On her last day at work, a juvenile probation officer she despises drags a weeping young girl before an irritated judge for an unscheduled hearing. Maeven can’t resist the girl’s pitiful pleas for help and decides to intervene. While defending this girl, she discovers people are profiting from imprisoning innocent kids in juvenile placement facilities, but whom? A juvenile psychologist who tries to expose the kids-for-cash scheme is murdered, but he’s left clues. When her oldest son is arrested and detained on false charges, her husband receives a message proposing an offer: Maeven quits her job and the case or they lose their son. Her husband insists that she choose their son. The problem? She won’t sacrifice one for the other.

    Colorado Book awards in the Suspense/Thriller category and Colorado Authors' League in the Adult Fiction category.*** Former lawman Mex Anderson is trying to cope with the horrific murders of his family as best he can. Moving from his small, Mexican town to the snowy mountains of Colorado has helped, however it seems nothing can ever take away the gut-wrenching pain of his loss. When the head of the drug cartel responsible for the killings approaches him with an offer that would reveal the individuals behind the murders, it might lead to the one thing that would allow Mex to heal: revenge. The Sacrifice: a novel of guilt and redemption that proves there is always hope for tomorrow even in the midst of unconscionable evil. “Peg Brantley’s latest, THE SACRIFICE, accomplishes that rare feat of being both heartfelt and suspenseful. A gripping tale of murder and revenge, it ultimately becomes something much, much more. — Dennis Palumbo, author of the Daniel Rinaldi mystery series “Peg Brantley has done it again. Her third book (after THE MISSINGS and RED TIDE) is another thrill ride, a hyperventilation-inducing thriller about evil and power and endangered innocence. And MAYBE a new (and very interesting) sustaining female character. Mex Anderson may have companionship in the next book or two.” —Timothy Hallinan, Edgar-nominated author of the Poke Rafferty and Junior Bender series

    A GREAT READ THAT WILL KEEP YOU GUESSING! Richard Matthews is a private eye in San Diego who's bitten off more than he can chew with a simple infidelity case that ends in murder. Bree Matthews is his lovely wife, a detective novelist with a PhD in forensics that manages to keep a step ahead of her feckless husband as the two of them try to solve a puzzle involving missing persons, a kidnapping of a couple of dangerously psychotic adolescent twins, a suicide, a walled up skeleton, a plethora of obnoxious dogs, and several instances of mistaken identity. Suspenseful, humorous, and full of twists, LIE LIKE A WOMAN is the first in the Bree and Richard Matthews Mystery Series, and will leave you begging for more! Soon to come, the next Bree and Richard Matthews Mystery, DIE LIKE A MAN.

    

    The year is 1985, but this incident has pulled her thoughts back to a simpler time full of happy chldhood memories and loving family and friends. A piece of those memories is missing, and though she struggles to bring it to the surface, it may be forever lost in the murky shadows of the past. Bernie enlists the help of her friend Sheriff Buck Davis, and the two soon find themselves immersed in a mystery as complicated and unpredictable as the clan of Gypsies that seems to be manipulating their destinies.

    Mired in boredom, Christine develops a bad reputation for conjuring wild tales to explain ordinary occurrences. Then she meets someone who has true reason to complain, if anyone does.Lila Payne’s life is the mirror opposite of ideal. The plight of this seemingly abused woman gnaws at Christine, but the authorities turn a deaf ear to Christine’s pleas for help on Lila’s behalf.Spurred into action when her beloved dog Molly and Lila both disappear on the same night, Christine dives into a scary pool swirling with muddy secrets and misery. Sensing God at work in the situation Christine continues to search and pray, but even with God’s help, can they save Lila and Molly before it’s too late?

    Crouched next to her with his hands clamped over the knife wound in her abdomen, her husband, Daniel, screams at the couple's sister-in-law - and his ex-mistress - rooted in the doorway. Time slips away...

    Murphy's life in the gutter was bad enough, but now bad gets worse. Murphy has one week to solve a cold-case murder that has police detectives stumped, or else his best friend dies. Inspired by Chandler, Steinbeck, and Quentin Tarantino, THE LONG DRUNK is a darkly comic crime/detective saga filled with sex, violence, booze, and plenty of foul street talk. Hard-boiled, heartbreaking, and gritty as hell, it thoroughly immerses the reader in the squalid yet resourceful underworld of the down-and-out. By juxtaposing the cruel realities of life on the street with the obscene wealth of the Hollywood elite, Eric Coyote creates an ultra noir masterpiece for the ages. THE LONG DRUNK, named to Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2012, will leave you cringing, laughing, and begging for more.

