Ann Maxwell

Jill Breck was just doing her job as a river guide when she saved the life of Lane Faroe, son of two of St. Kilda Consulting's premier operators. But when a string of ominous events—including a mysterious fire that kills her great-aunt and a furor in the Western art world raised by a dozen Breck family paintings—culminates in a threat to her life, Jill reluctantly calls in a favor.Zach Balfour works part-time as a consultant for St. Kilda. His expertise is gathering and analyzing information from unlikely and often dangerous sources. Though he's got the skills to be a highly effective bodyguard, being a bullet catcher isn't his preferred way to spend time.Protecting Jill will take him into familiar territory—among a strange, savagely competitive bunch of collectors who'll do anything to stay at the top. But Jill is in deeper waters than she's ever known; as she soon discovers, the perils of running wild rivers are tame compared with the hidden dangers in the high-stakes game of art collecting.From the cozy rooms of the Breck homestead cabin to the cold multimillion-dollar galleries of the Western art circuit, Zach and Jill must race against time to unmask a ruthless killer hidden in a blue smoke of money, threats, lies, and death...

Kayla Shaw is a private banker in Arizona—smart and capable but underpaid and underappreciated. Rand McCree is a haunted man who paints landscapes in the Pacific Northwest, burning with a need for answers about the terrible event that shattered his world. They are two strangers with nothing in common . . . until their lives entwine—and explode.On what at first appears to be an ordinary day, everything changes for Kayla, as she barely escapes a kidnapping attempt and finds herself accused of a shocking crime: the illegal laundering of hundreds of millions of dollars. Damned by lies and false "evidence," she is trapped with no place to run.After five agonizing years, Rand has finally been offered what he desires the most: the name of his twin brother's murderer. Hungry for vengeance, he accepts a job with St. Kilda Consulting that will place him in the killer's orbit . . . and tantalizingly close to Kayla Shaw. The cold-blooded international criminal responsible for Rand's brother's death has targeted Kayla as his next victim. Since she can't turn to the police, who believe she's guilty as sin, she must place her life in the hands of the shadowy, secretive man who has come out of nowhere to protect her.Suspicious of each other, needing each other, they are two against the world—with unknown enemies on all sides and even the government itself suspect—as the violence of the past erupts in the present. And now innocence alone will not be enough to keep Kayla Shaw alive. . . .

The latest masterwork from one of the leading writers of suspense . . . New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell returns with a chilling tale of the law gone wrong and a kidnapping that threatens more than one life. The Wrong Hostage Orphaned at thirteen, Grace Silva clawed her way out of poverty and violence to become one of the most respected judges on the federal bench. Grace believes in the rule of law -- lives it, breathes it. She has always been buttoned up and buttoned down.Except once.Joe Faroe has learned that laws are made by politicians, and politicians are all too human. He believes in the innocents, the ones getting ground up by governments that are too polarized or too corrupt to protect their own citizens. He's been through the political meat grinder himself. It cost him his career, his freedom, and the woman who still haunts him. Since then Faroe has worked outside the rules and politics of government as a kidnap specialist for St. Kilda Consulting, a Manhattan-based global business that concentrates on the shadow world where governments can't go. He is good at his work -- intelligent, confident, ruthless.Until a friend dies trying to kill him.Now Faroe is out of the business. Retired. He's through trying to save a world that doesn't want to be saved.Then Grace comes to him, past and present collide, and Faroe finds himself sucked back into the shadows, tracking a violent killer who holds the life of Grace's son in his bloody hands.

With her trademark electrifying storytelling and razor-sharp tension, New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell proves once again why she is one of today's top masters of suspense -- in a riveting tale of dark family secrets ready to explode with the devastating force of a Southwestern earthquake.The powerful Quintrell family of New Mexico has spent decades in the public eye. Now the recent death of the clan's patriarch, a former U.S. senator, has placed his son, Governor Josh Quintrell, squarely in the spotlight as he prepares his run for the highest political office in the land. It is not a good time to be rattling skeletons in the family's closets.Researching personal histories isn't just Carolina "Carly" May's profession, it's her passion. When the governor's eccentric Aunt Winifred invites Carly into the Quintrells' private Taos compound to compile a genealogical record of the illustrious residents, she can hardly believe her good luck. But digging into the past is raising troubling questions about the would-be president's private life, his late father and catatonic mother, and the grisly street crime that left his notorious drug-addicted sister dead. And it soon becomes frighteningly apparent that the motivation of the dotty old woman who hired Carly might be something more akin to revenge -- and that someone is determined to remove the inquisitive genealogist from the picture by any means necessary.As a dark world of twisted passions and depraved crimes slowly opens up before Carly, she realizes that there is no one whom she dares to trust -- perhaps least of all Dan Duran, a dangerous and haunted mystery man who's somehow tied to the Quintrells' past. But she will need an ally to survive the terrible secrets a father carried to the grave and an even more devastating evil that lurks among the living -- because following the bloodlines of the wealthy and power-hungry can be a bloody business ... and some dead secrets can kill.

