Battlegrounds: Old Friends Meet New Enemies

We all do it, whether we want to or not. Old friends, whom we love dearly, slip into the darkness or fade into the sunset. When they accidentally tap into our memories through a song, or a photo, or even a phone call, we remember how we loved them and set about catching up on things. If you’ve stopped by my Kiss and Tell Blog, you can probably name some of my favorite authors and quickly identify their characters whom I embrace as good friends. If you’ve got a minute or two, I’ll clue you in on a few of my favorites.

Let’s start with J. D. Robb, alter ego of author Nora Roberts. I’ve loved them both for more than

two decades and spend countless hours emerged in the books they create. Sad to say, I’ve been negligent and recently haven’t spent any time reading old or new novels they’ve created. My first stop is with Lieutenant Eve Dallas in the January 30, 2018 release Dark in Death, another bestselling novel by master of suspense J. D. Robb. Publishers Weekly calls this phenomenally popular police procedural novel “inventive, entertaining, and clever”.

Dark in Death

(Book 46 in the In Death series)

Lt. Eve Dallas takes on a case that may well be "death imitating art". It was a stabbing in the dark on a chilly February night during a screening of Psycho in midtown. Someone sunk an ice pick into the back of Chanel Ryan's neck, then disappeared quietly into the crowds of drunks and tourist in Time Square. Her best friend had slipped out of the theatre to take a call. As Eve puzzles over this carefully planned homicide which seems oddly personal, she receives a tip from an unexpected source. An author of police thrillers claims she recognizes the crime from the pages of her own book. Since this killer seems to find inspiration in someone else's imagination, Eve and her billionaire husband Roarke read mystery stories for help in identifying the killer.Time is running out before the next victim plays an unwitting role in the murderer's deranged drama.

The NYPD Red series is another favorite of mine and is something a bit different. It focuses on police officers who are tasked with protecting New York's elite. The relationship between Detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald adds another level of interest.This is the fifth book in the series.

NYPD Red 5

(Book 5 in the NYPD Red series)

James Patterson and Marshall Karp

The one who knows the secret is the one who holds the power.

The richest of New York's rich gather at the Pierre's Cotillion Room to raise money for those less fortunate. The mayor is present, along with Detectives Zach Jordan and Kylie MacDonald of the elite NYPD Red task force providing security.

The room is rocked by a fatal blast, stirring up memories of 9/11. Is the explosion an act of terrorism-or a homicide? But, Zach and Kylie have other cases, especially the murder of a high profile film producer in rather shocking circumstances. The repercussions of both crimes can be enormous and the city is terrified of a loose bomber in its midst. The pressure is on.

This novel is another page-turner from James Patterson, a master of his craft.

Private Princess

(Book 14 in the Private Series)

James Patterson 

When Jack Morgan, the head of the world's foremost investigation agency, receives an offer he cannot refuse he boards his Gulfstream jet an flies straight to London. He's been invited to meet Princess Caroline, third in line to the British throne. The Princess needs Morgan's  skills, and his discretion. A close friend, Sophie Edwards, is missing.

How could I catch up with friends without checking in with the Women's Murder Club and Detective Lindsay Boxer? It's book 17 already, believe it. James Patterson and Maxine Paetro present a novel filled with suspense and mystery, compelling characters, and top notch drama. Don't miss out on this special treat.

17th Suspect

(Book 17 in the Women's Murder Club)

James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

A methodical, unpredictable killer is stalking San Francisco-and is getting too close to Detective Lindsay Boxer. A confidential informant's tip leads Lindsay to disturbing conclusions, including concern that something has gone horribly wrong inside the police department itself.

Well, I'll need to check on Alex Cross and Michael Bennett, so stay with me as I renew more old friendships. Stay tuned for the next post and meet the newest star of James Patterson's crew.

