Sardinia, Italy

A ripe area untouched, unspoiled by man. Anticipating finding such a prize was the ultimate high, almost as good as sex. Her pulse raced, and senses heightened whenever Benita Kyser dug into such virgin territory. She was living a geologist's dream.

Excited, she strode into camp. Thirsty didn't come close to describing how she felt. All she could think about was easing her parched body with a quick drink of cool water. Afterward she'd grab a bite to eat, then head back up the mountain.

She was grubby from the morning's digging, but she didn't care. Soon they would find the elusive mineral, anglesite. She could feel it. Knew they were close. All that mattered was that it had to be blue.

"No bere! Toscàdu! Cadamàle!"

"Stop!" Karl Johnston knocked the ladle out of her hand.

She snatched it up just as it hit the dirt. "You didn't have to do that."

"Ramo is saying something about the water being contaminated and that it's bad, very bad." Karl took her hand. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

She tugged out of his hold. "Of course not."

Ramo, the local villager she'd hired to cook for the expedition, came limping across the campsite muttering.

Perplexed by the anxiousness in his tone, she walked toward him still holding the canteen she'd been trying to fill. "What's he saying now?"

"He just keeps repeating that we shouldn't drink it," Karl said.

"Didn't he boil the water, run it through the filters or use the purification tablets?"

Karl turned to Ramo. Even though he wasn't well versed in the Sardinian dialect, Karl could communicate since he was fairly confident with conventional Italian. "He says he's following all the standards you've set."

Good thing Karl came along. Beni couldn't say much more than hello and goodbye in any version of Italian. "That's odd. Usually once it's purified it's fine."

"It got contaminated." Chad Parks, a University of Florida graduate student, bounded up the path. He'd already cleaned up.

Beni felt every inch of her grimy body just looking at him. The kid was good at pointing out the obvious. "I know that, Chad."

"Any kind of animal could've gotten in our water supply and took a crap," Chad said.

Ah, the male ego. Chad now felt the need to show that he knew what he was talking about. Typical man. Beni was accustomed to them having to constantly prove their supposed aptitudes.

"Or it could be something as simple as a leaf with fresh excrement on it dropping into the water supply," Karl said.

And right on cue, Karl adds his two cents. Men. So predictable, but necessary. Good thing the other members of the crew were Sardinian. Well, except for Wade Evans. Quiet, and unassuming. He fit in better with the men from the island. At least she didn't have to listen to him or the locals pontificate. "It really doesn't matter. How'd Ramo realize the water was bad?"

Karl translated. "He said one of the men has the runs."

Ugh. There was nothing worse than being out in the middle of nowhere where toilet paper was scarce and having diarrhea. She wouldn't wish that on anyone, but she was glad he found out before she took a drink. "Is he okay?"

"Ramo says he'll be fine," Karl said after translating. "He sent him back to the village and his brother should be here by tomorrow to replace him."

At least the wages earned would go to the same household. Most of the villagers who worked for them were the young sons of the families. "Do we have any acqua that's drinkable?" She motioned with her hand like she was holding a glass and drinking.

"Si." Ramo pointed a gnarly finger at a different container. "Qui."

"Here." Karl translated as if she couldn't figure that out on her own.

She walked over to Ramo. "Grazie."

He scowled, then turned and shuffled back to the fire pit in the middle of the semi-circle of gray tents. She didn't have to worry about him wanting to take control of the group. She smiled. Wouldn't life be easy if all the men around her only did their job and expected nothing else?

"You must be really thirsty if filling up your canteen can make you smile." Karl stood a little too close.

And reality strikes with a vengeance. Karl wanted more from her than she wanted to give. She stepped away. "Something like that." Taking a large swig, she gulped even as it dribbled down her chin. She wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve. She was quite sure it made a nasty, dirty streak across her face. Real attractive. She grinned. Let's see him want her now.

"Are you going to go down to the river to clean up? Do you want me to come with you?"

So much for that tactic. "I'll just get dirty again. There's no reason." Her stomach grumbled.

"Gustàri." Ramo's rusty voice announced lunch right on time.

Gustàri actually meant breakfast and lunch. Beni felt a small sense of pride at learning a few Sardinian words. Hungry enough to eat the proverbial horse, she piled her plate with a healthy portion of beans and bread. Ramo hadn't gotten the hang of cooking without burning the food at the bottom of the pot. If you didn't scrape the edges, everything tasted fine. Most important, it filled the void and kept her going.

