LN Cronan

 You're right about Entwined. Sylvia has said it picks up right where Reflected left off and the story will unfold over two weeks. She's also mentioned it will delve into Gideon's dark past.  Via Twitter this week, she confirmed what she'd hinted at for months now - the Crossfire series will extend into a 4th book. Originally, it was planned as a trilogy, but that's changed. No details, however, about possible title or when it's due to be released.

Snapshot #6, a peek into Chapter Six, due this morning. The prior ones hit the Web around 9-ish, and usually she uses her Facebook page and Twitter to give the heads up.

Growing up in a dysfunctional home would account for some of Christopher Jr.'s issues. Just how deeply dysfunctional it was is something we just don't know yet, but as Entwined explores Gideon's past, we may find out Christopher Sr. was truly twisted. Â Gideon's stepfather comes across as so bland and mild the one time we see him (at the garden party in Bared) and Ireland seems to be a "good kid." But she's a girl and considerably younger than her brothers (5-6 years younger than Christopher and 11 years younger than Gideon.) Perhaps whatever pathology the father might have, it's directed differently toward sons than daughters. Or maybe Elizabeth did a better job of protecting a girl.

The first nightmare Eva witnessed, which was the first night she stayed over his place, suggests him actually flashing back to being raped. I think some of the subsequent nightmares, in which it sounds like he's become the aggressor, are not actual flashbacks, but rather, are a means by which some of the rage is surfacing - he's envisioning striking back and tables being turned.

 Oh I think one or more of Gideon's known enemies might make it necessary for Eva to defend herself.  Christopher Jr. is a known creep who has made it clear he wants to go out with Eva -- and who is more than capable of plotting to try to use Eva in order to hurt Gideon. I wouldn't put physical stunts past the guy.  Plus, I gotta wonder just how literally Lucas might want revenge against Gideon for Gideon having sexually used Anne Lucas specifically to hurt Lucas himself. Especially now that Eva, who threatened Lucas right to his face about the abuse cover-up, has now made an open enemy of the guy too.

 Gideon's consistent refusal to be open and honest with other people -- sometimes to refuse to be honest even with himself -- is at the root of many of his overall personal issues and is specifically his major problem with Eva. His default setting is to shut up and even sometimes shut down.  Eva's consistent insecurity -- including trouble believing she's worthy of being loved, not just some sexual object -- is at the root of her major problems with Gideon. Her default setting has been to refuse to believe Gideon loves her, consistently over-react when threatened, and even reject him by running away.  Eva's "runners" repeatedly brought the relationship to the brink in Bared, but in Reflected, she started changing for the better when she finally learned to stand her ground and try to work things out. Gideon's secret-keeping strained the relationship throughout Bared.  In Reflected, Gideon destroyed the relationship by refusing to tell her the truth, and even by lying to her by omission through his own actions. She didn't pull a runner -- he deliberately pushed her away, and in the end she walked.  However, at the very end of Reflected, he began to change for the better by starting to open up and by begging her to give him another chance. This second chance for both of them together to finally get it right is what Entwined will be about.

She's told us Entwined picks up immediately where Reflected left off, and she's given us an actual book excerpt of something crucial that happens one hour into the story (i.e. part of a scene in which Gideon sneaks into Eva's apartment for them to have a pivotal conversation.) I'd love the whole first chapter, but for now I'm grateful to have even that excerpt. Â Especially because as an added bonus, she gave us a unique look (the New Year's teaser) of that same scene from inside Gideon's own head. Â I never got anything even remotely like that while waiting for another novel (for example, Harry Potter) so I'm eternally grateful. Â But I'll gladly take any more snippets she is willing to share.

  Hey, GiGi,  I'm saying this with a fond smile and all due respect as you're my favorite fellow poster, there's a huge differences between appearing as a prosecution witness a few times to specifically testify about something healthcare related and spending twelve years working on a daily basis inside the legal world as a professional covering the work of cops and prosecutors, defense lawyers, court clerks and even judges themselves.  Having been a patient in an emergency room several times over the years did not give me expertise in emergency medicine, and working with my doctors does not make a health care professional.  What made me a professional expert in how people are charged with crimes under the U.S. legal system started with a college education in journalism followed by more than ten years of on-the-job experience closely watching crime cases built from the bottom up by the police and resolved at the other end by the court system. I wasn't simply any kind of journalist, I was a crime beat journalist -- an expert within my own field.  I covered thousands of criminal investigations ranging from thefts to murders, covered hundreds of court cases from misdemeanors to death-penalty cases, and sat every single minute through dozens of jury trials. For every single murder case plus some other especially heinous crimes, I also sat through every minute of every pre-trial hearing where both sides fought like cats and dogs over what the jury would, and would not, hear about. And when the judge ruled, it was my job to explain to everyone else what it meant.  What's more, I was actually part of the system legal system itself, the public accountability part that kept everyone involved answerable, from the judges themselves on down. The press is one of the crucial pieces of the court system, most especially the criminal court system in the United States.  I can't say how this fictional case will play out - that's in Sylvia's head. But I know exactly how the system works  in real life -- not how it's "supposed" to work theory -- how it actually does work in practice, including how things go wrong. Especially how things go wrong, because when they went wrong on my beat (and they did) I wrote about how the police made mistakes, lawyers for one side or the other blew it, even judges who sometimes screwed up.  Too, there are differences in the legal systems between the United States and Canada: different constitutions, different legal rights, different sets of precedent-setting case law, different sets of legal procedures.

