Desperate to keep up the family name and give the man a decent burial, penniless Lil makes a shady deal that lands her smack-dab in the slammer.Burdened by her shameful secret and a crumbling family estate, Lil entrusts Summer Haven’s care to her best friend, Maggie, who recruits two more over-fifty ladies to help. But when Maggie discovers that Lil’s restitution is ten times the amount she “borrowed” from the federal government, she’s convinced Lil has taken the fall for someone else’s crime.Will these gals be able to prove Lil was duped, or will the swindler get away with hoodwinking a sweet little old lady?COLLARD GREENS & CATFISHINGSouthern matriarch Lillian Summer Fairview is settling right nice into prison, until Big Martha, the toughest broad on the cellblock, comes asking for a favor. Her niece has fallen for a guy she met online, and Martha’s convinced Mr. Too-Good-To-Be-True is up to no good. All Lil’s friends have to do is check out the guy and report back. Already tied up with a cantankerous septic system on Lil’s family estate, the grannies don’t have time for another investigation. If Summer Haven isn’t in shipshape before the historic society’s inspection, they’ll be in deep you-know-what. But Big Martha is as persuasive as she is tough, and when the gals poke around, they find the guy doesn’t really exist. Will they be able to track down the elusive Romeo in the scam-filled world of online dating, or will they find themselves in trouble right up to their granny panties?CHRISTMAS COOKIES & A CONFESSIONSheriff Teague Castro made a mistake ten years ago that cost him the love of his life. But Jenny Northcutt has always been the woman for him, and he’s ready to do whatever it takes to get a second chance at love.Jenny is a divorced mother, and she has zero time or energy for romance. But her own mother’s recent move is forcing Jenny to come face-to-face with Teague, the man who destroyed her belief in happily ever. Now, Jenny can’t deny the spark is still alive, but this time more than her heart is at risk.Teague cooks up a plan to woo Jenny, but a local theft could ruin both the Christmas holiday and his odds of winning her over. Now, with a mysterious crime to solve, Teague must once again keep a secret from Jenny. Will their painful past repeat itself, or will they get the gift of a second chance at love?

     "Justice isn’t always black or white. Sometimes it’s cold and dark." A Cold Dark Place (Winner of the New England Readers' Choice Award in Romantic Suspense. 2015 Holt Medallion Finalist). Former CIA assassin Alex Parker works for The Gateway Project, a clandestine government organization hell-bent on taking out serial killers and pedophiles before they enter the justice system. Alex doesn’t enjoy killing, but he’s damn good at it. He’s good at dodging the law, too—until a beautiful rookie agent has him wondering what it might be like to get caught. FBI Special Agent Mallory Rooney has spent years hunting the lowlife who abducted her identical twin sister eighteen years ago. Now, during an on-going serial killer investigation, Mallory begins to suspect there’s a vigilante operating outside the law. She has no choice but to take him down, because murder isn’t justice. Is it? When Mallory starts asking questions, The Gateway Project management starts to sweat, and orders Alex to watch her. As soon as they meet, the two begin to fall in love. But the lies and betrayals that define Alex’s life threaten to destroy them both—especially when the man who stole her sister all those years ago makes Mallory his next target, and Alex must reveal his true identity to save the woman he loves. Cold Pursuit (2015 Winner of National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award ~ for Romantic Suspense). Single mom Vivi Vincent is thrust into her worst nightmare when she's trapped inside a mall during a terror attack along with her eight-year-old son. With the help of Jed Brennan, an FBI special agent on enforced leave, Vivi and her son survive the assault. But the danger is far from over. Vivi's son may have witnessed critical details of the terrorists' future plans and is targeted for death, but he's mute, and he's traumatized. Still someone launches a strike against the FBI's safe house, and Jed fears the bad guys have an inside man. No longer knowing who to trust, he hides mother and son in a log cabin deep in the heart of the Wisconsin Northwoods. There Jed and Vivi try to figure out how to unlock the information inside her son's head. What they don't bargain for is the red-hot attraction that flares between them, or the extent of the sinister plot that threatens to rip apart not only any chance of happiness they might have together, but also the very fabric of American society. Cold Light of Day (Winner 2015 Readers' Choice and Book Buyer's Best). Physicist Scarlett Stone is the daughter of the man considered to be the most notorious Russian agent in FBI history. With her father dying in prison she’s determined to prove he’s innocent, but time is running out. Using a false identity, she gains access to the Russian ambassador’s Christmas party, searching for evidence of a set-up. Former Navy SEAL, now FBI Special Agent, Matt Lazlo, is instantly attracted to Scarlett but life is too complicated to pursue a politician’s daughter. When he discovers she lied to him about her identity, he hunts her down with the ruthless efficiency he usually reserves for serial killers. Not only does Scarlett’s scheme fail, it puts her in the sights of powerful people who reward unwanted curiosity with brutality. The FBI—and Matt—aren’t thrilled with her, either.

