#SaturdaySpotlight is on Russell Williams & Carbon-14 The Shroud of Turin

Good Morning and Welcome to the LAST Saturday Spotlight in 2017!

I'm rethinking my blog schedule for 2018 but one thing that will remain as long as possible is Saturday Spotlight.

Today's guest, Russell Williams visited with us on Thanksgiving Day, so please welcome him back with a peek into his novel, Carbon - 14 the Shroud of Turin.....

 The Shroud of Turin is the most studied relic in history. More than 99 percent of the evidence suggests the Shroud is the authentic burial cloth of Jesus Christ. Only one test says otherwise—the carbon date performed in 1988.

In 1988, a serial killer with a fetish for fire targets the faithful of Tucson, Arizona. Homicide detective, Pete Johnston, works to catch the killer before more clergy are killed, before more churches are burned.

His daughter, Amari Johnston, is a criminal justice major at the University of Arizona. When the Shroud of Turin is carbon dated at her university, the results reveal that the relic is a medieval forgery. Amari investigates this ancient cold case file for a class project and makes a shocking discovery that could alter the fate of Christianity.
She teams up with Dr. Kevin Brenner, a brilliant young experimental physicist, and together they gather evidence so they can plead their case to the Vatican. When Amari appears on the national news, she draws the attention of the serial killer. Her father desperately tries to protect her and catch the killer before she becomes his next victim.

Excerpt:
“We should have taken Interstate 10,” Amari said. “We are literally in the middle of nowhere.”
“It’s scenic nowhere, ain’t it?” Kevin replied.
“The mountains were pretty, but past Show Low there’s nothing. All I see is brown grass and scrubby little trees.”
“Live and learn. We’ll take Interstate 10 on the way back to tomorrow.”
“That’s a good idea. I don’t like this. We’re like the only car on the road.”
“Not the only one. There’s an 18-wheeler coming toward us. And then there’s that idiot on my tail. He’s been on my bumper for the last five miles. I’m going sixty-five now. That’s ten miles over the limit,” he said, his eyes narrowed in anger at the rear-view mirror. “As soon as that truck goes by, I’ll slow down so he can pass.”
She turned her head to look. It was an older model, navy-blue, Lincoln Town car. And it was right on their bumper. “That’s an old man’s car. They don’t usually speed,” she said and turned back to face the road.
“Maybe they’re trying to get to the hospital. I’ll slow down so he can pass right after this truck goes by.”
A blue object caught her eye. She snapped her head around. “That guy’s in the emergency lane. He’s right next to us!”
“It that guy crazy?” he said and slowed down so he could pass.
The Lincoln Town car slowed down too and stayed next to them. Her pulse hammered hard and she recalled the guy from the library. Could that be him? She strained to see the driver. The window was tinted. All she saw was black glass.
The car suddenly lunged left. It crashed into Kevin’s car, knocking it into the path of the fast approaching truck.
“Kevin!” she screamed.
White smoke billowed from the truck’s tires.
He jerked the wheel left. The car swerved into the emergency lane and just missed the truck. He lost control. The car fishtailed in the dirt and came to a rest, a cloud of dust blocking their view.
“You okay?” he asked in a panic. “That guy was trying to kill us!”
“I think he was!” she cried back at him.
The dust settled. They found themselves catty-corner to the road, the front of the car facing the highway. A dark car sat in the emergency lane. The 18-wheeler pulled over down the road.
“Get behind the car!” Kevin demanded. He pulled a black revolver from under his seat.
“You’ve got a gun!”
“Don’t argue, just get behind the car!”
She yanked open the door and clambered out. Kevin got out and ran around to meet her.
“Get down!” he yelled. Using the car for cover, he crouched and cocked the revolver, aiming for the dark car.
She stooped down behind the car. “I can’t believe you brought a gun!”
“I’m from Tennessee!”
“So?”
“And I’m a Republican!”
She peered over the edge of the car to get a view. “Kevin, that’s not the car.”
“What do you mean, it’s not the car?”
“The car that hit us was a Lincoln Town car. I know my cars, and that’s not it.” She cautiously stood and inspected the car more closely. Recognition dawned. It was the black Mercedes. Two men sat unmoving inside.
“Then why are they just sitting there.” He tensed his grip on the gun. “Why don’t they come see if we need help?”
“Maybe it’s because you have a gun pointed at them!”
“I’m sorry, but when someone tries to turn us into road pizza, I get a little tense.”
She noticed the truck driver walking toward them. Suddenly, the Mercedes spat dirt from its tires and sped away.
He finally lowered his gun. “What was that about?”
“I’ve seen that car before. I think they’ve been tailing us.”
“That can’t be good.”
“They’re not the ones that ran us off the road,” she reminded him.
“No, but maybe they were about to finish the job.”

Oh Wow, Russell...sounds like a great read! Good luck and God's blessings with it.

R.A. Williams writes suspenseful Christian fiction that reveals not just the characters’ actions, but the psychological motives behind those actions. He pulls the reader through a full spectrum of emotion while at the same time injecting humor as comic relief. He holds a degree in psychology and sociology, and his published works include the novels Carbon-14: The Shroud of Turin, The Class of 86, and The Gospel According to Todd. His shorter works have appeared in The Christian Communicator, Encounters With God, and Dreams and Visions. His interests include psychology, Biblical history, finger-style guitar, and religious relics such as The Shroud of Turin. He lives in Tennessee with his wife, daughter, and beagle. To learn some “behind the scenes” trivia about the writing of Carbon-14: The Shroud of Turin, visit Russell's website. Carbon-14: The Shroud of Turin is available on Amazon in ebook, Kindle Unlimited, and print.

Hope you enjoyed today's spotlight and that you drop by each week to discover another great author and his/her book(s)!

Until next time take care and God bless.

PamT