In Close Your Eyes, The New York Times bestselling duo Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen are back with a suspenseful novel about a once-blind woman with a talent for tracking serial killers

The FBI doesn't usually consult with music therapists to solve their cases. But Kendra Michael's astonishing powers of observation and analysis have made her a favorite of law enforcement agencies all across the country. Blind for the first twenty years of her life, she cares little for investigative work but can't deny her unique skill, or the results she's been able to facilitate. Kendra learned at an early age to become hyper-aware of her surroundings, perfecting the art of picking up the most subtle audio, olfactory, and tactile cues in the world around her. Like a secret weapon, she is in high demand.

Former FBI agent Adam Lynch, known as The Puppetmaster, has weapons of his own. He's a notorious master manipulator, skillfully handling criminals and colleagues alike to get the results he wants. Now he needs Kendra's special brand of help, but she's not interested until Lynch reveals that Agent Jeff Stedler—Kendra's ex—is missing and may have run directly into the path of a serial killer. What began as a heinous murder investigation escalates into something even larger and more frightening: a multi-million dollar conspiracy to hide a secret that's worth killing for, again and again and again.

A TOY TO KILL FOR

Celebrated criminal lawyer Marc Kadella takes on the fall-out of a class action suit against a beloved corporate toy company gone wrong—and ends up falling down a rabbit hole of insider trading, sex scandal, political corruption, and murder, in the eighth page-turner of the Marc Kadella legal mystery series.

Like most investors, venture capitalist Cal Simpson has his fingers in many a financial pie. There’s cutting edge war plane procurement, state-of-the-art toy manufacturing, and the occasional affair with the right politician (to name a few). Some call him a shady Wall Street kinda guy. Others know him to be a tyrant—a mastermind with puppets intricately connected by a billion dollar string.

One of his pet projects is the newest Cannon Brothers toy—a motorized skateboard for kids as young as 10 that takes the marketplace by storm, until it blows up—literally. Seems its Chinese manufacturer has installed lithium batteries that overheat the braking system, sometimes causing it to explode—leaving 24 kids dead and 500 injured. But the bigger problem is just as sinister: the small pool of people with insider knowledge of the defect are beginning to disappear…

First there’s Irving Haraldson, a company engineer who discovered the defect before release and brought it to management with a furrowed brow. He was told every single battery would be replaced, release date be damned. And then he was discovered behind a Minneapolis pick-up bar with 3 bullets in his head.

Then there’s the capable albeit young corporate lawyer Lynn McDaniel, who was assigned to defend Cannon Brothers in litigation. After discovering the engineer’s memo and distributing it to her boss, Zach Evans, she turns up dead in the woods en route to a 4th of July party being thrown by Zach’s father-in-law: Cal Simpson.

Zach finds himself on trial for murder, with inimitable criminal lawyer Marc Kadella in his corner—and a nagging suspicion Cal knows more than he’s let on.

A bleak and accurate portrayal of the lewd world of financial crime, where not even children are protected from the greedy and power-hungry, Insider Justice is Dennis Carstens’s most intricate murder mystery yet—a heart-racing financial thriller that reads like a delicate puzzle, and a plot that twists and turns with meticulous precision—right up to its astounding conclusion.

Foiled is the Fourteenth mystery in the highly entertaining Dev Haskell Private Investigator series. Fun loving, back slapping, wrong guessing Dev is surprised when Bonnie, a one-night stand from ten years back, suddenly shows up in the office and hires Dev, along with his Golden Retriever, Morton to provide 'security' for she and her business partner Iggy while they complete a software project. Iggy turns out to have a number of issues, add to that the criminal activity of Niles Wegger as he attempts to insert a bug in the software and you've got Dev calling on former NFL tight end, Luscious Dixon for some special help. If you like Carl Hiaasen, Tim Dorsey & Elmore Leonard - make room for one more!