The President's Missing

The President is Missing

James Patterson and Bill Clinton

 The publisher's advance publicity release for "The President is Missing" promises "intrigue, suspense and global drama". A former President of the United States  collaborating with a celebrity author immediately alerts the reader to the possibility of an outstanding read. Neither of the co-authors need an introduction. Bill Clinton established himself as a best selling author with his 2004 memoir "My Life" which sold more than 2 million copies. James Patterson seems to be a permanent fixture on the best seller list having sold 365 million novels world wide. The political thriller produced by this duo is a spellbinding work of fiction.

The story line begins with President Jonathan Lincoln Duncan facing growing political support for his impeachment. He's suspected of a deliberately botched attempt to capture a high profiled terrorist. In the middle of this turmoil, Duncan quietly leaves the White House, ditching the trappings of  his office, including his Secret Service protection, to follow whispers of a planned espionage and cyber terrorist attack. When the press discovers his unexplained absence from the White House, uncertainty and fear grips Washington.

Bill Clinton

The novel covers the next 3 days set in real time, detailing the dangers this President faces to protect his country. As the clock continues rapidly ticking, Duncan faces the recurrence of a serious debilitating medical condition, a high speed chase, a deadly shoot out, and highly skilled assassins making every effort to complete their mission and take him out. This President actually pursues those who use every effort to bring the country to its knees and destroy its standing in the world. He uses ties with global allies and even long time enemies to thwart the menace. Meanwhile, he must uncover a traitor within his inner circle while time continues to run out.

James Patterson

Once started, I couldn't put the book down, finishing it in record-breaking time. As a card carrying political junky and purveyor of hours of daily political news reporting, I'm quite familiar with Washington drama. The interaction between the White House and Congress and between various ambitious political rivals, the details in the storyline were quite familiar and highly plausible. Clinton's first hand experiences were a tremendous asset that added to the novel's credibility. Patterson captures the reader with heart stopping suspense and adds pertinent details that tie up meaningful elements of the story line. The well developed characters seem familiar enough to spot them in any administration, not withstanding the loyal, apolitical government employees who serve behind the scenes.

If you invest the time to read this highly acclaimed novel, you'll likely enjoy the fast paced entertainment presented by these two highly skilled craftsmen.

When Murder Hits Close to Home: Alex Cross, Lindsay Boxer and Friends

I admit it. Romance novels are my first love, but over the years I’ve also gotten hooked on murder, mystery and mayhem. It must be the characters I’ve come to love, i.e. Alex Cross, Michael Bennett and Jack Morgan. Don’t forget the women who wage war or crime, i.e. Eve Dallas and Lindsay Boxer. What’s not to love?

There’s always fresh material hitting the market, so grab your spectacles and let’s catch up with the latest thrillers. The pages from James Patterson and company should be a great place to start.

Cross Justice
James Patterson

The toughest cases are the ones that hit close to home.

When his cousin is accused of a heinous crime, Alex Cross returns to his North Carolina hometown for the first time in over three decades. As he tries to prove his cousin's innocence in a town where everyone seems to be on the take, Cross unearths a family secret that forces him to question everything he's ever known.

Chasing a ghost he believed was long dead, Cross gets pulled into a case that has local cops scratching their heads and needing his help: a grisly string of socialite murders. Now he's hot on the trail of both a brutal killer, and the truth about his own past—and the answers he finds might be fatal.

Profile: Alex Cross

Alex Cross is six foot three, weighs 200 pounds, and is athletic. He still lives on Fifth Street in D.C., with wife, Brianna (Bree) Stone, Nana Mama, Ali and Jannie, and Rosie the cat. Damon is away at prep school in Massachusetts. He drives a Mercedes Benz R 350.

Education

PH.D. in psychology from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Special concentration in the field of abnormal psychology and forensic psychology.

Professional

Upon graduation Cross worked as a migrant farm worker for a year.

He went into private practice in D.C. and struggled financially for three years before giving it up.

He joined the Washington, D.C., Police Department as a psychologist, working in Homicide and Major Crimes. Cross is a profiler. He worked with VICAP (Violent Criminal Apprehension Program) as a liaison between the FBI and D.C. police. After his stint as an FBI Senior Agent, Alex returned to private psychology practice and continued to consult for the MPD and the FBI as needed. He rejoined the MPD as a special consultant to the Major Case Squad.

