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When morning light reveals a young woman’s body near a Christmas tree farm in Lost Trail, Montana, the small town’s veneer of peace shatters. The local sheriff is quick to point fingers at an unknown outsider—case closed, move along. But dispatcher Zak Waller, who prefers the quiet safety of working behind the scenes at the Sheriff’s Office, can’t shake the feeling that something’s off. His instincts, honed from years of reading between the lines of official reports and small-town gossip, tell him the truth is buried much closer to home 🌲The victim’s connection to the Masterson family’s Christmas tree farm pulls Tiff Masterson back to the hometown she’d desperately escaped. She returns to find her family once again at the center of tragedy, their business now a crime scene, their reputation under scrutiny. As Zak quietly conducts his own investigation outside official channels, he uncovers patterns the sheriff seems determined to ignore—questions about who this young woman really was, why she came to work at the farm, and what she might have discovered about Lost Trail’s most prominent families. In a town where everyone knows everyone else’s business, the real secrets are the ones people work hardest to keep hidden 🔍
Town lawyer Justin Pittman watches the investigation unfold with growing unease, caught between his professional duty to uphold justice and his personal knowledge of how deeply interconnected this community really is. As Zak digs deeper, every conversation reveals another contradiction, every lead circles back to people who’ve known each other for decades. The Christmas tree farm becomes the focal point of suspicions that threaten to unravel years of carefully maintained silence, and the question shifts from who killed this young woman to what might an entire town be complicit in hiding 🎄
C. J. Carmichael crafts an atmospheric procedural that understands how small-town dynamics can both reveal and conceal the truth. Zak emerges as an unlikely but compelling investigator—someone who sees what others overlook precisely because he’s learned to work in the shadows, to notice what’s not being said, to question the narratives that everyone else accepts. The Montana setting adds layers of isolation and claustrophobia, where winter closes in and there’s nowhere to run from the past 🕵️
What makes this essential: A character-driven police procedural where the real mystery isn’t just solving a murder, but understanding what a community will do to protect its secrets. Perfect for readers who appreciate investigators who operate outside official channels and settings where everyone has something to hide. 🌲
Darren’s life looks perfect from the outside—Harvard graduate at eighteen, making a fortune at a hedge fund, labeled a genius by everyone who knows him. But here’s the secret nobody knows: he’s not smarter than everyone else. He’s a cheater. And his method of cheating is something that shouldn’t be possible 🎓He calls it “the Quiet”—his own personal version of reality where time stops for everyone but him. While the world freezes in place, Darren can explore his surroundings, read documents, gather information, and return to the normal flow of time with knowledge nobody else could have obtained. It’s the ultimate insider trading advantage, the perfect way to ace any test, the reason behind every success he’s ever had. He’s been doing this his entire life, and he’s always believed he was the only one ⏸️
Then he meets her. A woman who shouldn’t exist, who can do what he does, who sees him inside the Quiet when that should be impossible. Her presence shatters everything Darren thought he knew about his ability, about himself, about what’s real. And she brings with her a whole network of people like them—Russians with their own agenda, their own powers, their own dangerous secrets. They call people like Darren “Readers,” and suddenly he’s pulled into a world he never knew existed 🌀
Dima Zales and Anna Zaires craft a mind-bending urban fantasy that reimagines what it means to manipulate time and perception. Darren’s voice is sharp and self-aware—he knows he’s been coasting on an unfair advantage, but he’s also smart enough to recognize when he’s in over his head. The Quiet itself becomes a character, a place both liberating and isolating, and the rules governing who can access it and how open up possibilities that extend far beyond Darren’s small-scale schemes 🧠
