Dead Witness is the best kind of rollercoaster ride in the park! A slow ominous beginning rolls forward, building tension as the bumps ahead come into view. By the time our heroine Valerie McCormick is on her vigilante mission to take down a cartel boss where the FBI had failed, sub-plots keep us rocketing along. From her husband's potential betrayal and her brother's brave search for her – to the continuing mystery around her parents' death – Valerie's life is spiraling towards a dark conclusion. Author Joylene Butler has crafted a skillfully woven narrative around a simple question: How far would a mother go to protect her children? Valerie's actions answer resoundingly in her heroic journey into the dangerous world of psychotic career criminals, armed only with passion and tenacity. In the face of certain death, she discovers the full extent of her physical and emotional capabilities. Dead Witness is highly recommended for mystery lovers and anyone from BC who would enjoy reading their own small towns threaded into an international thriller.

DEAD WITNESS by Joylene Nowell Butler. When Canadian Valerie McCormick won a trip to Seattle , she could never have imagined the bizarre twist that fate had in store for her. She had promised to take pictures of a boat one of her husband's client wanted to buy, and she was determined to keep her promise. What she saw instead was a gang-style execution in progress; and the killer saw her. In her desperation to get away she dropped her camera and her life took a sharp turn that couldn't be reversed. The killers are members of the DeOlmos family, a drug cartel operated by charming but deadly brothers. Valerie is the eye-witness who could put them away forever, and they knew who she is. Once Valerie is placed into the witness protection program, things go haywire. Somehow the DeOlmos know her every move. Mike "Candyman" Canaday is the special FBI agent assigned to protect her, and he will do anything necessary to do his duty. Dead Witness is an adventure/mystery novel with enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning. Will Valerie's family be safe? Will she ever see her daughters again or will the DeOlmos gang take their revenge on them? Or will they find her before the FBI can take them down. This is a terrific novel with a strong female lead and an equally strong male counterpart. Great entertainment. J. F. Gump Author of: "Siam Nights" "Thailand , Cold Rain" "Tears For The Thai Girl" "Blame It On Bangkok "

Valerie McCormick witnesses the murder of two FBI agents while visiting in Seattle, Washington. When the FBI lose track of the killer and not only her safety but also that of her family is jeopardized, Valerie escapes from their witness protection program and gets personally involved in the search with a tenacity that mothers everywhere will relate to. The advice writers are frequently given -- to write what they know -- doesn't always work to their advantage. For author Joylene Butler, however, it's helped her produce believable characters who function in credible locales. This debut novel, "Dead Witness", features a wife and mother from Prince George, a small city in western Canada, where Butler also lives. In the story Valerie's brother is an ex-RCMP officer and PI; Butler's real life brother is also a PI. It all provides a familiarity that makes it easy for readers to get and stay involved in the story. "Dead Witness" has good storytelling and a well paced plot. It's a suspense-filled page-turner right to the end!

Valerie McCormick is combining a solo all-expense paid dream trip to Seattle with business, while her family is at home in Canada. Her trip takes a life-altering turn when she accidentally witnesses two murders. Valerie realizes how alone she is when the murderers give chase to silence her. She is unfamiliar with the area and panics even more when she realizes what she dropped. Her inner need for self-preservation to stay alive and get home to her kids keeps her alive. She wrestles with her conscience about what to do about what she saw. It’s her personal family history that helps her make the tough decision and it might not be the safest one. Learning she witnessed the murder of two FBI agents does nothing to soothe Valerie’s nerves as she makes her way home and tries to keep the graphic images out of her mind. With her brother’s unwavering support, she focuses on the family lumber business and raising her three daughters. Joylene Butler’s protagonist is a ‘real person’ – a mother, wife, and co-owner of a family business – but it’s the exceptionally crafted, extreme circumstances Butler devises for the protagonist that yank the reader into the prose and keep eyes focused on the pages. Butler’s research is seamlessly written to make the story move along as quickly as the action. The tight, descriptive writing makes the characters seem like they are on a movie screen and not mere text in a book. Joylene Nowell Butler was born in Manitoba, Canada, grew up in Haney, and raised her sons in Pr. George, BC. She and her husband built and now live in a cottage on Cluculz Lake. The jury is out whether they'll retire there or not, but it’s where Joylene is currently at work on her sixth novel. Check out her blog at: http://cluculzwriter.blogspot.com/. Dead Witness is a true suspense novel. The reader naturally tries to anticipate where the story is going, but Butler has a surprise around every corner. If you enjoy thrillers or suspense, this book does not disappoint. The novel is a literal page turner if you focus on the story and overlook any editorial issues. Butler is a name to watch in the thriller genre.

Dead Witness, the exciting break-out novel from a talented new author - Joylene Butler, is a non-stop roller-coaster of suspense and intrigue. Joylene does a masterful job of creating an "Every-Woman" protagonist, Valerie McCormick, that at first you will feel compassion for when she is forced to abandon her beloved family to save their lives. But as the story progresses, you will find yourself rooting for Valerie as she learns that she is much stronger that she ever imagined The story is tight and well crafted. The villains are pure poison but the author doesn't fall in to the trap of so many others who make their evil characters two dimensional stereotypes. Author Butler's villains are evil to be sure but the author gives us a back story which helps we the reader, to comprehend their actions without necessarily sympathizing with them The action is fast paced and intense, as is the transformation of Valerie; from a bored, and beleaguered wife and mother - to a woman who finds that when the worst happens and her family lives are in danger, she has the inner strength to transform herself from an insecure and vulnerable housewife, to a brave and strong woman. I highly recommend Dead Witness as a "Must" for your reading list ! Ric Ric Wasley - Author •The Scrimshaw – 2008 •Shadow of Innocence - 2007 •Newport Blues (limited Edition) •Acid Test – 2004 Short Stories: At my Window with a Broken Wing Embers The Night Baby Boomer article series: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ric_Wasley