    His higher ups want her eliminated. He simply wants her. The alpha side of him demands he claim her—that is, if she’ll have him. After all, he’s what she fears most—a wolf shifter. But there is more to Peren than even she’s aware of and the enemy is closer than anyone imagined. Critical Intelligence Roi Majors, wolf-shifter and second in command of the I-Ops, is having a hard time believing that Intel can only get half the information needed to bring down an underground ring of vampires with big-spending backers who are hell-bent on creating a race of supernaturals with multiple strands of DNA in them. When he finds himself paired with the one woman in the world who seems immune to his self-proclaimed charms, he can’t wait to see her to safety and then bid her good riddance. He never counted on falling in love with her. And he sure in the hell never counted on her claiming to be an agent with a branch of the government no human should know about. Radar Deception Dr. Thaddeus Green survived a werepanther attack long ago, leaving him immortal and a member of the I-Ops team. He’s dedicated his life to genetics and to serving his country. After his mutated DNA led to the death of his loved one, he vowed to never let anyone close to his heart again. Try as he might, Green is unable to stop the mystical pull to the tall, leggy blonde with a sharp tongue and an even worse bite. Thinking Melanie is suffering from mating withdrawal, Green is prepared to do what he must to assure her survival, even if it means claiming her for himself, regardless of his need to protect his heart. Little does Green know that fate has been preparing him for Melanie Daly all his unnaturally long life. Strategic Vulnerability Held prisoner in a remote testing facility in the middle of the Brazilian rain forest, subjected to torture and abuse, shape-shifter and alpha male Wilson Rousseau has long since given up hope of being rescued. Days blend together until he can’t help but long for death. Saved from his isolated hell by a female’s distress call, he feels an instant connection to her. Kimberly thought she was taking a trip to South America to study indigenous plant life. She had no idea she was playing into the hands of a madman whose goal is to create a genetically altered army of super-soldiers. When she finds herself locked in a cell with Wilson, a man who would give his life to save hers, there is an instant attraction. But the dark secrets surrounding their imprisonment may change their lives forever. Can they find a way to beat the odds and be together, or will the madman win?

    Honey has a few goals in life. Her first is to hustle enough fares and tips to pay the rent and buy those red sequined spike heeled slut shoes she lusts after. Her next goal is to kick her budding relationship with police Lieutenant Jon Stevens into high gear. Honey's problem is that dead bodies and live thugs keep getting in the way of her goals. While she admires the Lieutenant's well formed rear end, the Lieutenant is busy chasing the bad guys who are busy chasing Honey. When Honey's new best friend Belle, former prostitute and wife to one of the dead bodies, is kidnapped by the local mafia, Honey sets out to rescue her. Follow Honey as she drives her taxi through a big hole in the local crime scene.

    A statistic. A victim. A single teenage mother from the poor part of town. Most of the time I'm too busy working and struggling to care what people think. Survival doesn't come easy.I have a dark secret, a pressure valve, a rare moment just for myself. On these nights I visit a club. There I find men who give me what I need.Men like Colin.But he wants more than a few stolen hours. He demands more than my body. He wants my heart and soul--my happily ever after. I never thought I'd be Cinderella. I never thought a man that rough could be my prince.HARD (Book Two)What Colin doesn't know can't hurt him.At least that's what I tell myself about the secrets I keep. I don't have a choice, not if I want to keep my daughter safe. And keep him Colin safe too. There are enemies in the shadows waiting to strike from all sides. I'm holding them out with my bare hands, but it's hard not to get crushed in the process.And the truth has a way of coming out.If I'm not careful, the past I've been working so hard to hide, the pain I've been fighting so long to outrun, will wipe out the man I love.FIERCE (Book Three)I'm torn between what I want and what I need. Between the men in my past and the man by my side. Colin has tried to control me, to use me. But he also guards me so fiercely my heart aches.Raincheck. Business. Don't wait up. --CThat's the note he leaves for me, as if I could sit around while he fights my dragons. As if I could let himself get killed in some vain attempt to protect me.There's no protection left for me. No redemption either.This is my battle, and I've already lost.Boxed sets in the Chicago Underground series:Rough Hard Fierce - Colin and Allie's storyWild Dirty Secret - Luke and Shelly's story

    As one reader put it, Healed reads "as if it were written by both Steven King and M. Night Shyamalan." It is the third short story written by Dean Skinner whose first short story, Broken, climbed as high as #134 in Amazon's "90-Minute Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Short Reads." Dean Skinner is an artist who has his work displayed throughout the US, UK and Australia. Dean is also an author of supernatural thrillers who combines his faith with his love of horror.