What makes this irresistible: A fresh take on time manipulation with a morally gray protagonist who’s about to discover his “unique” ability is just the beginning. Perfect for readers who love urban fantasy with high concepts, fast pacing, and heroes who are more clever than heroic. First in the Mind Dimensions series. ⚡
Emily has survived two years past the end of the world, which is no small accomplishment. She’s eighteen, alone, and has built a functioning routine in a world overrun by monsters. Wake up, eat breakfast, brush teeth, spend the morning bashing the creatures that gather at her fences—she calls it “vigorous cardio” on her mental schedule. The mechanics of staying alive are manageable. It’s the solitude that’s killing her 🏚️The problem isn’t survival anymore. The problem is that Emily is slowly losing her mind. Two years without another human voice, without conversation, without connection—it’s grinding her down in ways that monsters never could. When she realizes she’s having lengthy, meaningful conversations with the birds on her roof, she knows she’s reached a crisis point. She can stay safe behind her fences and descend further into madness, or she can risk everything by venturing into a world where death is almost guaranteed 🦅
Then something impossible happens: one of the monsters at her gate delivers a message. Not from itself, obviously, but carried from somewhere else, from someone else. There are other survivors out there, and they’re in trouble. They won’t last much longer without help, and they’re reaching out to anyone who might receive their signal. For Emily, it’s the first spark of hope she’s felt since the world ended—proof that she’s not completely alone, that there might be a future beyond just surviving day to day 📡
Ann Christy builds a post-apocalyptic world that understands loneliness can be as deadly as any monster. Emily’s voice captures the dark humor and stubborn resilience of someone who’s been forced to become harder than she ever wanted to be, while still holding onto the core humanity that makes isolation so unbearable. The journey she’s about to undertake isn’t just geographic—it’s the difference between mere survival and actually living, between safety and sanity 🌍
Why this grips from page one: A character-driven post-apocalyptic story that explores what happens after you’ve mastered survival but lost your reasons for surviving. Perfect for readers who appreciate protagonists who are tough, resourceful, and teetering on the edge of hope and despair. 🔥
Three years after being forced out of the military, former Black Ops SEAL Bridger North is a man without purpose, his elite team scattered, his sense of direction lost. Then an old teammate reaches out with a favor that sounds simple enough: help stop a blackmailer from destroying a small-town pastor’s life. Bridger agrees, more out of loyalty to his friend Jason than any personal investment in the mission 🎯But when Bridger arrives in Redemption Creek—a Montana town where ranches stretch to the horizon and granite peaks scrape the sky—Jason has vanished. Disappeared without explanation, leaving behind only his stunning sister and a situation far more dangerous than Bridger was led to believe. What was supposed to be a straightforward intervention has become something else entirely, and the blackmail targeting the local pastor appears to be just the surface of deeper corruption 🏔️
Bridger and his former teammates from Black-out Squadron were betrayed by their own superiors, forced out of the military they’d dedicated their lives to serving. Now they’re building new lives in Redemption Creek, determined to channel their specialized skills toward a different kind of mission: seeking justice for people who can’t fight their own battles. But protecting Jason’s sister means confronting whoever made Jason disappear, and in a small town where everyone knows everyone’s business, trust is in short supply ⚔️
Edie James launches a Christian romantic suspense series that blends action-adventure with faith-based values and clean romance. The former soldiers of Black-out Squadron bring military precision and moral conviction to their pursuit of justice, operating in a setting where wounded hearts seek healing and second chances. Redemption Creek becomes both sanctuary and battleground for men trying to rebuild their lives while fighting new enemies 💪
