I first met Michelle Davidson Argyle on the Internet, probably first when she was a finalist in Nathan Bransford’s first paragraph contest. We met in person at a writers’ conference and later discovered we actually live very close to one another. So I was extra excited 1.) when she received a contract for her novel Monarch and 2.) when I got a free review copy of Monarch, which officially releases tomorrow. (Plus one copy to giveaway!)

Monarch is the story of Nick, a widowed former CIA operative whose past—as a spy and as a person—catches up to him. A drug lord whose organization Nick infiltrated comes after Nick’s shattered family, and the only place he and his daughters can be safe is in the secluded West Virginia B&B owned by Nick’s lost love. To save his family, Nick must find forgiveness from three of the most important women in his life. And, oh yeah, hunt down a South American drug lord.

The story follows two storylines: the present fight against the drug lord and Nick facing the problems in his personal life, and two years before when a corrupt CIA agent set Nick up while both were working undercover inside the drug lord’s organization. It’s a great balance of action, suspense, and emotional journeys for the characters, with beautiful language and symbolism woven throughout.

I purchased and read Michelle’s novella Cinders, and although the genre of Cinders is very different, I found some interesting parallels in the depth and exploration of the characters’ emotions—and in how much I pondered the book after I finished.

I really enjoyed the complexity of, as Michelle puts it, this character-driven thriller. And now you can, too! I have a free e-book copy (available in whatever format you need) of Monarch to giveaway!

To win: leave a comment on this post by 12 Noon MDT on 20 September 2011. For up to two additional entries: One entry for becoming a follower of this blog, and comment on this blog post to tell me about it and one entry for tweeting this post, and commenting on this blog post to tell me about it (with a link directly to your Tweet).

Just so we’re clear: each of these should be in its own comment!

What do you think? What elements would you want to see in a character-driven thriller?