"Faricy is America's hottest new mystery writer...and Dev Haskell is one of the looniest and most enjoyable characters inhabiting the world out there today."
The Dirty Lowdown

"Faricy is the next Carl Hiaasen."
Crime Scene

"I'm not sure what Faricy is drinking...but it really works!"
Behind Bars

FATHER DIVINE’S BIKES exposes the dark underbelly of 1945 Newark, New Jersey; a city that boomed during World War II but finds itself unable to cope with the peace that brings joblessness, despair and crime. As deeply-entrenched white enclaves are squeezed by the mass migration of blacks, escape routes for poor ethnic whites rapidly close. Two Catholic altar boys living in a world ripe for grifters, like Father Divine, soon learn that his promise of heaven on earth has hellish consequences.

In the autumn of 1945, a battle erupts when the city’s competing mobs end their truce. When it gets bloody, other criminal forces poise to move in. Black bookies, using Father Divine’s controversial International Peace Mission Movement as a front, recruit Joey Bancik and Richie Maxwell to run numbers under the guise of newspaper routes.

The boys' families welcome the few bucks they can put on the table. Meanwhile, their parish priest and two homicide detectives fear the numbers racket will entrap the boys in a world of crime.

Turf wars, murders, and a corrupt police department in bed with the mob form a dark and gritty backdrop against a story of post-war Newark and the violence that permeated it.

The annual Mystic Hollow Holiday Festival is right around the corner and Elly Blair is up to her elbows in gingerbread man cookies and magic spells. Running Mystic Cafe this Christmas season has Elly busier than ever, so when she's asked to train Mildred Melton on how to add magic to tasty dishes, Elly has no idea how she'll manage it all. Things only get more hectic when Mildred disappears after an encounter with a strange man. National Organization of Magic Detective Tom Owenton comes to investigate, but before he can solve the crime, he disappears too. Now Elly has to find Mildred and Tom. Missing magic spells and spells gone awry only add to the mayhem.

Twelve festive mysteries for your Christmas wish list…

Roger Riccard, having published two previous Sherlock Holmes novels, The Case of the Poisoned Lilly and The Case of the Twain Papers, has again taken pen in hand to bring forth a series of twelve short stories from the Christmas seasons of Holmes’ career.

From a case endangering Queen Victoria to his old arch-nemesis Moriarty, follow Sherlock as he encounters the most unfathomable mysteries, all portrayed with Riccard’s trademark style and immersive historical detail. Just who did shoot Sir James Piersall at the stroke of midnight? And can Holmes and Watson prevent an assassination at Christmas Eve dinner - without knowing which of the royal guests is the intended target?

Brimming with wit, intrigue and mystery, Sherlock enthusiasts will be transfixed and delighted by this collection.
 

Praise for Roger Riccard:

"Roger Riccard is an extremely good pastiche writer. Personally, I think the best since the late Val Andrews passed over Reichenbach" - Joel Senter, publisher of the Sherlockian E-Times

Roger Riccard is an American author. Having graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and History from California State University, his career spans teaching, journalism and business writing. Inspired by his British ancestry, he took an interest in the works of Arthur Conan Doyle from an early age, later writing Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Poisioned Lilly and Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Twain Papers. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Rosilyn.

“A Prize Plot.” -San Francisco Examiner

“A bright, light, cleverly written tale.” -Cincinnati Post

HE KNOWS TOO MUCH—BUT HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE KNOWS…

Things were going lousy for ex-reporter Paul Mcdonald: No money, no girl friend, no bright new career as a mystery novelist … and then along came private investigator Jack Birnbaum with an offer: he’d detect, and Paul would write the client reports. It wasn’t much, but it would keep Spot the cat in Kitty Queen tidbits.

But then somebody poisoned Jack in Paul’s own living room. A day that begins with a body in your house really ought to get better, but next comes burglary and after that, assault-by-cop. And Paul’s got a feeling that’s just the beginning. There must have been something someone didn't want him to know in one of those client reports. But what?

The wise-cracking, funny, but slightly depressed ex-journalist better become an ace private investigator in about two seconds—or end up like his detective mentor.

Birnbaum's last report concerned a kidnapped child, so Paul begins there. The trail leads him to the laboratory of a Nobel laureate geneticist, and then to San Francisco City Hall, where an extremely nasty surprise awaits. But there’s an upside—lovely witness Sardis Kincannon. Nothing like falling in love while you’re running for your life!