Forget me not was previously published in an altered form by Silhouette Books in 1984.

E-Book Extra: Like Mother Like Daughter: Check out this sneak preview of Heather Lowell's upcoming novel, NO ESCAPEThe name Elizabeth Lowell has become synonymous with electrifying fiction that seamlessly combines suspense, intrigue, and passion. And now the phenomenal New York Times bestselling author brilliantly displays her incomparable talents in a story of treachery, greed, conspiracy, and murder that will hold the reader spellbound until the final word.It is the opportunity of a lifetime for Kate Chandler, the chance to cut seven rare, priceless sapphires and solidify her reputation as a world-class jewel cutter. But something goes horribly, tragically wrong during what should have been a simple transfer of goods. The sapphires vanish without a trace. Missing also is the man Kate trusted to transport the gems: her half brother, Lee, who now, quite possibly, is dead. And suddenly she is on the run, pursued by federal agents who suspect her of being the criminal mastermind of a cunning bait-and-switch scheme.Special agent Sam Groves is one of the best of the best, an essential member of the FBI's elite crime strike force and the perfect man to lead the hunt, since he could never be scammed by a beautiful confidence woman. But something is troubling about this assignment, because someone else is chasing Kate Chandler as well.Only Kate suspects the awful truth: She's unwittingly stumbled into a conspiracy of deceit, betrayal, and cold-blooded murder that goes far beyond a simple jewel heist. And a chilling, threatening voice on the telephone only confirms her worst suspicions. Getting Sam Groves, the FBI agent who's her constant shadow, to believe her is a step in the right direction -- but it may be one that's too little too late in a bloody game where terror dictates her every move and the rules are constantly changing. Because the order has already been passed down to a ruthlessly efficient assassin: Kate Chandler must not be allowed to live ...

E-book exclusive extra: Read the first five thrilling chapters of Heather Lowell's romance-suspense debut, When the Storm Breaks (and see how ingenious storytelling runs in families).Rareties Unlimited (which also set the scene in Moving Target and Running Scared) is back in action. And this time Elizabeth Lowell's unique brand of romance-suspense pits two new Rareties characters, security specialist Ian Lapstrake and heiress Lacey Quinn, against an unseen enemy -- who does not want revealed the murderous secrets of a masterpiece of California Impressionism: even if it means spilling more blood.New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Lowell creates another masterpiece of excitement and chills, passion and surpriseDie in Plain SightWhen Lacey Quinn inherits the striking landscapes done by her late, much-loved grandfather, she believes they are as good as anything hanging in museums. But the paintings now in her possession are more than the works of a talented master. They are anguished voices from the grave . . . crying murder!Lacey begins researching her grandfather's past -- and is rocked almost immediately by a strange series of violent events. Someone wants to steal her inheritance, to reduce the paintings to unrecognizable ashes in a suspicious blaze. Someone wants to prevent Lacey from examining her grandfather's work too closely . . . by any means necessary.Ian Lapstrake, a security specialist, has taken an interest in Lacey's inheritance . . . and in her. Troubled by what he sees, he becomes Lacey's shadow, as her search for answers leads them both down an ever-darkening road paved with lies, blood, and devastating secrets.

Joy Anderson and Gabe Venture shared a young and powerful passion. But Gabe was destined for great things, and so he left Joy ... and months later she was also left with a painful reminder of their lost love: a daughter. Seven years have passed, Joy has put her past behind her, and then Gabe returns. What now?

Rewrite of Valley of the Sun Nevada's rugged, majestic beauty is a balm for the aches of Hope Gardener's heart. But the ranch she loves is dying of thirst, thanks to the worst drought the area has ever seen. Hope needs a miracle--and one day it comes to the Valley of the Sun. A man out of time, Rio is an anachronism in the modern-day West, bringing with him a reputation for finding water in any desert. Hope has no choice but to trust this dark stranger who claims to make dreams real. And Rio, who has never had a dream of his own to follow, has found something in this extraordinary lady whose passion tempts him to defy his own rules. In the midst of adversity, two free spirits must now explore the most closely guarded corners of their hearts ... as they search for a beautiful dream big enough to hold them both.