Dead Witness is dead on 27 Jul 2008) by Keith Pyeatt I reluctantly reached the end of Dead Witness this afternoon and had to say goodbye to Valerie and Canaday, the two main characters. They are wonderful, as are the plot and the pace and the characterization and the twists. The dialogue is as real as it gets. But yet another reason Dead Witness shines so brightly is the DeOlmos brothers, the bad guys. They're evil but oh so human. Individually, they're scary and believable and sometimes even charming, but there's something about the way they interact and complement each other that makes them all the more realistic and complex and terrifying. Still, it's Valerie who gets my highest praise. What a fascinating mix of vulnerability and strength, naivety and savvy, purity and seductress. The writing style is crisp and dynamic and consistent, perfect for a thriller. This novel gets all the stars I'm allowed to give it. I loved reading Dead Witness and hated to see it end.

I am not an English major, writer or journalist so please forgive any grammatical errors.... I am an ordinary person who lives in genteel poverty and likes to read. I purchase my books on sale or at rummage/garage sales. So right off the top, I really appreciated being able to download a copy of Dead Witness for only $2. Now about the story. I liked it. I really liked it. The plot kept moving at a good pace. The initial chapters felt script like but by chapter nine the characters started to become real to me and I was definitely hooked. I would have preferred the main characters to have had their personality traits more exaggerated, bigger than life, more emotional, not so reserved ... so they could jump off the page and into my heart sooner... After all, it's imperfections and contradictions that, for me, make people lovable. Being from Prince George, it would have been great to have had more action take place in PG, the north and Canada. Alaska would have been my choice for the first safe house. More descriptions of the city and surrounding area would have made me feel I'm traveling in the vehicle or shopping in the store with Valerie & Ed. Not being a writer, I wondered why the names of establishments had to be changed. For example we have five major banks in Canada. Why couldn't the bank scene have been in a real Canadian branch because then I could have visualized RBC with its blue decor or the Bank of Nova Scotia with its red color scheme. Why couldn't UNBC keep its real name? My bias would have been to have the law enforcement agencies themselves look more competent with bureaucratic bungling and miscommunication something that happens in large organizations rather than appear so ineffective. I also sometimes questioned how easily information could be traced in this story and sure hope it is not true... I want the mounties to always get their man! And dare I say, I would have liked the sexual thoughts to have been steamier, the attraction deeper, more animalistic and less tame, the sex hotter and more descriptive... this is not real life after all. Given the situation, all the emotions and hormones galloping at warp speed, I think it would have been perfectly natural for a character to have acted totally out of character and lost their societal inhibitions to the moment.... tomorrow may not be a reality for them after all. But this is just one reader's opinions. All of the above points are minor things. I enjoyed reading the book and was entertained. I want to know when Ms. Butler's next book is coming out. I hope it contains more of Valerie, Canaday, Roth, and Vamozzi. Now that these characters have entered my life, I really hope I get to continue a relationship with them in future books. My secret wish is Canaday moves to Canada, becomes a Canadian citizen...... maybe teams up with Roth to build a very successful investigative firm. Vamozzi's connections are used but ... after a bit .... he is asked to head a branch office in the States and perhaps meets a client that he falls in love with too. Did I mention that I like to read fictional novels? Dead Witness was a very enjoyable read and I want more. I am now a fan.

Valerie McCormick had won a Mother¢s Day contest for two fun filed days in Seattle . If she had known that winning would have her running for her life then she probably won¢t have gone. Valerie went down to the docks to take some pictures when she witnesses the murder of two men. Valerie discovers that the two men were undercover FBI agents who were working a case to bring down of Latin¢s most famous drug lord¢s Miguel DeOlmos. Now DeOlmos is after Valerie and her family but the FBI is going to try their hardest to protect Valerie. DeOlmos tracks Valerie down and almost succeeds in killing her. Now Valerie knows that she will have to take matters into her own hands. It¢s a battle of wits in addition to who has time in their favor. I found it amazing just to what extremes a mother will go to protect her family. Valerie¢s character is a very strong woman with a fierce personality. The story line was a very exciting one with all the action and adventure. It seemed like though that Valerie was better equipped to take on Miguel DeOlmos then the FBI were. This is why I think I found Dead Witness so good was because I wanted to see what Valerie would do next. I was pleasantly surprised to find I couldn¢t put Dead Witness down. Dead Witness can by classified as a great read. This is all due to the author Joylene Nowell Butler. Keep up the good job.

I have never read a book that had me feeling so much like the main character. I could feel her despair when she went to turn the ignition key. Joylene has a wonderful knack for putting you into the characters shoes. It was so well written, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Anyone wanting a great read from beginning to end should be sure to read this novel. I would like to know if Joylene has other novels published and if so what are the names of them. If she doesn't, when will she have her next novel published?

This was a fast paced, gripping book. I was rooting for Valerie and Canaday the whole way. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves endearing, believable characters and a break neck ride from the forests of British Columbia to the hot sultry beaches on Baja where danger lurks in the most gracious, evil package. I look forward to more books by Joylene.