Böcker utgivna av Kensington Publishing

ONCE, SHE GOT AWAY The body lying on a cold steel slab bears all the hallmarks of the Chicago Butcher. There's a cruel slash across her throat, deep enough to sever the carotid artery, and a small crescent carved into her right breast. Her delicate features are painfully familiar to Ash Marcel, once a rising star in the Chicago PD. But though the victim resembles his former fiancée, Remi Walsh, he knows it's not her. BUT THIS TIME Though Remi escaped a serial killer five years ago, her father died trying to save her. Grief and guilt caused her to pull away from the man she loved. Now Ash is back in her life, insisting that Remi is still in danger. IT'S A DEAD END . . . Someone is targeting women who look just like Remi. With or without a badge, Ash intends to unmask the Butcher. But the killer isn't playing games any longer. He's moving in, ready to finish what he started, and prove there's nothing more terrifying than a killer's obsession . . . Praise for Pretend You're Safe "Alexandra Ivy gives readers a nice balance of romance and suspense in her fast-paced, well-plotted novel."-Kat Martin, New York Times bestselling author "A satisfying mystery . . . Ivy's clever foreshadowing keeps the tension high throughout this fast-moving tale, and the romance sizzles."-Publishers Weekly "A pulse-raising romantic thriller." -BookPage

Johnstone Country.  Where Frontier Legends Are Born.   A legend among bounty hunters, Luke Jensen has tracked some of the deadliest outlaws in the West. But sometimes, the competition can be even deadlier . . .   GHOST TOWN MASSACRE   It’s the kind of job Luke Jensen hates. A millionaire mine owner is willing to pay $5,000 to the man who captures the half-breed outlaw Tom Eagle. Normally, Luke would turn down an offer like this—it smacks too much of being a hired gun. But when the millionaire tells him that Eagle is responsible for killing his son, Luke agrees to take on the job. Which means he’ll have to take the road to hell itself—aka Hard Rock, Montana . . .   Hard Rock is supposed to be a ghost town. But when Luke arrives, the ghosts are alive and well—and gunning for his hide. They’re a gang of actual hired guns—the kind of soulless killers Luke despises—and they’re trying to collect the bounty, too. Luke barely makes it out of town alive when he runs in to the only man who can save him. The man he’s been hired to hunt. The notorious Tom Eagle . . .   Live Free. Read Hard.

JOHNSTONE COUNTRY. WHERE THE GOOD DIE YOUNG. AND THE BAD DIE SOONER.   There are two kinds of traps in the Old West. One is the kind that Preacher and his buddy, Charlie, use to catch a mountain-load of fur pelts. The other is the kind that Charlie steps into—a trap set by a low-life gambler and his seductive partner in crime to swindle Charlie out of his fur money. Preacher hates to see a good friend get robbed. So he sets off after the grifters—on a riverboat bound for New Orleans. First, he infiltrates the criminal underworld of the French Quarter. Then, he’s enslaved on a pirate ship heading straight to hell. Now there’s only one way out for Preacher. Start a mutiny. Take over the ship. Then return to New Orleans to reunite Charlie with his money—and not to get butchered in the process.   The First Mountain Man PREACHER’S FRENZY   Live Free. Read Hard.

TIME TO MEET THE WIDOWMAKER   Vulture City is home to a prosperous gold mine and every bad man in the Arizona Territory knows it. Nearly every stagecoach attempting to deliver the gold to the railroad at Maricopa has been ambushed on the trail—a trail known as the Gunpowder Express for the bullet-riddled bodies along the way.   With gold piling up and a lack of volunteers to transport it, the mine owner hires Newt “Widowmaker” Jones to ride shotgun on the next stage. Foolhardy and desperate for money, Newt joins three other guards—and a passenger, Jenny Silks, a stubborn firebrand with her own stake in seeing the delivery through. But waiting on the Gunpowder Express is Irish Jack O’Harrigan and his band of outlaws. There’s not a soul alive he wouldn’t think twice about putting six feet under. But he’s never traded lead with the man known as Widowmaker . . .   Praise for Spur Award winner Brett Cogburn   “Fans of frontier arcana will revel in Cogburn’s readable prose and lively characters.” —Publishers Weekly on Rooster   “Cogburn amazes and astounds.” —Booklist