A Washington Post Magazine in-depth article called Cross "The Last Southern Gentleman" and praised him for his work in Homicide. It brought his name to the public's attention.

Articles by Alex Cross on the criminal mind have appeared in Psychiatric Archives and American Journal of Psychiatry. He also wrote a diagnostic profile of psychopathic killer Gary Soneji/Murphy.

Alert

James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge

 "This is not a test"—every New Yorker's worst nightmare is about to become a reality.

New Yorkers aren't easily intimidated, but someone is doing their best to scare them, badly: why? After two inexplicable high-tech attacks, the city that never sleeps is on edge. Detective Michael Bennett, along with his old pal, the FBI's Emily Parker, have to catch the shadowy criminals who claim responsibility—but they're as good at concealing their identities as they are at wreaking havoc.

In the wake of a shocking assassination, Bennett begins to suspect that these mysterious events are just the prelude to the biggest threat of all. Soon he's racing against the clock, and against the most destructive enemy he's faced yet, to save his beloved city--before everyone's worst nightmare becomes a reality.

Profile: Michael Bennett

Michael Bennett is six foot three, weighs 200 pounds, and is Irish American. He lives in New York City with his 10 adopted kids who he cares for with the help of his au pair, Mary Catherine, and his grandfather Seamus. His wife, Maeve, died of cancer in December, 2007.

Michael graduated from Regis High School in Manhattan, and studied philosophy at Manhattan College in the Bronx.

Private: Paris
James Patterson & Mark Sullivan

Paris is burning—and only Private's Jack Morgan can put out the fire.

When Jack Morgan stops by Private's Paris office, he envisions a quick hello during an otherwise relaxing trip filled with fine food and sightseeing. But Jack is quickly pressed into duty after a call from his client Sherman Wilkerson, asking Jack to track down his young granddaughter who is on the run from a brutal drug dealer.

 Before Jack can locate her, several members of France's cultural elite are found dead—murdered in stunning, symbolic fashion. The only link between the crimes is a mysterious graffiti tag. As religious and ethnic tensions simmer in the City of Lights, only Jack and his Private team can connect the dots before the smoldering powder keg explodes.

 

NYPD 4
James Patterson & Marshall Karp

An audacious jewel heist. A murdered actress. A killer case for NYPD Red.

 In a city where crime never sleeps, NYPD Red is the elite task force called in only when a case involves the rich, famous, and connected. Detective Zach Jordan and his partner, Kylie MacDonald—the woman who broke his heart at the police academy—are the best of the best, brilliant and tireless investigators who will stop at nothing to catch a criminal, even if it means antagonizing the same high-flying citizens they're supposed to be helping.

 When a glitzy movie premiere is the scene of a shocking murder and high-stakes robbery, NYPD Red gets the call. Traversing the city's highs and lows, from celebrity penthouses to the depths of Manhattan's criminal underworld, Zach and Kylie have to find a cold-blooded killer—before he strikes again.

 

15^th Affair
James Paterson and Maxine Paetro

Detective Lindsay Boxer chases an elusive suspect...her husband.

As she settles into motherhood and a happy marriage, Lindsay Boxer thinks she has found domestic bliss. But when a beautiful, alluring blonde woman with links to the CIA disappears from the scene of a brutal murder at a downtown luxury hotel, Lindsay's life begins to unravel. Before she can track down the woman for questioning, a plane crash plunges San Francisco into chaos and Lindsay's husband Joe vanishes.

The deeper she digs, the more Lindsay suspects that Joe shares a secret past with the mystery blonde. Thrown into a tailspin and questioning everything she thought she knew, Lindsay turns to the Women's Murder Club for help as she tries to uncover the truth. Filled with pulse-pounding international intrigue, 15TH AFFAIR proves that all is fair in love, war, and espionage.