What makes this special: A faith-based romantic suspense that combines military action, small-town Montana setting, and clean romance with deeper themes of redemption and purpose. Perfect for readers who want suspense without graphic content and heroes driven by both duty and conviction. First in the Redemption Creek series. 🌟
Everyone has made decisions they regret. Everyone has lost control at some point, done something in the heat of the moment that haunts them later. Hot blood. Uncontrollable impulse. Temporary insanity. Different names for the same very human experience. But not all bad decisions carry the same consequences, and Dave Brunelle, homicide prosecutor and deeply flawed human being, understands this better than most ⚖️When Brunelle stands over the remains of a murdered homeless man—his head stomped into a train rail with brutal, methodical violence—he makes a vow. This killer will be held accountable. But the suspect’s defense team has a different narrative: their client suffers from mental illness, they argue, invoking the legal doctrine of “diminished capacity” to claim he lacked the intent necessary to commit murder. Without intent, there’s no murder—just a tragic act by someone who couldn’t help himself 🚂
The case becomes a philosophical and legal battleground. Where’s the line between understanding human weakness and excusing deliberate violence? How much does motivation matter when someone is dead? Brunelle’s own mental capacity is tested by the return of an old flame and the resurfacing of his own past mistakes—choices made in moments of weakness that he can’t quite reconcile with his current role as arbiter of justice. As he builds his case, he’s forced to confront uncomfortable questions about accountability, both in court and in his own life 💭
Stephen Penner crafts a legal thriller that digs into the messy intersection of law, psychology, and moral responsibility. Brunelle is compelling precisely because he’s not above the human failings he prosecutes—his struggle to keep his head together while arguing the killer should have kept his creates tension that extends beyond the courtroom. The question isn’t just whether the jury will convict, but whether Brunelle can maintain the moral high ground when he knows his own foundation is shaky ⚡
What makes this essential: A courtroom thriller that wrestles with genuine philosophical questions about mental illness, culpability, and the uncomfortable truth that we’re all one bad decision away from becoming someone we don’t recognize. Tenth in the David Brunelle series, but works as a standalone. 📚
The Island Between Us (Book 1 Captiva Island Series)
Margaret Turner didn’t know her husband owned a beach house on Captiva Island. She didn’t know he left it to her. And she definitely didn’t know he also left it to Katherine: his elegant, perfect, excruciatingly composed first wife who never missed a chance to make Margaret feel like second-best 🏝️
Now they’re co-owners of a gorgeous beachfront paradise they can’t sell without each other’s permission. And if they try? Every penny goes to Sharon, Henry’s sister—the only person they both equally despise. Henry’s will wasn’t just legally binding—it was diabolically designed to force the two women he married into permanent proximity 💔
Forced to coexist in paradise, Margaret and Katherine attempt the impossible: a truce. But the house isn’t as empty as they thought it would be. There are signs someone’s been living there. Medical supplies in the basement. And a too-handsome detective who keeps dropping by with more questions than answers 🔍
As secrets surface and family drama rolls in with the tide, these two women start to uncover the one thing Henry never gave them: the whole truth. Every revelation about Henry’s hidden life raises new questions. Why the medical supplies? Who’s been staying there? And what else was Henry hiding from both of them? 🌊
And maybe the only thing messier than sharing a dead husband… is realizing you might actually like his other wife. Sage Parker writes later-in-life romance with genuine humor and heart. Margaret and Katherine’s forced partnership evolves from resentful tolerance to reluctant respect to something that might actually be friendship—or more ✨
What makes this irresistible: Sage Parker launches Captiva Island series where second wife Margaret discovers she co-owns a beach house with first wife Katherine—and neither can sell without the other’s permission. The mystery of someone living there, the handsome detective, and the realization they might actually like each other creates later-in-life romance with humor, heart, and genuine suspense.