Samantha Miller didn''t have an easy start. Molested as a child and subsequently forced into prostitution by her drug-addicted mother, Samantha learned at an early age that men were not to be trusted. Being constantly preyed upon taught her to be a predator. Her target was women¾ straight or married. As the headliner at a local strip club, Samantha capitalizes on the gifts she was cursed with. In turn, her life quickly spirals down a dangerous path of violence, seduction, and exploitation. When Sasha is brought on as the new bartender, she becomes Samantha''s newest target. The last thing Samantha anticipated was falling in love. When tragedy strikes, what was once a challenge may prove to be her downfall. Can Samantha heal from her abusive past, or will she always be Wounded?

After almost dying at the hands of her sister, Renee has made the dangerous decision to step down and give Carmen her empire to chase after happiness. The ice queen has finally melted, and the people closest to her are not happy with her transformation. When the road to happiness turns jagged and secrets are uncovered, Renee is forced to make decisions that can alter everyone’s lives.   Ride with Brandie Davis again as she brings you back into the life of a ruthless New York queenpin longing for a way to escape the mayhem of the streets she once ruled.

"Love isn't about how much you say I love you, but how much you can prove it…" Finding love in the club wasn't working for Soraya after she dumped her ex for going to jail, so she tries to find love online. Thousands of women have found love with a simple click of the mouse, and she wants to test it out for herself. Just when Soraya thinks that spending hours online looking for a man is a complete waste of time, she finds YoungGucci90's profile. Looking at his hazel eyes in his pictures, she falls in love instantly. Though her roommate is convinced that he's a catfish, Soraya sees him at a concert at the House of Blues in West Hollywood. Fast romance blossoms and everything seems to be too good to be true. Though he is the guy from his online profile, he hasn't been honest about who he really is. Hiding behind a persona he's created to keep his real identity safe, will he find it's too late to come clean?

From bestselling author Kristina McMorris comes an ambitious and heartrending story of immigrants, deception, and second chances. On a cold night in October 1937, searchlights cut through the darkness around Alcatraz. A prison guard's only daughter-one of the youngest civilians who lives on the island-has gone missing. Tending the warden's greenhouse, convicted bank robber Tommy Capello waits anxiously. Only he knows the truth about the little girl's whereabouts, and that both of their lives depend on the search's outcome. Almost two decades earlier and thousands of miles away, a young boy named Shanley Keagan ekes out a living in Dublin pubs. Talented and shrewd, Shan dreams of shedding his dingy existence and finding his real father in America. The chance finally comes to cross the Atlantic, but when tragedy strikes, Shan must summon all his ingenuity to forge a new life in a volatile and foreign world. Skillfully weaving these two stories, Kristina McMorris delivers a compelling novel that moves from Ireland to New York to San Francisco Bay. As her finely crafted characters discover the true nature of loyalty, sacrifice, and betrayal, they are forced to confront the lies we tell-and believe-in order to survive. "Will grab your heart on page one and won't let go until the end. I absolutely love this book, and so will you." -Sara Gruen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants "An absorbing, addictive read."-Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author

In Pennsylvania's Amish country, Daisy Swanson has a tea shop to run, a daughter to marry off-and a murder to solve . . . Daisy's worried one of her employees at Daisy's Tea Garden may be in a spot of trouble. Lately Karina's been loading up on soup and second-day baked goods at the end of her shift-and while the shop's scrumptious treats may be hard to resist, Daisy suspects there's more going on, especially since Karina has been seen hanging out in a rundown part of Willow Creek. Planning her own daughter's wedding is enough to keep her busy, but Daisy can't help feeling a protective maternal instinct-and an instinct to investigate. It turns out Karina has been helping a down-on-his luck single dad who's been making ends meet-barely-by selling antiques at a place called Pirated Treasures. But when an employee at the antiques store is bludgeoned to death with a marble rolling pin, Karina's new friend is suspect number one. Though the motives are muddy and steeped in intrigue, Daisy is more than determined to flush the real killer out. Includes delicious recipes!