 

Murder, Mystery and Mayhem: Old Friends from James Patterson

Over the years, I've established strong relationships with popular characters in James Patterson's novels. Alex Cross, my first love, followed by Michael Bennett, Lindsay Boxer, Jack Morgan and several others. As new plots are developed and fresh material hits the market, avid readers keep their eyes open and their spectacles near by. Mystery, murder and mayhem are themes for any day while flipping the pages of James Patterson's latest thrillers.

 

Hope to Die, James Patterson

Detective Alex Cross is being stalked by a psychotic genius, forced to play the deadliest game of his career. Cross's family—his loving wife Bree, the wise and lively Nana Mama, and his precious children—have been ripped away. Terrified and desperate, Cross must give this mad man what he wants if he has any chance of saving the most important people in his life. The stakes have never been higher: What will Cross sacrifice to save the ones he loves?

Widely praised by the greatest crime and thriller writers of our time, Cross My Heart set a jaw-dropping story in motion. Hope to Die propels Alex Cross's greatest challenge to its astonishing finish, proving why Jeffery Deaver says "nobody does it better" than James Patterson.

 

Alert, James Patterson & Michael  Ledwidge

"This is not a test"—every New Yorker's worst nightmare is about to become a reality.

New Yorkers aren't easily intimidated, but someone is doing their best to scare them, badly: why? After two inexplicable high-tech attacks, the city that never sleeps is on edge. Detective Michael Bennett, along with his old pal, the FBI's Emily Parker, have to catch the shadowy criminals who claim responsibility—but they're as good at concealing their identities as they are at wreaking havoc.

In the wake of a shocking assassination, Bennett begins to suspect that these mysterious events are just the prelude to the biggest threat of all. Soon he's racing against the clock, and against the most destructive enemy he's faced yet, to save his beloved city--before everyone's worst nightmare becomes a reality.

 

14^th Deadly Sin, James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

Detective Lindsay Boxer and her three best friends are back and recovering from the events that pushed them all to the edge. After her near-death experience, Yuki is seeing her life from a new perspective and is considering a change in her law career. San Francisco Chronicle reporter Cindy has healed from her gunshot wound and has published a book on the infamous serial killers she helped to bring down. Lindsay is just happy that the gang are all still in one piece.

But a new terror is sweeping the streets of San Francisco. A gang dressed as cops are ransacking the city, and leaving a string of dead bodies in their wake. Lindsay is on the case to track them down and needs to discover whether these killers could actually be police officers. Maybe even cops she already knows...

 

 

Private Vegas, James Patterson & Maxine Paetro

Las Vegas is a city of contradictions: seedy and glamorous, secretive and wild, Vegas attracts people of all kinds—especially those with a secret to hide, or a life to leave behind. It's the perfect location for Lester Olsen's lucrative business. He gets to treat gorgeous, young women to five-star restaurants, splashy shows, and limo rides—and then he teaches them how to kill.

Private Jack Morgan spends most of his time in Los Angeles, where his top investigation firm has its headquarters. But a hunt for two criminals leads him to the city of sin—and to a murder ring that is more seductively threatening than anything he's witnessed before. PRIVATE VEGAS brings James Patterson's Private series to a sensational new level.

 

NYPD Red 3, James Patterson & Marshall Karp

PROTECT THE RICH. SERVE THE FAMOUS. HUNT THE GUILTY.

A chilling conspiracy leads NYPD Red into extreme danger.

Hunter Alden, Jr., a billionaire businessman, has it all: a sexy wife, a brilliant teenage son, billions in the bank and an ever-growing fortune. But his perfect life shatters one horrific night when he discovers the severed head of his chauffeur, stuffed in a bag marked, in blood, with his son's initials. Now his son is missing, and the price to get him back might be too high—even for one of the world's richest men. The kidnapper knows a horrific secret that could change the world as we know it. A secret worth killing for. A secret worth dying for.

When NYPD Red, the elite task force for New York City's most high-profile crimes, takes the case, Detective Zach Jordan and his partner—and ex-girlfriend—Kylie MacDonald have never seen anything so unspeakable. As the investigation continues, Zach and Kylie realize that the closer they get to the truth, the more their own lives are in danger. NYPD RED 3 is the next sensational thriller by James Patterson, the man Ian Rankin hails as "The Boss."

