A serial killer is stalking the streets of New Orleans. The victims are killed in a ritual fashion, a series of numbers tattooed into their bodies. There are no clues, no connections except one: a crumbling old asylum that was once the scene of unspeakable madness--and is now the calling card of a new kind of fear.
Is Searching For...
Eve Renner knows Our Lady of Virtues Hospital well. As the daughter of one of its doctors, she spent her childhood exploring its secrets chambers, hidden rooms, and forbidden passageways. Now, somewhere in the decaying asylum lies the key to a betrayal from the past whose echoes are being felt with a vengeance--a crime beyond imagining that seems to lead to Eve herself.
The Perfect Victim...
As each new body is found and forgotten, memories surface, and Eve must race to put together a deadly puzzle, one terrifying piece at a time. A killer is watching, planning, luring her back to the ruins of Our Lady and the shocking truths hidden there. For the sins of the past must be revealed, and the price paid--in blood...
]]>Twenty-seven-year-old Kristi Bentz is lucky to be alive. Not many people her age have nearly died twice at the hands of a serial killer, and lived to tell about it. Her dad, New Orleans detective, Rick Bentz, wants Kristi to stay in New Orleans and out of danger. But if anything, Kristi's experiences have made her even more fascinated by the mind of the serial killer. She hasn't given up her dream of being a true-crime writer--of exploring the darkest recesses of evil--and now she just may get her chance.
Four girls have disappeared at All Saints College in less than two years. All four were "lost souls"--troubled, vulnerable girls with no one to care about them, no one to come looking if they disappeared. The police think they're runaways, but Kristi senses there's something that links them, something terrifying. She decides to enroll, following their same steps. All Saints has changed a lot since Kristi was an undergraduate. The stodgy Catholic college has lured edgy new professors to its campus and gained a reputation for envelope-pushing, with classes like the very popular "The Influence of Vampirism in Modern Culture and Literature," and elaborately staged morality plays that feel more like the titillating entertainment of some underground club than religious spectacles. And there are whispers of a dark cult on campus whose members wear vials of blood around their necks and meet in secret chambers--rituals to which only the elite have access. To find the truth, Kristi will need to become part of the cult's inner circle, to learn their secrets, and play the part of lost soul without losing herself in the process. It's a dangerous path, and Kristi is skating on its knife-thin edge.
The deeper she goes, the more Kristi begins to wonder if she is the hunter or the prey. She's certain she's being watched and followed--studied, even--as yet another girl disappears, and another. And when the bodies finally begin to surface--in ways that bring fear to the campus and terror to the hearts of even hardened cops like Detective Bentz and his partner Reuben Montoya--Kristi realizes with chilling clarity that she has underestimated her foe. She is playing a game with a killer more cunning and bloodthirsty than anyone can imagine, one who has personally selected her for membership in a cult of death from which there will be no escape.
]]>THAN BEING LEFT ALONE...
In the lonely woods around Grizzly Falls, Montana, four bodies have been discovered. Detectives Selena Alvarez and Regan Pescoli have been hoping for a career-making case, but this is a nightmare. Even with the FBI involved, Selena and Regan have nothing to go on but a killer's cryptic notes, and the unsettling knowledge that there is much worse to come...
TO DIE...
When Jillian Rivers opens her eyes, she's trapped in a mangled car. Then a stranger, claiming to be a trail guide named Zane MacGregor, pries her free. Though she's grateful, something about him sets Jillian on edge. And if she knew what lay out there in the woods of Montana, she'd be truly terrified. Because someone is waiting...watching...poised to strike and make Jillian the next victim...
]]>SHE WOKE UP WITH NO MEMORIES . . .
Secluded at the magnificent Cahill mansion, Marla waits for something to trigger recognition. Yet the only thing she's left with is the unshakable feeling that she is not who everyone says she is, and that something is very, very wrong . . .
