It means someone in authority over you has decided that “coming in from the cold” is out of the question. It means you’d better run. Laynie Portland has masqueraded as Swedish citizen Linnéa Olander for close to two decades, the last seven years as the companion of Vassili Aleksandrovich Petroff, a reputable Russian scientist, former officer of the KGB and, at present, senior technology advisor to the Secretary of the Russian Federation’s Security Council. What Petroff doesn’t know is that, during her time as his woman, Laynie (Linnéa) has ferreted out and fed her handlers a treasure trove of political and technological intel. However, Petroff is a man with a pathological need to control every aspect of Laynie’s life. When Petroff’s jealous rages worsen, Laynie has had enough and petitions her agency to pull her out. She is told, however, that she is too well-placed to decommission; she is too valuable an asset where she is—and she fears that someone, someone in her chain of command, would rather risk her death under Petroff’s hand than lose the value and prestige her intel engenders. She is told, furthermore, that her request to withdraw poses a larger danger—because the abrupt departure of Linnéa Olander would trigger an avalanche of Russian suspicions, and those suspicions would extend to her company, Marstead International, the front for a joint U.S./NATO covert intelligence gathering venture. But Laynie is desperate: She knows how close to the edge she stands. She has acted the part of Linnéa Olander too long and her ability to maintain the façade she presents to Petroff is fragile at best. A single misstep could blow her cover. Faced with no viable alternative, Laynie runs. Petroff views Linnéa Olander’s disappearance as a personal affront. In his eyes, Linnéa’s disloyalty is the ultimate act of betrayal, and he swears to find and punish her. Simultaneously, Laynie’s Marstead superiors brand her as a rogue agent, a loose cannon who can no longer be trusted—and the “retirement package” they order for her includes a short walk off the deck of a ferry into the black, icy rollers of the Baltic Sea. How can Laynie escape both the Russians and her own agency—the very people she once trusted? Will no one help her? Or will the God in whom her sister Kari trusts extend his protection over her life? But why would he do that, Laynie asks herself, given the life I have lived?Laynie PortlandBook 1: Laynie Portland, Spy Rising—The PrequelBook 2: Laynie Portland, Retired SpyBook 3: Laynie Portland, Renegade Spy 12.02.2019Book 4: Laynie Portland, Spy Resurrected 06.02.2020

    THEN HER LIFE TURNED COMPLICATED. Befriended by a truck driver who takes her under his wing, she sets about to rediscover--and reclaim--the life she's lost. But despite appearances, she's not really alone. Two men--one, a hardened killer; the other; a methodical, high-tech tracker--stalk her every move. Even Nick--the good Samaritan truck driver helping her--may not be all that he appears.LOCKED IN HER MIND IS A SECRET WORTH KILLING FOR--AND WORTH LIVING FOR.More than anything, she wants her memory--and life--back. Others will stop at nothing to make sure she never remembers anything again. For though she does not know it, deep in her mind is buried a secret that threatens to bring down one of the richest men in the world. A secret that can shake governments to their very foundations. A secret that could lead to her destruction--or her salvation.

    Contains A Promise for Ellie, Sophie's Dilemma, A Touch of Grace, and Rebecca's Reward.

    

    Will they become entangled in a web of money, family, and dark secrets from the past? Or will a simple, strong faith change the course of their lives, bringing them the love neither thought they would find? The Moose Hollow series is a keen look at broken people in a broken world, filled with wit, romance, and redemption. For more Christian romance, please check out Cynthia Bruner’s Montana Weekend Novellas.

    At that point, doubts begin to intrude on his previously untroubled existence.Dr. Abby Davis is tired of her family practice and at odds with God. Dealing with critically ill and dying patients has crushed her spirit to the point she’s ready to quit. But she soon realizes that there’s more to healing than ministering to the physical body.Scott Anderson was the oldest graduate of his seminary class. Then again, most of them hadn’t turned away from a medical practice, hoping to atone for past mistakes (including his wife’s death) by ministering to men’s souls. Now he hopes he hasn’t made a colossal mistake in switching careers. Each of these individuals becomes linked to the other, and each finds that God has a purpose for them—but, as it often does, the lesson comes with discomfort.

    Who is the demon stalking the streets of London? Lady Agatha takes matters in hand, ably supported by golf fanatic friend, Betty Stevens, former school hockey captain, ‘Sausage’ Gossage and Talleyrand, her unlucky-in-love Basset hound.

    But this amateur sleuth has trouble concentrating on the notes as she begins to see devious motives behind her fellow musicians' many mishaps.Meanwhile, her musically talented teenage daughter wants to give it all up for - gasp - the cheerleading squad. What's a musical mom to do? Can Amy fine-tune her investigation before the symphony is forced to close and she loses not only her dream job but her promising new relationship with the conductor?

    A poisoned cupcake swallowed by the local sheriff. Our sleuthing cook in the crosshairs for the crime! This is a cozy recipe you won't want to miss! Horrible histories suggest that the new girl in town, Samantha Baker, has reason for revenge on the family of the poisoned lawman. Virtually alone, and with no time to spare, Sammy turns sleuth to uncover the cop killing culprit and solve this messy small-town mystery. Sammy’s investigations will divulge dastardly deeds that require every ounce of faith and forgiveness she can muster before she can finally close the case and put the cherry on this cupcake catastrophe. Dying for Cupcakes is a Christian Cozy mystery with all of the ingredients that you love - an amateur sleuth, a small town, a cast of colorful characters and a clean mystery with lots of deliciously unsavory surprises. Join Sammy for as she seeks to clear her good name and restore peace to Sunny Cove and buy Dying For Cupcakes today.