 

Meet Author/Producer Marshall Karp

Before collaborating with best selling author James Patterson, Marshall Karp was in advertising, where the punishment for creating award-winning TV campaigns is to put the writer in charge of an entire department and tell him to stop writing ads. Trapped in a corner office, Karp wrote a play, "Squabbles," which attracted the attention of network executives. He created "Everything's Relative," a CBS comedy starring Jason Alexander, moved to LA to become writer/producer for the NBC hit, "Amen," then served as writer/co-executive producer for ABC's "Baby Talk" and several other long forgotten TV series. A feature film, "Just Looking," directed by Jason Alexander, was released in 2000.

Karp returned to NY, and in 2006 he fulfilled a long-time fantasy by killing many of the people he worked with in Hollywood. His first novel, "The Rabbit Factory," set in a Disneyesque studio, introduces LAPD Detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs. Three more Lomax and Biggs mysteries followed ("Bloodthirsty," "Flipping Out," and "Cut, Paste, Kill"). In 2011 he coauthored the #1 NY Times bestseller "Kill Me If You Can" with James Patterson. A second collaboration, "NYPD Red," followed in 2012. "NYPD Red 2" was released in March 2014. In 2002 Karp joined the Board of Advisors of Vitamin Angels and is one of the architects of Operation 20/20, whose goal is to prevent blindness and dramatically reduce mortality rates among the 200 million children around the world who suffer from Vitamin A deficiency.

Source: IMDb Mini Biography By: Marshall Karp <marshall@karpkills.com>         

James Patterson: Wearing Many Hats

No doubt, author James Patterson wears many hats.  In 2011, it was estimated that one-in-four of all hardcover suspense/thriller novels sold was written by James Patterson, he is the first author to achieve ten million ebook sales, and he holds the Guinness record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers of any author. And his success isn't based solely on thrillers like the perennially popular Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club and Michael Bennett series. Patterson is now also the current bestselling author in the young adult and middle grade categories. No wonder his estimated net worth is $310 million.

Here are some of the latest releases from James Patterson which give us an opportunity to visit old friends like Detective Alex Cross and Private’s Jack Morgan and also to take a look at another of his spell binding romances.

 

Meet Michael Bennett: A James Patterson Series

Michael Ledwidge

James Patterson is best known for his novels about fictional psychologist Alex Cross, the protagonist of his Alex Cross series. I'd like for you to meet another strong male character and one of New York's finest, Detective Michael Bennett. Patterson co-writes this series with Michael Ledwidge, son of Irish parents, born and raised in the Bronx. Ledwidge is a graduate of Manhattan College and is married with two children. The partnership with James Patterson has produced an exciting, spell binding detective series with winning storylines and an interesting cast of characters.   
 

 

 

Tick Tock

James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

NYC's #1 detective, Michael Bennett, has a huge problem. A rash of horrifying crimes tears through the city, throwing it into complete chaos and terrorizing everyone living there. A bomb set in one of New York's busiest places is discovered before it explodes. But relief turns to terror when the police realize it is just a warning of greater devastation to come.

The city calls on Detective Michael Bennett, pulling him away from a seaside retreat with his ten adopted children, his grandfather, and their beloved nanny, Mary Catherine. Not only does it tear apart their first vacation since Michael's wife Maeve died—it leaves the entire family open to attack.

Immediately, it becomes clear that these crimes are not the work of an amateur, but of a calculating, efficient, and deadly mastermind. Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague, FBI Agent Emily Parker. As his affection for Emily grows into something stronger, his relationship with Mary Catherine takes an unexpected turn. All too soon, another appalling crime leads Bennett to a shocking discovery that exposes the killer's pattern and the earth-shattering enormity of his plan.

 

Step On A Crack

James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Detective Michael Bennett is about to take on the most sinister challenge of his career. The nation has fallen into mourning after the unexpected death of a beloved former first lady, and the most powerful people in the world gather in New York for her funeral. Then the inconceivable occurs. Billionaires, politicians, and superstars of every kind are suddenly trapped within one man's brilliant and ruthless scenario.

