by K.J. Howe (2017)
Kidnap negotiator Thea Paris has spent her entire life with survivor's guilt, following an unspeakable childhood tragedy. At eight years old, she watched, frozen in fear, as her twelve-year-old brother, Nikos, was abducted from their home in Kanzi, Africa. Although he was recovered nine months later, he was never the same after that; worse, Thea discovers that she was supposed to have been the target. This defining experience drives Thea to become one of the top operatives in the field of kidnap-and-ransom consultancy. Nicknamed "Liberata" because she once secured the release of a captive from the Sicilian mob without her client paying a cent, she travels the globe trying to bring hostages home--mostly through negotiation, but occasionally through more forceful means. She is very good at her job.
Maxine Kenneth
Young Jacqueline Bouvier's first CIA assignment was supposed to be simple: Meet with a high-ranking Russian while he's in Paris and help him defect. But when the Comrade ends up dead, and Jackie barely escapes his killer, it's time to get some assistance.
Melinda Leigh
One by one, people are mysteriously disappearing from a small Maine town. Four months ago, a ruthless murderer killed two people and kidnapped three more, including Danny Sullivan's sister, who barely escaped. Unfortunately so did the killer, vanishing without a trace into the vast wilderness. When the police fail to find his sister's captor, Danny returns to Maine to hunt him down. He begins his search with another survivor, bed-and-breakfast owner Mandy Brown, but her refusal to cooperate raises Danny's suspicions. What is the beautiful innkeeper hiding? Mandy Brown has a secret. But sexy Danny Sullivan, his relentless questions, and the desire that simmers between them threaten to expose the truth, a revelation that puts her family in danger. As more people disappear, it becomes clear the killer is planning another ritual and that he's circling in on Mandy.
Simone van der Vlugt
A single mother stands in the garden of her isolated house, hanging out the washing, when suddenly a man appears. When he grabs at her, Lisa runs, but she is not quick enough. Suddenly Lisa and her young daughter find themselves held hostage in their own home.
Susanna Jones
The Earthquake Bird (Mysterious Press, 9/01), Susanna Jones' debut, won the 2001 John Creasey Award, bestowed by the Crime Writers' Association in England, for Best First Novel. Foreign rights were sold in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, and Norway. It will be published in trade paperback from Mysterious Press in 3/03. Susanna Jones writes chilling, psychological suspense that will appeal to the same audience that made Nicci French's Killing Me Softly (Warner, 7/99) a bestseller. Susanna Jones studies Japanese Noh theatre as part of her drama degree from London University. She lived and worked in Japan before getting her M.A. in writing from Manchester University.