The FIRST Paul Mcdonald P.I. mystery by the Edgar-winning author of the Skip Langdon series

“One more blithe San Fran outing with a likeable journalist-sleuth by the name of Paul Mcdonald … Smith improves with each story and this is her best to date.” -Kirkus Reviews

The San Francisco Bay Area shines here, as does the author's wit and humor.

Fans of CASTLE, MURDER SHE WROTE, even ELLERY QUEEN will enjoy this fast-paced and funny take on the mystery-writer-as-detective. As will people who like their male sleuths wry, witty, and a little on the soft-boiled side—fans of Parnell Hall’s Stanley Hastings, say, Tony Dunbar’s Tubby Dubonnet, Gregory Mcdonald’s Fletch (this Mcdonald, it's worth noting, is Paul’s personal hero), Lawrence Block’s Bernie Rhodenbarr, and especially Rex Stout’s Archie Goodwin. Female sleuths with a sense of humor remind us of him too—for instance, Criminal Minds’ Penelope Garcia and the immortal Amelia Peabody (of whom he’d be terrified if they ever met).

You’d hate your mom too, if she put a cursing curse on you. Yeah. I can’t curse out loud. Ever.

So when I get accused of murdering a vampire, the best I’ve got is, “Mother duck!”

It gets even bleeping better when I find out my arse of an ex-boyfriend is leading the investigation against me. Have I fantasized about being chained up by a hot dragon shifter? Yeah, but not like this.

I mean, how am I supposed to prove I didn’t kill Georgina the loudmouth buttface?

I'm a wingless fairy without a stinkin' scrap of power in a town full of supernaturals. Who’s gonna believe me?

If I don't want to spend a lifetime in a fudgin' dungeon, I’m gonna have to find the real killer, and fast. Unfortunately, the further I dig, the more motives I find. Georgina didn’t make a lot of friends.

To top it all off, I meet the world’s sexiest vamp. And guess what? I think he did it.

Fate's a freaking beach.

If you like Jim Butcher, Patricia Briggs, Charlaine Harris, Darynda Jones, Domino Finn, Michael Anderle, Rick Gualtieri, K.F. Breene, Shayne Silvers, Ilona Andrews, Brad Magnarella, or Kim Harrison...you'll have a blast with the first book in the Lyon Fox Mysteries.

Christmas at the Circus!
What if the holly berry meant more than a cozy Christmas tradition? When Trixie, billed by the Concello circus as the world’s smallest Lady Godiva, finds a large ruby on the circus grounds, she thinks she’s one of the luckiest people on earth. Until she learns the stone’s past is stained as holly-red as the jewel itself. 



When the police get involved, suspicion is cast not just on Trixie, but on her other friends at the circus. 

The pressure is on with Trixie getting threats from an anonymous source. When the calliope player is murdered, Trixie knows the threats she has been receiving aren't just to scare her... she'll be the next to die if she can't find out the truth about the stone and unmask the murderer.


Do you love thrilling whodunnits? Cozy mysteries? Sizzling suspense with dangerous twists and turns?

They each had secrets; one of those secrets got them all killed.
(Burning Secrets by Jane Blythe)

Two detectives hunt a serial killer, but the killer's hunting them.
(Double Blind by Dan Alatorre)

Sometimes imaginary enemies are the most deadly. 
(Grayout by Bill Hargenrader)

DEATH AND DAMAGES offers page-turning tales starring courageous cops, adventurous agents, daring detectives, and snooping sleuths that will keep you guessing to the very end.

You'll find 24 exciting escapades full of captivating conundrums, hair-raising homicides, and page-turning adventures from USA Today & Wall Street Journal Bestselling and award-winning authors. 

Whether you love bone-chilling suspense and cold-blooded killers, or an entertaining whodunnit that tickles your brain, you'll find the escape you've been seeking in this enthralling mystery and thriller boxed set. 

Fans of Lee Child, James Patterson, Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins, and John Grisham will devour these puzzling mysteries and gripping thrillers.  

Secure this action-packed limited edition collection! Order today.