Bennett--father of ten--is pulled into the fray. As the danger escalates, Michael is hit with devastating news. After fighting for many years, his wife has succumbed to a terrible disease. As New York descends into chaos, he has lost the great love of his life and faces raising his ten devastated children alone--and rescuing 34 hostages.

Day after day, Bennett confronts the most ruthless man he has ever dealt with, a man who kills without hesitation and counters everything the NYPD and FBI throw at him with impunity. As the entire world watches and the tension boils to a searing heat, Bennett has to find a way out--or face responsibility for the greatest debacle in history.

Run For Your Life

James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

A calculating killer who calls himself The Teacher is taking on New York City, killing the powerful and the arrogant. His message is clear: remember your manners or suffer the consequences! For some, it seems that the rich are finally getting what they deserve. For New York's elite, it is a call to terror.

Only one man can tackle such a high-profile case: Detective Mike Bennett. The pressure is enough for anyone, but Mike also has to care for his 10 children-all of whom have come down with virulent flu at once!

Discovering a secret pattern in The Teacher's lessons, Detective Bennett realizes he has just hours to save New York from the greatest disaster in its history. From the #1 bestselling author comes BE AFRAID, the continuation of his newest, electrifying series.
 

Worst Case

James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

One by one, children of New York's wealthiest are taken hostage. But the criminal doesn't crave money or power--he only wants to ask the elite if they know the price others pay for their luxurious lifestyles. And, if they don't, he corrects their ignorance--by killing them.

To Detective Michael Bennett, it becomes clear that these murders are linked and must be part of a greater, more public demonstration. With the city thrown into chaos, he is forced to team up with FBI agent Emily Parker, and the two set out to capture the killer before he begins his most public lesson yet--a deadly message for the entire city to witness.

From the bestselling author who brought you the Alex Cross novels comes James Patterson's most action-packed series yet. With the heart-pounding suspense that only Patterson delivers, WORST CASE will leave you gasping for breath until the very end.

I, Michael BennettJames Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Detective Michael Bennett arrests an infamous Mexican crime lord in a deadly chase that leaves Bennett's lifelong friend Hughie McDonough dead. From jail, the prisoner vows to rain epic violence down upon New York City-and to get revenge on Michael Bennett.

 To escape the chaos, Bennett takes his ten kids and their beautiful nanny, Mary Catherine, on a much-needed vacation to his family's cabin near Newburgh, New York. But instead of the calm and happy town he remembers from growing up, they step into a nightmare worse than they could have ever imagined. Newburgh is an inferno of warring gangs, and there's little the police-or Bennett-can do to keep the children safe.

 As violence overwhelms the state, Bennett is torn between protecting his hometown and saving New York City. A partner in his investigations, federal prosecutor Tara McLellan, brings him new weapons for the battle-and an attraction that endangers his relationship with Mary Catherine. A no-holds-barred, pedal-to-the-floor, action-packed novel, I, Michael Bennett is James Patterson at his most personal and most thrilling best.

 

 

 

Gone
James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

A crime lord has declared war on America. Only Detective Michael Bennett knows why.

Manuel Perrine doesn't fear anyone or anything. A charismatic and ruthless leader, Perrine slaughters rivals as effortlessly as he wears his trademark white linen suit. Detective Michael Bennett once managed to put Perrine behind bars, the only official in the US ever to accomplish that. But now Perrine is out, and he has sworn to find and kill Bennett and everyone dear to him.

Detective Bennett, along with his ten adopted children, their nanny, and his grandfather, are hidden safely on a rural California farm, with guards courtesy of the FBI's witness protection program. Perrine begins to embark on an escalating series of assassinations across the country, killings whose brazenness and audacity bring into question the possibility of safety and law in the US. The FBI has no choice but to ask Detective Bennett to risk it all in Perrine's war on America.

With explosive action and fierce villainy that rivals James Bond movies at their best, GONE is the next astounding novel by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge.

