The Kindle version of my debut novel, Behind the Mask was published on November 17th, 2014. And the paperback was released in April of 2015.
In Behind the Mask, bank teller Remi Catalano, entered the Bank of Philadelphia on Columbus Day, having no clue that before the end of her shift, her life would never be the same after the introduction of a masked man, also known as Liam Matthews. His role in a crew whose sole purpose was to steal five pink diamonds from a safety deposit box would lead him right to the bank’s vault, where he and Remi would end up locked inside. At first, Liam remained intimidating, and at times threatening, but though frightened of the situation, Remi sensed he had no intention of hurting her and was oddly not fearful of him. And she was right, even without ever seeing his face or knowing his name, the longer the two stayed inside of the vault, Liam’s hard edge softened somewhat, as they conversed and started to form a subtle bond that grew immensely by the time they were released. However, that’s when all hell broke loose, and a stupid decision by Liam put Remi in harm’s way, which came in the form of Charles, the leader of the crew. He unmercifully injured her enough to cause a head wound but stepping into the role of reluctant hero was Liam, who risked his life to save Remi’s. And he made sure that before the bank’s implosion, Remi would be safe. He also supplied her with his black ski mask, as a compression to help stop the bleeding. And because it was poorly lit and she was barely cognizant, she was still unable to see his face, even without the mask on. All those actions along with the fact the diamonds were still in Liam’s possession when the heist came to an end, led to his decision not to run and remain in Philadelphia. Hiding in plain sight was his initial reasoning, but subconsciously there was an ulterior motive as well, his former hostage, who after the trauma of the head injury, had no memory recall of what had transpired at the bank that day. In a way, not remembering was a good thing. Dealing with the ramifications of the aftermath was hard enough, especially with the death of her co-worker/best friend Jenna. Survivor’s guilt plagued her, which was ironic when she couldn’t remember how she managed to make it out alive. She also still had the ski mask, evidence she chose to withhold from the investigation. And though she had no idea why she was hiding it, she couldn’t shake an underlying presence surrounding that mask. Little did Remi know that fate would eventually intervene and the owner of that mask, would cross her path again.
Want to read more about Remi and Liam? My debut novel, Behind the Mask, is available in paperback and Kindle version at Amazon.com.
Heather Carnassale 