Mary Burton

It was to be hoped that her groom was partial to cherries. For Avelyn feared she would very much resemble one at their wedding feast. Too round, to red in the scarlet gown that was all she could fit into…and perhaps too tart for his taste? No doubt he longed for a sweet, biddable bride, one who was as tiny and trim as she was trying to appear. Paen Gerville longed for a lively, well-rounded woman, one whose plump breast would cushion his head after the lonely, harsh life of a solitary fighting knight. At first his wife-to-be promised no such delights—her form was unbending, her health apparently fragile as she fainted into his arms as their first kiss. But one split bridal gown later, her assets were eye-poppingly apparent and Paen could only grin as he anticipated the surprises yet to come on his wedding night with… THE PERFECT WIFE

At the grisly murder scene of a teen prostitute, Virginia state trooper Riley Tatum's past roars back to haunt her. When she was a teenage runaway, she was kidnapped, drugged, and left unconscious on the streets. She has no memories of what happened, only strange recurring dreams of two men playing cards. Former FBI agent Clay Bowman, Riley's old flame, is Shield Security's newest member. He's plagued by the unsolved case of a serial killer nicknamed the Shark who murdered girls as part of a sadistic poker game. Only one girl survived. With the Shark now bent on evening that score, Clay has a chilling suspicion: Riley is the girl who escaped the Shark's deadly amusement -- and she is his next prey. As the Shark gets ready to play his hand, can Riley and Clay stop him, or will this killer finally claim the one who got away?

Even a cold case can heat up One year ago a wealthy socialite disappeared. No body was found, and the case was never solved. Lead detective Alex Kirkland knows all they had were dead ends. But when sexy, sassy reporter Tara Mackey decides to ask more questions, he respects her intuition enough to reopen the case. Professionally, they're a perfect match. Personally, Tara is wary of the sparks between them. Alex plays in a different league, one with money, power… things she's learned not to trust. And every step they take toward the truth--and each other--brings them closer to danger….

For five years, no trace has been found of two high-school friends who went hiking in the woods near Nashville. The third teen, Amber Ryder, was discovered at the bottom of a ravine with a broken arm, head trauma--and zero memory of the horror that put her there. What started as a cold case has become a fresh hell for forensic technician Georgia Morgan. Another woman's body is found in the woods, and it leads to the missing teens' remains. But while Georgia works with Amber to try and reawaken her memories, her gut tells her the worst is yet to come. Homicide Detective Jake Bishop can't be sure whether Amber is an expert manipulator or the killer's next target. Either way, he's determined to protect Georgia. Because the deeper she digs into the past, the deadlier the secrets that emerge, and a nightmare years in the making is about to come to a bloody, terrifying end.

On a cold November morning, a jogger runs through the woods in the peaceful Quebec village of Three Pines. On his run, he finds a dead man hanging from a tree. The dead man was a guest at the local Inn and Spa. He might have been looking for peace and quiet, but something else found him. Something horrible. Did the man take his own life? Or was he murdered? Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is called to the crime scene. As Gamache follows the trail of clues, he opens a door into the past. And he learns the true reason why the man came to Three Pines.

"Fourteen years ago, Kaitlin Roe was the lone witness to the abduction of her cousin Gina. She still remembers that lonely Virginia road. She can still see the masked stranger and hear Gina's screams. And she still suffers the guilt of running away in fear and resents being interrogated as a suspect in the immediate aftermath. Now Kaitlin has only one way to assuage the pain and nightmares--by interviewing everyone associated with the unsolved crime for a podcast that could finally bring closure to a case gone cold. But when a woman Kaitlin questions is later found stabbed to death, she fears that she's drawn a killer out of hiding. It's Detective John Adler's fear that the murders have only just begun. Now his job is to keep Kaitlin safe. As a bond between Kaitlin and Adler builds, the past closes in just as fast--and it's darker than Kaitlin remembers. Soon, her wish will come true. She's going to find out exactly what happened to Gina. Someone has been dying to tell her."--Page 4 of cover.

"Two employees at a tiny weekly newspaper are strongly attracted to each other, but office policy forbids employee dating. As snow blankets the town, it seems that a relationship is out of reach... but they didn't count on a small Christmas miracle"--

"Tom Fuller, a scrupulously honest fellow, a person of extraordinary physical strength and owner of a savage horse, Rusty, that he alone was able to tame, is generally regarded as a half-wit. He has been summarily fired from every job he has ever had and even comes to regard himself as a failure. He makes one more try when he is hired on as a blacksmith's assistant by Boston Charlie. Finally here is a job that Tom can perform successfully, and his spirit soars. Oliver Champion, who stops at the smithy to have his wagon horses newly shod, is impressed by Tom's ability. Champion also recognizes Tom Fuller as the son of the late Washington Fuller, a renowned gunfighter. Boston Charlie, far from being impressed by this revelation, is outraged and fires Tom, insisting that he leave at once. Champion follows Tom Fuller as, downcast, he rides off to seek another job. Overtaking Tom, he asks Tom to join him, tying Rusty to the tailgate. Champion then makes Tom an offer. He proposes that Tom, who in addition to his physical strength is also an excellent shot, should become his bodyguard. Not having any alternative, Tom accepts Champion's offer. It is obviously a decision made in haste, though, since Tom soon learns that Champion is new to the West, that he is an escaped convict from a prison in the East, and that he has come as far as he has because he is in pursuit of a master criminal, Henry Plank, the man actually responsible for the robbery for which Champion was sentenced to prison. Champion has a tintype of the Leaning Horse, a mountain near which Henry Plank is known to have made his home and the base of his operations. Ultimately it is for finding the way to the Leaning Horse in unfamiliar country that Champion most needs Tom's guidance."

When the body of a young woman is found propped in a sitting position and dressed in a vintage gown, Byrne and Balzano are surprised, but later another woman is found clothed in the same manner, clutching a live bird. More bodies appear and their only hope is to follow this madman into a bizarre fairy tale world, where no one lives happily ever after ...

An urgent call brings FBI agent Kate Hayden back to San Antonio, the scene of her violent past. A brutal new murder shows hallmarks of a serial killer nicknamed the Samaritan. Tricky part is, Kate already caught him. Did she make an error, or is it a copycat? Paired with homicide detective Theo Mazur, Kate faces an enemy who knows her intimately. When a second body is found, the mode of death is identical to a different case that Kate had worked on. The closer they come to the killer there is only one rule: don't believe everything you see.

A series of summer house fires exposes deep social faults in the hometown of Frankie Rowley, who makes unsettling discoveries about her aging parents while engaging in an affair with a local journalist.

He Was Taught How To Kill Even behind bars, serial killer Harvey Day Smith exudes menace. Psychologist Jolene Granger has agreed to hear his dying confession, vowing not to let the monster inside her head. And Harvey has secrets to share--about bodies that were never found, and about the apprentice who is continuing his grisly work. . . And Now He'll Teach Them He buries his victims alive the way his mentor Harvey did, relishing their final screams as the earth rains down. And as one last gift to the only father he knew, he'll make the most perfect kill of all. How To Die Everything about this investigation is unnerving Jo, from Harvey's fascination with her to the fact that she's working alongside Texas Ranger Brody Winchester, her ex-husband. Harvey's protege is growing bolder and more vicious every day. And soon the trail of shallow graves will lead them to the last place Jo expected, and to the most terrifying truth of all. . .