James Patterson's "Private" Series

Recently I was introduced to "Private", another series by famed author James Patterson. The Alex Cross series made me an avid fan of the author and I was looking for something to fill in the gap when additions to the Cross series were being developed. I followed the Women's Murder Club with Lindsay Boxer for a while and also found NY Detective Michael Bennett. My new journey with "Private" was exciting and well worth my time.

James Patterson and J.D. Robb: February 2013 Mysteries

Alex Cross, Run
James Patterson

Kill Alex Cross was "Patterson at the top of his game" (Washington Post). Alex Cross, Run is even better.

DON'T LOOK, ALEX CROSS: Top plastic surgeon Elijah Creem is renowned for his skills in the operating room, and for his wild, no-expense-spared "industry parties," bringing in underage exotic dancers and models for nights of drugs, champagne, and uninhibited sex. That is, until Detective Alex Cross busts one of Creem's lavish soirees and ruins his fun. Now Creem is willing to do anything to avoid going to jail.

DON'T THINK, ALEX CROSS But Alex doesn't have time to dwell on that case. A beautiful woman has been found murdered in her car, a lock of her hair viciously ripped off. Then a second woman is found hanging from a sixth-floor window with a brutal scar slashed across her stomach. When a third mutilated body is discovered, rumors of three serial killers on the loose send Washington D.C. into an all-out frenzy.

JUST RUN Alex is under so much pressure to solve these three grim cases that he hasn't noticed that someone else investigating him-someone so obsessed and so twisted that they'll do anything-

ANYTHING- to get the vengeance they require. Alex Cross, Run is James Patterson's most unrelenting story yet-a white-hot, sensational thrill ride with the most extreme and gripping characters Patterson has ever brought to life.

12th of Never  -Women's Murder Club #12

James Patterson

It's finally time! Detective Lindsay Boxer is in labor--while two killers are on the loose.

Lindsay Boxer's beautiful baby is born! But after only a week at home with her new daughter, Lindsay is forced to return to work to face two of the biggest cases of her career.

A rising star football player for the San Francisco 49ers is the prime suspect in a grisly murder. At the same time, Lindsay is confronted with the strangest story she's ever heard: An eccentric English professor has been having vivid nightmares about a violent murder and he's convinced is real. Lindsay doesn't believe him, but then a shooting is called in-and it fits the professor's description to the last detail.

Lindsay doesn't have much time to stop a terrifying future from unfolding. But all the crimes in the world seem like nothing when Lindsay is suddenly faced with the possibility of the most devastating loss of her life.

Delusion in Death #35
J. D. Robb

It was just another after-work happy-hour bar downtown, where business professionals unwound with a few drinks . . . until something went terribly wrong. And after twelve minutes of chaos and violence, eighty people lay dead.

Lieutenant Eve Dallas is trying to sort out the inexplicable events. Surviving witnesses talk about seeing things - monsters and swarms of bees. They describe sudden, overwhelming feelings of fear and rage and paranoia. When forensics gives its report, the mass delusions make more sense: It appears the bar patrons were exposed to a cocktail of chemicals and illegal drugs that could drive anyone to temporary insanity - if not kill them outright. But that doesn't explain who would unleash such horror - or why. And if Eve can't figure it out fast, it could happen again, anytime, anywhere. Because it's airborne. . . .

 

Calculated in Death #36

J D Robb  

On Manhattan's Upper East Side a woman lies dead at the bottom of the stairs, stripped of all her valuables. Most cops might call it a mugging gone wrong, but Lieutenant Eve Dallas knows better.

A well-off accountant and a beloved wife and mother, Marta Dickenson doesn't seem the type to be on anyone's hit list. But when Eve and her partner, Peabody, find blood inside the building, the lieutenant knows Marta's murder was the work of a killer who's trained, but not professional or smart enough to remove all the evidence.

But when someone steals the files out of Marta's office, Eve must immerse herself in her billionaire husband Roarke's world of big business to figure out who's cruel and callous enough to hire a hit on an innocent woman. And as the killer's violent streak begins to escalate, Eve knows she has to draw him out, even if it means using herself as bait. . . .