Adele!Kristen Bell would definitely be Jess!  John Cusack would be awesome as Dan!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and good writing with readers.

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Power
by Debra Webb

Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Forever (March 26, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1455527564
ISBN-13: 978-1455527564

Genre: Thriller

My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0

Book Description
Release Date: March 26, 2013

Agent Jess Harris is back in another thrilling installment of Debra Webb's Faces of Evil series.

Jess is ready to start the next chapter in her life as the new deputy chief of Birmingham's major crimes division. But with her first love, Chief of Police Dan Burnett, acting as her new boss, it looks like Jess won't be able to put the past behind her that easily.

Jess has decided to focus all of her attention on work when a celebrated ballet instructor is found dead by one of her students. Though Jess's instincts tell her otherwise, the death is ruled an accident, and the case is assigned to another division. Still, Jess can't shake the feeling that there's more to the story, and her investigation leads her into the worlds of Birmingham's gang culture and its powerful elite.
Now Jess's investigation has dug a little too deep, and there's a target painted on her own forehead. Will she be able to solve the crime before her own life is in jeopardy?

Review:
Jess Harris is a tough minded female law officer.  A former FBI profiler, she has taken on a new position as the Deputy Chief of a Special Problems Unit (SPU) in Birmingham’s police department. She faces unique difficulties. Her boss is her first love and they need to walk a fine line so she isn’t shown favoritism. Jess is also  having difficulty gaining acceptance with other Deputy Chiefs who are looking for her to earn respect in their ranks. But Jess isn’t there to seek protection from Dan nor to make friends. Her goal is to solve the crime, even if it means stepping on the toes of the Homicide Division.

Jess is the first on the scene of a death of a celebrated ballet instructor. The case is pulled from her and although she wants to cooperate with the division of duties this is made difficult when outside influences and witnesses keep bringing arguments and facts to her that strengthen her belief that the death is murder, not suicide.

Jess’s division is assigned to locate a missing young black man. The boy has a good reputation and is set to go to college yet it appears there is a connection to a local gang that is becoming more of a community problem.  There is a lot of pressure to find the boy before the public or media claim the case isn’t being handled properly due to racial issues.

Jess has to juggle her unrequested leads and desire to investigate the death with her assignment to track down the missing young man. As her search gets closer she finds herself facing local gang leaders and potentially disrupting undercover operations of other law enforcement agencies. All in all, not safe places to be.

I was immediately impressed with the high level of energy that came across in the writing. Even though this is the third book in a series I was quickly drawn into the characters. It didn’t seem like a lot of backstory but there was good depth so that I felt like I understood the underlying dynamics and difficulties that were at play in the ‘office politics’ as well as several personal conflicts.  The conflicts and crime situations are real to life and touch current issues. There is a good line of suspects and clues and Jess has to hunt through the standard motives and push to find the source of evil.  The focus in this book is more mystery but it has some romantic tension as well. I enjoyed this book and I recommend it to fans of thrillers, mysteries and romantic suspense.

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 Part of Jess's description:

Unorthodox didn’t begin to describe her blunt, overbearing tactics. Location 359.

The investigation process:

If the motive was unearthed, all the rest fell into place. It was that simple and, at the same time, vastly complicated.  Location 1033.

I received this eBook from Forever/Hachette for an honest review.