    Broken by the destruction of his family, he agrees to one last job—this time for the other side. When a "straightforward" diamond smuggling operation goes south—literally—Bohnert finds himself trekking through Mexico, pursued by killers, including, a cross-dressing hit man, a psycho meth addict, and a fellow operative who was once a close friend. An unlikely love story complicates his flight when the woman who defects from his pursuers becomes the one person who might offer him salvation. The question becomes, ultimately, will they make it out of Mexico alive, and does the canister really contain diamonds, or is Robert being used to import an unimaginable horror into the U.S.? “…(K)ill a few hours enjoying the suspense and human drama.” — Publishers Weekly

    YOU KNOW WHO YOUR ENEMY IS?The streets aren't safe when your enemy wears a blue uniform and a gold badge.What if the good guys weren't good?What if a cop went rogue and killed an innocent man?What if it was all caught on video and the cop would do anything to cover it up?Chase this lawless cop through the streets and to a scintillating series of showdowns with Cruz Marquez, a young attorney trying to nail down his enemy in blue.Will justice be served?

    Her crusade will propel her into a deadly underground battle involving a former border patrol agent who can't seem to resist her, a highly imaginative hit man, and a brilliant prostitute with revenge on her mind.

    Betrayed by his employer and left for dead, Kovac decides to lie low in Tokyo.His plan? Revenge...But when a young woman asks him to protect her from the yakuza, Kovac feels duty-bound to help. She’s a victim of abuse, and long experience tells him if he doesn’t step in tonight she’ll be a corpse before dawn.As Kovac works to uncover the truth of his last job, he finds himself drawn into a conspiracy which goes well beyond the yakuza to a new and terrifying multinational cartel. One that will stop at nothing to control the global drug trade.The kingpins are certain they’ve covered all bases. They're well-funded and utterly ruthless. But they’ve failed to account for one man – John Kovac.SHADOW KILL is the first in a fast-paced, unflinching thriller series that won't in any way shortchange you on action. Perfect for fans of Lee Child, Mark Greaney and Mark Dawson.

    Two NYPD outcasts hunt for the killer: Detective Joe Petrosino (a stocky "Dago" nicknamed Bulldog Joe) and Inspector Max Schmittberger (a giant "Yid" nicknamed The Broom).Commissioner Teddy Roosevelt appointed Petrosino the first Italian-American detective in the NYPD and reinstated Schmittberger after The Broom confessed to grafting and blew the whistle on his fellow cops. By 1903, however, Roosevelt is in the White House, and Tammany Hall casts a long Irish shadow over the NYPD again. To complicate matters, investigative reporter Lincoln Steffens seeks Petrosino's help in finding out if there is a crooked lawman behind a gambling syndicate in the City.As they work the barrel murder, Petrosino and Schmittberger encounter a lunatic doctor, the Secret Service, vicious Sicilian mafiosi known as the Morello Gang, and a mysterious code that may unlock the secrets of the killing and Steffens' alleged syndicate.Note to the reader:   This novel is based on an actual murder that occurred in New York City in 1903 and the criminal investigation that followed. Several of the main characters are real persons or inspired by real persons. Joe Petrosino, the central character, was the first Italian-American detective in the NYPD's Central Bureau appointed in 1895 by Teddy Roosevelt (then President of the Board of New York City Police Commissoners). Petrosino and a few other brave men protected the immigrant masses and fought against the most feared criminals in the city's history. Their story begins here.

    He just won the Rookie of the Year award at the advertising company he works for in Boston, and he is married to beautiful Amanda, the love of his life. After his recent purchases of a new home and a sports car, his life is just about perfect. Then he makes one seemingly innocent decision to play an Internet game. The website www.DieorDieTrying.com offers a big payoff to the winner of the deadpool game they host, and Brent thinks he has just as good a chance to win as anyone else. After all, the game is all luck. Or is it? When a fellow player, known only as Intruder, gains access to Brent’s personal information, Brent’s life is thrown into chaos. A gruesome discovery makes Intruder’s goal all too clear. Soon Brent is careening through the shadowy world of cybercrime, identity theft, and murder on a non-stop thrill ride he wants no part of. Will Brent or Intruder make the final move of the game? Praise for Deadly Intruder: "This novel moves like a hurricane revealing the dangers of what starts as an innocent little bet. A good read." —Dennis Foley, author of A Requiem for Crows "Anne Kelsey's Deadly Intruder is compulsively readable, with characters that will intrude into your psyche and not let you go until you finish the last page. Taut writing, superb pace, and characters you'll root for. Highly recommended." —Mary Johnson, author of An Unquenchable Thirst“In Deadly Intruder, Anne Kelsey has given us a delicious serving of intrigue, mystery, romance, and edge-of-your seat excitement. This book sent chills up my spine as I began to see how easily lives can be destroyed or turned upside down by Internet stalking. Deadly Intruder was a book I simply didn’t want to put down. Kudos to Anne Kelsey. I will be looking out for more from her.”—Maureen McMahon, author of Shadows in the Mist

    With reminiscence and narration, a local sheriff must comb through his own humid world to unravel the truth behind the death of a local boy. But it’s not as easy as it seems, because no one is talking. The Other Side of the Bay is a remarkable portrait of the unique people in the Panhandle of Florida. The story weaves itself into the tall longleaf forests, and along the crests of the uneasy bay, telling a tale of the human spirit. This is a novel of how things aren't always as black and white as they ought to be, and how right and wrong aren't always easy to tell apart. It's an evocative tale that delivers its reader to the apricot sun rises and sepulchral storm clouds of their own bittersweet memories.