. . . AND SHE WOKE UP TO MURDER
Determined to piece together the truth of her identity, she finds herself drawn to her brother-in-law, Nick — a man who seems both to want and despise her. And as her fractured mind slowly clears, Marla begins to have flashes of another life . . . of cruel betrayals and deadly secrets. Marla's life isn't just different — it's in danger, controlled by a twisted killer who's waiting for the right moment to strike . . . the moment Marla remembers . . .
]]>Then Another...
A second hooker's corpse turns up. Samantha's ominous caller persists, along with a mysterious female claiming to be a woman from her past -- a woman who's been dead for years. With Detective Rick Bentz convinced that the serial killer prowling the shadowy streets of New Orleans is somebody close to Samantha, she doesn't dare trust anyone. Especially not Ty Wheeler, her seductive new neighbor who seems to know more about her than a stranger should.
...And Another
Somebody has discovered Samantha's darkest secret. Somebody is convinced that lives must be sacrificed to pay for her sins. So far, the victims have been strangers. Prostitutes. But as a cunning, cold-blooded killer grows bolder, Samantha wonders in dread if she will be the next to die...
]]>In the dark shadows of a sultry southern town, a serial killer strikes. It's an act of sinister precision that has happened many times before…every victim an offering to a hunger that can never be sated…
Night After Night…
The next morning, Caitlyn Montgomery Bandeaux wakes covered in blood. But Caitlyn has no memory of the night before, when her estranged husband was brutally murdered like so many others she has known…
After Night…
Wanted by the police and haunted by horrifying, fragmented memories, Caitlyn turns to Adam Hunt, the town's new psychologist. But how far can she really trust him? For as a twisted killer strikes again and again, Caitlyn's about to discover that those who appear the most innocent are usually the most evil...
]]>Shelby Cole thought she'd put Bad Luck behind her. Bad Luck, Texas, that is. She'd left her hometown ten years ago, her world shattered and her illegitimate baby dead. Now she's receiving anonymous letters claiming that her daughter is alive. But going home means demanding answers that her father, Judge Jerome Cole, won't be happy to give -- and facing Nevada Smith, the man who broke her heart.
]]>But now Jamie was back in town, a lawyer, all confidence and polished professionalism. And seeing her again set off a tidal wave of emotions Slade thought he'd dammed up ages ago. What had happened between them was ancient history. Still, there was something about Jamie that made Slade ache for more. A hell of a lot more…
]]>After her divorce, Erin has no desire to get involved with anyone -- especially not her new boss. But she can't resist Kane Webster . . . even if she doesn't always understand his mysterious manner. Before she can help it, she's swept into a passionate affair with a man she barely knows . . . a man she already loves. But when she discovers Kane's suspicions, she must decide -- can she stay with a man who suspects her of criminal intent?
]]>The heroine, Morgana of Llanwynn, is a beautiful, headstrong girl whom many consider a sorceress. She's known to see into the future, a gift she considers a curse. One night when the moon is high and the mist rises off the sea, Morgana experiences a vision of darkness and deceit. She sees a dark and deadly warrior appear and hears the omen rushing in her ears: There will be death. It comes to the house of Wenlock from the North.
Days later, Garrick of Abergwynn, the dark lord of a vast castle to the north and the embodiment of the fierce warrior appears. Seductive and brooding, he demands that Morgana help him locate his missing son.
Morgana is loath to trust this destroyer from the north...and yet she finds it impossible to resist him.
Enchantress is a story close to my heart, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.
