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Suspicious Circumstances
Sandra Ruttan - 2007
A missing baby. A corrupt police department. When a man shows up in reporter Lara Kelly's office with a video that appears to show a woman falling to her death, Lara is intrigued but suspicious. The man claims he went to the police, but that they refused to investigate. Under pressure from her editor to use the video to build a story about the incompetence of the local police captain, Lara gathers enough evidence to print a story about a suspected suicide. Detective Sergeant Tymen Farraday, the newest cop in a precinct plagued by scandal, is ordered to investigate and discredit the reporter if necessary. When potential evidence is stolen and Lara is attacked, Farraday is forced to put his grudge against reporters aside and work with the journalist to solve the murder while trying to protect her from the killer. Just when they think they have the evidence to arrest a suspect, two more murders turn the investigation in an unexpected direction. The guilty have already shown that they'll stop at nothing to protect their secrets. In a town where one person holds all the power, not even the police can be trusted. And the prime suspect isn't the only person Lara and Farraday need to worry about. (Praise for Suspicious Circumstances) “Spellbinding.” New York Times Bestselling Author Clive Cussler "Never a dull moment. It's a hard book to put down." Tony Hillerman, Edgar Award-Winner and New York Times Bestselling Author "SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES has to be one of the most satisfying mysteries going that grips the reader from beginning to end." Clive Cussler, NY Times Bestselling Author "Secrets and lies, new murders and old, all unravel and unwind within the pages of SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES to create a complex and compelling crime-fiction debut. Sandra Ruttan has a keen eye for description, a wonderful ear for dialogue, and an acute instinct for the nuances of characterization. " Anne Frasier, USA Today Bestselling Author of HUSH "Here is the new voice, and what a voice! Eloquent, sassy, compassionate and written with a style so assured it's hard to believe it's a debut... This is talent writ huge." Ken Bruen, Shamus Award-Winning Author of THE GUARDS "Sandra Ruttan's Suspicious Circumstances soars. It is complex, exciting, and elegant. In musical terms, it's listening to Bach. I'm in love with Lara Kelly, the smart, strong, vulnerable protagonist. Her detective lover better move fast or I'm in there. A gripping adventure, a large cast of marvelous characters, and twists that follow turns. Read it. You'll love it too." Robert Fate, Author of BABY SHARK "A white-hot blazing ride sure to slam you down some of the darkest, twistiest back alleys that ever corrupted a small city's secret heart." Cornelia Read, Edgar Award-Nominated Author of A FIELD OF DARKNESS "A well executed procedural with a spark between our protagonists, an excellent feel for political machinations on a small town scale and a plot that twists and turns like a bad tempered rattlesnake." Russel D. McLean, Crime Scene Scotland
The Family that Lies
Lakisha Johnson - 2016
With a father who thought the world of them, life was good. Until one day everything changed. While Grayce got love and attention, Merci got all the hell, forcing her to leave home. She never looks back, putting the past behind her until … her sister shows up over a decade later begging for help, bringing all of the forgotten past with her. Merci wasn't the least bit prepared for what was about to happen next. Merci realizes, she’s been a part of something much bigger than she'd ever imagined. Yea, every family has their secrets, hidden truths and ties but Merci had no idea she’d been born into the family that lies.
The Ink Series
Bridget Taylor - 2018
This is the Entire Series Boxed Set (Books 1-5).
Ink is the air!
Solitude.That is all Leslie wants out of life with the sound of waves crashing against the cliffs, and her dog, Flamingo. Okay, and her best friends David and Molli. Oh, and the animal shelter but everything else doesn’t matter. That is all she needed to be happy in life. She doesn’t need a sexually-empowered man that makes her body frenzied and mind cloud with lust, no matter how bad she craves it. Until Kane Bridgeshaw comes into the picture, tattooed with raw sex-appeal, money, and he isn’t afraid to use it, if it means getting everything he wants-including Leslie.Betrayal.It feels like Leslie buried her heart six-feet under when she told herself not fall in love with Kane, but it doesn’t stop her from falling into bed with his body. She tries to get rid of all traces of Kane by scrubbing her soul clean after he proves repeatedly that he isn’t worthy of her, so why does she kept believing his lies?Because of love.After months of trying to forget Kane, after months of leading other men on, after blood being spilled-Leslie breaks. She crumbles and falls right into Kane’s arms. But all the trials, all the errors, all the pain and heartbreak, she doesn’t know if she can continue to love him when all he does is break her.Until Kane puts her back together.
You are going to love this new series!
The Pajama Affair
Vanessa Gray Bartal - 2011
She clings tenaciously to Dirk, her boyfriend of five years, employing every trick she can to keep his interest. When she finds a message taped inside her pajamas, she thinks Dirk has finally proposed. But he hasn't, and Liza's life is about to become interesting in ways she never imagined.Agent Link Stone thinks Liza Benson is a mousy schoolteacher who needs attention, but when she tells him she's worried about a message in her pajamas, he's sure she's insane. Grudgingly he begins to investigate her story only to realize Liza has somehow become involved in a sinister plot. Now he's convinced her boyfriend is a cold-blooded killer, but how to convince Liza? And, more importantly, how to keep from falling for her himself?
