She thought that a successful career and a comfortable life in the city were enough to be happy. Did she really need to know about the woman who had given her away? Adopted at birth, her first few years were happy. It hadn’t mattered that she didn’t know her heritage; she had parents who loved her and wanted her. But divorce, and then death, ripped their tiny family apart, and at the tender age of six, she entered the foster care system. Over the next dozen years, she shuffled from home to home. Finding her roots seemed an impossible dream. But dreams are resilient. An unexpected discovery awakens old yearnings of belonging to a family, of being part of something bigger than herself. Finding the brief, ambiguous note from her birth mother is enough to unfurl the ribbons of hope still binding her heart. Her quest takes her to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and the heart of the Plain community. Aided by her unique eye color, a healthy dose of luck, and the private investigator she hires, Taryn finds her birth family easily enough, but finding the truth is another matter. In all her musings, she never imagined a scenario where her mother might be Amish. She never imagined that the fabric of her life might be a patchwork of faith and fear, stitched together with a dark family secret. Taryn is determined to trace her roots, even if it means digging in the mud to do so. Now she’s caught in the quicksand of a shocking discovery and the consequences of choices made, almost forty years ago. She’ll risk everything to uncover the truth and to claim the family—and the roots—she so desperately craves.

    Genghis Kahn. Julius Caesar. Attila the Hun. Mao. Stalin. For thousands of years, the Stones have been hidden among us, giving a privileged few the power to rule over masses, destroy old empires and create new ones. Now it's near the end of the 21st century. On the eve of a trip to Japan, Matt Newmark finds a dark rock in the shape of a claw, and it changes everything. With the help of a Shinto priest, he discovers it’s a Stone, a piece of ancient alien technology that gives him a sweeping view of history and control over time, matter and energy. But Matt is not alone. Mikal Ryzaard, a survivor of the Nazi death camps, has a Stone of his own and a burning vision to eliminate suffering and bring back Paradise. With all the resources of the world's largest multinational corporation behind him, he tracks down Matt and makes him an offer. Join me or die. This is the first book in the Stones series, a new techno-thriller quadriligy by Jacob Whaler.

    While working on his latest novel, he makes a gruesome discovery and uncovers secrets that some would want to remain dead and buried.   Soon Mark becomes a target and is forced to run for his life. The nearest town is thirty miles away, and the only way to escape is through the forest. The people chasing him are hot on his heels, and will stop at nothing to prevent him from getting out of the wilderness alive.

    John Williams is determined not to be one of those men. When Harry Heard gives him a fake sword to sell to aristocrat Sir Albert Blackwood, his life changes forever. He meets and deals with industrialists, daughters of dukes, and knights of the realm. But all the while a mysterious serial killer, known only as the Breaker, is picking people off at will. When he makes Sir Albert Blackwood his target, John is forced to put the Breaker's brutal work to an end. Not only his future but his very life hinges on his success. As class and murder collide, can John leave his humble beginnings behind him?

    A no-holds-barred, breakneck-paced thriller, Night charts the early years of El Rey - known as the King of Swords - a super-assassin responsible for some of the world's most spectacular and daring executions.Framed against the backdrop of present-day Mexico's brutal narco-trafficking violence, Night of the Assassin chronicles the making of a monster - a cold-blooded, ruthless killing machine. Raw, disturbing, edgy and unflinching, this epic saga defies convention to create a roller-coaster of intrigue, suspense and thrills that will leave even the most jaded thriller aficionados gasping for breath.Best if read after King of Swords, Night was written to provide background on El Rey, with the assumption that the reader is already familiar with the events in King of Swords.

    He’s handsome, rich and just made partner at his father-in-law’s white-shoe law firm. She’s beautiful, brilliant and leads the crowd in all things fashion, design and elegance. They live in a mansion on Winnetka Road with their baby girl, Simone. Their life is picture perfect. But all is not as it seems. There is something dark and unnatural beneath Paul’s smooth exterior. Cellina doesn’t notice. She’s too busy with her constant renovations of the mansion and trips to Paris, Palm Beach and Percocet. Their friends don’t notice. They’re blinded by the Farrell good looks, money and standing in society. But the baby nurse sees. And little Simone. Façades are beginning to crack at the big house on Winnetka Road. *** The Winnetka Road Trilogy is a psychological thriller with supernatural elements. This is Book 1. (Book 1 ends with a partial resolution and a cliffhanger.) 156 pages

