But now there’s another kind of trouble brewing in the Lucky Ace Casino. Her winning streak at blackjack hasn’t gone unnoticed and Owen Rockford, head of casino security, has been dogging her every move. She wants to cut and run, but not when it means sacrificing the only friend she’s had in a long time.Owen Rockford has his own demons from his past military life and the woman that betrayed him. He’s not about to let that happen again, so when the gorgeous redhead who caught his eye in the casino turns out to be a suspect in a card-cheating ring, he’s more than happy to prosecute her like any other criminal.But it soon becomes clear that nothing is as it seems. When the stakes become deadly, Alison is forced to make the biggest gamble of all- one that could cost her her heart ... not to mention her life.

    Parker’s biting humor. Set in Los Angeles, the critically acclaimed and award winning Burnside Series delivers clever plots, crackling dialogue and fascinating characters! The 3 Novels In the next Burnside Mystery Series, Books 7-9 (Box Set # 3) Include: DOUBLE PASS TAMPA TWO FLEA FLICKER DOUBLE PASS (Book 7): Funds have been stolen from an elite Pasadena private school, and after bringing in P.I. Burnside to investigate, he uncovers far more. In addition to finding a tangled web of long-held secrets, a seemingly straightforward case of embezzlement suddenly evolves into a brutal series of killings. From seething rivalries to old resentments to sordid affairs, many suspects have a shady past to hide -- and a desperate reason to commit a capital crime. And through it all, a sordid betrayal from Burnside's own past continues to haunt him, waiting for an opportune moment to materialize. Double Pass leads readers down a trail of theft, murder and deceit, with sharply honed banter and strikingly original characters. It is a tightly written story that is loaded with both suspense and humor, as well as some jaw-dropping surprises! TAMPA TWO (Book 8): The teenage runaway who P.I. Burnside arrested a decade earlier for prostitution has returned to L.A. – and trouble is following her. Burnside made an enormous mistake in helping her, and he wound up losing his job as an LAPD officer as a result, along with his honor and reputation. But Judy has returned, and is desperate for Burnside’s help. Her life is in jeopardy, and she tries to persuade him to accompany her into a dangerous situation. While Burnside isn’t fooled this time, she still manages to involve him, and he quickly becomes a person of interest in a grizzly Santa Monica homicide. Tampa Two continues to showcase Burnside at his wise-cracking best, exchanging quips with an assortment of terrific characters. This well-crafted novel is the embodiment of the classic Southern California noir mystery. It is set against a Los Angeles backdrop, a city that many think they know, but few really do. With sharply honed dialogue and a compelling plot, this is a riveting story that is both captivating, and laugh-out-loud funny! FLEA FLICKER (Book 9): When a young football coach doesn’t come home one night, his beautiful young wife turns to Private Investigator Burnside to locate him. But things are not the way they seem in this marvelous page-turner, and a simple missing persons case evolves into a shocking murder. There are no shortage of suspects in this intricately woven story, and P.I. Burnside must overcome the many obstacles in his path to get to the truth that no one seems eager to learn. The 9th Burnside novel is a treat to read, as the story brings back some fascinating characters from Burnside’s past – as well as adding a host of new ones. And it wouldn’t be a Burnside novel without the smart mouthed gumshoe engaging in the sharp and cutting banter that has come to define this award-winning series. Read the entire Burnside Mystery Series: Book 1: POST PATTERN Book 2: FADE ROUTE Book 3: BUBBLE SCREEN Book 4: SAFETY VALVE Book 5: CORNER BLITZ Book 6: NICKEL PACKAGE Book 7

    

    

    Lots of suspense, mystery, and romance. No cliffhangers! Book 1: When private investigator Oliver Covington meets mysterious, beautiful Nora Thomason at a party, they have an instant, undeniable connection. Though they part without getting each other’s names, neither one of them can stop thinking about what happened between them. Little does Oliver know that his next job will involve solving the puzzle that will unlock Nora’s painful, dark past. He is assigned the task of following her by her fiancé, and when she is attacked in an alley one day, Nora becomes curious of Oliver’s real identity and does some investigating herself. She flees when she finds out that he is an investigator, afraid that he has been sent to find her by the people who are after her from her past. Oliver follows, and together he and Nora are forced to face the man who is trying to destroy her life while they fight their growing attraction for each other. Book 2: Charlotte Covington doesn’t know exactly what to expect when she is hired by handsome artist Sam Kensington to investigate the murder of his socialite father, Roger. She is hesitant to take the job—Sam is much too charming for her, something that she knows is a dangerous trait in a man. She is drawn in by him and the undercover nature of the job, and poses as his fiancé for a week at an exclusive artists’ retreat in the countryside. Things grow heated between Charlotte and Sam as they investigate the death of his father, though she tries her best to resist his charms. When a tragedy strikes at the retreat, Sam’s innocence is thrown into question, and Charlotte is forced to confront her feelings for him despite the danger he might pose to her. Book 3: Aiden Covington enjoys a challenge, so when he is given the challenging case of tracking down the necklace of a former Hollywood starlet, Olivia Darling, he is more than willing to take on what he’s told will be a hard case to solve. What he isn’t willing to do is fall for Olivia, though from the moment he meets her he feels himself unraveling under her charms. Aiden tries his best to fight the simmering tension between himself and Olivia, especially when he finds out that she’s not exactly the person he thought she was. While Aiden and Olivia unwrap the mystery of a dangerous secret society known as the Celestials, Aiden tries to keep his distance from Olivia, who finds it hard to take no for an answer when it comes to the sexy private detective.