    These are quick reads, meant to be devoured in a single session -- just like the stories you hear from your friends every day.Each book will leave you asking breathlessly, "And THEN what happened?"False Truth 1: A Jordan Fox MysteryRookie TV reporter Jordan Fox graduated from journalism school and slid into her dream job at News Channel 12 on a secret mission to find answers to the very cold case of her mother’s murder. But on the first day, she gets her pitch stolen, her pay cut, and her status demoted to intern.And that’s just the first hour.False Truth 2: A Jordan Fox MysteryJordan plans to break a big story to stay employed long enough to do the real job only she can do. She gets her chance when she discovers the victim of a brutal crime on the scene of her first assignment. Determined to prove herself, Jordan investigates as if the victim’s story was hers to report -- but it isn’t hers and her efforts only drive her further into trouble until she comes face-to-face with a killer.False Truth 3: A Jordan Fox MysteryJordan started this investigation to save her job; finishing it might be the only way to save her life.False Truth 4: A Jordan Fox MysteryBudding investigative reporter Jordan Fox continues her a secret mission to find answers to the very cold case of her mother’s murder and keep her job until she solves the crime. When she’s assigned to cover a lightweight story about a reality singing competition, Jordan pitches a story about the world’s humanitarian response to a crisis in Haiti instead.Be careful what you wish for, Jordan.Introducing The Hunt for Truth, an exciting new mystery series, starring tenacious multimedia journalist Jordan Fox. An ambitious newcomer with a difficult past, fans are sure to love this feisty new heroine from Diane Capri and Beth Dexter!

    Readers have described the series as Tarantino meets The Office with a splash of romance.Also includes BONUS CONTENT - THE ST. PETERSBURG CONFESSIONS (The prequel to the Ghostface character in STROGANOV)The bundle includes the following novels:CHOP SUEYWhen disgraced sales associate Darby Stansfield discovers he has six months to save his job, he does what any normal person would do. He freaks. Desperate to resurrect his career at Teleco Wireless, Darby conjures up an international scheme filled with the promise of endless, high-spending clients. It’s brilliant, it’s international, it would have his boss snooping and his best friend sweating, but it has Darby on a plane to Hong Kong where he signs his latest client, a Chinese gang.Meanwhile, bodies are piling up in San Francisco and Darby has no idea that his brilliant plan has just put him on collision course with the killer. To make matters worse, those closest to him find themselves caught up in his dangerous plan. Darby must now make a tough decision — give up on the one good idea he ever had or risk it all.STROGANOVDiscover how one act of kindness can bring on a world of pain.In Stroganov, a smarter, more confident Darby Stansfield continues his life as the telecommunication consultant to the criminal underworld. This time he’s in bed with the Russians and everything is peachy, so far.With his career back on track, Darby focuses on improving his personal life. However, his unconventional methods for finding love land him in the middle of a war between the Ukrainian government and a dangerous sex trafficking ring. That’s his life. Wrong place. Wrong time. All of the time.Anxious to get out of the situation, he reluctantly offers his help to the authorities in hopes of a clean break. What he gets instead is the attention of Russia’s most feared criminal.LOCO MOCOThe world’s only consultant to the criminal underworld has just experienced his closest brush with death yet, and wonders if it’s time to quit the biz. In need of some serious soul searching, Darby Stansfield and his girlfriend, Izzy Weber, set off for a summer surfing adventure in Hawaii. But what the land of Aloha offers instead, is the same temptations he’s eager to escape—one in particular, the North Beach Boys. Hoping to resist the lure of the local gang, Darby focuses on improving his relationship with Izzy. All is fun in the sun until their beach house is broken into.From there, the mysterious threats begin to escalate, forcing Darby and Izzy to hire a local private detective. Between the PI working the case and the security improvements made around their place, the ideal summer appears to be back on track. Wrong. What they don’t realize is that a stranger is watching them and someone is going to die.THE ST. PETERSBURG CONFESSIONS (BONUS CONTENT)“I have sins to confess.”“Tell me, what evil have you done?”It’s St. Petersburg, right before the fall of Communism. Father Fedor, an Orthodox priest at St. Catherine’s Cathedral, is locking up after the late night mass when he hears a stranger’s voice call out to him. The man begs to confess immediately, afraid that if he waits he will become a lost soul. Of course Father Fedor accepts, but what he doesn’t know, what he isn’t expecting, is that this madman has committed the same sin ninety-nine times.

    One of the most intensive investigations in California history fails to find any trace of the killer and the case goes cold.15 years later - the newly formed Ongoing Investigation Division, charged with closing cold cases, is handed as its very first case – the Olive Park Murders. Detectives Stan Wyld and Jake Steiner, together with assistant Mallory Dimante, reopen the Olive Park case and find nothing new, until their examination of the original burial site turns up one chilling piece of evidence that proves Olive Park is no longer just a cold case about three dead children.The truth is much worse.For the twisted killer of Olive Park has never stopped and has already chosen its next victim. And no one will be able to protect her. No one.