They were old friends. He knew only one way to deal with pain. Hunt it down and kill it." Police Officer Jack Stratton is hiding. Hiding from the world. From pain. From the memories of losing his best friend, Chandler, in Iraq. Suffering from PTSD and isolated from those he cares about, the last thing Jack expects to hear is his foster sister Michelle, Chandler’s sister, is gone. The words cut straight to his core. Although the police think she just took off, he knows Michelle would never leave those she loved behind–like he did. Now he must take action, find Michelle, and bring her home or die trying. The first novel in the Jack Stratton Collection introduces us to handsome rogue, Jack Stratton. A debt of honor to his dead foster brother drives Jack into a world of deception and lies. As Jack’s walls begin to crumble, he must navigate the quirky characters that seep into the mystery of his foster sister’s disappearance. And in the sleepy community of Darrington, like so many places in this world, nothing is as it appears. The hidden mysteries that often go unnoticed begin to emerge as Jack and his new unpredictable sidekick begin to turn over the rocks. Following a trail that has grown cold, Jack must tread carefully to protect his job, his family, and his life. This stand-alone novel features rogue hero Jack Stratton. Look for other books in the Jack Stratton Collection including Jack Knifed, Jacks are Wild, and now Jack and the Giant Killer. They can be read in any order, however, they are best experienced in sequence.

    Secret Societies. Missing VIPs.When a billion-dollar corporation attempts to commit the crime of the century, an investigative reporter, Nathan Hughes, and his beautiful ex-girlfriend, Jenny Mars, begin to hear rumors of fraud, payoffs, and secret societies through a frightened whistleblower.Skeptical at first, both become the target of a ruthless assassin as they dig deeper into the business dealings of JVK Inc., an international company whose CEO is a cool and calculating manipulator.Soon, people associated with the case turn up missing and the FBI joins to assist in taking them down. Death lurks around the corner and lies spring up from every crack in the wall.Someone is burying the truth.

     But now the most vicious sociopath he ever brought to justice wants him dead. And the crossfire between good and evil threatens the intriguing woman Jack desires. If you love sexy romantic thrillers with explosive surprises and edge-of-your-seat suspense, grab a copy of DEADLY PURSUIT today! Ann Christopher’s DEADLY Series (IMPORTANT NOTE: these books are tightly plotted and should be read in order): Book 1: Deadly Pursuit Book 2: Deadly Desires Book 3: Deadly Secrets

    who's also a terrorist!- AS FOR DONNA'S LOVE LIFE: Turns out the spy who loves her has a bombshell secret of his own...

    DudeMichaela, Dottie and Angel work the kidnapping of a young women who never returns home from a job interview.The Case of the Dead DowagerFear grips Richmond, Virginia as madmen invade restaurants and bars and terrorize patrons.The Case of the Man OverboardMic, Dottie, and Angel take a restful Mediterranean cruise until a research scientist goes overboard and Michaela finds her clothes cut to shreds in her stateroom.

     Felix is heartbroken, mystified, and above all else: deeply suspicious. His gut screams foul play. The black sheep of a wealthy, respected family in New Orleans, Felix knows his gut is untested, naïve, addled by drugs and self-doubt. Who will believe him? Should he even trust himself? As the Mardi Gras season descends on the city, Felix will have to find a way. His purpose is, for once, very clear: to find out who, or what, caused his big brother to die in such heinous circumstances, no matter what it takes. But there are shadowy forces at work. As he gets in over his head, he’ll need the help of a garrulous police detective, the family’s ancient butler, and a massive pork fortune, all in order to fight his way to the bottom of things. Will he live up to the family name and avenge his brother? Find out in part one of a hard-boiled detective series set in the Big Easy.

    A team of serial snipers are on the loose. Their killing ground is the city. Their victims chosen at random. Or are they?With no witnesses and very little evidence, it's up to Virgil Jones and his team to find out who is behind the on-going massacre and stop them once and for all...if they can. But Virgil has his own problems, both personal and professional. Among them, a backlog of cases that require his attention, the sudden reappearance of his long lost friend who is a convicted felon, a downtown bar he co-owns with his father, and he is in love with Sandy Small, one of the investigators in his unit. With the entire population of the city of Indianapolis at risk, it's up to Virgil and Sandy to explore the dark places of a past where nothing is quite as it seems. As the clues begin to fall in place they paint a portrait of betrayal, deceit, blood-lust, and greed, and in the midst of it all, Virgil and Sandy make a personal discovery so profound it will change their lives forever.Voodoo Daddy is a story of life, love, murder and mystery; one that examines the depths of human emotions and the dark places they often lead us all.