Surrounded by potential enemies, Hannah McGarry faces the mystery of her husband's suspicious death, the prospect of bankruptcy...and the disappearance of the fabulous Black Trinity necklace that was to be her financial security. Desperate, she calls Archer Donovan, a silent partner in Pear Cove, her late husband's pearl farm venture. He might help her ... if the price is right.

DANGER: The most grueling challenge of Raine Smith's equestrian career looms before her -- the Olympic Games. Little does she realize that she's about to face greater perils in the arms of a stranger than she's ever found on the back of her horse. More info: Rewrite of Summer Games DANGER The most grueling challenge of Raine Smith's equestrian career looms before her--the Olympic Games. Little does she realize that she's about to face greater perils in the arms of a stranger than she's ever found on the back of her horse. DESIRE Cord Elliot is a man trained to deflect disaster and his mission is to ensure that Raine Smith remains untouched by sudden gunfire at the Summer Games. Yet from the moment Raine Meets Cord's ice-blue glance, she knows he's more hazardous to her heart than a sniper's bullet. Falling for a man who answers to the call of intrigue and holds secrets that can never be shared is to endure the broken promises, unexplained absences, and constant danger that come with his profession. TEMPTATION But in the fiery passion of irresistible love, a summer to remember seems worth any risk.

Wild and restless, Kyle Donovan has freed himself from the constraints of his family's high-powered gem-trading empire to rove the world as a treasure hunter. Now the president of Donovan International has given Kyle an assignment with explosive ramifications. A case he must take.When one of China's legendary cultural treasures is stolen, Lianne Blakely, a mysterious and beautiful jade expert, is accused of the theft. Its Kyle's job to get to the bottom of what could be a potential disaster for the Donovans as well as Lianne.But Kyle finds himself irresistibly drawn to the exotic beauty and captivated by her fierce claim of innocence. Soon they are in dangerous pursuit of the real thief, drawn deeper into the perils of spiraling power plays, and linked by a passion as powerful as the lore of the ancient culture and as enduring as the splendor of the treasured jade.

Deadly secrets are buried on Amber Beach...

By revising and padding her first contemporary romance, Lowell (Autumn Lover) has created a new full-length novel. Holly Shannon North is a tomboy turned fashion model who meets up with former flame, Linc McKenzie, during a photo shoot near Palm Springs. She realizes that Linc loves "Holly," the girl she was at 16, but has no interest in "Shannon," the sophisticated cover girl she has become. Holly tries to convince Linc, who seems to believe otherwise, that beauty does not equal evil. The love scenes are trademark Lowell: dynamic, sensual and thoroughly satisfying, but the book's premise is so weak and the characters so flat they can't sustain the added (in fact, doubled) verbiage. -- Publishers Weekly.

The year is 1192. Prince John is getting fat and wealthy on blood money while the king fights in Jerusalem. When Robin of Loxley returns home from the Crusades, he soon discovers that things are not as they should be. The sheriff now governs Nottingham with an iron fist. In the heart of Sherwood Forest, Robin devises a heroic plan.

A classic story of LOVE and REBIRTH from the incomparable New York Times bestselling author. "There is no finer guarantee of outstanding romance than the name of Elizabeth Lowell" (Romantic Times). More info: INTO THE VALLEY OF DEATH . . . Reba Farrall, connoisseur of jewels, and Chance Walker, a man who searched the world for gems, met in Death Valley--and there they found life. Reba was a treasure beyond price, but the precious tourmalines that tied them together could also drive them apart. Her love was as clear as the most flawless stone, yet he couldn't see its special beauty until he fled into the depths of the earth, where, even in darkness, each jewel he uncovered made her image burn more brightly in his heart.

PAST, PRESENT--FUTURE? Four years ago rugged Carson Blackridge had branded Lara with his masculine touch, then crushed her innocent heart. Utterly humiliated, she'd fled the Rocking B forever. Reluctantly she was returning, but strictly to research the history of the ranch--not to relive hex past with Carson. Once, jealous rage had driven Carson to cruelly reject gently trusting Lara Chandler. Now he needed her back on the ranch . . . and wanted her back in his arm He would stop at nothing to rekindle passion, use any trick to recapture his love. But if she discovered the depth of his deception, would she once more vanish like the wild, sweet wind?

Willow Moran must rely on gunfighter Caleb Black to lead her from her Civil War-ravaged home to her brother's refuge in the Colorado Rockies. In the course of their journey, this spirited Southern lady will become a fever in Caleb's blood -- and Willow must also acknowledge that this wild man is her destiny. Read all of Elizabeth Lowell's historical novels of the American West: Only His; Only Mine; Only You; Only Love.