It’s a pleasure to be welcoming Gina Cheyne back to Novel Kicks and the blog tour for her latest book, Wheels of Destruction: Death  in Petra.

Where do you hide an escaped prisoner? On a wheelchair holiday perhaps.  Like a spoke in a wheel, the villain is seen but not seen.

Aspiring writer Sandy Blee is stuck in a dead-end receptionist job until she wins a working holiday to Jordan, pushing a wheelchair for Wheelchair Warriors Holidays. Even though she quickly realises she was the only entrant in the Blerglergle writing competition she is extremely excited about leaving England for the first time.

However, after arriving in the pink city of Petra she discovers her fellow travellers are not all they seem, and most are not who they claim to be. Moreover, the whole group is under investigation by the SeeMs Detective Agency who have been sent out to search for an escaped convict.

When members of the group are kidnapped and one mysteriously dies, Sandy finds herself pulled into the SeeMs detectives’ investigation. Is she, who so wants to write bestselling crime stories, ready to take on a real-life mystery – one that might just turn deadly?

This book will be enjoyed by readers who like travel crime, plus devotees of Agatha Christie, Grease the movie and MM Kaye.

Gina has shared an extract with us today. We hope you enjoy. 

*****beginning of extract*****

Sandra Blee, an aspiring writer who works as a receptionist, has just been turned down by yet another publisher. She has entered innumerable writing competitions in the hope she might win won and be picked up by a literary agent.

Chapter Three: What is Coming is Better Than What Has Gone

Preparing for work the next day, Sandy thought she might do something different. Wear a tight-fitting jumper, perhaps? Stilettos? Straighten her wild curls? Tiny pink skirt? Trouble was, no one saw anything above the waist, rather like a news presenter in the old days. Come to think of it, she was a bit like a news presenter, only the news she gave was the arrival of the next client at Percy’s Bifold Doors.

When she got her job, she thought she’d been chosen from hundreds for her Svengali-like personality, a lure for every potential client who saw her sitting at the reception desk in her lacy shirt from Primark. Later, she found out she was the only candidate.

Staff and clients flew in throughout the morning, some saying, ‘Morning’, or ‘Hello, Shirley’.

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