The Babysitter
Diana Diamond - 2001
Theresa Santiago is wise beyond her years as well as alluringly attractive. But is she the answer to the Actons' domestic woes and political aspirations, or a threat to everything they hold dear? After a drunken tryst with Theresa, Gordon finds himself scrambling protect his reputation. And his wife Ellie is accused her of plaigiarism on her dissertation and worse. Blackmailed and desperate, the Actons work out a deadly plan which backfires horribly in a conclusion as shocking as it is gripping.
Saved by Her Mountain Men
Shae Sullivan - 2019
Snatched right off the streets by a bunch of sickos. I have no idea what they have planned for me, but I don’t intend to find out. So when an unbelievable chance occurs, I make my escape. I’ll survive this, if the cold doesn’t kill me first. Hours in knee-deep snow and my body can’t take anymore. Then, like a mirage in the desert, an empty cabin appears—and I’m saved. Or at least I think I am. The next thing I know, two rugged mountain men show up, claiming it’s their home. I don’t want to trust them, but everything in me does. They’re strong, and confident, and they promise to protect me. And the longer I’m with them, the more I don’t want to leave. I wish this could last forever, but I don’t think it can, not when my kidnappers come looking for me. Wilkes/Blake It was supposed to be a hunting trip like every other. Two best friends, a couple of ice-cold beers, and some smoked meats. But our plans completely vanish when we meet her. A bruise covered beauty who tries to take our heads off with a shovel as we return home. She’s gorgeous . . . and beyond terrified. Who is she? And why is she here? She tells us she’s been kidnapped. Taken from her home and sold to the highest bidder. We’ll do everything we can to protect her. But as the days go by, kindness morphs into passion. She wants both of us, and we’re more than willing to oblige. She doesn’t believe in happily ever after any more, but we’ll show her it still exists. And if someone comes looking for her, they’ll meet the edge of our axes. Saved by Her Mountain Men is a standalone panty-drenching, suspense-filled, MFM Menage Romance. If you like hunky, strapping males with long hair and flannel, this book is for you!
The Only Way Home
Jeanette Minniti - 2021
Danger on the rails. A journey to save a family.It is 1933 inside a sweltering courtroom in Macon, Georgia. Fifteen-year-old Robert sits on a bench awaiting sentencing after being picked up for vagrancy and spending a night in jail. He left his home in Illinois with a neighborhood friend to ride the rails and find work to help their families. The friend turned back, too afraid to face the perils ahead. But going back empty-handed isn’t an option for Robert.THE ONLY WAY HOME is the story of one boy’s determination to survive loss and hardship to help his family — and how fate and a violin touch the course of his life.Fans of Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and Sold On a Monday by Kristina Morris will love this story set during the Great Depression of a fatherless boy fighting to keep his family together.
Treasure Borrowed and Blue
S.W. Hubbard - 2018
She knows first-hand that funerals are family events that bring out the worst in people.Now Audrey is just six weeks away from a joyful family event--her wedding. The band has been hired, the invitations mailed.Wedded bliss is right around the corner.Then a thief strikes and destroys Audrey's happiness. As she narrows the list of possible culprits,her suspicion falls on the family she's about to join.Will catching the thief ruin Audrey's shot at the ideal family she's always dreamed of?When the crime is solved with one final twist, Audrey learns a lesson about the bonds that tie families together and the expectations that can drive them apart.A note from the author: In the chronology of Audrey's life, this short mystery novella fits between the events in This Bitter Treasure (which ended with Audrey's engagement) and Treasure in Exile (which begins with Audrey already married).Loyal readers let me know that they wanted to see Audrey's wedding. So I wrote Treasure Borrowed and Blue because I want to keep my readers happy! Nothing ever goes quite as planned for our Audrey, so the tale of her wedding takes quite a few twists and turns (but no murders!).
Heat Lightning
Colleen Thompson - 2006
Almost strangled to death in a deserted parking lot, she has no idea who is the perpetrator of this very personal hate crime. Is it someone she s antagonized in her role as a community activist? The former lover who hid a violent side she deplores? Or maybe the partner of a cop whose life she inadvertently destroyed. Investigator Grant Holcomb has been assigned to find her attacker, but he makes no secret of his conflicting feelings. As Luz Maria receives threatening phone calls and grisly warnings, part of him wants to protect the sultry Latina, while the other half hopes the escalating tension between them will explode in an electrifying burst of Heat Lightning.
