Rule #1 of being a hired killer: never get to know your target . . . and definitely don' t fall in love with themTaking lives has taken its toll. Her moral justifications have faltered. Do any of the people she has killed— some of them heinous, but all of them human— deserve to die?Her next target is Cameron Walker, a rancher in Arizona. When she arrives at his remote desert estate to carry out her orders, she discovers that he is a kind and beautiful man. After a lengthy tour of the ranch, not only has she not killed him— she' s wondering who might want him dead. She procrastinates, instead growing closer to Cameron. She learns that he' s passionate about wild horses and has been fighting a losing political battle to save mustangs that live on protected land near his ranch— he' s even received death threats from his opponents.Suddenly, she' s faced with protecting the man she was sent to kill, encountering kidnappers, murderers, horse thieves, and even...

Her life is over . . . yet somehow she carries onAfter attempting to sever all ties to her life as a hired assassin, a woman struggles to understand who she has become. She knows she doesn' t want to kill again— but it proves to be a difficult habit to break, particularly in a world where people are after her and those she loves most.Adrift and disconnected, she meets an old woman: Imogen O' Brien, a world-famous artist who has spent the last three decades living a hermit-like existence on a rustic desert estate in a national forest. Imogen invites her to stay and work for her, offering mentorship in return as the woman deepens her own interest in art.What quickly becomes apparent is that elements of Imogen' s past are shrouded in danger, sorrow, and darkness. Rather than growing as an artist, the former hitwoman soon finds herself enmeshed in a dangerous mystery with strands that stretch decades into the past.Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and Dean...

How far can a profound personal loss drive someone toward darkness? What would it take for you to kill someone for money? And if you did, who—or what—would you have become? These are the question one woman faces when she loses everyone she loves and everything she has. When the opportunity arrives to reinvent herself as a killer for hire, she takes it. She's good at it—and if she doesn't do it, someone else will. Then everything changes when she learns about a serial killer so horrible she vows to find him and kill him until—overcome by self-doubt—she seeks redemption rather than vengeance.Fans of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Dexter will love Endings

A shattered life. A killer for hire. Can she stop?Her assignments were always to kill someone. That's what a hitman—or hitwoman—is paid to do—and that is what she does. Then comes a surprise assignment—keep someone alive!She is hired to protect Virginia Martin, the stunning and brilliant chief technology officer of a hot startup with an innovation that will change the world. This new job catches her at a time in her life when she's disillusioned, even depressed. It's not the crushing depression she'd suffered when she'd lost her family and abruptly started this career, but over time, the life of a hired killer has taken a toll on her spirit.She's confused about the "why" but she addresses her charge as she always does, with skill and stealth, determined to keep this young CTO alive in the midst of the twinned worlds of innovation and high finance.Some people have to die as she discharges her responsibly to protect this superstar woman amid the crumbling...

### From Booklist White-collar crime turns nasty when stockbroker Madeline Carter's best friend, Jack, is shot to death right at the New York Stock Exchange. Unnerved by his murder, Madeline quits her job and moves to Los Angeles, where she rents an apartment on the Malibu property of a famous movie director. An insider's tip from Ernie, her former lover, causes Madeline to lose her money, something that shouldn't have happened. Unfortunately, she had passed the tip on to her mother, who also passed the tip on. Feeling responsible for several people's investments, Madeline goes to Langton Regional Group, the company in question, to find out for herself what's happening. She discovers that Ernie, their CEO, has been kidnapped, and the more Madeline investigates, the deeper into the whole mess she gets. On the upside, she finds unexpected love with Steve, a young Langton salesman. On the downside, someone uses her for target practice. Murder, mayhem, humor, romance, and great characters make this first book in the Madeline Carter series hard to put down. *Shelley Mosley* *Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved* ### Review "... does what many have tried and few have managed -- to turn ... corporate crime into a fun, roller-coaster read." -- *Alafair Burke -- author of Missing Justice* "...a fun, roller-coaster read. The key is Richards' strong, witty, and likeable heroine, recovering stock broker Madeline Carter." -- *Alafair Burke author of Missing Justice*

In 1931, while most of Los Angeles is struggling to survive the Depression, the business of Hollywood is booming. And everyone wants a piece. The movies have always been cutthroat and, as girl Friday Kitty Pangborn is about to find out, that's more than a metaphor.Kitty's boss, private detective Dexter Theroux, has been asked to help leading man Laird Wyndham prove his innocence. The actor was the last person to be seen with a young actress who died under very suspicious circumstances, and the star has fallen from the big screen to the big house. Wyndham's a dreamboat, but that isn't the only thing that has Kitty hot under the collar. Dex has already signed a client---one who's hired him to prove Wyndham's hands are not as clean as they look.Mixing Hollywood glitz with hard-boiled grit, Death Was in the Picture captures the essence of life in Depression-era Los Angeles: a world where times are tough, talk is cheap, and murder is often just one scene...

Nicole Charles didn't go to journalism school to become a gossip columnist, but the job fell into her lap right out of school and her immigrant work ethic just won't let her quit to find something she'd like better. It's a good job, but she struggles with the stigma attached to her position by other reporters. More than anything, she wants to be a real reporter, but it looks like she's never going to get a chance. Then one night while covering a gallery opening, she discovers a dead body in a dark alley. An upand- coming artist has been stabbed in the throat with an antique icepick. Nicole is right in the middle of the biggest story of the year. It's the chance of a lifetime. Too bad someone had to die to make it happen. If It Bleeds is the first novel in a series of mysteries featuring rookie reporter Nicole Charles.

As the lawlessness of Prohibition pushes against the desperation of the Depression, there are two ways to make a living in Los Angeles: join the criminals or collar them. Kitty Pangborn has chosen the crime-fighters, becoming secretary to Dexter J. Theroux, one of the hard-drinking, tough-talking PIs who pepper the city's stew. But after Dex takes an assignment from Rita Heppelwaite, the mistress of Harrison Dempsey, one of L.A.'s shadiest--and richest--businessmen, Kitty isn't so sure what side of the law she's on.Rita suspects Dempsey has been stepping out and asks Dex to tail him. It's an easy enough task, but Dex's morning stroll with Johnnie Walker would make it tough for him to trail his own shadow. Kitty insists she go along for the ride, keeping her boss--and hopefully her salary--safe. However, she's about to realize that there's something far more unpleasant than a three-timing husband at the end of this trail, and that there's more at risk than her...