SWEET AS HONEY * Fern Michaels
Natalie is through with pining over her ex. If only her efforts to be social again didn’t lead to repeated run-ins with an infuriating beekeeper at the local farmer’s market. Yet Garrett keeps buzzing around. And as Natalie watches his patience and dedication in tending his hives, she begins to wonder if life has a sweet surprise in store 🍯
EVERYTHING SHE’D EVER WANTED * Lori Foster
Annabeth can see that her neighbor’s handsome nephew, Devlin, has his hands full, raising his little girl single-handed. Yet though his life is frazzled, it’s full of the kind of joy and togetherness she longs for. And when Devlin’s daughter and Annabeth’s tiny dog fall hard for each other, it might be the start of more than one beautiful friendship 🐕
THE MEMORY CABIN * Carolyn Brown
Jenna Stewart loves gathering at her Texas lakeside cabin with her girlfriends. It’s an annual tradition to reconnect with the women who helped her deal with her mother’s passing along with the end of her marriage. But this year, lives are changing, dreams are evolving. And perhaps Jenna’s heart has healed enough to welcome a new love that arrives with the first flowers of spring 🌸
Three bestselling authors deliver romance novellas that celebrate second chances, unexpected connections, and the healing power of community. Fern Michaels brings her signature warmth to a farmer’s market meet-cute where irritation slowly transforms into attraction. The beekeeper metaphor works beautifully—Garrett’s patience with his hives mirrors the patience Natalie needs to trust love again 💕
Lori Foster crafts single-parent romance where the kids and pets facilitate connection between adults who might otherwise remain politely distant neighbors. The frazzled joy of Devlin’s household contrasts with Annabeth’s loneliness, creating organic chemistry as she gets pulled into their chaotic, loving world 🌟
Carolyn Brown’s lakeside cabin setting provides the perfect backdrop for examining friendship, grief, and readiness for new love. The annual gathering tradition gives structure while the “first flowers of spring” metaphor signals rebirth and renewal. Women’s friendship anchors personal transformation ✨
Here’s what you’re getting: Fern Michaels, Lori Foster, and Carolyn Brown deliver three romance novellas featuring a beekeeper who won’t stop buzzing around, a single dad whose chaos attracts a lonely neighbor, and a Texas cabin tradition where healing hearts find new love. Perfect collection for readers who want sweet, hopeful romance from bestselling authors.
THE CLOCK IS TICKING IN THIS ROLLERCOASTER RIDE OF A THRILLER…
In London, the Metropolitan Police set up a new Unsolved Murders Unit—a cold case squad—to catch the criminals nobody else can. Detective Chief Inspector William Warwick represents the rising generation bringing fresh perspective to cases that have gone cold, while ex-undercover agent Ross Hogan brings street-level experience from years in the shadows 🔍
In Geneva, millionaire art collector Miles Faulkner—convicted of forgery and theft—was pronounced dead two months ago. So why is his unscrupulous lawyer still representing a dead client? The legal maneuvers continue, money still moves, and someone claiming to be Faulkner keeps making decisions. Either he faked his death, or someone’s impersonating a dead millionaire for profit 💰
On a luxury liner en route to New York, the battle for power within a wealthy dynasty is about to turn to murder. Confined spaces, international waters, and family members who’d benefit from each other’s deaths create the perfect storm. And once the ship leaves port, there’s nowhere to run ⚓
And at the heart of all three investigations are Detective Chief Inspector William Warwick, rising star of the department, and ex-undercover agent Ross Hogan, brought in from the cold. But can they catch the killers before it’s too late? ⚡
Jeffrey Archer weaves three seemingly unrelated cases into an interlocking puzzle. The cold case unit provides structure for investigating Faulkner’s suspicious “death,” but the luxury liner murder and the dynasty power struggle complicate everything. Warwick’s by-the-book procedural approach clashes productively with Hogan’s undercover instincts 💔
What makes this gripping: Jeffrey Archer delivers three interlocking mysteries—a cold case squad hunting criminals nobody else can catch, a dead millionaire whose lawyer still represents him, and a luxury liner where dynasty power struggles turn deadly. Warwick and Hogan race the clock to solve all three before it’s too late—vintage Archer plotting at its finest.
