Hit by a car and left for dead on a San Diego street, it is only because of her indomitable will that triathlete Zoey Morgan is able to fight her way back from death's door. Too bad she has left behind in that nether world, not only her memory of the vehicular assault, but the events that led to it. When the attacks against her escalate, and the police seem to regard Zoey more as a suspect than a victim, she must struggle alone to save her life.

Questions come to dominate her life, while answers remain illusive. What about Willi Bogs - why does she feel such intense hatred for the gentle troubadour who achieved fame only after his death? What about the switchblade -- why, when they brought her into the emergency room, did they find it taped to her ankle? The things this enigmatic heroine doesn't understand about herself could get her killed.

Fearing the loss of the man she loves, manager Martin Nolan Wright, Zoey pulls away from Marty. Is it a coincidence that she felt estranged from him only when the sparks began to fly between her and Dale Terry, the man who saved her life? Yet her trust may be misplaced. Dale seems torn by a loyalty that overrides the attraction he feels for Zoey, and his secret agenda may destroy her.

Click here to read an excerpt of Never Say Die

Here's what some critics are saying about Never Say Die:

"Neri clearly did her research before penning the mystery…savvy readers will recognize Neri's descriptions of the book's training grounds in San Diego and Boulder, and the novel, with a catchy plot and the familiarity of its sports-obsessed heroine, should make a good read between workouts when the body's too tired to take another page of Moby Dick."
-- Sarah Toland, INSIDE TRIATHLON

"NEVER SAY DIE is a real page-turner, easily Kris Neri's best book to date. It's also an interesting look into the world of triathletics."
-- Barbara Seranella, creator of the Munch Mancini crime novels"NEVER SAY DIE delivers everything a discerning fan of the genre could desire: a tough, engaging heroine, plenty of suspense and romance, and a complex mystery that stubbornly refuses to be solved until the final pages. Add to that a fascinating insider's view of the grueling sport of the triathlon and it's clear that Kris Neri has penned a winner."
-- William Kent Krueger, Anthony Award-winning author of RED KNIFE

"NEVER SAY DIE starts with a twist, and the tension never ends. It is a fascinating foray into the world of the triathlon, interwoven with a superb story of suspense."
-- Linda O. Johnston, author of SIT, STAY, SLAY"

The opening of NEVER SAY DIE rocks."
-- Martha Powers, author of SUNFLOWER and BLEEDING HEART

"…Combining the rigors of training for a major iron person competition, with a whodunit, Kris Neri…provides her readers with a captivating sports mystery. The fast-paced story line uses small flashbacks that tell somewhat the past of the beleaguered heroine as well as the motive for wanting her dead starting with her reaction to the CD cover of a dead musician. The twists will surprise the audience who swim, bike, and run along side of Zoey as she tries to stay alive."
- Harriet Klausner

"NEVER SAY DIE, the new book by Kris Neri and the first in what promises to be an excellent new series [following her Tracy Eaton mysteries], opens with a bang, almost literally, when its protagonist, Zoey Morgan, is struck by a car and, briefly, declared dead - the operative word being 'briefly.' Zoey then has to discover who wanted to kill her [as, according to a witness, this was no accident], and why. Zoey is a triathlete, in training for her next big race, and has sustained memory loss as a result of her brush with death, leaving her, and the reader, with gaps as to the days preceding the incident as well as various periods of time before that. The author allows tantalizing hints as to Zoey's backstory, leaving the reader curious as to her secrets.

The book is comprised of short, punchy chapters, most no more than a few pages long. Zoey is a strong protagonist, an independent woman loathe to trust anyone around her, a protective instrinct that almost, but not quite, betrays her in this suspense-filled story. Other incidents follow the auto 'accident,' other attempts on Zoey's life, which she finally realizes are quite real. Her lover-cum-sports agent Marty; her friend and co-triathlete, Cindy; Dale, the man who saves Zoey's life more than once, but who seems to be other than what he at first appears to be; Rob, who manages the events competition; various other athletes who Zoey has 'outed' as steroid users; any one or more of these in her circle could be involved. [The theme of Trust is a recurrent one throughout the novel.] And what of Willi Bogs, the singer/songwriter whose sudden disappearance and apparent death have brought instant stardom, but whose likeness causes a violent reaction in Zoey the cause of which she cannot fathom. The fascinating insights into the lives of the competitors in this sport, and the sport itself, added to the whodunit and why of the well-written tale, make this a very good read."
-- Gloria Feit, 4 Mystery Addicts

Available in hardcover and trade paperback. Click to order
Or email The Well Red Coyote for a signed copy


Two of my short stories, in which Never Say Die protagonist, Zoey Morgan appears, "Sentence Imposed" and "Deadly Obsessions"
are now available in my latest title,
The Rose in the Snow: Tales of Mischief and Mayhem