New York Times Bestselling Author 
Patricia Loofbourrow

Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author 
Judith Lucci

USA Today Bestselling Authors
Judith Lucci
Patricia Loofbourrow
Pauline Creeden
John Ling
Shereen Vedam
Kelly Hashway  
Maggie Carpenter
Tiana Laveen
Fiona Quinn
Muffy Wilson and Dariel Raye
Ja'Nese Dixon
Terry Keys

Award-Winning Authors
Alexa Padgett
Siera London
Deborah Shlian
Karen M. Bryson
Maria Grazia Swan
Maggie Carpenter

“Todd has written a first novel that speaks out, urgently and compassionately, for a long-dead generation….A meticulously wrought puzzle.”
—New York Times Book Review

“An intricately plotted mystery. With this remarkable debut, Charles Todd breaks new ground in the historical crime novel.”
—Peter Lovesey, author of The Circle

“You’re going to love Todd.”
—Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly

The first novel to feature war-damaged Scotland Yard inspector Ian Rutledge, A Test of Wills is the book that brought author Charles Todd into the spotlight. This Edgar® and Anthony Award-nominated, New York Times Notable mystery brilliantly evokes post-World War I Great Britain and introduces readers to one of crime fiction’s most compelling series protagonists. Here the shell-shocked Rutledge struggles to retain his fragile grip on sanity while investigating the death of a popular army colonel, murdered, it appears, by a decorated war hero with ties to the Royal Family. A phenomenal writer, a twisting puzzle, a character-rich re-creation of an extraordinary time and place…it all adds up to one exceptional read that will delight fans of Elizabeth George, Martha Grimes, Jacqueline Winspear, Ruth Rendell, and other masters of the British procedural.

I am Savannah Van Duyn. Damaged. Desperate. Extremely Dangerous.

These first three books start the story of a bullied sixteen year old girl who has no choice but to leave her family and friends and crawl into the web of a ruthless geneticist, a creepy scientist who claims to be able to fix her every problem at the DNA level.  This story begs the question, if you change your face and body, can you change your life? Get ready to meet the most badass girl of all time.

A missing girl, illegal human experiments, the biggest secret in US history…

Old science says you’re born a certain way.  But if you push experimental science too far, if you don’t die in the process, can you become something else entirely? Something not quite human? Follow this extraordinary girl into the depths of dark science and conspiracy as she becomes something far more extraordinary than the human mind can fathom.

INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR:

Q: Why should readers try this series?

A: This bold new series starts out looking at the life of a regular(ish) teen girl who’s bullied at the hands of her mother, the paparazzi and her fellow students. But what happens over this nine book series is this unfortunate girl becomes the most badass girl in all of history. Most readers will appreciate this series because there is literally nothing like it out there right now, which makes the Swann series feel fresh and yes, highly addictive.

Q: What kind of series is this?

A: Swann and Monarch (books one and two) are both human stories steeped in high school angst, bullies, difficult parents and the twisted effects of human genetic modification. The third book, Clone, kicks this world wide open, unleashing a rapidly evolving world of urban fantasy. By the ninth and final book in this series, urban fantasy will have become dark fantasy, but by then you’ll be so hooked that nothing else will matter (the author says with a Cheshire cat-like grin).

Q: What kind of readers will enjoy these books?

A: Fans of Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games and Divergent will appreciate this unique series.

Q: Are there adult themes in this series?

A: Yes. In staying authentic to the YA world, there is some strong language, violence and adult situations. I personally feel this series should be enjoyed by ages 15 and above.

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING…

“This book easily surpasses five stars. There is very uniquely constructed world with relatable problems most teens and young adults can connect to. I just love stories like these that almost can't really be put into a classification or they can be stuffed into several.”

– Rebecca, Amazon Reviewer for Swann ★★★★★

“Wow! Monarch was even better than Swann. The twists and turns were very interesting. I couldn’t put the book down, it was so good. Loved it!"

– Rose, Amazon Reviewer for Monarch ★★★★★

“This is my favorite of the first three books! It’s scripted so well that I could literally feel their feelings and pain. I cried and laughed and totally enjoyed this book. The character development is phenomenal.”

