about the book
If you are looking for light fluffy reading, put the book down! This is a gritty story full of flawed characters, revenge, and violence. It is the tale of Valentina Mayakova, a hardened dark-eyed teen who has already lived three lives and might not live long enough to experience another.
Valentina was dumped in an uncaring Russian orphanage shortly after birth and by five is whisked off to Manhattan by a rich American couple. Renamed Wallis Stoneman, she lives a pampered life, but grows up defiant and troubled. By sixteen, the independent Wally chooses to live on the streets.
Trying to get a fake ID, Wally encounters a man who hands her an envelope with a very valuable gemstone, documents, and a letter from her birth mother, Yaleno. Wally becomes obsessed with the possibility that her mother is alive in the city. As she uncovers clues, danger mounts and those around her begin to die.
Detective Greer is looking for the murderer of a young girl who carried Wally’s ID. He knows who Wally is—now he has to find her and the killer.
Alexei Klesko, a Russian assassin, escaped life imprisonment for just one purpose—revenge. Yaleno stole a fortune in gems from him and now he will kill her. Dragging his son, Tiger, with him, Klesko leaves a path of violence. He won’t let Wally stand in his way, but if she survives, she must never know the truth.
What he doesn’t realize is that she is an aggressive kick-ass girl who can handle a gun…and what Wally wants is far more primal than Klesko’s revenge!
about the author
William Richter was raised in California and now lives in Santa Monica. He is a screenwriter and author of books for young adults and for older readers. William claims California is a writer’s paradise. When he is not pounding away at his laptop at home, you can find him at the library.
William was nominated for an Emmy for his work on the HBO series “Band of Brothers” and has worked with such Hollywood biggies as Ron Howard and Tom Hanks. He is currently working on several film projects, but every once in a while, he needs to “self-medicate through literature” and turns to writing novels.
While going a little insane waiting for his screenplay “Quiver” to be shopped around and purchased, William started drafting Dark Eyes, a process that took him about eight months. William says it was a challenge to write a female character based on a person he knew well. Right now, he is not saying much about the family member who is the inspiration for the character of Wally. Whoever it is, she must have lived a dangerous life!
William’s screenplay “Quiver” did sell and will go into movie production this fall. It’s the story of a woman who, after being kidnapped, flees for her life through the Yukon. Sounds exciting too, just like Wally’s story!
Sources:
Author website
Author interview : Writer’s Digest
Author interview : Birth of a New Witch
Also by William Richter:
Tiger (Dark Eyes, Book 2). Razorbill. 2013.
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Tiger (Dark Eyes, Book 2) by William Richter
Adopted orphan and ex-street kid, Wally works for the ultra hush-hush Ursula Society that solves missing persons cases, often by using illegal means. But her most pressing case is finding her fugitive brother, Tiger. Unfortunately, once the siblings are reunited, they face more danger. Their father, a Russian assassin, is again at large!