Out of the frying pan, into the fire . . . Courtney Archer is known for hosting the show Cooking with the Farmer's Daughter . . . despite the fact that she's actually a pediatrician's daughter. Now she's signed on for a role on The American Baking Battle. On this reality show, she can start developing a more authentic image for herself-and as a bonus, the usual backstabbing and manufactured drama isn't part of the Baking Battle script. But genuine drama is heating up behind the scenes . . . During a film shoot in the scenic Pocono Mountains, Courtney has to juggle career commitments like pots on a six-burner stove. Adding to the stress is Mick, a contestant who finds out about her fake farm-girl story. Determined to succeed at her new gig, she whips up a cherry cobbler in a cast-iron fry pan one evening and leaves it out to cool. But the next morning, it's Mick's body that's cooling-right next to Courtney's pan, now classified as a murder weapon . . .

Investigators Prudence MacKenzie and ex-Pinkerton Geoffrey Hunter discover all that glitters is not gold in the Gilded Age, whether on the island of Manhattan or an island off the coast of Georgia … DEATH BRINGS A SHADOW In spring 1889, Prudence and Geoffrey set sail from New York Harbor on a private yacht bound for Bradford Island, where her friend Eleanor Dickson is to be wed. The Sea Islands along the Georgia coast serve as a winter playground for the likes of the Carnegies, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, and Dicksons. Despite her Yankee pedigree, Eleanor is marrying a Southern gentleman, Teddy Bennett, and Prudence is thrilled to be the maid of honor. But days before the wedding, the bride is nowhere to be found. A frantic search of the island turns up her drowned corpse in an alligator-infested swamp. Prudence is devastated, but as they prepare the body for burial, she and Geoffrey discover evidence of bruising that indicates Eleanor was held under-most dishonorably murdered. Determined to seek justice for her beloved friend, Prudence begins to investigate with Geoffrey's help and is quickly led into a morass of voodoo spells and dark deeds from the days of slavery. As Prudence and Geoffrey pursue a killer, they soon discover that Eleanor will not be the last to die on Bradford Island …

It may have been a ghost that led Eleanor Wilde to set up shop in a quaint English village. But now that she's established herself as the town witch, Ellie's contentedly casting spells on anyone desperate enough-or gullible enough-to request her mysterious potions… Selling mystical elixirs and tantalizing tonics is a pretty good way for a fake medium to earn a living. Or at least it's Ellie's main source of income-until a villager turns up dead. The cause? Murder by poisoning. And though Ellie's concoctions don't include anything worthy of a skull and crossbones, suddenly she's the prime suspect. Her only recourse is to find the culprit who did do away with Sarah Blackthorne. No one liked the mean old battle-axe. But did anyone hate her enough to kill her? It's enough of a mystery to make Ellie hang up her witch's hat and take millionaire beau Nicholas Hartford up on his offer to keep her afloat. Except Ellie is not the kind of woman to lean on a man-least of all a man she adores but whose place in her life is uncertain. Besides, Ellie's taken on two young witches-in-training-apprentices if you will-and both of them are convinced a werewolf is the murderer. Just as Ellie's wondering if there really is something otherworldly going on, animals suddenly begin to disappear-including her beloved cat, Beast. Now Ellie's on the warpath to uncover the wicked truth about the people and the place she's only just begun to call home…