Karl and Chad joined her, while Wade sat with the local men on the other side of camp. She studied the tents as they ate. The clearing they'd chosen was about a third of a mile from the river, and almost eight miles to the vehicles. Getting all the equipment here had been a bear. Sometimes even in the remote areas, the locals had three wheelers. No such luck here in one of the most uninhabited areas of Sardinia.

"You think we might find something today?" Chad didn't cover his mouth giving her a nice view of his chewed food.

"I'm feeling good. I think we're close." Beni never questioned her sixth sense when it came to finding minerals.

"Cool." Chad grinned.

"You are logging all the details of the find in a journal?" She scraped the last bit of food off the plate. The last bite went as quickly as the others.

Chad shifted in the chair. "Every night."

"Why's he doing that?" Karl asked.

Impatient to get back up the mountain, she stood. "He's going to write up the summation report for the grant."

"What?"

She understood Karl's amazement. Summation reports weren't simple, but there was nothing better than on the job training. "Chad said he wants to go on for his doctorate. Compared to what he has to do for that, this will be a piece a cake."

When Karl only frowned, she continued, "It will be good practice and experience." She needed to shut up. It wasn't necessary to explain herself. "Let's get moving." She took her plate and fork to the large tub of water, then dumped them inside.

The equipment tent held her most precious property, her precision tools. Since Anglesite was relatively soft, its extraction needed to be slow and delicately performed, if you wanted large, intact specimens. Which, she did.

Excited to get back to work, she zipped open the tent. This is going to be it. Going straight to one of the trunks, she threw up the top and reached inside. "Dammit! Where the hell are my tools?

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Reviewer: Suspense Romance Writers Official Reviewer, Dolores Parsons

Perfect Ten!

"Not a clue escapes this canny author. The plot is kept tightly sealed until the final unveiling of the killer and the motive...[Fractured Souls] was a great read, filled with detail and full characterization. The plot is tense and tight. We look forward to more books from this skilled author."

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Reviewer: Tracey West, Road to Romance

"For a, aggressive and unbreakable plot that is chalk full of suspense and intrigue, good characters and romance, Fractured Souls is the book to read to find it all. Ms. Ridgell skillfully writes in this genre and I hope to see more of the same as soon as possible! Don't miss Fractured Souls!"

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Reviewer: Lillian Cauldwell, Author, Book Reviewer

"Fractured Souls is a page turning romance thriller that shouldn't be read before going to bed. I rate it 3 and 1/2 minerals."

Reviewer: Debbie, Reviewer, CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Perfect 5!

"Dr. Benita Kyser didn’t think anything of the minor accidents that plagued her expedition for the mineral Anglesite in Sardinia, Italy. However, the company behind the grant funding her expedition insists on hiring security and Sean Turner thus finds himself in Italy. Sean believes a rabid environmentalist group is behind the incidents- until they return to Gainesville, FL and the problems continue. The attacks then begin escalating in intensity. Will Sean uncover the culprit in time?"

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Reviewer: Cherokee, Reviewer, Coffee Time Romance

"Fractured Souls is a story that keeps the reader guessing until the end. Just when I thought I had figured out the perpetrator, bingo! I was foiled again. The plot is well crafted, the writing sharp, and the electrically-charged characters make this one hair-raising read. Benita is caught up in many perils when the culprit gets close to striking and, with the help of Sean, these two people really shine. This is my first book by Ms. Ridgell, but it promises not to be my last. She gives a great vivid description that leads to great portrayal with all her attention-grabbing characters and sprinkles them with exactly the right elements to keep this page-turner action-packed until the predator is exposed."

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Reviewer: Lena C., Fallen Angel Reviews

Perfect 5 - Recommended Read from Fallen Angels!

"Fractured Souls is a book not just about minerals but treachery coming to light through murder and lies. It’s like it though, you have all these layers in Beni’s life that need to be uncovered first. For example Beni denies her attraction towards Sean, her relationship with her parents is strained, to top if off she doesn’t know who wants her dead. This unravels throughout the story to make it one big suspense after another that makes it worth reading. Each character has their story line that all comes into the big picture and makes perfect sense in the end once the killer is found. When this book comes out, you all should buy it if you like a good suspense with romance and adventure in it. Great job to the author and definitely a recommended read for anyone who gets possession of this book."

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Angelsite - The mineral Dr. Benita Kyser has uncovered as Fractured Souls opens.

Sardinia - The lush landscape that brings together Dr. Benita Kyser, private investigator, Sean Turner, and danger!

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