– Kierra, Amazon Reviewer for Clone ★★★★★

READING ORDER OF THE SWANN SERIES:

• Swann
• Monarch
• Clone
• Masochist
• Weapon
• Raven
• Abomination
• Enigma
• Crucified (Coming Soon!)

Winner of the 1991 Edgar Allan Poe Award for best novel and the FIRST mystery in the highly acclaimed Skip Langdon series, New Orleans Mourning falls deliciously between the psychological suspense of Laura Lippman and the delicate drama of Tennessee Williams.

"Murder at the Mardi Gras and the flavor of New Orleans ... Old secrets are highlighted in this wonderful story that is as filled with topical information as it is with a great story about murder and history. Smith writes with authority about her city." -Ocala Star Banner

"Smith is a gifted writer." –Washington Post Book World

MURDER, MARDI GRAS--AND MORE SECRETS THAN BEADS...

It's Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and civic leader and socialite Chauncy St. Amant has been crowned Rex, King of Carnival. But his day of glory comes to an abrupt and bloody end when a parade-goer dressed as Dolly Parton guns him down. Is the killer his aimless, promiscuous daughter Marcelle? Homosexual, mistreated son Henry? Helpless, alcoholic wife Bitty? Or some unknown player? Turns out the king had enemies...

Enter resourceful heroine Skip Langdon, a rookie police officer and former debutante turned cynic of the Uptown crowd. Scouring the streets for clues, interviewing revelers and street people with names like Jo Jo, Hinky, and Cookie, and using her white glove contacts, the post-deb rebel cop encounters a tangled web of brooding clues and ancient secrets that could mean danger for her—and doom for the St. Amants.

Langdon, with her weight worries, insecurities, and yet overall toughness has long been a favorite of those who like their female sleuths bold, smart, and refreshingly human.

“Smith finds secrets and potential in nearly all corners of New Orleans.” –NPR

"Julie Smith writes like jazz should sound—cool, complex, and penetrating right to the heart.” -Val McDermid, best-selling author of the Tony Hill series

"Though her plot careens with as many twists and turns as a car chase through the French Quarter, it is Smith's rotating focus on the complex viewpoints of her fully formed characters that gives her sixth novel its psychological and emotional depth ... [A] rich, tightly structured narrative." -Publishers Weekly

Fans of Ace Atkins, Tana French, Sue Grafton, and Marcia Muller will love Skip Langdon’s pluck and charm.

Two Native-American boys have vanished into thin air, leaving a pool of blood behind them. Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn of the Navajo Tribal Police has no choice but to suspect the very worst, since the blood that stains the parched New Mexican ground once flowed through the veins of one of the missing, a young Zuñi. But his investigation into a terrible crime is being complicated by an important archaeological dig . . . and a steel hypodermic needle. And the unique laws and sacred religious rites of the Zuñi people are throwing impassable roadblocks in Leaphorn's already twisted path, enabling a craven murderer to elude justice or, worse still, to kill again.

Stephanie Plum faces the toughest puzzle of her career in the twenty-fifth entry in Janet Evanovich's #1 New York Times-bestselling series.

There's nothing like a good deli, and the Red River Deli in Trenton is one of the best. World-famous for its pastrami, cole slaw, and for its disappearing managers. Over the last month, three have vanished from the face of the earth, and the only clue in each case is one shoe that's been left behind. The police are baffled. Lula is convinced that it's a case of alien abduction. Whatever it is, they'd better figure out what's going on before they lose their new manager, Ms. Stephanie Plum.