    Oh, and she’s a boy. When a name from her past suddenly surfaces, Jane knows that she is the only one that could solve the case. With the detectives unavailable and a tearfully desperate client, there is no choice but to pretend she knows what she is doing and answer the cry for help, but is she really dressed for fighting vampires? Her client has a time-sensitive problem – she was bitten by a vampire last night and swears she can feel her canines growing. With no time to lose and a boyfriend at home making dinner, Jane begins a race against time to save the client and stop the transformation, but does the client even know what she wants? Cross-dressing isn’t always glamorous. This book is part is a long-running series that follows the cases undertaken by the Blue Moon Investigation agency. The stories do not contain cussing or graphic descriptions of sex or violence but do allude to both. There is nothing R rated but I would not let my nine-year-old niece read them.

    Paying her aunt, Mira Lloyd, a.k.a. Elizabeth Lloyd, renowned historical romance author, a long overdue visit, she plans on spending a month on Rock-Maine Island lounging around and plotting the launch of her new life. Her ex-husband, however, has other ideas. As for her aunt… she’s gone missing. And now there’s a dead body to contend with and a murder weapon with her fingerprints on it. A mantle of suspicion hangs over Eve and everyone she encounters has a reason to want her out of the way. Unwilling to leave matters in the hands of swoon worthy Detective Jack Bradford… only because it’s her civic duty to provide a new perspective, Eve Lloyd engages the assistance of her new friend and fellow suspect, Jill Saunders. They both stumble their way through a long list of possible motives and suspects in a race to find the killer before either one turns into the next victim. Snuffed Out Eve Lloyd, a death knell? Eve refuses to believe her choice of words had something to do with inviting a killer to the island, but just to be on the safe side, she agrees to avoid all use of any and all words related to killing. However, it might already be too late… Her run in with a local artist, Reginald Bryant Burns, has put her in an awkward position. Trying to make amends, Eve resorts to bribery, but that only makes matters worse and now…She’s a prime suspect in a murder investigation. The timing couldn’t be worse. She has a date with Detective Jack Bradford and the killer is threatening to ruin it for her. All Tied Up It’s no accident. Eve Lloyd is a magnet for trouble. On the brink of settling into an uneventful existence, Eve Lloyd turns her attention to a new venture. She’s going to open an inn and she thinks she’s found the perfect house. It should all be smooth sailing from there, but she’s developed a knack for landing right in the thick of it. This time, she stumbles on a body in the least likely place and her fingerprints are all over the handcuffs found on the murder victim. As the suspects list grows, and the dream of running an inn evaporates, she becomes a target of the killer’s rage.Despite trying to keep her nose out of other people’s business, it seems the only way she can get her life back on track is if she sets a trap for the killer. The Last Bite Eve Lloyd’s childhood nemesis, Charlotte McLain, is getting married. Nothing will induce Eve to attend. Nothing except… blackmail.From the start, everything about this wedding rings alarm bells for Eve. The location, the groom, the guests. The bride. But that’s nothing unusual. The odds of everything going right are stacked in the bride’s favor. There have already been several deaths on the island. Lighting surely wouldn’t strike again…When the groom suddenly dies, all fingers of blame are pointed directly at Eve. After all, she had opportunity and plenty of motives.She’s been framed and despite trying to keep her nose out of trouble, she’s now been dragged right back into the thick of it. The list of suspects is extensive, but she’s sure she can narrow it down to… at least a half dozen people. The Final Cut “…What sort of business person would I be if I start killing off my guests?” Eve Lloyd has settled into her new life in Rock-Maine Island and is about to open up an inn - a costly venture now that she has her heart set on getting an expensive custom made stove.

    But things aren't exactly what they seem and her life soon spins out of control as she's sucked into a web of lies, betrayal and murder.

