Headless corpses found on the streets shock Elizabeth Tudor and the city of London. When one of her own ladies is murdered, Elizabeth joins with new friend Simon Maldon to find the killer. Henry VIII, upset by the possible implications for further religious troubles, assigns one of his Welsh guardsmen, Hugh, to investigate.Suspects include a madman, a courtier, a reformer, a well-known criminal, and others, even Elizabeth's castellan. Simon, discovering that he is good at the art of...

Hailed as the "Homeless Hero" after her adventures in Book #1, Loser, also known as Beth Lousiere, needs to recuperate from the stress and her injuries. She returns to West Virginia, where her foster mother left Beth her home and property. When another of Marta's foster daughter's shows up, Loser is drawn back into danger, with a teenage boy to rescue and a criminal operation to uncover and defeat.People want to help: her lawyer Bert, her street friend Mabel, and Bert's new young p...

Scotland's King Macbeth has been dead for a decade, yet his legacy changes forever the lives of his twin nieces, Jenna and Jessie macFindlaech. Viking raiders on a blood feud come to their home in the Cairngorm Mountains, intending to kill all males of Macbeth's line. Finding only female descendants in the clan-hold, the Vikings declare they will seek out the older sister, who has two sons. Knowing she must somehow warn Tessa, Jenna escapes the marauders. To her horror, the Vikings take Je...

How do years of sharing everything, from genetics to hairbrushes, result in people so different from each other?Three sisters raised in Michigan follow completely different pathways. The oldest, Nettie, threw away every advantage she had when she was still in her teens, and her mystified parents and siblings watched in horror as she spent years in squalor and degradation. Middle sister Ruth fell in love with a wealthy man and now has a life beyond all the dreams she spun in the cram...

Beth Lousiere, once known as Loser, learns there's new evidence concerning the murders of her husband and daughter three years ago. The crimes, along with suspicion that she was responsible, sent Beth into such despair that she lived on the streets of Richmond, Virginia, for almost a year, lost in grief and pain.Somewhat recovered though still plagued by insecurity and odd phobias, Beth returns to Richmond to face the past. Soon she's the suspect in a new murder, a woman who might ...

When Dead Detective Seamus is asked to investigate the death of wealthy businessman William Dunbar, he is more than willing. Seamus finds the Afterlife pleasant but a little boring, and he looks forward to chances to return to Life and find out for murder victims why they died and who is responsible. This time there's an additional request: Will he take a detective-in-training along? Reluctantly he agrees to meet Mildred, who seems charming if a little headstrong. They agree to work the ca...

Zalea and Milla Wood know little about the world outside their tribe's land-hold. In school they learned about the troubled Old Times, when bad leaders wreaked havoc on the nation, but that was before they were born. Today the sisters live in a community that shares roots, culture, and beliefs, where everyone knows everyone and all are treated fairly under the guidance of the girls' Grandfather, Ben Woods.Seventeen-year-old Zalea is a firebrand who has always seen cracks in the trib...

When a long-time friendship dies, does murder follow?Decades past junior high in a small, northern Michigan town, Caroline Batzer is snubbed by her best friend. At first confused, she's later stunned to learn Sarah Leigh betrayed her in a way she'd never have suspected. In an all-too-public setting, Caroline airs her anger at the woman everyone else in town considers saintly. When Sarah disappears soon afterward, it looks like Caroline murdered her. Despera...

Loser washes up in gas station restrooms, wears Salvation Army giveaways, and eats what she can find, beg, or filch. Life on the streets of Richmond, Virginia, is hard, but it's better than facing her demons. That is, until she meets Bryn, a little girl who steals her heart. When Bryn's daddy is accused of murder, there's no one willing to help except Loser. Penniless, almost mute, and terrified of failure, Loser attempts to gather her resources and prove Nick Saraff is innocent of the cri...

Simon Maldon is sent by Queen Elizabeth to form an honest assessment of the her cousin Mary, the Queen of Scotland. With Simon gone, his son Henry, wife Hannah, and old friend Calkin must delve into the murder of Simon's brother-in-law, Will Clark. Determined to hide his crimes, the killer is willing—even eager—to murder again.Simon faces his own trials when outlaws capture his party. In order to thwart their leader's grandiose schemes, Simon must escape and make his way to Edinbur...

This compelling story focuses on friendship, love, loss, and the life-changing power we gain by helping others. Spanning the decades from the 1960s to the present, the events play out in two primary locations, Thailand and Michigan's Mackinac Island.On a cruise ship in the Gulf of Thailand, passenger Elvera Tharp, known as Miss E, has a reputation for being difficult—almost impossible—to please. When new employee Michael volunteers to be full-time steward to the ornery old woman, h...

When one of Edward VI's council members is poisoned, Elizabeth fears a plot against her brother the king. Her fears worsen when whispers surface that she herself is responsible. With no one she can turn to at the palace, she asks her old friend Simon Maldon to help her prove that she isn't guilty of murder and treason, but they face a clever killer who cannot be caught and will not be stopped.