Wild Ride Around The Globe

Welcome to the Sneak Peek Sunday Blog Hop for February 23, 2014. This week’s peek is at the first six paragraphs of my most recent novel, Shrouded In Secrets, an international action-adventure thriller, which takes the reader on a wild ride around the globe. Enjoy the journey.
 
Chapter 1 – Remote Village in Peru
Kokush inhaled the smoke from his pipe and forced the intoxicating tobacco deep into his lungs. Still, no clear visions penetrated the fog, only a feeling of dread he could not explain or expel from his mind. 

The Asháninka men, bodies painted and seated on woven mats around their revered shaman, passed a hollowed-out gourd filled with thick, bitter liquid. Each man sipped the hallucinogenic drug made from a native vine and handed the bowl to the next, until the syrup was gone. 

A low beat from the two-headed monkey-skin drum grew louder as a melancholy mantra emanated from the group, drowning out the deafening hum of the nighttime insects. The men rose and continued to chant and sing as they began the ancestral dance used to encourage the spirits and wise supernatural beings to communicate with Kokush. The women joined in, the ground vibrating in response to the rhythmic stomping of their feet, while the children watched from under the raised-floor houses encircling the communal area. 

Flames blazed in the center of the ceremonial grounds, casting an unnatural glow over the dancers and eerie shadows skittered through the trees. A sweet smoke from the wood and herbs burning on the fire filled their nostrils, coaxing the participants into a trance-like state of mind. Moving with a graceful ease made possible by the intoxicating effect of the vine and tobacco, they waited for their ancestors to speak.  

As the shaman often did, Kokush slipped silently from the circle, giving his people the illusion he had vanished and joined the spirit world. He had been taught the art of disappearing by his grandfather, which wasn’t difficult once his audience succumbed to the drugs and got caught up in the ceremonial fervor, and the thick smoke created a hazy curtain to conceal his movements. 

He usually used the tactic to reinforce to the villagers that he possessed special powers and was worthy of being their spiritual leader. Tonight, he needed time to organize his thoughts and try to decide what to do. He didn’t want to frighten his people, but he was certain something evil would soon descend upon them. Unsure of what or when, how could he warn them? His gut told him they should flee, but he didn’t know how soon or how far they needed to run.  

Blurb:

When the massacre of an unarmed South American village, destruction of one of the greatest manmade wonders of the world, and multiple museum thefts occur, an international team is assembled to locate a deadly group of terrorists. The team led by the ruggedly handsome, but emotionally scarred CIA agent, Cash Luker, scours the globe in an attempt to keep ahead of those striving to bring thirteen mythical relics together. As Cash’s team closes in on those responsible for the devastation he must conquer past demons in order to save the woman who has captured his heart and prevent destruction of legendary proportions.
Amazon buy link: http://amzn.to/1b8wA5L
Hop along to http://sneak-peek-Sunday.blogspot.com for a sneak peek into other great novels and meet a few new authors. 

Thank you.

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