The Moroni Deception
Jack L. Brody - 2012
After clearing himself, Chenault finds that Martin Koplanski, the retired history professor he’d been accused of murdering, was likely killed for a mysterious Mormon relic long thought to be just a myth. Twenty-four hours later, Chenault receives an email with a photo of the recently murdered wife of Presidential candidate, Brockston Ratchford. She too appears to have been ritually killed in the exact manner as Koplanski, right down to having the same cryptic character scrawled in blood across her forehead. With way more than just a hunch to now go on, Chenault heads out to Salt Lake City, the site of the Ratchford murder investigation, to find out what, if any, connection there is between the murders.With the help of a beautiful young reporter he meets along the way, Chenault comes to learn the dark family secrets of a rising political star, along with the rather strange but true history of the Mormon church. As he pieces the story together of what appears to be an ever-growing conspiracy, Chenault is pursued by The Brothers, two murderous zealots who will stop at nothing to retrieve the Mormon relic Chenault is also trying to find. What Chenault eventually discovers is that what he’s uncovered may not only affect the outcome of the next Presidential election, but decide the fate of an entire religion–if he can manage to stay alive.In the tradition of Raymond Khoury, Brad Meltzer, Dan Brown and Steve Berry, The Moroni Deception is a cleverly conceived, twisting tale of deceit and political and religious intrigue by a new master of the conspiracy thriller.
The Garbage Man: A Kate Holland Suspense: 1
Candace IrvingCandace Irving - 2020
Now a small-town cop, the past catches up with Kate when the body of a fellow Army veteran is left along a backcountry road...in meticulously severed pieces. Four years earlier, Kate spent eleven hours as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan. According to her Silver Star write-up, she singlehandedly took down eleven terrorists to avoid staying longer.But Kate has no memory of the deaths, or the events that led up to them. And now, bizarre clues are cropping up in and around that crime scene—and others. Clues that appear to connect to that fateful day. Is the killer trying to tell her something?Or is Kate finally losing her grip on reality?As the body count rises, Kate is forced to confront the guilt that caused her to bolt from the Army...along with the realization that, if she'd faced her demons sooner, her fellow vets might still be alive—and she wouldn't be in the killer's crosshairs.The Garbage Man is Book 1 in the Hidden Valor Military Psychological Suspense Series. If you like strong, female protagonists with gripping, complex suspense that twists and turns all the way to The End, you'll love Candace Irving's 107,000-word military mystery/suspense featuring Braxton Police Deputy Kate Holland.Grab your copy of The Garbage Man today and find out what happened to Kate during those eleven hours she spent as a POW...and why she must remember.
Mission: Believe
Stacy Eaton - 2019
Shane Logan is lucky to have come from a privileged family, and after losing both of his legs in the war, he now has the best prosthetics that money can buy. While he is trying to move forward with life, he struggles with the past and the way people react to him and his disability. Dr. Lauren Falcone works tirelessly to help veterans deal with the trauma and pain of their deployments. Her unique virtual approach to therapy keeps her busy, and the assistance she provides to service members as they recover mentally helps her resolve her own anxieties. When Shane meets Lauren at a fundraiser for his father’s organization, he wonders if there just might be a chance for him to get his dream off the ground and maybe find a normal life with someone who can look past his flaws and see the man he is inside. Shane and Lauren are drawn to each other by their hope to make life easier for veterans, both physically and emotionally. Their goal is to build Shane’s dream organization, Rise Again Warrior, that will assist veterans to integrate more easily into society and have the opportunity to receive state-of-the-art technology and therapy. Now, if they can only have faith in themselves, learn to deal with their own demons, and believe in each other, they might find a way to bring this dream to fruition. The second book in the series will be released in May to coincide with Memorial Day.
Tinker, Tailor, Schoolmum, Spy
Faye Brann - 2021
And apart from being outstandingly good at paintball, no one would ever know that in a past life she was an undercover spy and has been trained to kill a man with her bare hands. Not even her husband, and certainly not the other mums at the school gate.But beneath the school runs and bake sales, Vicky had never quite said goodbye to the past. So, when a newcomer on the PTA sets alarms bells ringing and MI5 comes calling, she’s determined to prove that despite her expanding waistline and love of pink gin, she’s still every bit the cold-eyed special operative.When the assignment gets uncomfortably close to home, Vicky must decide if she has got what the job takes after all, and if home is really where her heart is…
Guilty
Sadie Ryan - 2021
An adoring husband, two beautiful daughter’s and a successful career.In a split second, a tragic accident causes Lindy’s world to come crashing down around her.Mia, personal fitness trainer and glamorous wife of a local tv personality seems to have everything.Slowly Lindy learns more about Mia’s ‘perfect’ life and becomes convinced that they are each other’s saviours.As obsessions grow and the lines that shape reality become blurred, Lindy’s and Mia’s lives are now forever dangerously intertwined as personalities mergeNobody with a conscience can survive, can they?A breathtaking psychological thriller that will keep you up all night. –Fans of Samantha Downing, Lucinda Berry and Teresa Driscoll will devour this twisty thriller in one sitting
There Are Ants In My Sugar
Annica Foxcroft - 2007
She has to adapt and make a home for her baby daughter and aging husband amidst boreholes, long drops and Aga stoves.She comes to terms with her neighbours, Joshua, a practising Sangoma, and Ben, a Jewish pig farmer; is educated in the ways of the Practical by her indomitable maid May; and comes of age through her determined efforts to create things of beauty amidst the khakibos - a lawn and poetry. She even restores the family fortune by engaging in a lucrative and uniquely South African venture.