    But with a past that still haunts her, she prefers to serve justice on the bad guys, instead of helping them go free. So when she gets offered a job to frame a wife-beating police officer, despite her reservations, she takes it.But when the facts don’t add up, and the man she’s hired to frame turns out to be the lead investigator for a suspicious death, Bristol decides to change sides before more lives are lost. Unfortunately, that means teaming up with her rival, Cole Sullivan, a move that carries risks of its own.As the questions pile up and every lead dead ends, Bristol's move to double-cross her employer leads to the discovery that her past choices have made her a pawn in a much bigger game, a game that now threatens those closest to her.Now, there is only one choice she can make to save the ones she loves … she must surrender herself to the truth she’s spent her whole life running from. A truth that could destroy her from the inside out.

    When a former client bequeaths Drayco a rundown Opera House in a Virginia seaside town, he figures he'll arrange for a quick sale of the place while nursing his battered soul in a peaceful setting near the shore. What he doesn't count on is finding a dead body on the Opera House stage with a mysterious "G" carved into the man's chest. With hopes for a quick sale dashed and himself a suspect in the murder, Drayco digs into very old and very dangerous secrets to solve the crime and clear his name. Along the way, Drayco must dodge a wary sheriff, hostility over coastal development, and the seductive wife of a town councilman - before the tensions explode into more violence and he becomes the next victim. Want to read a Scott Drayco novella for FREE? Sign up for BV’s Mysteries in Crimetime newsletter at bvlawson.com and receive a FREE copy of "The Maltese Moon Rock"! Scott Drayco Thrillers in order: PLAYED TO DEATH (A Shamus Award Finalist and Best Mystery, Next Generation Book Awards) REQUIEM FOR INNOCENCE DIES IRAE ELEGY IN SCARLET

    Seeming to select his victims at random, he acts out the rituals of the Spanish Inquisition before committing their bodies to the sacred waters of nearby Sebec Lake. Anne Quinn, an investigator for the Piscataquis County sheriff’s office, and Detective Douglas Bateman with the Major Crimes Unit of the Maine State Police join forces in tracking him down. Hiding in plain sight, the killer is clearly from the local community and plays a deadly “catch me if you can” game with Quinn and Bateman. He seems determined to humiliate them and demonstrate his superior intellect, leading them to suspect that perhaps there is a deeper motive and purpose behind his string of murders.

     Moving through streets where people line up at soup kitchens, Maggie draws information from sources others overlook: The waitress at the dime store lunch counter where she has breakfast; a ragged newsboy; the other career girls at her rooming house. Her digging gets her chloroformed and left in a ditch behind the wheel of her DeSoto. She makes her way to an upscale bordello and gets tea – and information – from the madam herself. A gunman puts a bullet through Maggie’s hat. Her shutterbug pal on the evening paper warns her off. A new cop whose presence unsettles her thinks she’s crooked. Before she finds all the answers she needs, she faces a half-crazed man with a gun, and a far more lethal point-blank killer. If you like Robert B. Parker's hard boiled Spencer series and strong women sleuths, don't miss this one-of-a-kind Ohio detective from a time in United States history when dames wore hats -- but seldom a Smith & Wesson.

    But Georgia Davis -- former cop and newly-minted PI -- is hired to look into the incident at the behest of the accused's sister, and what she finds hints at a much different, much darker answer. It seems the privileged, preppy schoolgirls on Chicago's North Shore have learned just how much their innocence is worth to hot-under-the-collar businessmen. But while these girls can pay for Prada pricetags, they don't realize that their new business venture may end up costing them more than they can afford

    As Margaret discovers caches in unlikely spots throughout the house, family mysteries begin to unravel. She questions whether Aunt Blanche is an insane fool or a daring genius, yet Margaret must also wrangle with her own hidden truths. Pressed towards a convergence of their pasts and presents, the two women must ultimately face down a fateful discovery in order to rectify their lives.Shrouded in gothic undertones and dark artifice, THE SPINSTER’S FORTUNE is a tale that takes the reader on a strange journey through tangled webs of family deceit. But where does it end?

    Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they’ve just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life.But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There’s a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation…As Lady Hardcastle and Flo delve deeper into rural rivalries and resentment, they uncover a web of intrigue that extends far beyond the village. With almost no one free from suspicion, they can be certain of only one fact: there is no such thing as a quiet life in the country.

    He's working a routine case, complete with hours of tedious surveillance, when he sees something that shakes him to the core. There, with the subject, is a little blond girl wearing a pink top and denim shorts—the same outfit worn by Tracy Turner, a six-year-old abducted the day before. When the police are skeptical of Ballard's report—and with his history, who can blame them?—it's the beginning of the most important case of his life.