    DEVIL IN THE DEADLINEA human sacrifice unlocks a chilling mystery, and leads Nichelle Clarke into a world of unimaginable danger."...You won't be able to read fast enough..."When Richmond Police find a young woman's bloody remains spread across a candle-lit altar in an abandoned power plant on the banks of the James River, they give crime reporter Nichelle Clarke an all-access pass in exchange for her help.But the information Nichelle gets from the victim's friends only draws her deeper into the mystery. Where did Jasmine come from? How did she end up on the streets of Shockoe Bottom? And why doesn't she have any dental records?The answer trail stops at the front doors of a sprawling compound in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, where Nichelle finds a secretive cult leader and his devoted following. It is a world where lies becomes truth, and money is the true idol. Money some people would do anything to keep collecting...Even if it means murdering a nosy reporter.----------------------------COVER SHOTCryptic online messages and a murder in a swanky condo complex don't strike crime reporter Nichelle Clarke as related--until a gunman sends a hospital into chaos."...if you're a fan of mystery, you simply must read this series..."When a body is discovered in a high-rise in Richmond, Virginia, crime reporter Nichelle Clarke races to the scene. The victim is a brilliant doctor with an unusual past. But before Nichelle can decide what to make of the murder, the local police radio is filled with a dreaded distress call.There is an active shooter at a nearby hospital.The gunman has taken hostages on a patient floor, and gives the police a single demand.He wants to speak with Nichelle.In person.----------------------------LETHAL LIFESTYLESThe groom is the prime suspect in a murder at his own rehearsal dinner. Crime reporter Nichelle Clarke doesn't believe he's the killer-but now it's up to her to find out who is.When Nichelle Clarke is invited to be the maid of honor in her friends' Virginia Vineyard wedding, she looks forward to the celebration.

    When the magician’s assistant is murdered in a dilapidated tram car, the dramatic, Czech trapeze artist, Ruta, draws Promise into the mystery with a strange Tarot Card deck---which she insists she’s held for Promise since 1939---and a bizarre story of the magician Reznik and the Old Towne Clock in Prague. Promise’s husband, Perry County Sheriff Daniel Allen, is determined to go with the facts of the case, but when they meet the other members of Jest’s circus family, Daniel realizes no one is who they seem, and the facts are masked in past violence and lies. Though, as the murder goes unsolved, Promise is haunted by nightmares and struggles with an elusive illness, she and Daniel are determined to bring the murderer to justice. Fact by fact, they narrow the field of suspects until another death at the academy forces them to reconsider Ruta’s wild stories and think like the killer, if they are to catch him before he disappears for good.

    They practically live together. Now, Shayla's meeting his family for Christmas.In Ireland. Seamus is a park ranger, shares an apartment with three other guys, and drives a beat up pickup truck. How would Shayla have known he was practically Irish royalty? When they arrive at the airport and are bombarded by camera flashes, Shayla's insecurities move closer and closer to the surface. An old girlfriend, a creepy uncle, and an entire town are on hand for a getting-to-know-you dinner party. Everything is going well until someone ends up dead.The guarda want Shayla to stay out of it. She may be a police officer in the United States, but she has no jurisdiction in Ireland. Too bad, she can't seem to keep from stumbling onto clues everywhere she goes. Cozy up with this fun Christmas mystery this holiday season.

    

    It’s good money, which she could use, and death doesn’t hold a lot of mystery for her.Or so she thinks.Arie isn’t on the job long before discovering she’s been “gifted” with a new psychic talent—the ability to scry. Whether she wants to or not, Arie can read the memories of the dead in their blood.When she is assigned to clean the crime scene of Marissa Mason, the socialite author of the best-selling gold-diggers' bible, Arie finds herself haunted by blood visions day and night, and to her shock discovers an unexpected family connection to the victim. With her brother suffering the unwanted attention of the police as the primary suspect, can Arie face her fear of the blood visions long enough to follow the trail of clues left in the murdered woman's memories and find the real culprit?

    Sometimes they never get over it, destined to be alone for the rest of their lives. And no matter how hard they try, they can’t be happy, because the guilt is enough to kill them too.When my husband dies in a freak boating accident, I’m barely able to function, let alone pick up the pieces of my shattered life. Yes, we had our problems, but I never wanted him to die. My friends tell me it’s time for me to move on and when I finally try to put the past behind me, it comes back to me, shattering everything I thought I knew about my past, my husband and my future.Somebody is lying and will do anything to stop me from finding the truth. But I have to know. Did my husband really die in the waters of Broken Sound?

    Not yet cleared to work a murder on his own, Larry is relegated to dog-sitting and investigating a chop shop while his department nemesis, Matt Greene, tries to track down the murderer. But when Matt is transferred to another case, Larry is soon neck-deep in murder, drugs and gambling rings. Find out how he solves the case, catches the killer… and arranges a pet adoption.