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Linda S. Prather
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The Gifts, A Jacody Ives Mystery (Jacody Ives Mysteries Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Linda S. Prather (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 161 ratings
Tortured. . . raped. . . executed. . .
No matter how much he drank, Gavin McAllister couldn't get the headline out of his head. Just words. He was a writer, made his living with words. The impact of the words directly correlated to the emotions of the reader. Words could be twisted, knives to open up wounds long hidden. Maneuvered to evoke buried nightmares. Bare the soul, expose the wound, and you had a best seller. Make them laugh. Make them cry. Above all, make them feel something. He was an expert at manipulating words for emotion.

But he'd seen the body.

It wasn't a story this time. This time it was personal. The demon of his nightmares had no name, but now he knew where to look for him. Glade Springs had secrets. And no one uncovered secrets better than Jacody ives.
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  1. Print length
    179 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    June 25, 2010
  4. File size
    501 KB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Linda Prather is an upcoming author to watch out for. --Michael Garrett, Author, Hot Blood Series

About the Author

Hi. My name is Linda S. Prather. I was born in Kentucky in 1955, the youngest of six siblings. I live in Lexington, Kentucky with my fiancé, Coby W. Fuson. I have two wonderful sons, Charles and Steven. I have always loved reading and writing. And although perhaps not one of the greatest literary works, my earliest memory of a book that inspired me was Old Yeller.

The characters in that book were so real to me. I laughed and cried with every page. When I started writing, it was my greatest desire to write characters, which were real, and stories that opened the hearts and minds of the readers.

Knowledge was another love. I wanted to learn everything about everything. In the late 1980's I started my studies in metaphysics, delving into touch healing, dream analysis, meditation, psychic phenomena, and hypnosis. I received my degree in metaphysics in 1992 and continued from there to become a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. I spent the new two years studying the effects of hypnosis on cancer and pain. I taught meditation and self-hypnosis, as well as dream analysis through Eastern Kentucky University's Special Programs for four years. The power of the mind has always fascinated me, and continues to fascinate me.

The Gifs is actually the fourth novel I've written, although it is my first attempt at publishing one of my works. I am currently working on a new novel, and find myself in the jungles of Africa, enthralled by its culture and beauty. Hopefully, I will share that with you in the near future.

My greatest accomplishments–my children. My sons have been the light in my life. Their love and encouragement has sustained me through the bad times and enhanced my joy during the good times.

My favorite pastimes–good friends, good food and good conversation.

My favorite quote: "Be known for unwavering commitment to the people and ideals you choose to live by."

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003U4WVQ4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Original Publisher: Echelon Press May 2006 - rights reverted or author May 2008
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 25, 2010
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 501 KB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 179 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1590804629
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 161 ratings

About the author

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Linda S. Prather

Linda S. Prather

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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Linda S. Prather, was born in Kentucky in 1955. She currently live in Lexington, Kentucky with my fiancé, Coby W. Fuson. She has two wonderful sons, Charles and Steven.

I have always loved reading and writing. And although perhaps not a great literary work, I loved and was inspired by Old Yeller. The characters in that book were real to me. When I started writing, it was my greatest desire to write characters that readers could love and hate, laugh and cry with.

Knowledge was another love. I wanted to learn about everything. I studied metaphysics; delving into touch healing, dream analysis, meditation, and hypnosis. I received my associate's degree in metaphysics in 1992 and continued from there to become a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist. I spent several years studying the effects of hypnosis on cancer and pain. I taught meditation, dream analysis and self-hypnosis through Eastern Kentucky University's Special Programs for four years. The power of the mind has always fascinated me. I've recently become a paranormal investigator, and love old houses that go bump in the night.

The Gifts and coming soon Sacred Secrets are a combination of my love of mystery, metaphysics and the paranormal.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
161 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book masterfully builds suspense with plenty of twists and turns, making it a great read with a fast pace. The characters receive mixed reactions - while some find them well-defined, others consider them the worst part of the book.

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11 customers mention "Suspense"11 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the suspenseful plot of the book, praising how it masterfully builds tension and incorporates an intriguing mix of mystery elements, with one customer noting the cliffhanger at every chapter.

"...The killer is well hidden until the very end. I love a good mystery with a touch of the paranormal and this author knows how to combine the two..." Read more

"...Ms. Prather masterfully builds the suspense and just when you think the mystery is finally solved and the killer found, she takes us down yet..." Read more

"...That's the book to start with. "The Gifts" is a supernatural mystery thriller...." Read more

"...The supernatural elements were interesting but not spooky. All the violence was implied. This appears to be the first book with a sequel to follow...." Read more

8 customers mention "Readability"8 positive0 negative

Customers find the book to be a great read, with one describing it as a page turner.

