Reluctant Trust

Author’s Note This is the third edition of Reluctant Trust, which is the third novel in the “Jewels Trust Series,” I first published in 2013. If you’ve read the first two books, Mistaken Trust and Ultimate Trust, first of all, THANK YOU! My twisted mind concocts these thrillers for you. Secondly, you know I’ve written these novels to be read a specific order, starting with book one (Mistaken Trust), which is critical for character development and relationships in the stories that follow. Well, in Reluctant Trust—book three—Jewels and Marshall are thrust into a horrific confrontation that could easily end with them both dead. Whoa, but you’ve already figured out since this is a six book series, apparently somehow they live to star in the next three books! Anyway, writing this particular novel holds special meaning for me. Having been a victim of a rape attempt when I was teen, the trauma of the event sometimes still sends me into it shuddersome flashbacks ... even after nearly forty years. Thus, it’s the reason I dedicated Reluctant Trust to any woman who has triumphed over such violence. Having said that, fair warning, some of the scenes in this novel are brutal (as rape is). Following is a brief overview. OVERVIEW His tools of torture included handcuffs, a taser/stun gun combo and a metal Jennings gag—used for oral surgery—which is why the media tagged this brutal serial rapist, turned murderer, The Dentist. One day after being mistaken for the famous national hero, Marshall Watters, he became fixated on him. Wondered if he was a doppelganger. Or just an amazing look-alike. Didn’t matter because when his plan was enacted, no one would know the difference between him and the famous national hero whose life he was about to infiltrate. Who he was about to become. There was one major flaw in his plan: the hero’s wife, Jewels. She would be one of the few people who could expose his ruthless intent. Unravel his plan. Trust was key. She had to trust him. And if she didn’t, a visit from the dreaded Dentist would surely persuade her.