Last Second Chance

Tim Reardon made a real mess of his life. After five years in a federal penitentiary, he's given one last second chance: to work on a ranch in a small town where he can start over. Learning to care for a sick horse brings him together with veterinarian Janie Thomas.Unaware that his old boss is intent on bringing him back into the fold, Tim thinks his drug running days are behind him for good-until the night he comes face to face with his past. Given the ultimatum to come back to Denver or die, he and Janie find themselves in the crosshairs of a deadly enemy."Impeccably edited, Cramer's prose is evocative and easy to read. Every character is realistic and well-drawn, the main characters are especially compelling and you can't help but love them, warts and all. Five stars, without question." Cy Wyss, author of The Bloodless Mask and Polygraph (Inspector Lukas Richter #1)Last Second Chance is the second Thomas Family Novel, a series of standalone novels featuring characters connected to the Thomas Family of Syracuse, Kansas. (Previously released as part of "The Boys of Syracuse, Kansas" series - there have been no substantial changes to the story.) When Kristi isn't working her day job, playing outdoors at 3D archery shoots, and hiking, cycling, or walking in the great Pacific Northwest, you can find her curled up with her writing tablet, working on her next story to share with you.Although she has honed her writing craft for 40+ years, she only published her first book in 2012. She has held a wide variety of interesting positions over the years, giving her a broad base to build her characters and storylines. Now a billing specialist for The Arc of Lane County, she supports those who care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Rewarding work, to be sure, though it takes up much of her emotional bandwidth.She got married for the first time at 38, skipped being a mommy and went straight to Grandma. She fully intends to go to her grave having never changed a diaper.Kristi's books are all affordably priced. In the time since self-publishing her first novel in 2012, Kristi has learned that working at selling her writing is a great way to kill the joy she has in the process of writing, so she has returned to the idea of writing for the joy of it. As of 2025, all her existing books have been professionally edited by a human. She put her heart and soul (and savings!) into producing the best possible product, to make it easy for readers to enjoy her work. She doesn't promise perfection but works hard to ensure the quality results in a low-to-distraction-free reading experience.In April of 2023 she cut eBook prices as low as possible, making them free wherever she could. (Amazon doesn't make it easy to provide free eBooks, so all eBooks there are priced at 99¢.) You can find them free on other platforms - see website (below) for details. Paperbacks are priced as low as Amazon allows, or you can purchase directly from the website at cost.What's the catch? We don't require anything of readers. If you are moved to do so, please feel free to leave a review. If you can afford it, you can donate to the cause of helping Kristi's bottom line. As of April 2023, money for professional covers will come from donations and royalties, or from her savings. See website for details on how to donate. The Thomas Family Novels is a series of standalone novels featuring characters connected to the town of Syracuse, Kansas. Most notably a family of cattle ranchers whose ties to the land go back to the 1880s. Good, old-fashioned cowboys.No anti-heroes and no graphic sex, though there is brief graphic violence and intense, suspenseful situations.