ALL MEN MUST DIE. "Integrating police procedural, Holmesian puzzle-solving, bio-thriller, and political commentary, Androcide's style and substance will prove irresistible for readers." -The BookLife Prize

Detectives link gruesome murders to the Eunuch Maker, a serial killer targeting men. The stakes soon escalate to global proportions."An unusual combination of international espionage and murder mystery...powerful, high-octane, engrossingly unpredictable...very highly recommended" -D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

"Riveting, relentlessly paced" -Internet Review of Books
"Chilling addition to his INTEL 1 series, fascinating and magnetic" -Tome Tender
"Diverse, well-developed characters and an intricate, engaging story" -RT Reviews

Secrets Revealed

Hitler has surrendered. The Nazi flags, which once hung throughout the city, striking terror in the hearts of Polish citizens, have been torn down. It seems that Warsaw should be rejoicing in its new-found freedom. But Warsaw is not free. Instead it is occupied by the Soviet Union, held tightly in Stalin’s iron grip. Communist soldiers, in uniform, now control the city. Where once people feared the dreaded swastika, now they tremble at the sight of the hammer and sickle. It is a treacherous time. And, in the midst of all of this danger, Ela Dobinski, a girl with a secret that could change her life, is coming of age.

DEATH ON A DEADLINE—EVEN BEFORE SHE TAKES THE CASE SHE’S ALMOST OUT OF TIME…

“She is smart, tough, and tenacious... a wonderfully entertaining read.”—Publisher’s Weekly,
Unlicensed P.I. Casey Jones is back in prison – just visiting – but even the death row inmate she’s come to interview can see she’s one shade of green away from a full-blown panic attack.

Fifteen years ago, this hard-boiled babe walked out of a Florida prison after serving an eighteen-month sentence, sporting160 pounds of “nobody kicks my ass” and a couple of inches of dark roots at the base of her bleach job (“simply to confuse people into underestimating me”)--and swearing she’d never set foot in a prison again. But the family of the convicted woman just isn’t buying the story that she killed her cop husband,, and they’ve hired North Carolina’s mouthiest female sleuth to find enough new evidence to get her a new trial and save her from lethal injection—in a month.

No way to hit that deadline! And nobody wants her to take this case-– not Bobby D., her super-size fellow private investigator, not Bill Butler, the lean and long-lashed Raleigh PD detective whom she is studiously “not dating,” and not even the convicted woman who abandoned all hope long before she entered prison. But Bill told her – twice – not to take the case, and no man tells Casey what to do. She’s definitely taking it,—and the ride begins…

OUT OF TIME manages to tag all the bases: all the suspense of a taut thriller, leavened by Casey’s hilarious wisecracks, and just when you think she’s as brittle as her bleached locks, her humanity breaks through, revealing that no matter how loosely she follows the rules, she is deeply committed to seeing justice done. For all her resemblance to Archie Goodwin, Rex Stout’s wisecracking leg man, Casey’s her own woman: Casey Jones, karmic avenger.

The only lead the family can offer is a call from the presiding judge. He’s convinced that justice went awry somewhere along the line, and is planning to share his suspicions with Casey, but he’s unable to keep the appointment due to his own untimely demise. Now Casey’s sure something’s hinky. Fortunately, she has all the right connections to sniff out the information she needs. Working at top speed, she puts it all together and makes enough trouble to land her on the 6:00 news. That gets the cops’ attention.

Still, while the law is dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s, it’s finally up to Casey to bring the killer to justice in a dramatic capture that is at once as harrowing as it is hilarious. And, in a case bumped all the way to the Supreme Court, the ruling is finally rendered: Casey Jones’s ass is every bit as gorgeous as she has always claimed.

OUT OF TIME (and the rest of this fine series) will appeal to fans of all female sleuth mysteries—private eyes like Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone, Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski, Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan, Marcia Muller’s Sharon McCone, and Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, as well as their tough and witty male antecedents. If you ever flipped over Philip Marlowe, Spenser, or of course, the immortal Wolfe and his buddy Archie, you’ll fall in love with their direct descendant, Casey Jones, Private Eye.

Evanovich herself said: “Casey Jones joins the ranks of smart and gutsy heroines. The South will never be the same. Don't miss her."—Janet Evanovich

Florida transplant Georgia Lee Maxwell doesn't take to Paris at first, despite the fact that she's at least leaving a no-good man and a hated job as a society editor. Now she's a Paris correspondent, thank you very much—a dream come true for any journalist.

There's just a slight down side—she arrives in freezing rain, gets caught in a traffic jam caused by a bomb scare, and hates her apartment; but the real Bonjour is finding herself face down on a museum floor during a robbery. "Killed for a boring story!" she thinks. But as it happens, she isn't the one who dies. Three terrifying masked gunmen shoot the unfortunate security guard.