"...paranormal and this author knows how to combine the two to make a compelling read...." Read more

"I really enjoyed this book. The author did a great job with the pace. I felt like I was right there with them...." Read more

"This book was a page turner. Could not walk away from it and the anticipation of the next chapter was huge. Great work Ms. Prather...." Read more

"I really enjoyed reading that book. I could not put it away. Interesting characters and fast action...." Read more

3 customers mention "Pace"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the fast pace of the book.

"...I loved the fast pace and the action packed scenes...." Read more

"I really enjoyed this book. The author did a great job with the pace. I felt like I was right there with them...." Read more

"...I could not put it away. Interesting characters and fast action. Did not know what is going to happen till the end." Read more

6 customers mention "Character development"4 positive2 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the character development in the book, with some finding them well defined while others consider them the worst part of the story.

"...This was a captivating story. The characters are well defined. Most have 'gifts' of one kind or another...." Read more

"...The plot is certainly poor, but I think that the worst part is the characters. They are all without exception, laughably one dimensional...." Read more

"...was a page turner, there was a degree of excitement and the spunky heroine was engaging. The other characters were not badly written...." Read more

"...This will be a continuing series as Patricia Cornwell does with Kay Scarpetta. Trust me, you won't be sorry you purchased this one!! Jeff" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • booklover
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing Mix of Mystery and Paranormal
    Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of THE GIFTS. Opinions expressed here are unsolicited, unbiased, and entirely my own.

    Gavin McAllister is a haunted man. He's been hunting a serial killer for 5 years and hasn't found him late. It seems he's always just a few steps behind, just a little too late. He knows this because his nightmares speak to him. He sees the future and hears a voice who speaks to him.

    Someone ... or something ... is telling him to go .. he must protect her.

    But who is he supposed to be protecting? And once he knows, will he be too late again?

    This was a captivating story. The characters are well defined. Most have 'gifts' of one kind or another. The killer is well hidden until the very end. I love a good mystery with a touch of the paranormal and this author knows how to combine the two to make a compelling read. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader totally engaged in ths story.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Lorrie A
    4.0 out of 5 stars A great read
    Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I really liked this book, it was not too violent, not too sexy just the right amount of both. I recommend you read this one.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • L.C. Evans
    5.0 out of 5 stars Supernatural Thriller
    Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Author Linda Prather drew me into the story from page one. A little girl and her mother are in danger and main character Gavin McAllister has to find the killer before it's too late. Gavin has dreams of the horror to come. He's had these dreams before and he's always been too late to save anyone. A couple of the other characters also have psychic flashes or dreams and they, too, know there's terrible danger ahead and yet they feel helpless. Ms. Prather masterfully builds the suspense and just when you think the mystery is finally solved and the killer found, she takes us down yet another path where her characters are right back in jeopardy.

    I loved the fast pace and the action packed scenes. The supernatural aspects are sprinkled throughout the book, but serve to add drama and tension and are not overdone. If you like thrillers, you can't go wrong with this book.
    4 people found this helpful
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  • Jim
    5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book . . . second.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 10, 2010
    Verified Purchase
    I really liked this book. But although this is the first one written about Jacody Ives, there is a recently released a prequel titled "Sacred Secrets." That's the book to start with.

    "The Gifts" is a supernatural mystery thriller. I'd like to say I couldn't put it down, but honestly, I don't read that fast and I do need sleep at night and still have to go to work each day. So it took me a few days to read it. But it was a fun ride, and the suspense kept me wanting to know what happened next.

    I hope it's not too long before Prather's next book. I'm hooked. Unless something unexpected happens, I will read anything she writes.

    I'm waiting Linda . . .
    21 people found this helpful
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  • M. P. Wallace
    3.0 out of 5 stars A Questionable Gift
    Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2011
    Verified Purchase
    This is a difficult book to review. It was a page turner, there was a degree of excitement and the spunky heroine was engaging. The other characters were not badly written. It was just that the surprises about them were not that surprising.
    The supernatural elements were interesting but not spooky. All the violence was implied. This appears to be the first book with a sequel to follow. There should are opportunies for these charactrs to develop futher.
    14 people found this helpful
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  • BRIA
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read book, Amazing!!
    Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    This was an amazing story. The whole time I was reading it i was guessing who was involved, and to say I guessed wrong a couple times is an understatement haha. It def kept me wanting to read more.
    One person found this helpful
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  • js101
    4.0 out of 5 stars Story is Great!
    Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2017
    I really liked this book. The characters are well developed and the story is great! I was given a copy by the author.
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  • Sharon
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Gift A Jacody Ives Mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I really enjoyed this book. The author did a great job with the pace. I felt like I was right there with them. I cried in a few parts but also held my breath. If you read this one, I know you will not be sorry.
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • anitaB
    4.0 out of 5 stars Spooky
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 9, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I have very recently started reading this author and I find her writing entertaining in a different way from the norm. Her storylines are interesting, sometimes humorous, sometimes sad but always interesting.
    Report

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