Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for The Tarnished Son by Elizabeth McKenna. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
The Tarnished Son by Elizabeth McKenna
The Tarnished Son
Domestic Suspense
Setting – Wisconsin
Independently Published ( July 23, 2024)
Print length : 324 pages
“This is a nice, quiet town with good people. Things like that don’t happen around here.”
But they do.
In THE TARNISHED SON, a tourist’s death, an alluring young teacher, a father’s carnal desires, and a stepdaughter’s vendetta ultimately destroy a village dynasty.
The respected Clark family has governed Williams Bay since 1837. On a hot August day, seventeen-year-old Liam causes a tragic boating accident. What happens next—infidelity, drugs, theft, and more—deepens long-hidden cracks in the family’s façade, exposing their secrets and tarnishing their golden image.
Meet the family:
William Sr., the grandfather who rules the family and the village with an iron fist
Hank, the father who lets temptations lead him on a path of self-destruction
Liam, the shining son who gets away with everything
Rose, the stepdaughter who has had enough and pushes the whole house down
Grab some popcorn and watch the destruction unfold in Elizabeth McKenna’s unpredictable family drama!
Book Excerpt
HANK
Tuesday, September 5
Dad told me before I left this morning that he had solved Liam’s “problem,” and the news was icing on the day’s cake. With that worry settled, I could concentrate on all the things I had been looking forward to for the past three months.
I loved the first day of the school year, even though some of the teachers and most of the students didn’t. Every fall in the staff lounge and throughout the hallways, I heard, “Summer went so fast,” and “I wasn’t ready to come back.” But I never agreed. When classes ended in early June, I counted down the days until September. I delighted in the energy of the grade schoolers and the snarkiness of the high schoolers. I relished the opportunity to change a child’s life. As superintendent of the Williams Bay School District, it was my world, and I ruled with a just and kind hand.
I passed the student-painted wall mural of our bulldog mascot near the front entrance and swept my fingers over his face. Our sprawling building housed kindergarten through fifth grade in the east wings and sixth through twelfth in the west wings. In the center, there were shared spaces, such as the cafeteria, two gyms, and an auditorium.
The bell for period one would ring in about twenty minutes, and I still had two hallways to go. As a tradition on the first day, I made it a point to say good morning to every teacher and check in with any new hires. I never wanted to be the aloof boss behind a closed door.
I stuck my head into what was now Ms. Taylor’s science lab and classroom. She replaced an obnoxious, bitter woman who played favorites and pitted students against each other. I finally had enough of the drama and told the school board not to renew her contract. She could be someone else’s misery this year.
I knocked on the open door, always respecting the teacher’s domain. “Ms. Taylor? Sorry to interrupt.”
The young lady sat at her desk, her teaching materials spread before her, and was as pretty as I remembered. Of course, she had been impeccably dressed for her interview, but once hired, people often leaned toward the bare minimum in meeting any written dress code. In fact, when I greeted the gym teacher earlier, I had to remind him the heavy metal band T-shirt he wore was inappropriate. After twenty years of employment, you’d think he could remember that.
But Ms. Taylor didn’t disappoint me. Her blouse was a flattering green color that enhanced the red of her long auburn hair, and the floral scarf around her neck added a touch of dressiness without going overboard.
Her lips—painted a nonoffensive peach shade—curved into a friendly grin. “Good morning, Dr. Clark. And please call me Madison.”
“Only if you call me Hank,” I said with a smile.
On her tidy desk, the latest yearbook, open to students’ photos, sat alongside a small stack of class lists.
“I like to match a face with a name before I meet them.” She lowered her gaze, looking sheepish. “I feel at a disadvantage being new.”
“What an excellent idea.” Pride straightened my spine as she validated my recommendation to hire her straight out of college. “But never fear. By the end of the week, you’ll feel like you’ve been here forever.”
Her expression turned uncertain, and worry lines broke out across her smooth skin. After a beat of silence, she said, “I hope so.”
I clapped my hands together. “I won’t bother you any longer. I only wanted to say hello and ask if you needed anything.”
She pushed away from her desk, swiveled slightly in her chair, and crossed her legs. Her black skirt slid up to reveal more of her toned thighs. Any man with a heartbeat would have appreciated the view, and I was no exception. I took a moment to savor the result of her workout routine before diverting my eyes to her face.
She pursed her full lips, tapped the pen she held against them, and then shook her head. “I can’t think of anything right now.”
“Awesome. But if something comes up, please don’t hesitate to find me. If I’m not in my office, check the halls. I like to wander.”
“Thank you…Hank.”
“Have a fantastic first day, Madison.” I left the room whistling.
Yep. It was great to be back.
About Elizabeth McKenna
Elizabeth McKenna’s love of books reaches back to her childhood, where her tastes ranged from Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys to Stephen King’s horror stories.
Her novels reflect her mercurial temperament and include romances, mysteries, and suspense. Some are “clean,” and some are “naughty,” so she has a book for your every mood.
Elizabeth lives in Wisconsin with her understanding husband and Sidney, the rescue dog from Tennessee. When she isn’t writing, reading, or walking the dog that never tires, she’s sleeping.
Enter the Giveaway
The Tarnished Son TOUR PARTICIPANTS
July 29 – Novels Alive – REVIEW
July 29 – fundinmental – SPOTLIGHT
July 30 – Mystery, Thrillers, and Suspense – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 30 – Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 31 – Ascroft, eh? – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 31 – Ruff Drafts – SPOTLIGHT
August 1 – Books, Ramblings, and Tea – SPOTLIGHT
August 1 – Baroness Book Trove – SPOTLIGHT
August 2 – Boys’ Mom Reads! – REVIEW
August 3 – Socrates Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 4 – StoreyBook Reviews – AUTHOR GUEST POST
August 5 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
August 6 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
August 7 – Christy’s Cozy Corners – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
August 8 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
August 8 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT WITH EXCERPT
August 9 – Lynchburg Reads – REVIEW
August 10 – Maureen’s Musings – SPOTLIGHT
August 11 – Lady Hawkeye – SPOTLIGHT
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Sounds like a great book.