    So when her real estate developer boyfriend offers her a sweet catering gig, she jumps at the chance to cook for his gala and rub elbows with the town’s elite. The problem? That fancy gala is only happening because her best friend’s home was burned down by an arsonist. And the more Bethany learns about her boyfriend’s planned development, the more she suspects that he might have had something to do with it.Determined to uncover the arsonist’s identity, Bethany cooks her way through the gala, listening to the secrets, lies, and gossip swirling around Hosanna Street. But when someone close to her is killed during the party—and the murder weapon is found in her pot of clam chowder—Bethany finds herself in more than a little hot water.---------------------------------------If you like smart culinary mysteries with quirky characters and quaint seaside towns, you’ll love the Death du Jour series that follows Bethany Bradstreet as she builds her career and solves crimes with the help of her friends. Crime Chowder is the first book in the Death du Jour series. This book has clean language and mild suspense with no cliffhangers. It contains depictions of an LGBT relationship.P.S. – There’s a dog in it.

    . Two years ago, Detective Maribeth Johansen’s family was murdered by the killer she hunted. Maribeth now lives alone in the woods with her grief, the ghosts of her family in her mind. . Her solitude is shattered when a young woman, bearing a striking resemblance to Maribeth’s dead daughter, is murdered and left in the woods for Maribeth to find. The woman’s chest bears the same mark the killer carved into the chests of his victims. . But that killer has been dead for two years. . Is the ghost of a serial killer after her, or is there a new threat hunting her in the woods? An emotionally intense thrill ride!

    Click here to find out more: http://tiny.cc/8oz71x (just copy and paste into your browser) *** The first two mysteries in the acclaimed Dewey Webb series: Web of Deceit and Murder in Fashion. Meet Dewey Webb, a hard-boiled 1940s detective, a man of contradictions who gets down-and-dirty to get the job done. For a limited time, you can grab the first two full-length thrillers in this highly acclaimed historical mystery series, almost 600 pages, for just a little more than the price of one. Web of Deceit It's 1949. World War II is over, but it has a way of haunting people for years to come. Gordon Sandalwood suspects his wife Edith is hiding something from him, and he asks Denver private investigator Dewey Webb to find out what. Dewey, toughened by his own war experiences, reluctantly takes the case, certain it will lead to nothing. But when he sees Edith rendezvous with a mysterious man, Dewey realizes his assumptions might be wrong. As he digs deeper to identify the stranger, he turns up secrets that reach back into the war, and as he unravels a web of deceit, he discovers who has the most to gain, and the most to lose. Murder in Fashion In post-World War II Denver, the world of fashion can be murder. Herb Washburn has already been convicted of murdering his boss, Mel Templeton, owner of Templeton Fashion. And in a few days, Herb is headed to the Colorado state prison for a long stay in a decidedly unfashionable suit of clothes. Herb still claims he didn’t commit the crime and, as a last resort, his wife hires Denver private investigator Dewey Webb to find the real killer. During Dewey’s investigation into the personalities and workings of the world of design, he discovers clues that may exonerate Herb. At the same time, Dewey senses secrets and lies that cast serious doubt on Herb’s version of the events. And when Dewey realizes that someone is on his trail who doesn’t want the murder solved, he must act fast before he becomes fashion's next victim. These novels are hard-boiled, historical mysteries that are great for fans who love Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. Dewey Webb first appeared in the Reed Ferguson mystery, Back Story. Pick up a copy of Back Story to find out more about this classic hard-boiled detective. The Dewey Webb historical mystery series: • Book 1: Web of Deceit • Book 2: Murder In Fashion • Book 3: Secrets and Lies • Book 4: Honor Among Thieves • Book 5: Trouble Finds Her • Short Story: Second Chance • Short Story: Double Cross ★★★★★ 'The world of Mr. Webb - lacking the Internet, relying on pay phones, demanding brain power instead of computers - is straight out of a black and white Bogie film. Dames in trouble, shady characters, the carefully researched clothing and scenes, Ms. Pawlish has the era down flat.' ★★★★★ 'Great mysteries with twists and turns almost around every corner.' ★★★★★ 'I will definitely read more from this author.' ★★★★★ 'Renee Pawlish is a first rate author! Well crafted stories, good character descriptions, good pacing. Difficult to put down.