^^^ It was really funny ^^^

 One more thing to add, the police are already halfway there to establishing sufficient evidence to seek an indictment. They've established sufficient evidence Gideon had the opportunity to kill Nathan -- that is, get over to the hotel, do the deed, then sneak back to the party.  It took Detective Graves digging hard through three rounds of questioning witnesses, but she successfully uncovered the hour-long disruption to the party, where everyone (party guests and hotel guests) got sent outside because of the small fire. Graves broke Gideon's alibi.  Trying to lead Eva to believe Gideon's alibi is "rock solid" is akin to Corrine trying to lead Eva to believe Gideon speaks with her (Corrine) every day. Fact of the matter is, his alibi is shot.

 The Vidals invited to Gideon's wedding? (Falls over onto the floor and curls up laughing.)  Seriously, though -- just Ireland, whom I could see being maid of honor to Eva in return for Cary being best man to Gideon.

 Eva is seriously underestimating Christopher. Though Gideon has warned her Christopher is unstable and dangerous, Gideon hasn't explained what that means. (Because Gideon refused to talk about his family.) Even though Eva saw video proof Christopher is slime, still she's not following Gideon's order to stay away from Christopher.  I see trouble ahead.

^^^ THIS

 Remember what Gideon told Eva about what how he felt disgusted and sexually ashamed of himself every time he f*** Anne Lucas. He said no matter how long he showered afterward, he could never feel clean enough.  It's not uncommon for people with sexual shame issues (and most rape victims have that as part of the twisted damage) to want to clean themselves when old buttons are triggered. I think seeing images of Eva raped seriously triggered the broken child inside Gideon, who felt "dirty" and literally wanted to feel clean.  Comparing Brett to Nathan is apples to oranges. Eva very obviously felt sexual attraction to Brett and was engaging in a form of sexual behavior (deep kissing) when Gideon caught the two of them in one another's arms. Brett tapped into an entirely different set of emotions than Nathan had. Brett was raging jealousy, insecurity and fear of losing Eva. Nathan was anger and disgust.

GiGi, take a deep breath and smile, you're getting all worked up. We need to get you another Snapshot, soon. Â But I do want to remind you that for twelve years, I covered cops and court as a journalist. In real life, people are tried on the basis of circumstantial evidence only -- and people get found guilty. Sometimes, even innocent people get wrongly convicted. Â Also, cops are human and make the mistake of pursuing cases they ought not to, and prosecutors blinded by ambition or pressured by others (politicians, family members) to bring cases to trial do it. Â This happens in real life. All the time. And at the end of the day, no one -- NO ONE -- can know for sure what a jury will do.

However, Eva has created her own Christopher Jr. problem by taking the guy out to lunch. He's interpreting that as interest on her part, which is why he said, when lunch was over, he wants to take her out. Â I'll bet Christopher is fooling himself with fantasies Eva wants Christopher to be Mr. Payback Time -- that she'll get involved with Christopher out of revenge against Gideon. Â Hah!!!! Especially because Christopher's going to find out by Chapter Four of Entwined, if not earlier, there's another guy much hotter than Christopher after Eva: Brett. Â At the heart of Christopher's problem is jealousy of other men who have more: more power, more sex appeal to women, more everything than he does.

This reinforces my theory that Gideon let himself into the room. The first time, Nathan went to Gideon. The last time, Gideon went to Nathan. Â Keep in mind too, Gideon did not beat Nathan to a pulp in his office. Based on the tiny bit of blood on one cuff, it's likely he hit Nathan only once, then reeled himself in -- not out of consideration for Nathan, but knowing the fastest way for Eva to find out about those rape pictures would be if Nathan were carried out of that very busy office tower (where Eva works) on a stretcher.

 Magdalene doesn't want the scum anymore. Gideon ended up doing Magdalene a favor by letting her see video proof of the evil expression on Christopher Jr.'s face. That's the whole reason Gideon opted to show Magdalene the video.

 Oh I'm sure Corrine heard all about what Magdalene saw in the library -- heard it the night Corrine crashed that fundraiser.  Remember, while Gideon and Eva were still out on the dance floor, before they were even aware Corrine was in the room, Corrine was standing talking with Magdalene. Plus  Magdalene spent dinner itself sitting at the next table actively eavesdropping on Corrine monopolizing Gideon's attention.  Magdalene was in a miserable mood that Corrine showed up, and so Magdalene did all sorts to tattling to Eva on the spot that night as well as picking up the phone to call Eva at work the next morning.  It only makes sense that while Gideon and Eva were out on the dance floor (before they both spotted Corrine) and Magdalene was already being catty to Corrine, telling Corrine all sorts of things she (Magdalene) observed the two times Magdalene has been at the same place Gideon and Eva were as a couple: that garden party at the Vidals, and Gideon/Eva's first date the night of the advocacy dinner.Â

I see a planned elopement. Eva's father, mother and stepfather there, along with BFF Cary. On Gideon's side, Angus, Ireland, maybe his old friend Arnoldo too.

Ooooooo, goody, I've finally got some additions to my wanna-lynch-Corrine crew. !!

 A "click" is a lot quieter that knocking on the door and saying, "Open up, Nathan."  I think Gideon, who is a genius in a number of ways (including being able to win big at blackjack by counting cards) is more than capable of getting into one of his own computer systems. No one gets as rich as he is by 28 years old without being a bona fide genius.

What's Eva supposed to do, if not help Gideon make the cops finally back down, now that she knows why Gideon did it (to save her life)? Now that she knows about Nathan, she's pretty much left with three options: Â Help Gideon now, which unfortunately does make her an accessory after the fact if she actively helps with the cover-up. Keep silent, which constitutes obstruction of justice. "Do The Right Thing" (cough, cough) by telling the police Gideon confirmed the police's suspicions are true. Â Er, I'll take what's behind Door Number One, please and thank you.

 You rock, Mrs. C!!!!!!!!

Entwined will answer the questions Reflected left hanging -- but Entwined also will lead to even more, newer questions to be dealt with in Crossfire #4.