Enjoy your stay! There’s only one rule…
After three decades of marriage, Deb and Larry are in a rut. So when the chance to spend a whole week at a Long Island seaside cottage comes up, they take it. A week on the beach could be just what they need. The best part? It’s completely free 🏖️
There’s just one rule: Don’t go downstairs into the basement. The hosts are emphatic about this single restriction. Don’t ask questions, don’t get curious, just enjoy the beautiful home and stay out of the basement. For a free week in paradise, it seems like a small price to pay 🚪
But soon after arriving at the beautiful home that belongs to a separated couple, a hurricane brings rain and road-flooding that traps them inside for longer than they’d like. What was supposed to be a beach vacation becomes enforced captivity as water rises and escape routes disappear 🌊
The longer Deb and Larry are forced to stay, the more they learn about the owners of the house. The loud arguments, the sudden separation. The fact no one has seen the wife since. As their questions grow, so does the temptation to break that one rule 💔
Because the only way to get answers is to go downstairs. But if they do, the whole horrifying truth will be revealed. Jack Dane writes psychological thriller where the forbidden basement becomes impossible to resist. The hurricane trapping them inside ratchets tension—they’re stuck with their curiosity and a locked door they’ve been told never to open ⚡
Why this grips from page one: Jack Dane delivers psychological thriller where a couple’s free beach vacation comes with one rule—don’t go downstairs—until a hurricane traps them inside and questions about the separated owners make breaking that rule irresistible. The basement holds horrifying truth about what happened to the missing wife.
ON AN ORDINARY WORKING DAY…
Leila Syed receives a call that cleaves her life in two. Her brother-in-law’s voice is filled with panic. His son’s nursery has called to ask where little Max is 📞
YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE…
Leila was supposed to drop Max off that morning. But she forgot. The realization hits like physical impact—she left her nephew in the car. On a hot day. For hours 💔
Racing to the carpark, she grasps the horror of what she has done. Every parent’s nightmare, every caregiver’s worst fear, the thing you tell yourself could never happen to you—until it does. The seconds it takes to reach the car feel like hours ⚡
WHAT FOLLOWS IS AN EXPLOSIVE, HIGH-PROFILE TRIAL THAT WILL TEAR THE FAMILY APART…
What follows is an explosive, high-profile trial that will tear the family apart. But as the case progresses it becomes clear there’s more to this incident than meets the eye. Kia Abdullah writes legal thriller that examines how tragedy becomes spectacle, how grief becomes blame, and how families fracture under the weight of the unforgivable 🔍
The courtroom becomes a place where every decision Leila made that morning gets dissected, every detail of her relationship with her brother-in-law examined, every minute of that terrible day replayed. The prosecution paints her as negligent. The defense argues it was a tragic accident. But the truth is more complicated than either narrative allows 💼
What makes this devastating: Kia Abdullah delivers legal thriller where Leila forgets to drop her nephew at nursery, leading to tragedy and a high-profile trial that tears her family apart. The courtroom drama explores how accidents become crimes, grief becomes rage, and families struggle to survive the unforgivable—emotionally wrenching and impossible to put down.
Jillian thought she knew her husband. They’ve been married for twenty years. But she doesn’t know him at all.
Jillian Harper thought moving to a quiet little town in Montana would be the fresh start her family needed. A charming farmhouse, friendly neighbors, and endless open fields—it was supposed to be perfect 🏡
Until the bodies are found. Buried deep on their land. Hidden for years. The discovery transforms their dream property into a crime scene, their fresh start into a nightmare 💀
The police are everywhere. The town is whispering. And Tucker—her devoted husband—is acting… strange. He won’t tell her where he was all day. He won’t explain why his phone was off. And worst of all—he won’t meet her eyes 🔍
Jillian knows Tucker is lying. She just doesn’t know why. Twenty years of marriage should mean she can read him perfectly, but the man avoiding her gaze feels like a stranger. Every evasion raises new questions, every silence breeds new suspicions 💔
But the truth is far worse than she imagined… Steena Holmes writes domestic suspense where the buried bodies are just the beginning. The title promises multiple victims, suggesting this isn’t a single tragic burial but something systematic, planned, horrifying. And Tucker’s evasiveness suggests he knows more than he’s saying ⚡
What makes this chilling: Steena Holmes delivers domestic thriller where Jillian’s Montana fresh start turns nightmare when bodies are found buried on their land—and her husband Tucker starts lying. Twenty years of marriage can’t prepare her for the truth about the girls in the basement and what Tucker’s been hiding all along.
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