    He’s looking forward to a well-deserved vacation. His plan includes nothing more than a little fishing, a bit of fooling around, and a whole lot of hammock time. Little does he know that this small, cute, skateboarding time bomb will lead him into a mystery with a tangled web of secrets and lies involving small-time hoods, powerful gangsters, corrupt politicians, paranoid hippies, and most dangerously, his long-time nemesis, a twisted casino operator at the heart of the city’s criminal trade. As Max races to untangle the convoluted case and find the little girl’s sister, the mayhem and dead bodies pile up. Finally, he realizes that the only way to get the whole truth involves risking his own life. But for Max Plank, this is just the price of admission to the game he’s decided to play. Stray Cat Blues is the first Max Plank mystery. Coming soon the next two adventures: The Ties That Bind and Devil’s Arcade.

    The picture captioned The Boy Who Dances With Monkeys, went viral when Noah's mother Vivi, and her friend Jenna Simon, who snapped the picture, where found brutally murdered days later. While some speculated that Noah may have witnessed the crime, a traumatic brain injury weeks later compromised his already fragile memories. Twenty-five years later, journalist Ava Watson is investigating the murders of her Aunt Jenna and Noah's mother. When Ava meets Noah, she soon finds that his over protective step-grandmother and her secretive staff won't make it easy for her to question Noah alone. In order to solve the murders, Ava needs to isolate Noah and help him discover the dark tragic secrets deeply hidden in the shadowy corners of his mind. The problem is, there are too many others who would prefer that those memories never surface.

    His constant heralding of their heroism and capabilities damaged the SEAL's operational security, revealed tricks of their trade, and endangered them and their families. As some in the Special Operations community expected and feared, a number of SEALs are being systematically killed across the country. The Navy's legendary SEAL commander, Captain Bill McGee, believes he is the next target of a sniper and seeks help from a close friend with unusual contacts and capabilities. Duncan Hunter, a retired Marine Corps fighter pilot, flies a top secret airplane with his mentor, Greg Lynche, the sometimes über-liberal retired CIA Chief of Air Branch. Together, in their quiet airplane, they execute some of the CIA's most sensitive airborne counterterrorism missions under a Special Access Program. Saving McGee from a sniper's bullet comes at a price as Duncan Hunter finds himself at the crossroads - either remain a contract pilot and betray a friend or become a patriot and risk exposure as a traitor. His decision pulls him into one intrigue after another, finally revealing the truth behind several conspiracies hidden behind the firewalls of top secret security clearances, CIA files, and Special Access Programs.

    Fate intervenes when a dead body turns up in an old copper mining pit. The man is a three-time loser disowned by even his own mother. Peg’s sheriff boss declares the death an accident and tells her to “move on.” She wants to agree, but then her office is ransacked and her assistant kidnapped. When Peg herself is assaulted, she convinces her safe-cracking grandfather to break the law one last time to help her. Will they find the killer before he strikes again? Set against the Southwest backdrop of summer monsoons in the high desert plateau of Arizona, this fast-paced mystery, at times humorous and romantic, tells the story of a young woman at odds with herself. Peg must ultimately decide which comes first: her family, her job, or her life.

    When a series of bizarre deaths rock San Francisco—as seemingly random women suffer violent psychotic breaks—Frost looks for a connection that leads him to psychiatrist Francesca Stein. Frankie’s controversial therapy helps people erase their most terrifying memories…and all the victims were her patients.As Frost and Frankie carry out their own investigations, the case becomes increasingly personal—and dangerous. Long-submerged secrets surface as someone called the Night Bird taunts the pair with cryptic messages pertaining to the deaths. Soon Frankie is forced to confront strange gaps in her own memory, and Frost faces a killer who knows the detective’s worst fears.As the body count rises and the Night Bird circles ever closer, a dedicated cop and a brilliant doctor race to solve the puzzle before a cunning killer claims another victim.

    When she left her job as a journalist in Southern California, she planned to give the adrenaline a rest. But she needed a job when her husband announced a move to Chicago with his pregnant girlfriend. A meeting with the local newspaper publisher netted her an offer to be the Managing Editor.She relies on her friend and police reporter, Clarice Stamms, for support and stories. After a respected Senator and World War II hero dies and two more people turn up dead, the news heats up. Both victims had ties to a hotel owned by the Senator’s family. Research into the family uncovers a shadowy figure, also a World War II veteran, linked to the Senator.The third victim at the hotel is a surprise. It’s a cousin of the current owner—and grandson of the Senator—who’s fallen, or been pushed, from the attic.Visiting the hotel, Amy and a friend meet an urbane European, a Holocaust survivor who’s spent sixty years tracking down Nazi loot. Amy learns that three people have just died to keep the secret of a stolen da Vinci drawing.