-- Lisa Jackson
]]>KISS OF THE MOONis filled with magic, curses, heroes, and villains. It's set in medieval Wales, an intriguing place filled with deep magic, dark castles, brooding heroes, and strong-willed heroines. Adventure, allure, and avarice hide in the shadows of shadowy forests and candlelit towers of Castle Prydd where an ancient prophecy is fulfilled when Sorcha of Prydd comes into the world:"born during a tempest, with hair the color of a raven's wing, eyes the blue of midnight, and the kiss of the moon on skin like alabaster..."It's said that whoever is born with the KISS OF THE MOON birthmark upon his skin will rise to become the savior of Prydd. No one ever expected the chosen one to be a woman! Not only is this heresy, but an outrage. Surely the fates are wrong...or are they? Years later, Sorcha's courage is sorely tested when she must save her kidnapped sister and in doing so enters Hagan of Erbyn's bedchamber. Never intending to be seduced by the arrogant and handsome lord, she places a knife to his throat. But that is just the beginning -- and soon her pulse pounds whenever he's near. Though she warns herself that Hagan is her sworn enemy, Sorcha can't convince her wayward heart. KISS OF THE MOONis a tale of curses and lies, trust and betrayal, and, ultimately, the power of love. I hope you are captivated by it. -- Lisa Jackson
But in uncovering her guarded past, Kurt was forced to confront his own well-hidden desires: he wanted the very woman he'd been entrusted to protect. Yet Kurt feared having Randi in his bed would leave them both vulnerable to a force neither had ever imagined….
]]>A lot of money, cold, hard cash, has "ended up" in stockholder Garrett Reaves's bank account. Someone is trying to frame him. Investment house president Megan McKearn—his former lover—had motive, means and opportunity. Is she guilty? It looks as though Garrett will have to, once again, get very close to Megan to find out.
Zachary's Law
When a divorced mother's young children are kidnapped by her ex-husband, Lauren Regis exhausts every possibility of finding her son and daughter—until maverick attorney Zachary Winters agrees to take the case. Zach operates under his own set of rules. But even his unconventional methods don't include getting emotionally involved with the client…no matter how tempting.
]]>DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
Ten years ago Andrea Monroe loved politician Jefferson Harmon, and watched helplessly as their relationship was destroyed by his brother's lies. Now they are thrust back into each other's lives, and their hardest challenge will be to trust each other—and resist their long-simmering hunger.
]]>Passions run high in horse-racing circles, but thoroughbred breeder Becca Peters keeps a tight rein on her emotions. Except when it comes to Brig Chambers. Six years after he shattered their relationship with dangerous accusations, he's back, stirring up trouble…and undeniable heat.
Devil's Gambit
Tiffany Rhodes's horse farm was in trouble long before she met Zane Sheridan, a breeder with a shady reputation. Yet she couldn't help but feel relieved when Zane offered to buy her out. Though Tiffany didn't trust him, she was drawn to him like a magnet. What did this mysterious man want from her…and why was he using a gambit with her heart?
]]>Megan of Dwyrain has been haunted by a sorcerer's prediction that her castle would be destroyed, her arranged marriage doomed, and her enemy made her beloved. Now, in the iron grasp of the abductor who invaded her wedding, she beholds eyes that glitter not with hate but with devilment and spirit. She will challenge him, try to escape him, and yet find in him a Wolf she hungers to tame -- a knight who inspires a love that nothing, not dungeons dark nor the risk of death itself, can end.
]]>Sheila Lindstrom is reeling from the aftermath of the devastating fire that claimed the life of her father and all but destroyed the Cascade Valley Winery, the family's pride and joy. Without the insurance proceeds needed to rebuild the winery, Sheila risks losing everything to corporate monolith Wilder Investments. When she confronts company president Noah Wilder, an undeniable attraction hits both of them with the force of a tidal wave. Will mistrust and deceit undermine this volatile union -- or will love rise from the ashes?
]]>The final story, "The Christmas Child" by Linda Turner, is set in the mountains of Wyoming. Hunter Chase has one year to make his great-aunt's construction company a success, and nothing can tear him away from his work but the desperate plea of Naomi Windsong. Reluctant to rely on any man, Naomi has no choice but to turn to the best tracker in town when her daughter Laura is kidnapped. But when Hunter and Naomi search for Laura, they discover some unexpected passion. Creative and entertaining, these three stories will keep you turning the pages. A good addition to any stocking. --Nancy R.E. O'Brien
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