They could have stolen all the treasures of Monte Cristo's cave, so to speak, but it turns out they've made off with only a mirror. True, it once belonged to the French seer Nostradamus, but it may be the museum's least valuable item.

Does it have some prophetic ability? Does someone know something the gendarmes don't? Here's what Georgia Lee knows: If she finds out first, she's a journalistic hero. If she doesn't, she's dead.

Michaela Thompson's ability to bring alive a locale shines here, and when the locale is Paris, what's not to like? The writing is crisp, the protagonist witty, and the mystery is twisty. A great choice for armchair travelers! Also for fans of Cara Black, Michael Bond, and of course, the great Georges Simenon. Admirers of Hank Phillippi Ryan and the HBO show, THE NEWSROOM, will love the journalistic background.

Excerpt:
The first hint of anything extraordinary was a loud clattering on the staircase we had just descended. A moment later, three people burst violently into the room.

One of them, stumbling as if he’d been pushed, was the blue-uniformed guard I’d seen upstairs. The other two wore jeans, burgundy-colored ski masks, brown leather bomber jackets, and gloves. Both of them held stubby black guns. They looked around at us. One of them spat out some sort of order in French.

It was the most ungodly nightmare. Here were these killers, or terrorists, or who knew what, telling us to do something, and they were telling us in French. At that moment, I couldn’t have understood Bonjour. But the others— the guard, Mallet, Overton— were getting on the floor and lying face down, so I did the same. In a second, one of the intruders grabbed my wrists and taped them together, tight. I heard them shuffling around taping the others.

I lay with my nose pressed against the cold linoleum, wishing to God I’d never left Florida. Any indignity I’d had to put up with at the Sun was nothing compared to this. I was going to be killed, and all because of a story about art conservation that probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway. I thought about Mama and Daddy, and about Twinkie, who was just getting adjusted to Paris. I’m happy to say I didn’t give more than a passing thought to Ray Brown, the man I’d left in Bay City who wasn’t worth a damn.

All of this took just seconds. I heard a drawer opening and closing. The back of my head prickled. In everything I’d read about these situations, people got shot in the back of the head. The prickling became a numbness that crawled down my neck and along my spine.

Only a moment later, the shot came.

"With a dose of Southern charm and a bad boy you won't want to forget, A Cutthroat Business has enough wit and sexual chemistry to rival Janet Evanovich!" - New York Times bestselling author Tasha Alexander

"VERDICT: The hilarious dialog and the tension between Savannah and Rafe will delight fans of chick-lit mysteries and romantic suspense." - Jo Ann Vicarel, Library Journal


Savannah Martin has always been a good girl, doing what was expected and fully expecting life to fall into place in its turn. But when her perfect husband turns out to be a lying, cheating slimeball—and bad in bed to boot—Savannah kicks the jerk to the curb and embarks on life on her own terms. With a new apartment, a new career, and a brand new outlook on life, she’s all set to take the world by storm.

If only the world would stop throwing her curveballs...

Everyone has warned new-minted realtor Savannah Martin that real estate is a cutthroat business. But Savannah doesn’t think she’s supposed to take the warning literally ... until an early morning phone call sends her to an empty house on the ‘bad’ side of town, where she finds herself standing over the butchered body of a competitor, face to face with the boy her mother always warned her about.

Rafe Collier is six feet three inches of testosterone and trouble; tall, dark, and dangerous, with a murky past and no future—not the kind of guy a perfect Southern Belle should want to tangle with. In any way. But wherever Savannah turns, there he is, and making no bones about what he wants from her.

Now Savannah must figure out who killed real estate queen Brenda Puckett, make a success of her new career, and avoid getting killed—or kissed—by Rafe, all before the money in her savings account runs out and she has to go back to selling make-up at the mall.

"A frothy girl drink of houses, hunks and whodunit narrated in a breezy first person ... If you love an umbrella in your drink, grab A Cutthroat Business for a quick beach read." -Lyda Phillips, Nashville Scene