Melanie Travis loves her teaching job at Connecticut's elite Howard Academy, where plans are underway for a Spring Pageant to honor the school's fiftieth anniversary. Immersed in the preparations, Melanie is hurrying to retrieve a painting of one of the illustrious co-founders when she comes upon a disturbing scene: Eugene Krebbs, the Academy's elderly caretaker is arguing loudly with a girl half his size. Before Melanie can learn more than the girl's first name-Jane-she disappears. It's clear that Jane isn't a student at Howard Academy, so what is she doing there? Melanie doesn't have a chance to answer that question before more problems arise. Two days later, Krebbs is discovered stabbed to death right on the school grounds. Now Melanie is embroiled in a full-fledged homicide investigation as she tries to find out who's added murder to the school's curriculum. And when Melanie's trail leads her dangerously closer to the truth, she must race against time to track down a cunning killer before she becomes the next victim to be hushed . . . forever.

Inspired by the true story of a kleptomaniac cat who stole his way into America's heart . . . KITTENS CABOODLE As a tabby cat with criminal tendencies, MacGyver is always a whisker away from trouble. But when he stumbles upon a litter of four motherless kittens, he really has his paws full. It's clear Mac has to take care of the cuddly little furballs, at least until he finds them each a human. That's not going to be easy though. Not when Mac's the prime suspect in a series of thefts at Storybook Court-and his loving but concerned owners, Jamie and David, have put him under house arrest. As if that could stop a clever cat like Mac . . . HUMANS CANOODLE With four hungry little mouths to feed-and two local detectives on his tail-MacGyver has his work clawed out for him. He's determined to sniff out the real thief. But when he gets a whiff of romance in the air, he can't resist a little matchmaking, too. One of the detectives seems awfully fond of the aspiring actress who moved into the neighborhood. And his partner looks like she could use a hug, too. With a little help from those adorable kittens, Mac is sure that love will save the day. Because when it comes to stealing hearts, this cat's out of the bag . . . RAVES FOR TALK TO THE PAW "Filled with romance and adorable kitty antics . . . a light and cozy read!" -Modern Cat "Surpassingly cute story of a matchmaking cat determined to pair off his human with a neighbor through the power of stinky laundry." -Kirkus Reviews

In this intoxicating mystery by USA Today bestselling author Sarah Fox, a winter carnival becomes a recipe for disaster when a Shady Creek celebrity gets iced. The Winter Carnival always brings holiday cheer, Christmas joy-and tourists with cash-to picturesque Shady Creek, Vermont. At the center of the glittering decorations and twinkling lights is booklover and pub owner Sadie Coleman, creating original cocktails, hosting a literary trivia evening, and cheering on her loyal employee Melanie "Mel" Costas as she competes in the ice carving competition. But holiday cheer can't compete with former resident and renowned chef Freddy Mancini, who arrives with his nose in the air, showing off his ice-sculpting skills like a modern-day Michelangelo. During the artists' break in the night-long contest, Mel's tools disappear . . . and Freddy is found dead with her missing pick in his chest. Although the police turn their attention to Mel, it seems everyone in town had a grudge against Freddy, including his assistant, his mentor, his former flame, and even his half-brother. Faster than she can fling a Huckleberry Gin, Sadie finds herself racing to make sure the police don't arrest the wrong suspect-all while sharing a flirtation with local brewery owner Grayson Blake. Their chemistry leads to a heated rivalry at the hockey rink-and to the hot pursuit of a killer.