    He slips his own letter into the packet before it is mailed out to the churches in Richmond, Philadelphia and Chicago seeking his own bride. When the stage arrives with the brides Joshua finds his didn’t make the trip. However, his heart has chosen another, his intended’s best friend. Can he help her overcome her guilt at stealing her friend's beau, or are they destined for heartache? Can he truly prove he loves her and make her The Pastor’s Replacement Bride? In Chicago, Hattie Long is about to end her indentured service as a cook's helper in one of the upscale brothels in Chi town. The gangster who owns the brothel informs her that when her service is up he will take her under his wing and show her how to please his customers and make her his star attraction. At the advice of her pastor's daughter with the same name as her tells her about a group of women going west to become mail order brides including herself. They arrange for her to join them. But on the day of departure Hattie’s friend is struck down with scarlet fever. When the brides arrive in Sanctuary her friend’s beau, Pastor Joshua Bryce, decides to court her to escape a forced marriage by the deacons. Soon trouble follows and Hattie has to escape her past. Can she finally find her happily ever after as the Pastor’s Replacement Bride?

     Holly Anna Paladin can’t wait to celebrate Christmas with family and friends. She loves everything about the season—celebrating the birth of Jesus, singing carols, and baking Christmas treats, just to name a few. But when a local family needs help, how can she say no? Holly’s community has come together to help raise funds to save the home of Greg and Babette Sullivan, but a Bah-Humburgler has snatched the canisters of cash. Holly and her boyfriend, police detective Chase Dexter, team up to catch the Christmas crook. Will they succeed in collecting enough cash to cover the Sullivans’ overdue bills? Or will someone succeed in ruining Christmas for all those involved? ONCE UPON A CHRISTMAS WISH ~ Samantha Bayarr Kate is lonely, single, and about to turn forty. She has lost all interest in the Christmas season until a mysterious package that has followed her around for twenty years winds up at her doorstep. When her handsome neighbor, Jack, takes an interest in the contents of the mystery package, will Kate's outlook on Christmas change? How will Jack help her get past her worst Christmas ever? BRIGHT NEW MURDER ~ Traci Tyne Hilton Homeless preschoolers, angry protesters, frozen yogurt, and murder. Jane Adler is keen to try on her detective hat, and the dead lady at the Christmas fundraiser is her perfect shot. Timing is everything and this murder was timed perfectly to destroy her best friend Jake's growing Fro-Yo business. He's a great friend--just a friend, honest-- and she owes him a favor or two. But discovering who would want to kill the town’s favorite preschool teacher is messy business, and Jane doesn't have a moment to waste! SECRET SANTA ~ Amanda Tru It was time for Hailey Rhodes to admit the truth: things were not going well. After losing her job as a teacher, she finds herself broke, unemployed, and tricked into accepting a date from a department store Santa Claus. When new opportunities and new love interests present themselves, will Hailey choose a career and a man she's always admired, or will she wait for the identity of her Secret Santa to be revealed? THEN THERE WERE NONE ~ V.B. Tenery Mass murder doesn’t happen in Matt Foley’s town . . . it doesn’t happen to his friends. Someone is going to pay. Disturbing crime scenes are nothing new to the Twin Falls Police Chief. But this one is different. The victims are friends. In their Tudor mansion just inside the city limits, a family is dead—husband, wife, two kids, and the family cook. The killer made one mistake. He left a survivor. The husband is one of the big three in the microchip industry. The family lived a quiet modest life. It doesn’t make sense. Until . . . SHADOWS OF DOUBT ~ Susette Williams Raffealle Gellermine has a very protective uncle and two protective brothers. They never like the men she brings home. Mathew Flannigan has a past, but for the life of her, she can’t figure out why her Uncle Rob and her brothers are trying to encourage a relationship between them.

    Hunted by a vague enemy which always seems one step ahead, Alex uncovers the truth of her birth, the figures who have supported her, and the factions that have thwarted her throughout her life. Finally, Alex understands her own personal history, and the choices she must make for herself, her team, and the world. This sixth installment of the Alex the Fey thriller series is a wild, dangerous adventure filled with heart pounding relationships you will never forget. If you love a strong female character caught in a suspenseful psychological thriller, Finding North will not disappoint. Finding North is the sixth book in Claudia Hall Christian’s Alex the Fey thriller series. "(Finding North) is astounding." GM "Awesome and amazing! I loved it." AC

    His housekeeper guarded his secrets with her life. Now Enid Gilchrist must draw on her experience as a genealogist to replicate that search and protect those secrets while she unravels the clues that have crossed the years to spawn a new criminal and threaten those she loves. She also must draw on her strength of will to prevent her feelings for Chief of Police Patrick Mulhaney from hindering their mutual efforts to solve the mystery, bring peace to the dead, and protect the living.

    Looking for peace and quiet, his life is instead thrown into turmoil when his wife and son are kidnapped, forcing him to use his FBI training to save them.

    But his deductive abilities will be put to the test when he’s called on to detect philatelic forgeries at Thwaites, one of the city’s great auction houses. The recently knighted cat also finds time to coach a croquet team, oversee rehearsals of a sequel to Cats, and help deliver a baby. Not to be outdone by cheesy actors or blundering attorneys, he makes his film debut and testifies in a criminal trial at the Old Bailey. But he has a special place in his heart for St. James’s Palace, the address he longs to call home. This delightful sequel to James the Connoisseur will prove irresistible catnip for feline lovers.