Amateur sleuth Samantha Washington's shopping trip to Chicago takes a deadly detour when a man is murdered on her bus . . . After some post-Christmas retail therapy in the Windy City, mystery bookshop owner and historical whodunit novelist Sam Washington is returning home to North Harbor, Michigan, on a chartered bus. With Nana Jo and her gal pals Irma, Dorothy, and Ruby Mae from Shady Acres Retirement Village along for the ride, it's a lively trip. But one passenger is not so lively-a gentleman Irma befriended is found dead in his seat after an unscheduled stop. The ladies immediately shift gears to find out who punched his ticket, while Sam slips into the driver's seat to make sure Nana Jo and her crew steer clear of fatal conclusions . . . Praise for V.M. Burns and The Plot is Murder "A promising debut with a satisfying conclusion." -Publishers Weekly "Cozy mystery readers and historical novel aficionados will adore this warm-hearted, cleverly plotted new series." -Kings River Life

Seasoned Italian-American Alberta Scaglione can whip up a traditional dish for any occasion. But when an impromptu vacation turns deadly, can she sift out the deadly ingredient? When her granddaughter lands a reporting gig at the grand opening of the luxurious Icicle Lodge, Alberta and friends tag along for a week of much-needed R&R amid the snowcapped hills of northeastern Pennsylvania. But the idyllic winter getaway becomes a nightmare after the gang discovers blood on the ice-and the dead body of celebrity guest Pamela Gregory, a frosty Olympic gold medal figure skater who won herself more enemies than fans . . . With a killer on the loose, multiple suspects, and a blizzard on the way, Alberta must now race to crack a bone-chilling case . . . before the outspoken Ferrara ladies get served murder: family style! Includes Italian recipes from Alberta's kitchen! Praise for Murder on Memory Lake "Griffo launches a series with something for everyone: eager young newshounds, well-seasoned sleuths, and a stash of Italian recipes (some gluten-free) to boot." -Kirkus Reviews

Known as "The Peanut Butter Brothers" for their Wisconsin family business, hardworking Andrew, Abraham, and Austin Petersheim have their plates too full for romance-until their little siblings decide to play matchmaker . . . With their house full to bursting since Mammi and Dawdi moved back in, the Petersheim twins know the only way to get their bedroom back is to get their older brothers married off. But Abraham is so shy, he'll barely speak to girls. Still, they've noticed how he looks at Emma Wengerd at church. Emma is so talkative, Abraham's quiet ways wouldn't matter a bit. Soon, the boys have hatched a scheme that sends Abraham right to Emma's door-and her chicken coop . . . Abraham doubts that pretty, popular Emma would be interested in him. Yet when he finds himself by her side, having to straighten out the twins' mischief-more than once-he can't help imagining a future with her. And the more time they spend together, the more Abraham realizes that perhaps no matter how many boys buzz around Emma, with faith, it's only the right one that counts . . . Praise for Jennifer Beckstrand and her Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series "Full of kind, sincere characters struggling with the best ways to stay true to themselves and their beliefs." -Publishers Weekly "A heart-warming story of faith, hope, and second chances. The story will captivate readers who love the Amish culture and enjoy an endearing romance." -Amy Clipston, bestselling author of A Seat by the Hearth

New York Times bestselling author Betina Krahn delivers an irresistible romance shimmering with light-hearted wit and thrilling twists . . . The youngest of four spirited American sisters, Sarah Bumgarten has studiously avoided her mother's attempts to find her a titled husband among London's aristocracy. Now, after an earl's very public rejection, it seems her ideal mate will be anyone but a duke, a marquis, a baron, or a viscount . . . Thankfully, there are no noblemen in sight at Betancourt, the country estate where Sarah takes refuge. Its rightful owner, the Duke of Meridian, sibling to Sarah's brother-in-law, has been absent for years. Accompanied by her bevy of beloved animals, Sarah delights in refurbishing the once-grand property. But even a self-assured frontier heiress needs help when greedy tenants are threatened by her presence . . . Out of nowhere, a stranger jumps into the fray when ruffians attack. Nothing about "Art," the roguish interloper-now recuperating in the ducal bedchamber-smacks of nobility, with his brazen sensuality, worldly knowledge, and deeply seductive voice. Yet could he be the errant duke? If so, Sarah soon realizes this homecoming promises to be filled with unexpected challenges and passionate possibilities . . .